How to play Emberdeck
A run is one attempt to cross three acts with a single hero. You start with ten cards and grow the deck as you go. If your HP hits zero the run ends and you start again with a fresh deck.
Your turn
Each turn you draw five cards and get 3 Energy. The number in a card's corner is its Energy cost. Drag a card onto its target to play it. When you are out of Energy or good plays, end the turn. Your remaining hand is discarded and the enemies act.
Your hand holds up to ten cards. When the draw pile runs out, the discard pile is shuffled back in. Cards that say Exhaust go away for the rest of the fight instead. Cards with Retain stay in your hand at the end of the turn.
Enemy intents
Above every enemy is an icon showing exactly what it will do on its next action: attack (with the damage per hit and the number of hits), defend, or apply an effect. What it shows is what it does, so plan around it. If a big hit is coming, block it. If an enemy is about to defend, hit something else.
Block and HP
Block soaks up damage before it reaches your HP. Your Block lasts through the enemies' turn and disappears when your next turn begins, so you cannot bank it. Enemy Block works the same way and clears when that enemy acts.
Statuses
| Status | Kind | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Vulnerable | Harmful | Takes 50% more attack damage. Fades by 1 each turn. |
| Bleed | Harmful | Loses HP equal to Bleed at the end of its turn, ignoring Block; then 1 fades. |
| Regen | Helpful | Restores HP equal to Regen at the start of its turn; then 1 fades. |
| Thorns | Helpful | Deals Thorns damage back to each attacker. |
| Counter | Helpful | Strikes back for 4 after an enemy acts; uses one stack. |
| Echo | Helpful | The next attack repeats its damage; uses one stack. |
| Might | Helpful | Adds damage to every attack. |
Hero resources
Every hero has a resource that builds up during fights and powers their strongest cards.
- Warrior uses Rage (up to 10).
- Monk uses Spirit (up to 6).
- Druid uses Growth (up to 6).
- Sootveil uses Hush (up to 5).
- Stormherald uses Surge (up to 6).
- Cairnwarden uses Etch (up to 12).
The map
Each act is a branching map from a trailhead to a guardian. You move one stop at a time and choose a branch at every fork. Stops come in these kinds:
- Fight: a normal battle. Pays 25 gold and offers new cards.
- Elite: a harder battle. Pays 45 gold and always drops a relic.
- Camp: heal 30% of your max HP or upgrade one card.
- Merchant: spend gold on cards, relics, potions, healing or card removal.
- Chest: a free relic, or 40 gold if you already own every relic it could hold.
- Event: a short scene with choices. Emberdeck has 12 of them.
- Guardian: the act's final fight. Win it to choose a boss relic and move on.
Starting a new act restores 20% of your max HP and offers a new Discipline.
Rewards and upgrades
After a win you collect gold and pick one of the cards on offer to add to your deck. Sometimes a potion drops too. An upgraded card keeps its name and gets a stronger version of its effect, often more damage or Block or a lower cost.
The merchant
Every merchant stocks five cards, three relics and three potions. Cards start at 45 gold for common, 68 for uncommon and 95 for rare. Relics start at 120. Removing a card from your deck costs 55 gold, and 25 gold buys 16 HP of healing. Each shop moves prices up or down a little.
Potions
You carry up to three. Drink them during your turn; offensive potions are thrown at an enemy. See the potion list for every effect.
Disciplines
At the start of the run you choose one of three Disciplines, a talent that lasts all run. You choose another at the start of Acts 2 and 3. Each hero has their own set, listed on the class pages.
Difficulty
Pick Gentle, Standard or Hard when you start. Higher settings give enemies more HP and harder hits:
| Setting | Enemy HP | Enemy attacks and Block |
|---|---|---|
| Gentle | x1.0 | x1.5 |
| Standard | x1.15 | x1.6 |
| Hard | x1.3 | x1.7 |
Enemies also get tougher as you go deeper into each act and in later acts.
Five habits that win runs
- Read every intent before you play a card.
- Take fewer, better cards. A small deck draws its best cards more often.
- Upgrade the cards you play every fight, not the ones you might play someday.
- Spend gold. Card removal at the merchant is one of the strongest things you can buy.
- Save a potion for the guardian.