Overview
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Name (EN) | Ice Cream |
| Name (JP) | アイスクリーム |
| Rarity | Common |
| Cost | $5 |
| Effect | +100 Chips, loses 5 Chips each hand played |
| Unlock | Available from the start (no unlock required) |
| Trigger Type | On score (chip addition) |
| Overall Tier | B+ (early-to-mid focused) |
Rating & Analysis
Ice Cream provides +100 Chips initially, decaying -5 per hand played. At Common $5, it's an immediate +100 Chip boost — bigger than a Flush base (+30) or Full House (+40). It self-destructs after 20 hands but pays back its $5 within 2-3 hands.
The dream pairing is Plasma Deck: chip averaging means a +100 Chip boost effectively reads as +50 Mult, making Ice Cream wildly efficient early. Lifetime extends with Mime / Hanging Chad retriggers (no hand consumption), and Burglar (Hand +3 / Discard -1) lets you spend hands selectively to preserve the chip pool.
The textbook use is muscling through Antes 1-3 with raw chips. Blueprint / Brainstorm copies double the initial value (note the copy decays too). Tier lists rate B+ for the build-tier consensus — strong early carry, expires before late-game. Buy when Ante 1-2 and prep an exit by Ante 4-5.
Deck Ratings
| Deck | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Plasma | A+ | Chip averaging boosts +100 Chips to ~+50 Mult equivalent |
| Yellow | A | $5 trivial vs starting capital |
| Abandoned | B+ | Useful for early-game scoring backbone |
| Erratic (Challenge) | B+ | Brute-force early-game pickup |
| Ghost | B | Spectral axis pulls in different direction |
Good Joker Synergies
| Joker | Why |
|---|---|
| Mime | Retrigger — chips double without hand consumption. |
| Hanging Chad | First-card retrigger — score doubles per hand. |
| Blueprint / Brainstorm | Copies initial +100 Chips. |
| Burglar | Hand +3 / Discard -1 — flexible early scoring. |
| Plasma Deck | Chip averaging multiplies +Chip exponentially. |
| Stuntman | +250 Chips parallel — chip-axis early ceiling lift. |
Recommended Builds
| Build | Core Loop | Target Consumables |
|---|---|---|
| Early carry | Ice Cream + Burglar + Scholar | Enhancement Tarots |
| Plasma combo | Plasma Deck + Ice Cream + Stuntman | Chariot (Tarot) |
| Retrigger combo | Ice Cream + Mime + Hanging Chad | Strength Tarot |
| Blueprint stacking | Ice Cream + Blueprint = +200 Chips opener | Black Hole / The Soul |
Tips & Usage
- Buy in Antes 1-3, plan to consume within 20 hands.
- Hand-saving builds (retriggers) extend lifetime.
- Plasma Deck combo creates explosive early scoring.
- Sell when ~+5 Chips remain (sell value $2-3 still useful).
- Watch the Joker slot pressure if Blueprint is nearby (copy decays too).
Caveats
- Decays -5 Chips per hand played; expires after 20 hands.
- Avoid Perishable — chip decay outpaces expiry timer.
- Eternal Ice Cream is un-sellable but decay still ticks — eventual dead weight.
- Discards don't decay (only hand plays count).
- +100 Chips loses relative value in late-game scaling — never reaches endgame.