Defect

• Type: Skill
• Cost: 1
• Effect: Gain 1 Block. Permanently increase this card's Block value by 3. Exude.

Upgraded

• Cost: 1
• Effect: Gain 1 Block. Permanently increase this card's Block value by 5. Exude.

B-tier

A 1-cost Exude card that starts at a laughable 1 Block but grows permanently by 3 each time you play it (upgraded: 5). First use is Weak, but it compounds to 4, 7, 10... and eventually into huge Block values.

This is a long-term investment card — the more times you pick it from card rewards and play it across the run, the better it gets. Multiple copies early can reach 30-40+ Block by the late game and become a real defensive pillar. On its own and only late in a fight the early weakness hurts, but mid-to-late-act it pays off hard.

• Take it early and play it often — growth is tied to total plays across the run
• Multiple copies compound much faster — grab on sight if you have room
• Exude keeps the deck thin while the saved Block value stays for future copies
• Good early-game insurance when your non-Frost Block options are thin

• Multiple copies: the single biggest lever on the card's value
• Scrape: draw from discard to find Genetic Algorithm faster (can't recover after Exude, but draw support matters)
• Skim: +3 draw improves odds of hitting it early for that extra growth cycle