Slay the Spire: B&B GOTY 2018, 2020, 2021, and Forum Pariah 2019 - The Bear and Badger

equinox_code

Dark Soldier wrote:

Game was just chucking high tier block cards at me from the first fight, one of those runs where you already know its meta so just go with it. Game basically saying 'this one's on me mate' Third floor was ridiculously easy.

on that subject, this is an absolutely nuts start to act 2

who needs blocking cards when you have 3 x wraith form and an after image? with 2 x tools of the trade and a couple of other discard options the deck has mad potential for cycling through eviscerates multiple times per turn. Just need to get a few more of those cards upgraded and it will take a colossal fuck up for me not to go onto to beating the heart from here

equinox_code

christ I'm almost too excited to resume the game. this could be one of the most fun decks I've put together, but it also could fall flat due to 3 starting energy, leaving me open to a lot of chip damage as I can't play after image and one of the wraith forms on turn 1. if I can get through this act though I expect it should be plain sailing

voices

I'm kind of intrigued to see where you take that deck, and how it ends up dealing with the heart if you get there. 6 turns of intangible with 3 of those turns used to play Wrath is going to make it tough!

Edit: START of act 2 - right. Bit more hope then.

equinox_code

just nearing the end of act 3 now. basically feeling unstoppable. I have an extra energy, 1 more acrobatics, a nightmare (effectively doubling the amount of wraith forms I have), a ritual dagger, pen nib, and a calculated gamble which is working wonders with the bandage relic that adds block whenever you discard. but crucially, I also got an orange pellets, so I'm not even losing dexterity with these wraith forms. in fact I'm gaining it, because of kunai. not that this matters because I don't really have any block cards.

but the maddest thing of all is that I have just taken mark of the bloom. I don't think I've ever taken it before, as not being able to heal is too much of a risk. now my whole deck is upgraded. somewhat expecting to clear both these act 3 bosses without taking a hit. it's too easy.

at this moment I've just added my first block card. with the dexterity scaling I can imagine it being useful for the heart although I'm not entirely sure it's necessary. also a tiny bit disappointed to have diluted the purity of having no block at all, but oh well. purity is never something to strive for in this game, but in this instance it might just have been better. let's see.

equinox_code

oh, and I have that power that lets me keep two cards at the end of each turn. it's been a while since I've had it this good. can basically do what I want.

Dark Soldier

Those runs make up for all the ones you have to grind. It's why the game is top 5 all time.

JonB

Just did the heart for the first time. Using Defect and dropping it back to level 1, but they all count.

I've got 136 hours clocked on this and only recently started trying to get to the heart - until then I'd just been progressing all the characters slowly, all up to level 9 or 10.

b0r1s

Nice to see you’ve made it through the tutorial ;-)

b0r1s

So close with Watcher Asc 20 and so pissed off.

Heavy on mental fortress allowed me to switch and change stances getting tons of block each turn and powered through everything. Had mummified hand early on so went power heavy and hit Deca Donu as first final boss. Got through em easy and of course got Awakened one meaning I had to hold off on powers managed to get him to second form but with only 9hp left it was never going to end well.

Thing I need a break from this final attempt and come back fresh.

pantyfire

I just don’t get this game.
I mean I ‘get’ it but I can’t get it.

I like it. And play it on the train into work or something but I just can’t get it!

I’m. It clicking to a strategy and everything online says there is no strategy and that’s the joy. But I’m. Ot clicking to the strategy I should be using at the time.

b0r1s

There’s Jorbs videos if you want some help for strategy. I’ve only watched a bit. I’ve organically learned the game just by trying things out. Also if you are still relatively wary in your game not everything will be unlocked so you could be missing key relics and cards.

I’d also say try out every card and relics at least once. You may think they have little use but most things have value. Early on a lot of people tend to focus on attack and defend cards for example. Yet one of the key parts of the gameplay is card draw. Being able to draw more cards can be very powerful.

pantyfire

I just always remember to be getting fucked with.
Get a relic or power that allows me to keep my hand = getting loads of curses and fucking myself.

Ok, I get a relic that gives me some kind of boost when I exhaust a card = don’t get any cards or curses that can be exhausted.

It always seems like the RNG is pissing itself at me.

pantyfire

And thanks for jorbs shout. I see him mentioned all the time but I click on a vid and it’s him talking for 2 hours and i dont have the patience.
Does he have any shorter to the point vids?

b0r1s

A big thing is synergies. So some cards work well with certain relics (Dead Branch plus Corruption is the classic) and yep you can get screwed if the relic you get doesn’t have an associated use, just part of the game.

Yeah I kinda agree on the Jorbs thing. I guess if you play a couple vids you should get some recs for other content creators.

Last point, which I think Tempy has mentioned a few times, is don’t try to craft a deck, take cards/relics/whatever and use items based on the situation at the time. For example, early on I was always trying to create the claw deck with Defect, but the odds are so stacked against you. Best thing to do is see what cards you get then build around that as you progress.

The gotcha is you need to know the synergies to know what cards to pick next etc.

I guess why it’s still so good even though I’ve got to at least 600 hours in.

JonB

For me, it took a while to get used to removing and refusing cards.

You don't have to take one every time the reward is offered, and in shops it can be good to pay to get rid of basic strike or block cards. Maintaining balance is also key - it's easy to end up too weighted towards attack or defence (or neither).

But I think my early victories mostly came down to energy. Taking a boss relic that gives you extra energy every turn makes things so much easier.

Pseudoscot

Trying to get asc6 heart run for defect but hitting some bad rng. Last run I didn't get a single block card until dying mid-way through the second level.

GooberTheHat

This was a fun run. The only thing that would have made it better would have been fire breathing and reckless charge.

RedDave2

Nothing worse than having a solid deck, solid relics and arriving at the final boss only to blow it with some reckless choices....

Facewon

Re jorbs vids, check his playlists, as I recall he has a series of 10-15 minute vids on each card in the game. If you want something more focused.

pantyfire

Oooh. Ok thanks.

equinox_code

He didn’t manage to finish that series, or even come close. I’d just watch the first 10 mins of any of his regular uploads. That’s typically how long he takes to complete act 1.

Frosty

Really fun first heart victory with watcher there. Had double omniscience to set up apotheosis and talk to the hand so I was getting block with every attack and it was a piece of piss. Took 30 damage from his first big attack but that was it for the whole fight.

Heart victories with ic and defect to go.

b0r1s

Just before year end, I finally got my final character, Watcher, to beat Asc 20.

That’s the core game done with each character and I guess 2022 will be the torture of getting heart wins from Asc 2 upwards for each character.

FranticPea

Think we'll get a StS 2 or a new game of a similar vain?

equinox_code

I would've thought it was the type of game that would lend itself far better to DLC than a sequel, and apparently there is none of that coming.

equinox_code

I would actually pay 50 euro for a single new character

RedDave2

Was thinking a 5th character could take inspiration from monster train. Instead of powers you can summon various monsters who can do individual attacks, or heal or shield.

mistercrayon

I think they’d be better off doing something wilder.

Like all new relics, bosses and ideas.

RedDave2

mistercrayon wrote:

I think they’d be better off doing something wilder.

Like all new relics, bosses and ideas.

Hey, EC will pay 50 quid for a single character. There's money to be made here fella

mistercrayon

I get the sentiment but imagine how much clever they could be if they didn’t need to be restrained by everything there.

Who’s heart doesn’t sink a bit when Whetstone upgrades a strike.

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