Summary
High Card decks inBalatrominimize the number of variables that could make certain hands impossible. Aiming for flushes is a great way to handle the earlier sections of the game, but once players start to work through the higher stakes on each deck, a High Cardstrategy will produce the most consistent results.
There are lots of ways that players can gear their deck and Joker array to suit a High Card strategy, but be aware thatBalatrois still a game of chance. Even the best-laid plans for a certain deck can be completely derailed before the 8th ante.
1Card Mix
Getting The Balance Right
To pull off a High Stakes deck, players typically need to consider four types of Jokers. They will need a Joker that provides base blue chips and a Joker that adds to the red multiplier. But adding blue chips and red multipliers will only get players so far. Players should also include an X multiplier bonus (a multiplier, multiplier if you will).
The last Jokers that provide bonuses are the scaling multipliers that gradually build up the scoring potential of cards or hands over time. There are avariety of Jokersthat can make up each element of the mix.
2Pluto
Planet Card
Pluto is a handy planet card to use while players are setting up their high card deck. When using DNA duplication to create a single-card dominant deck, there will be a lot of single-card hands being played. Getting every point possible out of that little card could be very important when getting through those early rounds.
Ways to increase the chances of Pluto appearing in the store is to purchase theTelescope Voucher, which means that the Cosmic Packs will always have the most played card, which should be a high card. Attaching a blue planet seal to a card yields a random planet card if left in hand at the end of the round.
3Upgrading Hands Through Jokers
Supernova vs. Space Joker vs. Burnt Joker
Supernova is a Joker that rewards repeat hand types, so it is ideal for a high card deck. It adds the number of times the hand has been played to the red multiplier. It has the advantage of also counting the times the hand has been played in the run before purchasing. That bonus is then lost when the card is sold. The Space Joker is also a handy card for a High Card deck that has a gradual cumulative effect, having a 1 in 4 chance of leveling up the played hand for that run. It is similar to the Supernova in that it adds to a specific hand but has the added benefit of permanently leveling up a hand, and the hand will maintain that level after the Joker is sold.
Either of these cards is a great addition to a High Card strategy. But the Burnt Joker is perhaps even more useful to a High Card Deck as it upgrades the overall level of the first discarded hand of a round. As discarded hands are more likely to score as a High Card, it has a great hit rate for leveling up the hand needed for this strategy.
4Passive Enhancements
Making The Most Of Unplayed Cards
While there are many ways to enhance played cards, a High Card deck is also greatly improved by enhancing cards that provide bonuses while in a player’s hand. Transforming a card into a steel card means that it yields x1.5 bonus unplayed and transforming a card into a gold card yields $3 if held unplayed in the hand at the end of the round.
Only playing a single card each hand means that there is a lot of potential to make the most of these passiveenhancements. The bonus provided by unplayed steel cards can make a considerable difference to the final round score and the gold card provides a handy bonus for purchasing Planet cards, Tarot cards, and Vouchers.
5Tailoring The Deck
Duplication, Deletion, And Adjustment
Focusing on one type of card can be of enormous benefit to those playing a High Card deck. For example, in the image above, the player has used an odd number-only deck to make the most of the Odd Todd Joker and the Ride the Bus Joker (which rewards not playing face cards). Jokers that give bonuses for specific hands can be incredibly useful if players are willing to put in the setup to make a tailored deck.
Cards can be duplicated with the DNA Joker, the Cryptid Spectral Card, and the Death Tarot Card. Conversely, cards can be destroyed using the Trading Card Joker and The Hanged Man Tarot Card. This allows players to build a deck that will yield consistent results. It’s not strictly essential for a High Card Deck, but it can be incredibly useful.
6Jokers That Reward No Discards
Make The Most Of A Low-Risk Deck
One key feature of the High Card deck strategy is that discarding cards is rarely necessary. So,Jokerssuch as Banner, Delayed Gratification, and the Green Joker are incredibly useful. Banner and Green Joker provide score bonuses and Delayed Gratification provides an additional payout at the end of the round.
Or players can remove their ability to discard at all with the Burglar Joker, which transfers all discards into playable turns. This is great in conjunction with the aforementioned Jokers but also gives the player more chances to score. Those extra turns can be the difference between success and failure at the sticky end of aBalatrorun.
