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Decks are accumulated over the course of the game and include countless spells that you can use in order to defeat your foes. Spells are constantly rotated into your active slots out of your deck. At any time you can shuffle your deck, rather than expending your precious mana reserves.

Mechanics[ | ]

For every 5 spells you have in your deck, you gain 0.1 ManaRegenMana Regen. This bonus is capped at 0.3 Mana regen, or 15 spells.

Deckbuilding[ | ]

Click here to add a strategy!


Kunai Deck[ | ]

Infobox Spell Brand Slashfik
Infobox Spell Border 0
0
Kunai
Throw a knife up to 4 tiles away. ConsumeConsume.
30

The KunaiKunai deck is a straightforward, but powerful build that can get you through every type of run, without relying on luck at all, as it's very consistent, and doesn't need a lot of cards to work fine. As soon as you have CollectRingCollect Ring, you're virtually good to go. The other spells and artifacts are just bonuses.

Strategy and Synergy[ | ]

All the strategy revolves around adding as many KunaiKunai as you can into your deck, and releasing lots of them on your foes when you feel the time is right. For that, you will need 3 to 4 of the spells that generate KunaiKunai, the most important one being CollectRingCollect Ring. As you'll run through your deck, at some point you'll come across CollectRingCollect Ring. Do not cast it, keep it in your hand until every other spell has been used. And while you play your cards, your deck will be filled with KunaiKunai. When your deck only contains KunaiKunai and CollectRingCollect Ring, that's the moment you'll tear your enemies to bits. It's really not uncommon to finish bosses that are around 1kHP just by spamming your KunaiKunai into their face.

As you're basically spamming "low" damage spells (not that low in fact, but still, you're spamming), one thing that synergizes well with this deck is SpellPowerSpell Power. It's really worth considering going into ConvergenceConvergence, mainly to get FocusFocus. The other thing that works great with SpellPowerSpell Power is MinigunMinnie Gun, obviously. So looking for it might be a good idea, too.

Aside from that, if you're going for a Genocide run, you might have trouble dealing with your HP, not being able to regenerate by sparing bosses. In these kind of runs, adding some MiseriMiseri healing spells helps a lot. And if you got the awesome ShadowToxinShadow Toxin artifact, adding some PoisonPoison cards could be nice.

So the general strategy I recommend is :

  1. Double focus on SlashfikSlashfik until you get at least CollectRingCollect Ring, and most of the time you'll get MatKunaisDoubletake and SwipeSwipe before, you should take them both.
  2. Focus on ConvergenceConvergence and HexawanHexawan to get FocusFocus and MinigunMinnie Gun, which are both Common spells.
  3. If you're on Genocide, go for some MiseriMiseri healing spells like LeechLeech or DevourDevour.
  4. You can either go back to SlashfikSlashfik to look for ScavengeScavenge which is a fine addition, or go get your favorite staple spells, but don't add too much of them. You don't want to have to your KunaiKunai lost in at the end of a 30 cards deck.

For the Artifacts, almost every KunaiKunai centered artifact is good, except for GripTapeGrip Tape if you don't have Chalice. The ones to aim for are those that trigger on ConsumeConsume as you're consuming every KunaiKunai you throw. The ones that trigger on shuffling might sound like a good idea, but it's not that efficient, as you'll be shuffling less and less as long as the run go on. And of course, ShadowToxinShadow Toxin and NinjutsuNinjutsu are just awesome. Take these.

Spells[ | ]

Core build[ | ]

The one and only. You'll throw many of those puppies. It deals 30 damage on up to 4 tiles, for 0 mana. It's as simple as that.
A must have. Gives you one KunaiKunai per 2 seconds. It might not seem much, but it stacks rather fast. It gets better if you get the +1 Kunai upgrade, though. It should always be the last card you use in your deck before shuffling.
That's a good one. It only gives one KunaiKunai, which is not much, but it deals damage, so it's okay. I don't recommend spending upgrades on it, though.
Now this one is better. It simply gives you 2 KunaiKunai. Getting a Doublecast upgrade on it is always nice.

Good synergy[ | ]

Focus and SpellPowerSpell Power in general is beneficial for your whole build. Getting 10 SpellPowerSpell Power get your KunaiKunai to 40 damage, which is already a whole lot of bonus damage. Adding things like PowerShardPower Shard or CardThrowerCard Thrower, you can raise that to 70 damage. And it can escalate even further rather easily. And if you're going for SpellPowerSpell Power, then Minnie Gun is an obvious pick.
You should mostly take then on Genocide runs, in which you can't heal easily. But even on other routes it's always useful. Plus they're all ConsumeConsume spells in case you get ScavengeScavenge !
These one are mostly useful if you manage to get ShadowToxinShadow Toxin. Don't get too many PoisonPoison spells, you don't want to overload your deck.
This spell works really well in extended fights. Make sure to get T (Strafe) as an upgrade on it because otherwise you will be anchored in place for a very long time and might take huge unnecessary amounts of damage. Works really well with SpellPowerSpell Power too.

Finishing touch[ | ]

This is an awesome spell, but it's too rare to rely on it. Don't try to get it, but if you do, damn, go for it. It gives one KunaiKunai for every spell you consumed during the fight. It can go out of control very quickly. As it is a Calamity spell, you'll probably get it around the end of your run.
If you're playing with SpellPowerSpell Power, this one is insane, and can deal huge amount of damage.
This one can basically fit in almost any deck. We're playing some ConvergenceConvergence spells here, so if you find one, do not hesitate. And Doublecast it.
Another broken spell that scales insanely well with SpellPowerSpell Power. Fair warning though : if you play this one, you'll never get to your KunaiKunai in monster fights, they'll die with this spell.

Artifacts[ | ]

First of all, there isn't any mandatory Artifact needed for this deck to work. BUT, some of them might break the game.

Broken ones[ | ]

Yup, you get this one, it's over. You'll never shuffle your deck again, and you can just spam your knives until everyone is dead and buried.
The PoisonPoison on your KunaiKunai really gives a lot of bonus damage. Add some good PoisonPoison spells with that, and you'll destroy everything.

Decent ones[ | ]

Artifacts that deal bonus damage when you spam spells or consume cards.
Gives you 20 Shield every time you consume a Kunai. You can actually build shield faster than some bosses can damage you with this.
Straight SpellPowerSpell Power. Glass Cannon's effect will last the entire battle, but FragileFragile only lasts a single hit.
Makes every Kunai deal 45 damage after the first hit. If you have Acupuncture, Kunai can also proc PowerShardPower Shard for another 10 damage per hit.

Jam Deck[ | ]

Infobox Spell Brand Doublelift
Infobox Spell Border 0
2
Jam
Does nothing. AnchorAnchor. ConsumeConsume.
We got a real jam goin' down
0

A deck focused mostly into adding as much JamJam in your main deck for the purpose of powering up JamSlamJam Slam and JamCannonJam Cannon. Not that easy to pick up at first, this setup becomes doable late game after attaining either Jam Slam or Jam Cannon. While not beginner-friendly, it is pretty powerful at the late-game, once you manage to pick up the right spells and artifact combos.

When there are only Jam left in the deck, ShuffleShuffle to take back your main trigger cards (Jam Slam/Jam Cannon).

Strategy and Synergy[ | ]

The main focus of this deck is to obtain as much Jam as possible while having a Jam Cannon or Jam Slam in your main spell slot. The Jams may be used as an ammo source for those spells. If lucky enough, you can finish off your targets before reaching the "bottom" of the deck, i.e. when only Jam remains. For this to work, it is mandatory to get JamSlamJam Slam and/or JamCannonJam Cannon. Without either of those two spells, this deck will not work out. AmbientBurstAmbient Burst and DeckSlamDeck Slam can complement the deck to some extent, acting as second copies of Jam Slam and Jam Cannon respectively.

Manafire Gunner is a good Jam Deck user for several reasons - he starts with InnervateInnervate, and his low ManaRegenMana Regen means he appreciates 0-cost spells like LaserSoloSkewer, but his M4 ManafireM4 Manafire also means that he can build a lot of Mana at once, allowing you to efficiently clear your Deck of JamJam spells every once in a while. Both Violette starting kits also have the situational Mana Regen to easily handle a Jam Deck.

Set both focuses to DoubleliftDoublelift as soon as possible.

Spells[ | ]

Core Build[ | ]

In this deck, the Jams will be your "Ammo" for use with the Jam Cannon and Jam Slam.
Rapidly hits 4 tiles away for every Jam you've cast during the battle. One of the main damage sources for a Jam Deck, but precise aiming is necessary. Unlike Jam Cannon, which depends on how many Jams you currently have in your deck, Jam Slam will continue to scale up the longer the battle goes on, no matter what the status of the rest of your deck is. Good upgrades include A (DamagePlus), D (Double), and G (Frost).
The second main damage source in a Jam Deck. Fires a fast 80-damage shot for every Jam currently in your deck, but AnchorAnchor the player, restricting movement. Best used when the target is standing still or under the effect of RootRoot. Try to save Jam Cannon until after you've cast as many other Jam-generating spells as possible. Try and get T (Strafe) on this spell to improve it massively.
Skewer is a 0-cost beam that hits all enemies in a line and adds one Jam to the deck. Easy to use up, and will aid in adding as much Jam to your deck as possible.
Like Skewer, this will fire three piercing lasers and add 2 Jam to the deck. Another good upgrade target - A (DamagePlus), V (Shot), and D (Double) will help you deal damage and/or generate more Jam.
Generates 50 Shield and 1 Jam for 0 Mana. It might be worth shifting one focus to PhalanxPhalanx to help you find this spell.

Good Synergy[ | ]

Will increase your maximum mana and give you one extra Jam.
Strong, easy-to-use, and generates Jam, but you need to have good mana regen to make use of it.
Deck Slam and Deck Shield scale with the number of other spells in your deck, which can situationally be quite high.
Spell Shield lets you BackfireBackfire one of your Jams for 120 shield. This effect is very powerful, but takes care to use - if you accidentally Backfire a spell like Jam Slam, you'll lose out on a lot of your damage. Run by preference.
Help you line up Jam Slam and Jam Cannon, but they can also be used defensively in an emergency. Useful throughout the entire run.
RootRoot effects are also viable to set up for your big attacks.

Finishing Touch[ | ]

Salvo hits the entire enemy field for 180 damage. Essentially unavoidable, unless the enemy crosses over to your field. It also costs 0 Mana and gives you 3 Jam.
Overload trivializes burning through Jams at the bottom of your deck, and you can also raise your Max Mana with InnervateInnervate, making this spell's cost more feasible.

Artifacts[ | ]

Manajam is a must-pick for this deck. The increased Mana Regen comes in handy, especially if you're playing as Gunner, and you start with 3 Jams, which means JamCannonJam Cannon is online as soon as the battle starts.
Another must-pick. This reduces the cost of casting your Jam, which helps you manage your deck and power up JamSlamJam Slam.
Chalice or Virtue, when combined with Blueberry Jam, will allow the player to dispose of Jam cards very quickly, saving up precious time to reach the main spells.
Just like Blueberry, if you need to cast your Jams to free up your spells, you will gain a small amount of shield to block future damage. With high enough ManaRegenMana Regen you may even do this on purpose to rack up high amounts of ShieldShield.
Much like Gelatin, these artifacts can be used by purposefully spending your Jams to deal damage.
Less important than Blueberry Jam, but nevertheless nullifies one of Jam's drawbacks. Pick if you see it.
Every hit of JamCannonJam Cannon, JamSlamJam Slam, LaserSoloSkewer, and LaserTripleRailgun will proc Power Shard, piling on extra damage.
Duel Disk can be useful or dangerous to pick. The instant ShuffleShuffle time is a massive bonus while also adding Jams, but through the battle the Jam cards may block the path to Jam Slam and Jam Cannon, forcing the player to cast them. The player would be forced to cast the Jams anyway since Duel Disk prevents manual Shuffling. When combined with Gelatin, Blueberry Jam and Chalice, this artifact becomes purely beneficial, if not game-breaking.

Poison Deck[ | ]

Infobox Spell Brand Miseri
Infobox Spell Border 1
0
Detox
Dmg everyone for double their PoisonPoison, remove their poison.
Maple syrup, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and water
0

A deck with emphasis on dodging and letting the PoisonPoison stacks do the work. Since the Poison ignores ShieldShield, enemies with several artifacts or at later tier will become easy to manage, provided you get the right spells and artifacts combos. DetoxDetox can be used as a "Trigger", to detonate the poison stacks, which commonly reaches 200+ stacks in a pinch. This is a strong deck to use with Violette, in either of her kits.

Take note that this deck is a kind of a pain & gain one - while you will be dishing out damage over a long period of time, sometimes you also have to tank a few shots, especially if there is no room to move around. For this reason, later on, consider picking up some defensive cards from PhalanxPhalanx.

Strategy and Synergy[ | ]

Try to always apply at least a few poison stacks on your targets, it will be the poison that will do the damage for you, while the poison does their works focus on dodging enemies projectiles and avoid getting hit. If possible keep some ShieldShield up (Violette's starting kit, Doubletime, allow you to recover 60 Shield easily) and don't stop moving, unless if necessary. Once you're satisfied with the poison stacks, quickly cast DetoxDetox to detonate their poison and deal ridiculously large amounts of damage. Takes a little bit of practice to play it well and requires keen reflexes and fast thinking, using Doubletime Violette is recommended for a safe playthrough, while Aria Violette can take a more risky approach thanks to her FermataFermata, allowing a high-risk, high-reward playstyle for experienced players.

When starting up, do the following as soon as possible:

  • Set both focuses to MiseriMiseri first to attain the few poison spells.
  • When you have enough poison spells, shift both focuses to PhalanxPhalanx to get some defensive spells instead.
  • Do not fill your deck with too many unnecessary cards, a source of healing and shield cards such as ForteForte, ShieldsUpShields Up and CounterStrikeCounter Strike may suffice.
  • Later on, you can re-shift your focus towards SlashfikSlashfik to get a Kunai-engine to use against a boss for some damage before the poison kick in. Again, do not fill up with too many cards, a CollectRingCollect Ring and SwipeSwipe suffice.

Spells[ | ]

Core Build[ | ]

Anubis is a cheap way to poison all targets in the field without the need to aim, so you can dodge freely and cast it at the same time.
Detonates all Poison stacks from all targets, dealing twice the value of their poison stacks as damage. Note that this will also damage you if you're using VaccineVaccine, unless you have a shield up beforehand.
Like Anubis, you will be able to hit random targets at the enemy side without the need to aim, so you can shift your focus to dodging. Will linger for a while, so it is likely to hit enemies/bosses that retreats back to their playfield after attacking the player's side. Main downside is the 3 ManaMana cost.
Sludge Bomb is a strong spell that can build PoisonPoison stacks really fast. The high mana cost pays off when fighting stationary enemies, to rescue hostages in some scenarios. Is fired forward 4 tiles and follows the player's movement, so you can use to "Carpet Bomb" the enemy field, guaranting at least one hit.

Good Synergy[ | ]

Venoshock can easily kill down targets with high poison stacks when used with the right timing.
Applies 100 Poison (or 0 but doubles the target's poison when FragileFragile), the highest amount in one go. When playing with Doubletime Violette, she can quickly apply the Fragile stack for the increased poison efficiency.
Can be used as an initiator, with the poison spreading to nearby Beings. Particularly useful in zones with too many enemies or bosses that summon structures or minions.
Use it for a 100 Health-iconHeal when executing a target.
Rest in a safe position to recover a bit of your HP. In zones where the enemy can't reach you, use it for a free heal without a hassle. Try to cast Rest as much as possible to always keep in fit condition for boss fights.

Synergy (Aria Violette)[ | ]

Synergizes with her FermataFermata well, making this deck a strong option for Aria Violette players.
Combine Acid Rain with her fermata to deal some sort of damage while you stand still. Acid rain may also be used with other characters, but there will be situations where there will be no breathing room due to the high amount of attacks to dodge.

Artifacts[ | ]

There are some artifacts that complements this deck nicely.

Very strong catalyst since you'll passively generate Shield each time poison damage is dealt. In the best case scenario you can amass huge amounts of shields within seconds when quickly casting poison spells and detonating with Detox later to re-apply more poison and keep chaining Shields around. Doubletime Violette can do a jump-start with 60 Shield.
Will mostly only strengthen this deck due to the many instances the player will be hitting the targets. Anubis by itself is a free hit and most other spells will gain a small increase in poison power.
In the last levels, once you build a Kunai-engine, this will allow you to chain poison with the kunai generated.
Ensures that all enemies will always stay with a minimum of 10 Poison so they'll always take passive damage over time. Also affects self, but Aria Violette can turn things around.
Applies 20 Poison at the start of battle to all enemies. Combos with Resistant Strain and can be a kickstarter for poison combos.
Passively strengthens your poison spells with 5 bonus damage, working as a pseudo-SpellPowerSpell Power. If you are playing Violette with her Aria style, do Not get this artifact, because every time you have to reapply your own Poison to prevent yourself from taking damage, you'll hurt yourself. Part of why I wouldn't recommend Detox for Aria Violette either because you'll probably damage yourself too much.
Worthwhile to bring with Doubletime Violette since she has many interactions with FragileFragile stacks and the increase in spell power comes nicely.

Flame Deck[ | ]

Infobox Spell Brand Anima
Infobox Spell Border 1
0
Ember
Create a FlameFlame 4 tiles away.
A snap of the fingers.
10

A kind of strange and awkward deck at first, but becomes priceless in the late game. One of the main emphases of this deck is to fill the enemy field with FlameFlame. Since Flame damage no longer ignores DefenseDefense, it can be weaker at higher Hell Passes without ThermiteThermite.

Pyro Terra starts with CombustCombust, CitrineCitrine, and TerraflareTerraflare, which provide an excellent foundation for a Flame deck.

Strategy and Synergy[ | ]

This deck has a hybrid between direct damage from the spells themselves and the Flames created by them, which will passively deal damage over time. Due to the aforementioned effect on Defense, in Hell Pass or in late levels some enemies have high defense and the Flames can have difficulty with them. Bosses also possess some defense, and as such, the Flames will be weaker against them. (aside from Selicy or Shiso, since they are highly mobile and invade the player's field quite often).

The main problems are the relatively low damage and the risk of friendly fire that this deck poses, but if you can work around these flaws, you can pull out incredible payoffs.

When starting up, do the set-up:

  • Set both focuses to AnimaAnima, since Flame spells belong almost exclusively to this brand.
  • Taking Chest Zones can be useful, especially if several of those zones are present on the path.
  • The F (Flame) upgrade can make some non-flame spells synergize with most artifacts of this deck and improve the Flame chance of the main spells.

Spells[ | ]

Core Build[ | ]

Ember is a free spell to cast and can be used as a firestarter for your combos. With the L (Flex) upgrade you can passively increase your Health-iconMax HP over time.
Acts as the "trigger" for this deck and can be really powerful if the enemy field is full of Flames.
Rage can quickly become a strong spell once you settle up Flame tiles.
Like Rage, this spell can be really strong once enough Flame tiles are set up.
Spawns Flames across an entire row. If laid on the first row, using Salamander shortly after will fire one shot in each row, guaranteeing a hit on most scenarios. Also highly effective against the Gate.
Cast it to spread your flames and proc various effects from artifacts and to create combos with other spells.

Good Synergy[ | ]

SpellPowerSpell Power also affects flame damage, increasing the strength of this deck.
Useful for this deck, as with most other decks that relies on some sort of effect. The secondary FragileFragile and RootRoot can also give some aiding in some situations.
If you want to take a ring spell, this one may help you the best thanks to the high spell power boost.
Any other FlameFlame spells such as CarpetBombCarpet Bomb, StormFireFirestorm, WildfireWildfire, RingOfFireRing Of Fire and FlambergeFlamberge.

Artifacts[ | ]

There are some artifacts that complements this deck nicely.

This will be one of your main passive ShieldShield giver, increasing your defenses simply by attacking the target and laying down flame tiles.
Great way to passively generate mana with your flame spells, with some of them (like Carpet Bombing or BackBurnerBack Burner) quickly restoring a high portion of your ManaMana.
Thermite is a strong artifact to pick up because each flame will reduce the target's defense, and in the event of negative defense points they will take increased damage. This is a real strong catalyst for this deck when using it against the Gate.
Pet dragon can help the player out by setting additional flame tiles, bu be careful not to settle them on your side of the field.
Thorn synergizes well with Molten Core, since you can easily rebuild the shield lost by applying more flames on the opposing field, and the 4 SpellPowerSpell Power will greatly improve this deck offensive potential.

Flow Deck[ | ]

Infobox Spell Brand Hearth
Infobox Spell Border 1
2
EarthPrayer
FlowOn Flow, restore 4 ManaMana. Gain 4 FlowFlow.
0

FlowFlow decks focus on casting spells to gain Flow, and FlowFlow Casting spells to gain powerful effects.

Strategy and Synergy[ | ]

FlowFlow decks have access to some incredibly powerful effects if you keep your deck streamlined. They have cheap damage spells like TremorTremor and FractureFracture that lead into stronger attacks like RockTombRock Tomb, in-archetype Mana and Shield generation, and eventually an infinite supply of EternityCannonEternity Cannons, if you happen to find the spell for it.

Not only does a Flow deck need spells that can be FlowFlow Cast, but it wants to avoid too many spells that don't use or generate Flow, because they'll waste your Flow stacks. This means that you want to keep your deck relatively small, and your ability to mix Flow with other archetypes depends on having certain artifacts. (Except under special circumstances, you should probably avoid Kunai and Jam effects altogether, for example, as these will quickly waste your Flow stacks.) You have some room for a handful of strong spells you happen to find, but don't bloat your deck, either.

In general, focus HearthHearth, dabble in KinesysKinesys, and then transition into GlimmerGlimmer if you want to gun for EternityCannonEternity Cannon.

Spells[ | ]

Core build[ | ]

Deals 120 damage for 2 mana, and casts itself twice on Flow. Cheap, strong, easy-to-use, and it's a common-rarity spell. Note that when it doublecasts itself, you also double your Flow gain, for +3 Flow total.
At its worst, it's a 140 damage spell for 1 Mana that cracks your tiles. Troublesome, but when you Flow Cast it, it fixes your tiles instead.
A ShieldShield spell that costs 0 Mana and generates Flow. As long as you cast it in one of your corners and quickly TileBreakBreak all three tiles, its downside will only last for a few seconds.
As long as you Flow Cast it, you spend 2 Mana and 1 Flow to gain 4 Mana and 4 Flow. Its cost is rather high for a mana-generating spell, so consider M (ManaRe).
Provides a decent 30 shield by itself, in addition to scaling quickly with flow. It is also a great candidate for D (Double) upgrades.

Good synergy[ | ]

Fires four 100-damage homing missiles that pierce shields if you have Flow. Expensive to cast, but very worth it. You should take this spell even if you can't afford to use it yet. One of the main targets for your upgrades, either to lower its cost or to add more shots. Getting X (ExtendedMag) on this spell is the one exception to avoiding JamJam effects - absolutely grab it if you can.
Slowly hits 4 tiles away for every Flow stack you have, and gives you a Flow stack every time one hits. After the changes in 1.5, this is more of a support spell than a win condition, but it can be used to get more Flow stacks and put out damage over time.
Deals 60 damage and returns to your deck when Flow Cast. This is deceptively good - after you've cast it, it becomes the last card in your deck, so when you only have one card left, you can cast it repeatedly for as long as you have Mana and Flow, like with KunaiKunai, but it also won't fill up your deck when you shuffle.

You shouldn't always throw out Rock Cycle until you run out of Flow stacks, however - not only do you risk not being able to Flow Cast after you shuffle, but you'll waste all the Flow stacks that Waterfall and Barrier scale off of. Try to be mindful of which spells you want to use when - save your Flow stacks for Waterfall and Barrier when you're in the middle of a long fight, and use them for Rock Cycle when you need to finish off enemies or clear out obstacles. If you want to choose only one, Barrier is the better option.

Additional damage options. Fissure is easy to land and helps control the battlefield, but it cracks your own tiles if you don't use it in the front row, and Coldstone does 240 damage on Flow Cast, but its 3 Mana cost is a little steep.
Fairly strong KinesysKinesys spells, worth running in any deck, that also generate Flow when you use them. You can also use them to corral enemies into WaterfallWaterfall.

Finishing touch[ | ]

Fire a 40 damage shot every second for the rest of the battle. Amazing on its own, but if you Flow Cast it, you also get the spell back, and can keep reapplying it. Works well with A (DamagePlus) or D (Double).
Not essential to the deck, but you should still take it if it drops. Its 4-mana cost is a little expensive, but by the time you can find this spell, it shouldn't be much of an issue. It also doesn't ConsumeConsume, which is nice to have on a Calamity spell.

Artifacts[ | ]

Every spell gives you Flow. There's a small ManaRegenMana Regen downside, but the upside is that you will never run out of Flow, ever. This is stupidly good, and renders many of your Flow-generating spells like UndertowUndertow and EarthenArmorEarthen Armor obsolete. You may still wish to run them purely on their own merit, however. Makes WaterfallWaterfall and BarrierBarrier continue to ramp up for the entire fight, and makes RockCycleRock Cycle infinite use.
Restore 0.5 Mana every time you Flow Cast. Self-explanatory, and useful in any Flow Deck. Especially powerful when paired with RockCycleRock Cycle.
Gain 2 Flow when you shuffle. Easy to get in the early game, and excellent for maintaining your Flow even when you don't know what's going to be at the top of your deck.
Give you stat boosts when you have Flow. Very economical if you can maintain your Flow - SpellPower4 Spell Power and Defense5 Defense is nothing to scoff at.
Every damaging spell in this guide does 40 or more damage, and many of them hit multiple times. EternityCannonEternity Cannon, WaterfallWaterfall, and RockCycleRock Cycle in particular get tons of mileage out of this.
Despite this artifact's wording, you're actually gaining a net 1 Flow, meaning 2 Flow total. This means that when combined with something like ViruspellViruspell or CollectRingCollect Ring, you'll end up gaining massive amounts of Flow. (It also procs on EarthenArmorEarthen Armor, giving you 3 Flow total.)

Building Spam Deck[ | ]

Infobox Artifact Border 2
HexBadge
Gain 40 ShieldShield when you SummonSummon something.

The Building spam Deck works best with Build Hazel, since you can get HexBadgeHex Badge, which makes building spam at least double as strong. It focuses on, what a suprise, on spamming out as many Structures and camping out behind the Structures until eventually the shots from BlastCrystalsBlast Crystals, BeamCrystalsBeam Crystals or other Structures kill the Enemies.

Strategy and Synergy[ | ]

The whole strategy is to camp behind your Turrets or other Structures until the Enemies eventually die. There are no Keycards when playing as Build Hazel, just pick up every Spell that says Summon, even ones that may not seem fitting, like BladeBayTossBlade Bay, since they all trigger HexBadgeHex Badge, giving you extra protection. Not playing as Build Hazel isn't recommended, since the player gains a lot of ShieldShield through HexBadgeHex Badge. This makes Deckbuilding also a lot worse, since you need to watch out that your Deck isn't too expensive.

The general strategy is basically: - Start with focusing HexawanHexawan since there are most of the structure related spells and PhalanxPhalanx fo extra protection. - Pick up every Summon related spell and close Range spells.

There isn't any Synergy with artifacts besides HexBadgeHex Badge. The artifacts that are always good help, but aren't necessary.

Especially as Hazel, you should see this deck rather as a Engine than a whole deck. Adding spells or other strategies into this deck works sometimes, but not always.

Spells[ | ]

Core Build[ | ]

Summons two structures for 1 Mana. If you put Doublecast on this, you can get 80 Shield for 2 Mana.
This spell does three useful things for you - it gives you Shield on summon, it passively generates Shield if you hide near it, and it helps protect your other Structures. You can even place two next to each other.
Any of these will eventually damage enemies if you camp and protect them for long enough.
Gives you 60 free Shield, and Shields all of your Structures.
Literally any Spell related to summoning. Pick 'em all up.
As many defensive spells as possible. They work well with a campy playstyle.

Other helpful Spells[ | ]

Great combo potential with BlastCrystalsBlast Crystals or BeamCrystalsBeam Crystals to deal damage, regenerate ManaMana and gain ShieldShield.
Great Short Range spell to destroy Structures in front of you if you need to get out of a corner.
Volley can be situationally powerful, but only if you have the right structures in the right places. Sidewinder is much more reliable, but its damage is unimpressive - spells like MissileTowMissiletoe generally do the same thing, but more reliably. BombardBombard and ResonateResonate are also options, but they're even more specific than Bombard, and generally aren't worth it. These can be used, but take care not to put too many of them in your deck, or you'll end up clogging your hand with them when you need Structures.
Deals a lot of damage, covers a whole row and summons more SumWallWall to destroy with SalvageSalvage. Great spell to pick up, though it's pretty rare. Even if you don't destroy it yourself, it will protect you from attacks until it's taken down, and then damage enemies and limit their field once it is.
Any spell that only affects the enemy and doesn't need to fire shots.

Artifacts[ | ]

The same things that make HexBadgeHex Badge good will also work with Symbiosis. The two are redundant unless you have HardenedShieldsHardened Shields.
This will make your structures easier to defend, but will also make it harder to destroy them intentionally, with spells like BlastCrystalsBlast Crystals or SumMonumentMonument.
Gives your Structures Spell Power, boosting the damage of spells like SumTurretgunGun Turret.

Trinity Deck[ | ]

Trinity decks use the TrinityTrinity mechanic to give their spells TrinityCastbonus effects.

Strategy and Synergy[ | ]

Unlike a FlowFlow deck, TrinityTrinity decks don't need to be almost exclusively Trinity spells to function. You keep your Trinity stacks until you use them, so even one Trinity card will eventually get its TrinityCastTrinity Effect. This means Trinity mixes well with other strategies.

Doubletime Violette is one of the best Trinity users, since she starts with ManaStealMana Steal, and her Graceweapon can fill her Trinity stacks at will. Chrono Saffron is also excellent, since she starts with a MinigunMinnie Gun and her WristwatchWristwatch can help you line up Trinity casts. Build Hazel also starts with a MinigunMinnie Gun and appreciates SpellPowerSpell Power, so mixing Trinity into her deck is a good option.

Double focus ConvergenceConvergence, and once you have some of your starter spells, switch your secondary focus to DoubleliftDoublelift.

Spells[ | ]

Core build[ | ]

Probably the bread-and-butter Trinity spell. A 1-Mana projectile that does an additional 350 damage four tiles in front of you when you TrinityCastTrinity Cast it.
Read its effect as "If Trinity is full, deal 540 damage to 1 tile in front of you and refill your Trinity." Without Trinity Cast, this is a mediocre 60 damage projectile for 3 Mana, so consider upgrading it - M (ManaRe) and Y (Refund) make it more economical, and V (Shot) and R (Fragile) boost its damage even further.
As long as you land it, it's a 120 damage projectile for 0 Mana. With StoplightStoplight, it becomes easier to land, and if you want to be extra cautious, you can cast it while moving vertically to fire each of your shots down different rows. Easy to get, powerful in the early game, and worth keeping around.
Get 1 Trinity for 1 Mana. A consistent and easy-to-use damage spell that also scales incredibly well with SpellPowerSpell Power.
Refill 2 Mana and gain 1 Trinity, if you can afford to stand still for half a second. Pairs very nicely with TriShotTri Shot and ManaStealMana Steal, since they have high costs and Trinity effects.

Good synergy[ | ]

High-damage spells like TriRagTri Rag get tons of mileage out of FragileFragile, but spells like MinigunMinnie Gun will waste its effect. Run by preference.
Free TrinityTrinity and free SpellPowerSpell Power. Probably shouldn't be Legendary rarity.
Depending on your deck, if you can snag this spell, you can cast this for 120+ ShieldShield several times per battle. Having this will make your Trinity casts much more flexible, if you have the spells to make use of it.
Helps build your Trinity stacks and manage your deck. Every spell that can be TrinityCastTrinity Cast also gives you a stack of TrinityTrinity on use, so if you draw one of them with no easy way to get more Trinity, you can cast it and then use Echo. Also lets you Trinity Cast TriShotTri Shot twice in a row. In general, Echo lets you see the best spells in your deck more often.
RootRoot and ChronoChrono effects will help you land your strongest spells. You'll probably run into BoomerangBoomerang while focusing ConvergenceConvergence, but its high cost can be bothersome.

Finishing touch[ | ]

A piercing laser that does bonus damage equal to 1/3 of your target's current HP when you TrinityCastTrinity Cast it. What Gate?

Artifacts[ | ]

Essential. Trinity is all about building up for a big attack, and this helps to ensure the attack will land.
Tessellate gives you 1 Trinity when you shuffle, and Tri-nket gives you 2 Trinity at the start of battle. Gaining Trinity when you have three stacks won't make you lose your Trinity, so all these can do is let you TrinityCastTrinity Cast more often.
Choco Mint Chip can slow enemies, making it easier to hit them with your Trinity Casts, and Trifrost rewards you for Trinity Casting with FrostFrost stacks. Worth considering if you have access to easy-to-land spells like ColdSnapCold Snap or FrostBarrageFrost Barrage.
TriRagTri Rag, ManaStealMana Steal, and especially TriShotTri Shot all just so happen to hit multiple times for 40 or more damage.

Frost Deck[ | ]

Infobox Spell Brand Anima
Infobox Spell Border 1
1
ColdSnap
Apply FrostFrost to all enemies.
Is it just me or is it cold in here?
0

FrostFrost is less a strategy on its own and more of a mechanic that can be mixed into other decks. It's consistent, its spells are easy to land, and it can make enemies much easier to deal with, but it lacks damage output, and needs something else to supplement it.

Strategy and Synergy[ | ]

On its own, FrostFrost provides consistent, low-effort, lackluster damage. Spells like ColdSnapCold Snap, FrostBarrageFrost Barrage, and so on are easy to land, but they really shine in combination with ChocoMintChipChoco Mint Chip, and to a lesser extent, SnowBootsSnow Boots. These turn Frost into an effective support strategy that can be mixed into almost any deck - even FlowFlow decks, to an extent.

Snow Selicy is the exception to this - her SnowpiercerSnowpiercer can be used to efficiently turn Frost stacks into damage. Anyone else probably shouldn't be running a pure Frost deck.

Focus AnimaAnima and keep an eye on the stores.

Spells[ | ]

Core build[ | ]

Free FrostFrost stacks on everything onscreen. Because it doesn't deal damage or fire projectiles, this is a good option for your upgrades - D (Double) will likely come up on your first attempt, and it's extremely worth it.
Another spell that deals little damage, but provides easy FrostFrost stacks. If you fire this in the top or bottom row, you'll fire two FrostboltFrostbolts in your row and one in the adjacent one. This is another good upgrade target - anything that lets you fire extra shots is worthwhile for extra Frost stacks.
Low damage, but it hits through an entire row of enemies, and gives you two chances to hit against agile foes.
Has a delay, but applies multiple FrostFrost stacks and deals respectable damage for a Frost spell.
Applies multiple FrostFrost stacks and costs nothing to use. The heal is negligible, especially because the Frost stacks will deal damage anyway.

Good synergy[ | ]

This applies FrostFrost and a slew of other useful effects. Almost certain to synergize with whatever it is you're trying to do.
TrinityTrinity is already another strategy that mixes well with others, and Frost/Trinity synergize nicely - Frost can slow down enemies, letting you set up for big attacks like TrinityCastTrinity Cast TriRagTri Rag.
FrostFrost and FlameFlame have fairly good synergy - they both provide fairly consistent damage over time, and ChocoMintChipChoco Mint Chip's SlowSlow effect makes enemies spend more time on your Flames. As an added bonus, you can focus AnimaAnima and get the spells needed for both halves of this strategy.
FrostFrost and JamJam decks can also work - Frost slows down the pace of the game and lets you manage your deck, and there's even an artifact, IcingIcing, that fires a FrostboltFrostbolt when you cast Jam.
You can also just add some high-power spells for consistent damage. GlimmerGlimmer is a good brand for this.

Finishing touch[ | ]

Powerful spells that apply multiple FrostFrost stacks for a fair amount of Mana and absolutely zero effort.

Artifacts[ | ]

Essential. This slows down the pace of the game, making it easy to dodge attacks and deal damage with your other spells. Almost the sole reason why FrostFrost is a useful strategy to combine with other decks.
Less noticeable, but the occasional RootRoot is appreciated.
Recovers ManaMana when you deal FrostFrost damage. Very worthwhile.
Any of these can let you apply FrostFrost stacks more efficiently.
Helps turn on FrostFrost as a source of damage - especially when combined with Snow Boots.
Provides passive healing with no downsides just by playing the deck normally. A must-pick.

Viruspell Deck[ | ]

Infobox Spell Brand Doublelift
Infobox Spell Border 2
0
Viruspell
Fire a shot and duplicate this spell. AnchorAnchor.
I've got speeells, they're multiplyin.
20

ViruspellViruspell is unusual, in that the entire deck hinges on you getting an Epic-rarity spell. It's less something you start a run planning on using, and more something you might pick up and reshape your deck around if you come across it.

Strategy and Synergy[ | ]

The smaller your deck is, the more worthwhile Viruspell will be. It's not like CollectRingCollect Ring, where you can play your deck normally and have it as a contingency - you need to cycle through your deck and cast Viruspell as many times as possible, or else it's only going to contribute a couple of underwhelming 20-damage shots.

With that in mind, your priority should be removing expensive spells from your deck to speed it up as much as possible. Head for shops as often as you can, to keep picking up Upgrades and Removals. DoubleliftDoublelift, MiseriMiseri, and PhalanxPhalanx are all decent options for your focus.

If you want to actively search for Viruspell, try increasing your Luck.

Spells[ | ]

Core build[ | ]

Mash buttons to win. Much like KunaiKunai, Viruspell is initially unimpressive, but if you can stall for a little while, it builds itself up into an utterly ridiculous source of damage. Duplicates of Viruspell will keep their upgrades, so F (Flame), G (Frost), and R (Fragile) are some of your best options.

Good synergy[ | ]

Like with KunaiKunai, SpellPowerSpell Power is obviously good for Viruspell decks. You can get a lot of mileage out of Focus in particular, because it also appreciates cycling through your deck several times and casting it as often as possible.
ConsumeConsume spells like Leech are useful, because they'll help you protect yourself while you're still weak, but they won't clog up your deck as you're cycling through it.
Normally underwhelming, but you want to shorten your shuffling time as much as possible.
Deck Slam will also scale in power as Viruspell continues to multiply. AmbientBurstAmbient Burst is also an option, but you're going to be going through your deck with wild abandon in order to make effective use of Viruspell, so a long-lasting AnchorAnchor effect is problematic.
Deck Shield works like Deck Slam, but it provides more shield as you cast more Viruspells, instead.
Fate Shield's effect is only temporary, but this downside is almost irrelevant if you're repeatedly cycling through your deck. It's also cheap to cast, so it won't really clog up your deck, and the extra shield is helpful.
Spell Shield can provide a quick 120 shield in exchange for consuming one of your Viruspell copies (or Jam if you have Duel Disk) which you will be generating more of anyway. Can also be used at the end of your deck to not consume anything. Just don't accidentally use it on your first copy of Viruspell.
Cheap, spammable, and helps you rack up damage.

Finishing touch[ | ]

Supposedly very strong in a Viruspell deck, but 6 mana is extremely steep, especially for a spam deck. Consider whether you can really afford it - but on the other hand, when else are you ever going to run Midnight?

Artifacts[ | ]

More than anything else, the best thing you can do is thin your deck out.
Help shave seconds off of your shuffle time, or eliminate it altogether in the case of Duel Disk.
These help out with your weak early game.
0.1 Mana isn't a lot, but you're going to be using a lot of 0-Mana spells. This will help you speed through your deck, so you don't need to worry as much about hitting spells that actually cost Mana.
Any sources of SpellPowerSpell Power are also good.
Any effect that procs when you cast a spell or deal damage is going to be very powerful in a Viruspell deck.
Viruspell procs Water Wheel, which can be combined with BarrierBarrier to generate massive amounts of ShieldShield.

Spell Power Deck[ | ]

Infobox Artifact Border 3
MeritBadge
Permanently gain 1 SpellPowerSpell Power when you save a Hostage.
Scout's honor

A SpellPowerSpell Power deck uses effects that build up large amounts of Spell Power, and multi-hit spells that can abuse it.

Strategy and Synergy[ | ]

The central part of most Spell Power decks is MeritBadgeMerit Badge, an epic rarity artifact that gives you permanent Spell Power every time you rescue a hostage. It isn't mandatory for the deck to work, but finding a Merit Badge early on essentially decides whether you're building a Spell Power deck.

Switch your focus between ConvergenceConvergence, GlimmerGlimmer, AnimaAnima, and HexawanHexawan as needed to round out your deck.

Spells[ | ]

Core build[ | ]

Gain +2 Spell Power. You can take D (Double) to ramp up your damage even faster.
Gain +5 Spell Power while it's in one of your cast slots. If you can play around it, it can be used to give your other spells a noticeable boost.
Every hit of Minnie Gun and Blue Bullets adds your Spell Power to its damage. Get D (Double) or F (Flame) if you can.
Every tick of FlameFlame also adds your Spell Power. Any spell that can create a Flame will work very well here.
Though they might not look like it, these are also multi-hit attacks. They take some practice to aim, but scale incredibly well with Spell Power.

Good synergy[ | ]

Costs all your mana and temporarily takes 1 ManaMana to use, but if you can afford to use it, it can be disgustingly powerful.
Depending on when you cast this, you can build TrinityTrinity for Minnie Gun, or TrinityCastTrinity Cast it to get another +3 Spell Power.
Gains 11 damage per Spell Power. Easy-to-use, can feasibly reach 250+ damage from Merit Badge alone, and doesn't ConsumeConsume. Highly recommended.
Powerful for the same reasons as Minnie Gun and Blue Bullets.
Hits for 30+ damage multiple times per second. Very useful for taking advantage of boss patterns and enemy positioning.
After building some Spell Power, these spells can turn into cheap, respectable sources of damage.

Finishing touch[ | ]

Deals 50x your Spell Power to all enemies without having to aim.

Artifacts[ | ]

Playstyle-defining. If you can get this early, hit as many hostage spaces as you can, and you'll build up huge amounts of damage.
Gives +4 Spell Power and 1 Fragile. You'll only take the Fragile damage once per battle, so this cost is fairly manageable, especially for the payoff.
You'll be using lots of multi-hit spells, so Hit Seeker can proc several times per cast. MiracleMiracle and BazsWhipBaz's Whip are good choices for similar reasons.
As with a Flame Deck, any FlameFlame synergy artifacts will be useful.
+4 Spell Power and -4 Defense. You can offset this with UndershirtUndershirt.
Risky, but powerful. Their negative effects won't matter as much if you can end the fight quickly.

Switchbait Deck[ | ]

Infobox Spell Brand Doublelift
Infobox Spell Border 2
2
Switchbait
Shot deals dmg of spell in other slot.
Doublelift -- A sleight advantage.
X

A hyper-efficient deck that revolves around a single damage-dealing combo. Typically, your entire deck is just two cards.

Strategy and Synergy[ | ]

Fast, aggressive, and linear. Anyone can use this, but the best options are probably Solo Saffron, Shopkeeper, both Selicy variants, and Bullet Hell Gunner. Solo Saffron in particular is basically made for this deck.

Focus DoubleliftDoublelift.

Spells[ | ]

Core build[ | ]

Fires a shot with your other spell's base damage. You want to use your upgrades on this - D (Double), C (Pierce), and R (Fragile) are good options.
Any single spell with high base damage - the advantages of each will be covered in Good Synergy. In most cases, you won't actually be casting this spell at all - just shuffling to keep using Switchbait.

Good synergy[ | ]

350 damage, doesn't ConsumeConsume, and hits over cover, letting you save hostages. Solo Saffron starts with this, making her naturally excellent for this build. You can put O (Overload) on this, but be extremely careful not to cast it if you do, or you'll lose your only source of damage besides your weapon. You can try giving it M (ManaRe) or Y (Refund) if you want to cast it directly. Otherwise lowering Max Mana ensures safe play to never cast the damage source, where possible options are D (Double) to rise Mana cost or BlueFlameBlue Flame.
Its damage can easily reach 500-1000 by avoiding buying anything, hitting treasure spaces, and using dark shops. It's also only 2 mana to cast, so you can freely use it, unlike most other options. The downside is that you won't be able to spend money on upgrades or artifacts.
The highest base damage in the game, but it's a ConsumeConsume card with massive downsides. As with Ragnarok O, be very careful not to actually cast it.
Shopkeeper, Selicy, and Gunner's high-damage starting spells. The other three spells are better options, but they're also all Legendary rarity or higher, and these are all good enough to start you off. Selicy can use CrossfireCrossfire instead of Zenith, which costs 2 more mana but loses the chance to hit yourself.
This will essentially work as a second copy of Switchbait, and you'll likely find it while focusing DoubleliftDoublelift, so picking it up isn't the worst idea - but when you draw it and Switchbait, be careful to always cast Echo first.
although only situationally useful against Bosses, Link spells are particularly devastating in this deck: possibly clearing any regular Zones by only two spell casts. Focusing MiseriMiseri right after attaining Switchbait is a reasonable choice especially for multiple Loop runs.

Artifacts[ | ]

You're going to be shuffling after basically every attack, and this lowers your shuffle time with no downsides.
Damage-dealing is your only method of controlling the fight, and this will help you start and end the fight quickly.
Similarly, this will help you get started faster.
As with Viruspell, anything that can help protect you without taking up space in your deck will be useful.
Max Mana and Mana Regen will also help speed you up.

Beat Reva Synergy Deck[ | ]

Infobox Spell Brand Miseri
Infobox Spell Border 1
0
Pinch
Hit yourself for 1 dmg.
Wake me up inside (I can't wake up)
0

Beat Reva is a Reva kit that focuses on self-damage and on-hit effects.

Strategy and Synergy[ | ]

In many ways, Beat Reva is an inferior version of Shield Reva, in the sense that both start with Reflector GemReflector Gem, but Beat Reva relies extensively on it and lacks Shield Reva's other tools. While this is largely true, it gives Beat Reva its own appeal as a more complicated and unorthodox variant of Reva.

The main idea of a Beat Reva Synergy Deck is using on-hit artifacts and effects that will hit yourself/your shield, alongside another source of damage. For example, if you have PantherHabitPanther Habit, ThornmailThornmail, and D (Double) PinchPinch, along with your starting artifact FlakJacketFlak Jacket, you will spend 1 Mana to gain 2 Mana, deal 20 damage to all enemies on screen, and fire two 20-damage shots. This will continue to scale up as you add other artifacts and self-damaging effects.

While any build can do this, Beat Reva starts with CorsetCorset, PinchPinch, and FlakJacketFlak Jacket, and can take unique advantage of them.

Because Reflector GemReflector Gem is both a potent defensive tool and your only weapon, you're going to be making constant use of it. Wading into enemy attacks to attempt to reflect them means you'll also want to build ShieldShield, to give yourself some insurance and allow you to use self-damaging effects with impunity.

Focus MiseriMiseri and PhalanxPhalanx.

Spells[ | ]

Core build[ | ]

Hit yourself for 1 damage. While initially useless and outright harmful, it can proc your on-hit effects in all sorts of useful ways. Importantly, Pinch will hit your shield first, if you have any, so you don't even need to spend 1 HP to cast it. Initially, all it will be good for is firing a 20 damage shot from FlakJacketFlak Jacket, but as you build up your kit, you can proc all sorts of effects multiple times with it. D (Double) is a good choice if you have the Mana, or L (Flex) can activate its effect once, give you more Health-iconMax HP, and then get it out of your deck.
The cooler Pinch. All of the same things apply, but this gives you 2 Mana. As long as you use it while you have shield, the slight increase in self-damage won't matter at all. You also need the Mana, since your starting ManaRegenMana Regen is pretty low. Don't use L (Flex) on this - it's too useful to give up.
Use Reflector GemReflector Gem immediately before casting this to gain 100 shield and reflect a 40 damage shot at an enemy. If you already have shield, you can also use it normally to proc your on-hit effects.
Your damage output is limited, especially at first, so this will allow you to clear rooms a little faster, as well as punish enemies for summoning structures such as bombs or turrets. If you have a lot of shield, you can also put Soul Link on an enemy, walk in front of their next attack, let your shield eat the damage, and deal all of it back to the enemy, along with a shot from FlakJacketFlak Jacket for every time they hit you.
MiseriMiseri spells already work very well with Beat Reva, and her plethora of defenses mean she can afford to drag out a battle, so she can make good use of Poison strategies.
Pick your favorite shield spells. In addition to using them to tank self-damage, you're also going to be making constant use of Reflector GemReflector Gem for both offense and defense, so these are good insurance.
Because you're already going to be building up a lot of shield, and occasionally walking into enemy attacks, the main downside of Revenge - needing to take damage for it to work - is entirely eliminated. It's also good damage for a low cost, which Beat Reva sorely needs.

Good synergy[ | ]

FlameFlame is another low-cost way to deal a lot of damage, if you can afford to survive for a while. Beat Reva also appreciates CitrineCitrine as a source of Mana Regen. You can run it with or instead of PoisonPoison, depending on your preferences. Note that by trying to build Flame into your deck alongside everything else, you're going to be focusing three different brands and trying to build them all up at once.
FrostFrost can also work, and FrostmailFrostmail and ColdPressedJuiceCold Pressed Juice have incredible synergy with Beat Reva's kit, if you can get them. However, relying on Frost for damage can drag out battles even longer than they already are - and, as with Flame, you're going to be focusing three brands all at once.
Additional insurance against damage. Since you're already focusing MiseriMiseri, there's no reason not to pick these up.
Somewhat niche, but too fun to pass up. Ping hits you for 1 damage, which procs all of your on-hit effects, and if you cast it at point-blank, it will do this several times per second. Especially good if you can RootRoot an enemy first.
These spells can hit you, making them normally dangerous and impractical - but as Beat Reva, you can can reflect the damage, so they might be worth considering. Run by preference.
You might come across this while focusing Phalanx. It's free to cast and can finish off enemies, or at worst, do a net 20 damage. It also has two useful interactions with the deck you're using - PoisonPoison ignores shield, allowing you to hit for 200 damage and use Poison to finish off your enemy, and SoulLinkSoul Link will allow you to apply the 200 damage to a second target without giving them any shield.

Artifacts[ | ]

One of your most useful on-hit effects. Every time you use spells like Pinch or Transfuse, you'll deal free damage to all enemies. RubyRuby, BismuthBismuth, and KineticShieldKinetic Shield all have similar synergy.
This is good on any character, but you can also proc it on yourself. Especially good with HardenedShieldsHardened Shields.
All of your on-hit effects will also recover Mana, and if you ever take damage, even to your shield, you'll immediately have enough to use your Reflector GemReflector Gem.
Chalice is incredible on Beat Reva - with this, you can essentially reflect indefinitely. Other ManaRegenMana Regen effects are also appreciated, since she has so little to start with.
Note that on Hell Pass 3, this will actually be a downgrade if you have negative defense. Otherwise, this is particularly useful with AetherAether and SteelSkinSteel Skin - you can walk into a multi-hit enemy attack, absorb most or all of the damage, and hit back with all your on-hit artifacts.
-10 Spell Power is steep, but it won't affect damage from PoisonPoison or FrostFrost. The usefulness of this depends heavily on what kind of deck you're building - FlameFlame will become almost useless, for example.
Naturally, any shield-related artifacts will also be useful.

Big Shield Deck[ | ]

Infobox Spell Brand Phalanx
Infobox Spell Border 0
2
DeckShield
Gain 5 ShieldShield for each spell in your deck.
0

Big Shield is a broad archetype of big decks with lots of Shield spells. Shield spells are more effective in big decks, so a large deck with many shield spells can be unpretentious but effective.

Strategy and Synergy[ | ]

Big decks have two major advantages over small decks: First, you gain bonus Mana Regen for having a big deck (up to +0.3 for a 15-spell deck). Second, you need to Shuffle less often. Since you lose 40% of your current shield when shuffling ends, Shield spells are better in a big deck than they are in a small one.

The player's goal in any encounter is to survive it while taking as little damage as possible. If you have no Shield spells, this means you can make no mistakes without suffering for them. But if you have a lot of Shield spells, you can make mistakes all over the place! As long as your shield spells can keep up with incoming damage, you're safe.

This means that Big Shield is effective both in easy encounters, where you're unlikely to take enough damage to overwhelm your shields, and long ones, including bosses. It is less effective in regular encounters with highly dangerous enemies like MonolithGun that need to be taken out quickly. It is also less effective against difficult bosses which constantly barrage the player with challenging patterns to dodge. Which bosses these are, exactly, will depend on your personal strengths and weaknesses as a player. Rest assured, though, that with enough shield spells, any attack (even Shopkeeper's infamous shard cage) can be blocked.

As with any big deck, you'll want to buy primarily Artifacts and Pacts from Shopkeeper. Upgrades are less effective, since you won't be casting the same spell over and over.

Characters[ | ]

Big Shield is a fairly generic archetype, so it fits well with most of the cast. Simply take spells that mesh well with your character's other strengths as well as shield spells. It is most effective with weapons that can serve as your primary way to deal damage. Gunner (Bullethell) and Shiso (Execute) can just shoot enemies with their guns and fill up their deck with support and shield spells.

Big Shield is least effective on Selicy (Invade), who begins with the disturbingly strong CrossfireCrossfire and wants to cast it as often as possible.

Other Archetypes[ | ]

A Big Shield deck won't be very focused. That's the nature of the deck. This means that "payoff" spells, like VenoshockVenoshock, WaterfallWaterfall, and CombustCombust, tend to be bad. However, it is still fine to develop another synergy if it arises; it can make sense to focus AnimaAnima and take lots of fire spells if you luck into CitrineCitrine early, for example.

Despite what your intuition may suggest, it is viable to mix Flow with a Big Shield deck. The big scaling Flow spells like RockCycleRock Cycle won't wind up being very good, but you should still be able to Flow Cast spells like TremorTremor most of the time. If you pick up a spell like EarthenArmorEarthen Armor or ColdStoneColdstone early, feel free to lean in and focus HearthHearth.

You should prioritize shield spells, but any decent spell can go into your deck. You should not skip taking a spell if something at least as good as ThunderThunder or HiredGunHired Gun is available.

For most of the game, you'll want to be focusing PhalanxPhalanx in at least one of your focus slots. In theory, if you have most of the good Phalanx spells you might as well focus something else, but in practice there are so many of them that this won't happen. Double-focusing Phalanx can be even more effective, but it's unwise at the beginning of the game if your character doesn't start with good damage spells as well. And, to be blunt, it can be boring to play (even if it's very strong).

In general, spells with Consume or Backfire and spells which become weaker after every cast are better than average in a Big Shield deck. For example, SpellShieldSpell Shield is an almost instant pick, and the O (Overload) upgrade, which doubles damage but gives a spell Consume, makes almost any spell fantastic. In contrast, spells like EnergizerEnergizer or ViruspellViruspell are less effective than they are in other types of decks, since you won't have the chance to cast them enough times for them to really shine.

Spells[ | ]

The poster children for this deck. These spells will scale off of your deck size, so they'll only increase in value as you keep throwing spells into your deck.
You aren't relying on seeing any one particular spell to win, so Spell Shield barely has a downside.
Because you won't see the bottom of your deck very often, JamJam isn't much of a downside, and spells like Railgun turn into even more of a value pick.
Increasing your shuffle time is barely a downside here, since you'll only be doing it once or twice, even in long fights. Otherwise, these spells offer incredible value for their mana costs.
Spells that consume aren't a problem, since you aren't relying on seeing any particular spell over and over.

Finishing Touch[ | ]

An excellent fire-and-forget spell that also scales with the size of your shield.

Artifacts[ | ]

Good in any deck, but especially good in this kind.
A little more situational, but if you're using a character like Saffron or Gunner this is an easy +6 Atk or more.
As mentioned before, JamJam is barely a downside in this deck.
You're already avoiding shuffling, so this artifact's only downside is almost a non-issue.
Your first shuffle is likely to be your only shuffle.
You won't be passing up many spells, so these will generate a lot of value, especially if you find them early on.

Money Deck[ | ]

Infobox Spell Brand Convergence
Infobox Spell Border 3
2
SeraCannon
Shot deals dmg equal to your current Money-iconMoney.
Serason
X

This is one of the most simple decks to build. In my opinion, it's by far the strongest if you can find SeraCannonSera Cannon.

This can only be used with Shiso's default loadout.

Strategy[ | ]

The strategy is incredibly simple. Remove AlignAlign from your deck after the first battle, and set focus to ConvergenceConvergence so you can find SeraCannonSera Cannon.

Then simply focus on getting enemies low enough to kill them with your weapon. If they are hard to hit try to root them, and finish them off with your weapon.

Once you reach around ~1000 Money, you should be able to one-shot virtually any enemy with your weapon. After this point you start to snowball incredibly hard.

Prioritize any artifact that gives you Money, or Luck (which will increase your chance of finding SeraCannonSera Cannon.

This build is extremely effective at completing a True Genocide run, as killing bosses gives you both Money-iconMoney, and a higher chance to find SeraCannonSera Cannon in the rewards.

Don't fight the Shopkeeper until the final stage, when you have enough Money-iconMoney to reliably kill her. If you do happen to visit the shop, don't spend any money unless you need RemovalRemovals or UpgraderUpgraders to complete the build.

Unfortunately, this is a bit of an Exodia deck, as if you aren't able to find SeraCannonSera Cannon, your only source of damage will be your weapon. Your weapon does enough damage to let you make it through the game without picking up any spells while you look for SeraCannonSera Cannon, but the Shopkeeper and final boss will be very difficult to beat without SeraCannonSera Cannon.

Spells[ | ]

The build requires that you have SeraCannonSera Cannon, and a single other root spell in your deck. The Root is purely so you can ensure you are able to hit shots with your weapon, and SeraCannonSera Cannon. Ideally you would find a root spell that doesn't require RNG to hit.

Gather 3 RemovalRemovals so you can remove the rest of the starting Spells once you have enough Money-iconMoney to reliably kill any enemy in one shot. The final deck is only 2 cards, SeraCannonSera Cannon, and any Root spell. Looking for R (Fragile) on either SeraCannonSera Cannon, or your root spells, will increase your damage by 1-2k.

With only two spells in your deck, you can repeatedly root a boss, and then do a massive amount of damage to it with SeraCannonSera Cannon.

This is the single spell you need to complete the build. Once you get it, try to upgrade to D (Double), at which point you will be doing roughly 4-5k damage per shot late game.
This is the best spell for rooting enemies. It's easy to aim, as it fires in a straight line. If you miss, the swords will remain for a moment, allowing enemies to walk back into them.
Another good spell. Similar to SwordLineSword Row, however it is slightly harder to hit, and has a lower chance to still hit if you miss.
A better version of ClawTrapsClaw Traps. It's the same principle, but more swords is a lower chance the enemy won't be hit by them.

Artifacts[ | ]

Artifacts aren't at all necessary. Any helpful ones involve increasing Money-iconMoney or LuckLuck, or adding FragileFragile to enemies.

This is an incredible artifact to find early. It allows you to start snowballing much more quickly.
A budget CreditCardCredit Card, but you're more likely to find it.
A nice artifact to pick up early.
This allows you to start the game with anywhere from 2-10k damage, depending on what stage of the game you're at.
This allows you to do a massive amount of burst on your first shot.
A very strong artifact that effectively increases your damage by around 500 per shot.

Kinesys Combo Deck[ | ]

Infobox Spell Brand Kinesys
Infobox Spell Border 1
1
SpikeStrip
Throw spikes on all tiles in front that lasts 20 seconds.
30

A deck that relies on using RelocationRelocation to repeatedly hit enemies with cards like SpikeStripSpike Strip.

Strategy and Synergy[ | ]

Kinesys Combo decks are reliant on positioning and a few specific damage cards to work. Because cards like CaltropsCaltrops and SpikeStripSpike Strip do not disappear on hit, forced movement effects like AirSlashAir Slash, PullPull, and WobbleWobble will quickly rack up extra damage and on-hit effects, and because pushing an enemy will briefly keep them in one place, they can chain into each other. It's not a particularly powerful deck, but it's fun to use and its combos are visually impressive.

Note this deck needs to be about 15 cards or less, or it will stop functioning well. You need to have constant access to push effects, pull effects, and spike cards, but there are a limited number of pull effects and spike cards in particular, so too many extra cards will start to dilute your deck until your combo stops working reliably.

Break Terra starts with two forced movement cards in the form of FlurryFlurry and PoisonTailPoison Tails, so you only need a spike card to get started. If you get the right cards for it, use your Remove to get rid of EntangleEntangle.

Double focus KinesysKinesys, and briefly add HexawanHexawan once your combo is assembled.

Spells[ | ]

Core build[ | ]

Covers the row ahead of you in spikes that deal 30 damage on-hit. It should be easy to get this in the early game by immediately changing your focus to KinesysKinesys. Some notable upgrades are A (DamagePlus), G (Frost), and R (Fragile). D (Double) can also be effective, but you'll generally be casting this alongside your other spells, so making it more expensive could be counterproductive.
Does the same thing as Spike Strip. All of the same things apply, but D (Double) is even more expensive.
Drag enemies from the back tiles forward, without having to line up with them. Hits half the field, so it's easy to land.
An easy-to-use multi-hit push spell. A (DamagePlus) is a good choice.
A 0-cost pull that can easily net you 90 extra damage, and pulls enemies back into range of your close-range spells. Look for T (Strafe).

Good synergy[ | ]

While slightly inferior to Spike Strip and Caltrops, this is the closest thing to a third copy of either one, so it rounds out your damage engine nicely. It also hits the entire enemy field, which is a nice perk. It only hits once per tile, but you can force enemies to hit several mines before they disappear.
This is a very strong addition to your deck, but its rarity makes it a little difficult to come by. Consider M (ManaRe) or I (Mini) to make it easier to combo.
Almost all of your spells hit multiple times, so the increased damage from this will quickly add up.
Risky, since you have to get right in front of an enemy to use it, but this will proc your spikes seven times for 450 total damage, if you land every hit. And more importantly, it's too funny not to use.
Not a part of your combo, but by double focusing KinesysKinesys all game, you're likely to find this card. It hits something in every column for 100 damage, and can push enemies into the rows you're set up in, so it's a worthwhile pickup.
FlurryFlurry and TractorBeamTractor Beam are also honorable mentions. KineticWaveKinetic Wave and PoisonTailPoison Tails are usable, but other cards do their jobs better.

Finishing touch[ | ]

A long-lasting and highly effective Pull spell. You have no control over it, so it won't always hit when you need it to, and it can move around bosses at inopportune moments during their patterns, but its long uptime ends up increasing your consistency overall, as well as your ability to fight multiple targets at once.
If you builtSpellPowerSpell Power, Sunshine will help you clear out hectic rooms full of high-tier enemies, letting you focus on comboing down one or two of them.

Artifacts[ | ]

Most of your spells hit multiple times for 40 damage, and A (DamagePlus) on any of your spike spells will also make them proc Power Shard multiple times.
As with any small combo deck, you'll be shuffling a fair bit.
Several of your spells give you FlowFlow, so this is very usable.
As long as you can keep it alive, it will add on a ton of damage, and because pushing an enemy forces them to stay in their row for a moment, it's easy to get the extra hits to connect. It might pull your enemies while you're using a push spell, making it a little harder to control their position, but it doesn't particularly matter which way they're moving, as long as they're hitting more spikes.
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