The Defect
The Defect channels Orbs — Lightning, Frost, Dark, and Plasma — that trigger passively each turn and on evoke. Focus increases all Orb output. Complex to learn but scales hard once you understand Orb management.
Strengths
- + Orbs provide passive damage and block every turn
- + Focus scaling multiplies all Orb output
- + Frost Orbs generate block passively each turn
- + Multiple viable archetypes (Frost, Lightning, Dark)
Weaknesses
- - Complex mechanics have a steep learning curve
- - Requires setup turns to get Orbs online
- - Limited Orb slots can bottleneck scaling
- - Mixing too many Orb types dilutes the strategy
Frost Focus Build
Channel Frost Orbs and stack Focus to generate massive passive Block every turn. Once online, most enemies simply can't break through your defense. The most consistent Defect archetype.
Core Cards
Glacier
CoreChannels 2 Frost Orbs and gives Block — the build's best card
Defragment
CorePermanent Focus — multiplies all Orb output for the rest of combat
Early Pick Cards
Coolheaded
Early PickChannels Frost and draws a card — efficient early pick
Payoff Cards
Biased Cognition
PayoffHuge Focus burst but loses 1 per turn — win fast or find Artifact
Hailstorm
PayoffDeals damage based on Frost Orbs channeled — your finisher
Key Relics
Extra Orb slots — more Orbs = more passive Block per turn
Free Focus — directly multiplies your Frost Block generation
Starting relic channels Lightning turn 1 — helps early before Frost is online
Lightning Build
Channel Lightning Orbs for passive and evoke damage each turn. Storm channels Lightning whenever you play a Power, and Thunder adds passive damage. More aggressive than Frost but less defensive — requires balancing offense with survival.
Core Cards
Storm
CoreChannels Lightning every time you play a Power — snowballs with more Powers
Thunder
CoreAdds passive Lightning damage each turn — scales with Focus
Early Pick Cards
Ball Lightning
Early PickCheap Attack that channels Lightning — good early pickup
Tesla Coil
Early PickDeals Lightning damage at start of each turn — consistent chip damage
Payoff Cards
Tempest
PayoffChannels Lightning equal to Energy spent — big turn with extra Energy
Key Relics
Boosts rightmost Orb passive — stronger Lightning ticks
Free Focus at combat start — multiplies all Lightning damage
Dark Orb Build
Dark Orbs store damage each turn, growing stronger the longer they sit in your Orb slots. Evoke them at the right moment for devastating single-target burst. The highest damage ceiling of any Defect build.
Core Cards
Consuming Shadow
CoreChannels Dark Orbs — your primary Dark Orb source
Darkness
CoreChannels a Dark Orb and boosts existing Dark Orbs
Payoff Cards
Multi-Cast
PayoffEvokes rightmost Orb multiple times — massive burst with a charged Dark Orb
Loop
PayoffTriggers first Orb's passive twice per turn — doubles Dark Orb damage gain
Key Relics
Free Focus — directly increases Dark Orb damage gain per turn
Triggers Orb passives when you take damage — extra Dark Orb charging
Boss Matchups
Ceremonial Beast
EasyFrost Orbs wall the Beast's Plow attacks. Burst during stun windows with Lightning. Ringing (1 card/turn) is manageable with Orb passives doing work for free.
Vantom
MediumLightning Orbs help strip Slippery stacks passively. Stack Frost for Turn 3 Dismember block. Claw builds cycle fast enough to strip Slippery quickly.
Lagavulin Matriarch
EasyUse 3 sleep turns to set up Focus and Powers. Frost Orbs trivialize her sustained damage. Lightning races her down before debuffs matter.
Soul Fysh
EasyOrbs deal passive damage even during Intangible phases (each Orb triggers separately). Frost Focus walls the Scream + Vulnerable turns.
Waterfall Giant
EasyLightning Orbs chip away at 250 HP passively. Frost Focus makes you nearly invincible. Save Block for the explosion turn at 0 HP.
Crusher
MediumBig hits bypass Frost partially. Stack high Focus. Kill Rocket first — Lightning Orbs randomly hit both targets. Buffer absorbs Laser attacks.
Knowledge Demon
HardDebuffs reduce Focus effectiveness. Biased Cognition timing is critical — win fast. Play aggressively to stop Ponder healing 30 HP.
The Insatiable
MediumLightning + Focus provides the DPS needed for this race. Always play Frantic Escape cards. Frost buys time as Sandpit ticks down.
Queen
MediumLightning randomly hits Queen + Amalgam — good for chip damage. Kill Amalgam first. Frost Focus walls survive multi-target pressure. Echo Form is premium.
Doormaker
MediumOrbs scale across phases. Dark Orbs charge up massive damage between Door/Doormaker transitions. Creative AI generates infinite value in long fights.
Draft Priority
Early Orb generators and card draw. You need to survive while Orbs ramp up.
Core scaling cards. Defragment is the single most important card for any Orb build.
Power multipliers and Orb slot expansion. Echo Form doubles your best card each turn.
Ascension Tips
A1-4: Frost Focus is easy to pilot. Take Glacier and Defragment over everything else. Orbs scale passively.
A5: Ascender's Bane dilutes your deck. Defect needs consistency to draw Focus cards — remove the Bane early.
A6-7: Pure Lightning starts to struggle with fewer Rest Sites. Hybrid Frost+Lightning with Focus is safest.
A8-9: Enemies have more HP — Biased Cognition is riskier without Artifact. Echo Form doubles key plays to compensate.
A10: Double boss needs sustainable scaling. Frost Focus + Capacitor for extra Orb slots handles two full fights consistently.
