Overview
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Name (EN) | Seltzer |
| Name (JP) | セルツァー |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Cost | $6 |
| Effect | Retriggers every played card for the next 10 hands |
| Unlock | Available from the start (no unlock required) |
| Trigger Type | On score (10-hand consumable) |
| Overall Tier | A (S in Enhancement-card builds) |
Rating & Analysis
Seltzer retriggers every card played for the next 10 hands — among Balatro's strongest temporary effects. At Uncommon $6, a 5-card Flush / Straight scores 10 times per hand, effectively doubling chip/Mult output across the run.
The dream pairing is Enhancement-card axes. Glass Card (x2 Mult / 1-in-4 break) + Seltzer = retriggered x2 ≈ x4 expected Mult. Lucky Card + Oops! All 6s + Seltzer doubles +20 Mult / +$20 procs, growing Lucky Cat at double speed. Bonus Card (+30 Chips) + Seltzer = stable +60 Chips per played card.
Hanging Chad (first-card retrigger) + Seltzer multiplies — first card scores 4 times. Other retriggers (Mime / Sock and Buskin) compound output exponentially. Tier lists rate A overall, S in Enhancement-card builds. $6 for 10 hands of retriggers is theft — buy on sight.
Deck Ratings
| Deck | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ghost | S | Spectral axis → mass Enhancement cards, perfect synergy |
| Magic | A+ | Strength + Magician produces Enhancement cards reliably |
| Anaglyph | A | Double Tags duplicate Enhancement Tags |
| Red / Blue | A | Stable on standard decks |
| Yellow | A | $6 trivial vs starting cash |
Good Joker Synergies
| Joker | Why |
|---|---|
| Hanging Chad | First-card retrigger — Seltzer × Chad = 4 scores on first card. |
| Mime | Held-card retrigger — held-axis parallel. |
| Sock and Buskin | Face-card retrigger — face-axis parallel. |
| Blueprint / Brainstorm | Copy = 20 hands of retriggers (both consume). |
| Lucky Cat | Retrigger doubles growth rolls — permanent xMult explodes. |
| Oops! All 6s | All probabilities ×2 — retrigger procs at higher rate. |
Recommended Builds
| Build | Core Loop | Target Consumables |
|---|---|---|
| Enhancement axis | Seltzer + Glass / Lucky + Antimatter | Justice / Magician (Tarot) |
| Hanging Chad combo | Seltzer + Hanging Chad + Sock and Buskin | Enhancement Tarots |
| Lucky mass-production | Seltzer + Oops! All 6s + Lucky Cat | The Magician (Tarot) |
| Blueprint stacking | Seltzer + Blueprint = 10 hands × 2 | Black Hole / The Soul |
Tips & Usage
- 10-hand consumable — save for Boss Blind kill hands.
- Enhancement Cards (Glass / Lucky / Mult) + Seltzer creates explosive output.
- Hanging Chad + Seltzer = 4 scores on first card per hand.
- Blueprint to its right doubles to 20 hands (both decay).
- Sell when ~1-2 hands remain (sell value $3 still useful).
Caveats
- Expires after 10 hands — consumable by design.
- Perishable still works (10 hands fits in 5 blinds × 2 hands).
- Eternal Seltzer is dead weight after 10 hands — un-sellable.
- Discards don't count (only hand plays).
- Retriggers affect the score phase only — hand detection (Flush etc.) unchanged.