Arcana Guide

What Are Arcanas?

Arcanas are powerful modifiers equipped one-at-a-time before each run. They alter how combos function, how weapons behave, or even the deck structure itself. Arcanas are locked until you find the Polentír relic and open the Fortune Teller's tent. After that, each Arcana has its own unlock condition.

All 12 Arcanas

Arcana	Effect	Unlock Condition
Experimental Medicine	Healing also restores attack power	Unlocked from start
Shield Bash	Armor cards deal damage	Unlocked from start
Chain Link	Combo counter does not reset at turn end	Achieve Combo 12 or higher
Mana Syphon	Surplus mana carries over to the next turn	Generate 15 or more mana in one turn
Over the Top	Crawler cards return to top of deck when they leave	Use Crawler cards 100 times
Double Time	Combo grows at double speed each turn	Maintain Combo 8+ for 5 consecutive turns
Bloodlet	Healing is doubled (incoming damage +10%)	Defeat a boss at full HP
War Machine	All weapon card costs reduced by 1	Use weapon cards 50+ times in one run
Rushdown	Cost-0 cards grant +2 additional combo	Use cost-0 cards 200 times
Reflection	Using the same card 5+ times per run buffs that card	Win after using one card 5 times
Your Shield My Liege	Armor cards spill excess damage to nearby enemies	Block 1000+ damage with armor
SaurusRex	Final boss appears with lower HP based on your peak combo	Achieve Combo 20+ and defeat the boss

Arcana Deep Dives

Chain Link (Highest Priority Unlock)

By default, the combo counter resets to zero at the end of every turn. Chain Link removes that reset, carrying the multiplier forward. By turns 5–6, this can push the multiplier to 10×–20×. If you're targeting harder content or long runs, this is the first Arcana to unlock.

Best builds: Any combo-focused deck, low-cost decks loaded with Mana Books

Unlock tip: "Combo 12" is difficult with a standard deck. Stuff the deck with Tomes and Wild Cards, add 5–6 cost-0 cards, and attempt the unlock with that configuration.

Mana Syphon

Excess mana generated during your turn carries over to the next turn's starting mana. It synergises naturally with heavy Mana-Book decks that recover large amounts of mana mid-turn, snowballing the mana pool over long runs.

Unlock tip: "15 mana in one turn" requires multiple purple mana-generator cards. Pack 3–4 Mana Books before attempting.

Experimental Medicine

Every time you heal, attack power is also restored. Pairs beautifully with lifesteal weapons like the Soul Eater evolution — the longer combat drags on, the higher your attack climbs.

Best builds: Clerici lifesteal build, Soul Eater evolution path

Over the Top

Crawler cards return to the top of the deck when they leave play, enabling the same Crawler to be used every turn. Re-cycling a peaked Crawler each turn massively raises the per-turn damage ceiling.

Best builds: Arca Mana Trinity build, any Crawler-centric build

Shield Bash + Your Shield My Liege (Thematic Pair)

Shield Bash turns armor cards into a damage source. Your Shield My Liege spreads excess armor damage to surrounding enemies. They can't be equipped together, but both define the "offensive armor" archetype. Either one is the backbone of armor-heavy builds.

Arcana Recommendations by Build Type

Build Type	Recommended Arcana	Reason
Combo-focused	Chain Link	Cross-turn combo retention is essential
Mana-management	Mana Syphon	Converts surplus mana into future power
Lifesteal	Experimental Medicine	Healing directly scales attack
Aggro / fast	Rushdown	Cost-0 cards accelerate combo faster
Armor-focused	Shield Bash	Turns defense into offense
Hard boss fights	SaurusRex	Higher peak combo = lower boss starting HP
Crawler recycling	Over the Top	Replay strong Crawlers every turn

Recommended Unlock Order

Early on, you only have two options (Experimental Medicine and Shield Bash). After that, the following priority is suggested:

1. Chain Link — The biggest single impact on any run. Unlock early and use as your default pick.
2. Mana Syphon — Foundation for mana-management builds. Natural next step after Chain Link.
3. Over the Top — For Crawler-focused builds. 100 Crawler uses happens naturally across normal play.
4. War Machine — Weapon cost -1 is potent. The combo staircase becomes one step more lenient.

Getting Your First Arcana

Without Polentír, Arcanas are unavailable. Polentír is obtainable in the Furious Forest area within your first few runs. Prioritise it over shop-oriented relics to unlock the Fortune Teller's tent as soon as possible and open your run options significantly.