Exude Build

Build Overview

The Exude Build uses the unique engine of Exuding cards to trigger a chain of synergies. War Drum Exudes automatically every turn to keep the counter growing, while Ash Strike (damage per Exuded card) and End of Contract (0-cost, 17 AOE damage) act as finishers. Feel No Pain (Block per Exude) and Dark Embrace (draw per Exude) handle defense and draw at the same time. Throw in Burning Pact, Havoc, and Searing Blow for constant Exude triggers, and the deck self-amplifies as the Exude pile grows.

Tier Rating: S

Once the Exude synergies come online in the later part of a run, this build delivers overwhelming consistency and damage. The War Drum and Feel No Pain engines essentially auto-pilot you to victory, and HP management is easy too. Ash Strike's Exude-count damage reaches 50-80+ by mid-run, and End of Contract's 0-cost AOE drives excellent Energy efficiency. Feel No Pain + Dark Embrace together means attack, defense, and draw all fire simultaneously on every Exude - a self-sufficient setup that fully deserves its S rating.

Key Cards (essential)

• War Drum: A 0-cost Power that draws 2-3 cards on play and auto-Exudes the top of your deck every turn. The core Exude engine. Continuous auto-Exudes keep buffing Ash Strike and trigger other Exude synergies every turn.
• Ash Strike: A 1-cost attack dealing 3-4 damage per Exuded card. The build's main finisher. As War Drum piles up Exudes, it reliably hits 50-80+ damage for 1 Energy.
• Feel No Pain: A Power that grants 3-4 Block every time a card is Exuded. The build triggers multiple Exudes per turn, so you get high Block without needing defensive cards.
• Dark Embrace: A Power that draws 1 card per Exude. Your hand is refilled constantly, creating an effectively infinite draw engine and massively improving deck cycle speed.

Candidate Cards

• Burning Pact: A 1-cost Skill that Exudes 1 card to draw 2-3. An all-purpose Exude trigger that also secures draw.
• Havoc: Plays the top card of your deck and Exudes it. Upgraded to 0 cost, it effectively adds an extra action slot while stacking Exudes.
• Searing Blow (Brand): A 0-cost Skill that spends 1 HP to Exude 1 card and gain 1-2 Strength. Builds Strength while also counting toward Exudes.
• End of Contract: A 0-cost AOE dealing 17-23 damage, playable only if you have 3+ Exuded cards. Exude Build reliably meets the condition, making it a potent 0-cost finisher.
• Second Wind: Exudes all non-attacks in your hand and grants 5-7 Block per Exude. Combined with Feel No Pain it generates double-layer Block for massive single-turn defense.
• Distant Howl: An AOE attack that keeps auto-playing every turn after being Exuded. Slot it into the Exude cycle for continuous AOE damage.
• Evil Eye: A Skill that grants bonus Block if you Exuded this turn. War Drum satisfies the condition every turn, so you always get the full effect.

Recommended Relics

• Charon's Ashes: Ironclad-exclusive Relic. Deals damage to every enemy each time you Exude. With multiple Exudes per turn in this build, it piles up significant AOE damage automatically. Combined with Feel No Pain's Block, Exuding alone accomplishes both offense and defense.
• Pine Incense (Goma): The first time you Exude a Skill each combat, add a copy of it to your hand. A copy of a strong Skill like Burning Pact or Offering doubles the resources you extract from one Exude.
• Chess Piece: Draw 1 card every time you play a Power. Exude Build runs many Powers (Feel No Pain, Dark Embrace, War Drum), so you maintain hand size while deploying them and dig to Ash Strike or End of Contract.
• Rainbow Ring: Each time you play an Attack, Skill, and Power in one turn, gain 1 Strength and 1 Dexterity. Thanks to Dark Embrace's draw, Exude Build plays many cards per turn, rapidly stacking Strength and Dexterity and boosting both Ash Strike's damage and Block output.
• Bag of Preparation (Backpack): Draw 2 extra cards at the start of combat. Opening with 7 cards raises the odds of turn-1 Exude engines (War Drum, Feel No Pain, Dark Embrace) and jump-starts the loop.
• Burning Blood (starting Relic): Heal 6 HP after combat. Covers the small HP losses from Searing Blow and Second Wind across every fight.

How to Play

Act 1

In Act 1, prioritize War Drum and Burning Pact. With War Drum online early, the per-turn Exude is guaranteed, so any Ash Strike or End of Contract you pick up works immediately. If Feel No Pain also appears in Act 1, defensive worries vanish - grab it with high priority. During the low-Exude early window, use Burning Pact to Exude starter defenses and junk cards to both thin the deck and build the Exude count. For the Act 1 boss, End of Contract is reliable once you have 5-8 Exudes stacked.

Act 2

In Act 2, flesh out your Exude engines - Dark Embrace, Havoc, Ash Strike. Once Dark Embrace lands, the Exude loop truly starts: your hand stays full while synergies fire continuously. Feel No Pain + Dark Embrace together means every Exude produces Block and draw at the same time, the peak Exude state. Handle Elites quickly by combining War Drum with End of Contract. By mid-Act 2, Exudes pile past 15 and Ash Strike reliably deals 60+ damage at 1 cost.

Act 3

In Act 3, your deck is complete and the Exude Build's full power comes out. For boss fights, fire multiple Exude triggers per turn, chain draw through Dark Embrace, stack Block with Feel No Pain, and close with Ash Strike + End of Contract. With plenty of Exudes stacked you can play End of Contract multiple times, or land Ash Strike for 80-100 damage at 1 cost - truly overwhelming output. Feel No Pain passively generates 20-30 Block per turn, keeping incoming damage contained.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

• As Exudes stack, both offense (Ash Strike) and defense (Feel No Pain) amplify automatically - a self-sufficient deck
• Feel No Pain piles Block with every Exude, so you rarely need dedicated defensive cards
• End of Contract delivers 0-cost AOE, letting you push damage against multiple enemies with almost no Energy cost
• War Drum is 0 cost, so the Exude engine deploys cheaply and starts producing early

Weaknesses

• Before Exudes accumulate, Ash Strike is weak and End of Contract may not meet its play condition, leading to damage shortfalls
• War Drum's per-turn Exude is random, risking accidental loss of key cards
• The build needs all its pieces (Feel No Pain, Dark Embrace, War Drum) to click - missing any leaves the deck half-baked