Claw Spam Build

Build Overview

Claw is a 0-cost attack dealing 3 damage initially, but it has a special effect: every time Claw is played in a fight, every Claw card's damage permanently increases by 2. Adopt multiple Claws and cycle the deck rapidly with draw cards like Skim and Machine Learning, and you can play 5-8 Claws in a single turn while damage snowballs. A distinctive resource-management trick is using All for One to pull all discarded Claws back to hand at once. Because it doesn't use Orbs, it plays completely differently from a standard Defect and offers a creative style.

Tier Rating: B

Reason: When the pieces come together, the resulting turn is very satisfying, but the required parts (multiple Claws, draw, All for One) don't always line up, and the build often stalls. It has less stability on completion than Orb-axis builds like Frost, Dark, or Lightning. When assembled, however, it functions as a unique and potent build.

Key Cards (Essential)

• Claw: A 0-cost attack. Every play increases every Claw's damage by 2. Goal is 3-5 copies in the deck. The more you have, the faster per-turn total damage ramps
• Skim: Cost 1, draw 3 cards. An important draw card that pulls Claws again after the hand is spent
• Machine Learning: A Power drawing 1 additional card at start of turn. Makes it easier to hit Claws each turn
• All for One: Cost 2, 10 damage + adds every discarded 0-cost card back to your hand. The key card that recovers spent Claws for another wave

Flex Cards to Consider

• Rebound (Reboot/Instinct - "Wild"): A Power that returns the first 0-cost attack you play each turn to your hand. Claws return to hand once after play, so each turn an extra Claw play is guaranteed, stabilizing both the damage ramp and the damage output. A critical synergy card for boosting Claw spam
• Scrape: Cost 1, 7 damage + draw 4 cards, discarding any that aren't 0-cost. Leaves only 0-cost cards like Claw and FTL in hand, excellent fit with Claw spam
• Hologram: Adds a card from the discard pile back to your hand and reuses it. Recovers Claws or other key cards
• Reboot: Shuffles the deck and draws 4-6 cards. Rapidly cycles the entire deck
• Compile Driver: Damage equal to the number of unique Orb types you own + draw. In a Claw-focused deck without Orbs, adopt it as a draw engine
• FTL: A 0-cost attack. Like Claw, usable free; All for One also recovers it, contributing to damage

Synergistic Relics

• Nunchaku: Every 10 attacks played grants +1 Energy. A build that plays many Claws per turn triggers this frequently, and the extra Energy lets you play another All for One or Skim
• Paper Fan (Sundial): Every 3 attacks played in a turn grants 4 Block. Playing multiple Claws auto-stacks Block and covers this build's poor defense
• Kunai: Every 3 attacks played in a turn grants +1 Dexterity. Claw spam stacks Dexterity each turn, so even a few Defends yield large Block
• Toy Orni (Letter Opener/Clockwork Souvenir): Whenever your hand empties, draws 1 card. The instant the hand empties after using every Claw, a draw triggers and you continue acting with the drawn card
• Wind Maid (Oddly Smooth Stone): Every attack played grants 1 Block. Playing 5-8 Claws per turn stacks 5-8 Block by itself, alleviating the Block shortage
• Back Pack: Draws 2 extra cards at battle start. Raises the chance of drawing Claw or All for One in the opening, stabilizing the Claw-spam start
• Kusarigama (Chain Sickle): Every 3 attacks played in a turn deals 6 damage to a random enemy. Claw spam adds automatic damage, raising total output

Play Flow

Act 1

Adopt Claw as soon as it appears from a shop or card reward. Claw isn't in the starter deck, so you must pick it aggressively. Early on, even 1-2 Claws start to function when paired with draw cards. Remove starter Strikes and Defends to thin the deck and improve Claw draw consistency. Prioritize draw pieces like Skim and Machine Learning to cycle the deck. Once you hit 3-4 Claws, per-turn output begins reaching roughly 20-30 damage.

Act 2

While increasing Claw count, hunt for All for One. With All for One, the cycle of spending every Claw then recovering them with All for One completes. If Rebound/Instinct (Wild) appears, it returns the first Claw played each turn to hand, stabilizing extra Claw plays. Adopt multiple Machine Learnings and Skims to cycle faster. Continue removing Strikes to keep the deck thin. In elite fights, the Claw damage ramp naturally extends output into the back half of the fight.

Act 3

The finished form is 5+ Claws + All for One + multiple draw cards. In later turns, playing 5-8 Claws a turn with accumulated damage of 20-30+ per Claw produces overwhelming output. With Wild installed, the first Claw returns to hand, and on top of All for One's full recovery, you get extra Claw plays. In boss fights, on the first turn cycle the deck to draw Claws, then the All for One recover-and-replay cycle shaves boss HP fast. Defense is poor, so adopt Emergency Evade or Shadow Shield as insurance for safety.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

• Unique and satisfying play style around spamming 0-cost cards
• Once scaling starts, huge damage per turn becomes possible
• No Orbs needed means no Orb-slot management and simpler play
• Claw's damage increase is permanent, so per-Claw damage grows the longer the fight
• The All for One + Wild combo enables 0-cost full recovery plus hand-return for continuous damage scaling

Weaknesses

• High reliance on a specific card (multiple Claws); the build doesn't work if you can't pick them
• Without All for One, Claw recovery fails and the build stalls
• Block options are scarce, and defense is hard to secure
• With only 1-2 Claws early, damage is low and below standard Orb-axis builds
• If the deck has many unneeded cards, draw scatters and the combo doesn't fire