ironclad

Exhaust

Tier B

Beta

“Burn your cards for extra power”

Core idea

Ironclad has plenty of ways to benefit from Exhaust, most notably Dark Embrace and Feel No Pain. Drum of Battle is a scary power, but it is unmatched in terms of guaranteeing an exhaust every turn for your Evil Eye and Forgotten Ritual. It is almost always good in hallway fights, providing quick value, and in longer fights just think about when you want to pull the trigger on Drum of Battle - you don't want to run through your deck too quickly, nor do you want to Exhaust key powers you can't live without. Ashen Strike is an incredible card for this archetype, although it is a double-edged blade with Drum of Battle, since it scales so well with Exhaust but is at risk of being lost; try picking up multiple if you decide to run them together. Corruption is harder to find but takes this deck to new heights, letting you melt hallway fights once you play Dark Embrace - just be careful how early you play this during boss encounters since you may be left open to attacks once all your skills are gone. Pact's End is your solve for multi-foe fights, though it can be a bit unreliable if not yet active when drawn.

When to commit

When you find Dark Embrace, Feel No Pain or Corruption

Key cards and relics

Support plan

Barricade works fantastically with Corruption, letting you play all your skills out and preserve the Block to keep you protected over subsequent turns. Headbutt can bring back a Pact's End that wasn't yet active or a large Ashen Strike. Conversely, if running Drum of Battle then Headbutt can help you target what it exhausts, protecting important cards by burning the bad. Howl From Beyond is happy to get exhausted, either set up through Headbutt or other exhaust cards like True Grit. Fiend Fire, Stoke and Second Wind are powerful exhaust cards that also provide fast value for short fights. Don't forget simple cards that Exhaust themselves can also fit in this deck, such as Tremble or Offering. Bloodletting can provide energy for Dark Embrace decks that end up with big hands.

Support cards and relics

Weaknesses

Corruption is scary for long fights - if you burn all your skills you can leave yourself open to damage for the rest of the fight. Without Barricade, you may want to wait a cycle before playing your Corruption against some bosses, depending on the speed of your deck. It can be a good idea to draft a bigger deck than usual with Corruption so you go longer before running out of skills. Drum of Battle can be inconsistent and burn key cards, so consider not playing it in important longer fights - it's usually fine in hallway fights if a key piece gets burnt since it provides quick value.