Frost Orb Build

Build Overview

A defense-focused build that fills several Orb slots with Frost and stacks Focus to auto-generate huge Block each turn. At Focus +5 with 3 Frost Orbs you secure 21+ Block per turn without spending any cards. On top of that durability, Hail (Hailstorm) supplements offense and Loop doubles efficiency. It's one of Defect's most stable builds and easy for newcomers to pilot.

Tier Rating: A

Reason: Frost + Focus is highly stable, letting you safely grind out boss fights from Act 3 onward. Card requirements are clear, so picks are easy to judge. Still, Orb/Focus builds skew purely defensive and spend many turns hardening up Block, so they lack the burst of S-tier builds. Damage output is thin and boss fights can drag on, dropping them to A tier on time-attack ability.

Key Cards (Essential)

• Glacier (Cold Blooded): Channels 1 Frost + draws a card (2 when upgraded). The most important card, cost 1 with unified offense-defense. Run multiple copies and cycle each turn
• Defragment: Permanent Focus +1 (+2 when upgraded). Since Focus directly ties to Frost Block, this is the top-priority Power. Upgrade is mandatory
• Glacier (Large): Cost 2, channels 2 Frost + 6 Block. Stacks lots of Frost at once
• Loop: At the start of each turn, triggers the rightmost Orb's passive an extra time. With Frost on the right end, effective Block per turn doubles

Flex Cards to Consider

• Cold Snap: Cost 1 attack. Deals 6 damage while channeling 1 Frost. A versatile card that strikes while stacking Frost
• Hail (Hailstorm): While you hold Frost, deals 6-8 damage to all enemies at end of turn. An essential offense piece that fixes the damage gap in pure-defense
• Capacitor: Increases Orb slot count. Holds more Frost and further raises Block totals
• Coolant (Cold Blooded): At the start of each turn gain 2 Block per Orb type channeled. Holding non-Frost Orbs alongside also raises Block
• Quadcast: Evokes Frost four times to stack huge Block instantly. Effective as an emergency defense
• Multi-Cast: When Energy allows, Evokes many Frosts to pile on Block

Synergistic Relics

• Tough Bandages (Calipers): Retains up to 10 Block into the next turn. Some of the Block stacked each turn by Frost carries over, greatly boosting the safety margin at turn start
• Data Disk: Focus +1 at battle start. Directly raises Frost Orb passive Block, effectively granting one Defragment's worth of Focus for free
• Runic Capacitor: Grants additional Orb slots. Holds more Frost simultaneously and increases total auto-Block per turn
• Mummified Hand: Whenever you play a Power, a random card in your hand becomes free. Deploying several Powers like Defragment and Loop makes other cards free and accelerates setup
• Pawn: Draws 1 card each time you play a Power. With Defragment, Loop, and Capacitor installed in sequence, your hand never stalls and Power-deployment turns flow smoothly
• Parry Shield (Bag of Preparation): Ending the turn with 10+ Block deals 6 damage to a random enemy. A Frost build earns heavy Block every turn, so the extra damage triggers near-constantly and fills the offense gap
• Permafrost: The first Power played each battle grants 6 Block. The extra Block from the first Defragment mitigates damage taken during setup

Play Flow

Act 1

Prioritize Glacier and Defragment. In this phase you start piling Frost Orbs for a Block foundation. Steadily remove starter Strikes and Defends to thin the deck. If Glacier (Large) appears, adopt it aggressively despite the cost-2 weight. Hail (Hailstorm) lets you supplement damage in small fights. Aim to stack 1-2 Focus by the Act 1 boss.

Act 2

Gather multiple Defragments and push Focus to 3-4. If Loop appears, pick it for priority since Frost Block doubles. Widening Orb slots with Capacitor holds more Frosts and stabilizes Block further. In elite fights, damage taken is large at low Focus, so don't fully cut Defends until mid-act.

Act 3

With Focus 5+ and 3-4 Frost Orbs earning 20+ auto-Block per turn, you are essentially invincible. With Hail (Hailstorm) you keep attacking. Tough Bandages keeps Block rolling and makes fights extremely safe. Don't panic in boss fights - stack Block each turn and absorb. Having Multi-Cast or Quadcast as a mass-release option doubles as an emergency evade.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

• With Focus and Frost assembled, stability is extremely high and even boss fights are safe
• Auto Block every turn means hand contents affect you less
• Hail covers damage, creating a stable deck with unified offense and defense
• The setup direction is clear and play decisions are simple

Weaknesses

• Fragile in the early-mid game before setup completes
• Raw offense loses to Lightning or Dark builds
• Requires both Focus and Frost-channel cards, a moderately high card requirement
• Strong-offense elites and piled-up curses in Act 2 can be tough