How does the game get "Easier"?

[keybounce]

So ... people say that this game is supposed to get easier with each death, right?

How?

As far as I can tell, each time you die, your deck gets reset to 4 cards. You have no control over what they will be. Your "death card" might not have any use, and if you get bad cards to choose from, it might just be average.

So what makes the game easier? The cards I pulled out of the drawers, safe, etc, are gone.

What is supposed to help me on later runs to get farther?

[Ultraviper]

No idea. I gave up on the game after the 5th tine dying to the act 1 boss because it was so boring playing through the entire game yet again just for another try at it

[Pablo]

the dagger and the hook

[el rurexmano 420]

The cards you pulled out are not gone, they are added to the game permamently, and all the talking cards will appear in your starting deck. Also after beating the angler you get a hook on every new start. You also unlock new places to visit on the maps. Just keep playing and good luck :)

[YetiChow]

The game is supposed to get easier as you learn why things happen -- how sigils work, how they interact, why you're losing fights and runs overall; how to spot victory conditions -- not just the straightforward ones, but things like "hey I can't use any of my 1-blood cards to win here; but if I sacrifice a few of them in 1 turn (i.e. play one, sacrifice it to play the next one, etc.) then I can pull out a card that's summoned with bones and that will tip the scales" -- and how to start guaranteeing that you'll have control over the different factors that you need to control to win (e.g. good deck construction and knowing what that even means; having the ability to draw/gain items and knowing which ones to use when)

There's a lot of moving parts in the game but it all boils down to simple puzzles. Learn what pieces can be used for what puzzles (not just around the cabin, but on the gameboard), and from there it becomes very easy.

[Therion]

Use the very powerful mantis god and the infamous geko and there will be no game you will lose. God mantis is powerful if you raise it to power 3, or if you give it the sigil of the normal mantis it becomes a war tank that wins any game in one turn. To this I have to add that you keep a small deck so that you have a better chance of it coming out. If you add a geko with the sigil of the cockroach, friend, you will beat the game since you will have an immortal card that costs nothing

[cpt.draco]

Trust us, the game for Act 1 DOES get easier as you play and figure things out. ONLY exception to this would be if you're playing Kaycee's Mod... but that's a WHOLE 'nother card-game there, as it's a challenge-mode where things are made to NOT be in your favor. Period.

[keybounce]

I don't think I have seen the mantis god.
And the geko ... I saw it once. Adding immortality to it ... I'll see if I can manage to get those cards in one game.

Small deck ... yea, I realized the importance of this, but there seem to be very few of those "sacrifice a card" spots on the map, and my decks just grow.

[Therion]

Originally posted by keybounce:

I don't think I have seen the mantis god.
And the geko ... I saw it once. Adding immortality to it ... I'll see if I can manage to get those cards in one game.

Small deck ... yea, I realized the importance of this, but there seem to be very few of those "sacrifice a card" spots on the map, and my decks just grow.

Both the mantis god and the geko are rare cards that you can only choose when you defeat a boss, I think they can also be obtained by exchanging them for golden skins, but I don't remember the latter. To make the deck even smaller, try using the slots where you insert a sigil from one card to another.

[keybounce]

As I said, those spots seem to be pretty rare.

[Therion]

Originally posted by keybounce:

As I said, those spots seem to be pretty rare.

The normal mantis is an easier card to get. Try to increase its damage 2 times and with that you would be ready. One of his attacks would be enough to win the game instantly

[Therion]

Don't forget the totems. Try to get the most out of it as you can. It doesn't seem like it at first but it can give you a lot of advantage, especially if you get the immortal sigil or the fertility sigil.

[Therion]

Still try it with a big deck. Remember that card games depend a lot on RNG. This is why I gave you these tips with cards and totems. As long as you have cards that save the game you will be able to easily overcome any challenge

[keybounce]

Originally posted by Ultraviper:

No idea. I gave up on the game after the 5th tine dying to the act 1 boss because it was so boring playing through the entire game yet again just for another try at it

The act 1 boss?

Trader, with the mule, is the first. I found him to be easy.
Prospector? ... He's easy enough *the first time*, then all the cards you used get clobbered.

Angler? ... Harder. He wants to take your cards. I barely managed him last run. You can use squirrels as your last placement to decoy him, you can force his side of the board to be squirrels ... which is just delaying things. Ultimately you'll need to be able to draw good cards to finish him off, and kill the stuff behind his squirrels. Which ... *is doable*. You have no hand limit size, you can kill your own creatures, you have a lot of squirrels to draw, ... it should be possible to build a deck with powerful creatures in it, you really do not have a time limit on this battle.

Trapper ... yeah, that one ... I'll know better next time.

[cpt.draco]

My tips for you:

General deck building:
Have plenty of low-cost cards, as well as bone-cards. If you get the chance, have a Black Goat in your deck. This will be great for cards like Grizzly, Great White--both 3-cost--or Urayuli--4-cost. Black Goat is also good for quick-summoning a 2-cost card, such as Oroborus. If you can get an Undying sigil (from Cockroach ideally) on Black Goat, then you can over-buff Oroborus by sacrificing one to summon the other over and over--Oroborus gains 1-attack/-health AND returns to your hand after each death.
Alternatively, if you're using a more bone-heavy deck, should you see the icon for the Bone Lord (on the map it's a blank card with a large X through it) sacrifice the Black Goat--you'll get the Major Boon of Bone Lord; starting each battle with 8 bones--perfect to summon bone-cards right away.
TOTEMS!!! Find what kind of totem works best for you, such as Undying Squirrels for free draws on your main deck.
Campfires; if you have them, play the Ringworm, Adder, or Long Elk cards and buff them until they are consumed; this will kill the survivors, giving you free buffs (up to 5) the rest of the run.
Mycologist; If you have two of the same card (little mushroom that 'grows' when you're getting a new card) the Mycologist will combine them together, adding their attack/health together. EX; two Bullfrogs with 1attack/2health will become one Bullfrog with 2attack/4health--and still be just a one-cost card to play. Sigils will also combine, so if one Bullfrog had Guardian, and the other had Undying, then the 'experiement' will have both.

Prospector:
Phase 1
Play a low-cost semi-weak card to take out the mule BEFORE starting Phase 2--and don't fill your side of the board. Have some spare pelts as damage-shields for the coyote, or one with high-defense/low attack. Mole/Moleman with a few buffs will work fine.
Phase 2
Depending where he plays Bloodhound, you should have a damage-shield in-play from the Prospector's Gold-Rush attack (where he turns all your active cards to gold nuggets). Bloodhound jumps to most recently played card, so beware if you put a weak-card to oppose her. Deal as much damage QUICKLY as you can.

Angler:
Phase 1
The Angler starts with a Kingfisher on the board, with a second one ready to join. You can block them (Air-Defense) but can't attack them, as the dive 'underwater' for safety. (I've found that the perfect counter for Kingfisher is a card with air-defense and quills, as the Kingfishers will be counter-attacked and destroyed, due to low health.) Alternatively, playing airborne cards can counter-damage to balance from the Kingfishers. Play cards sparingly in prep for Phase 2. When you see the hook icon on your cards, play a pelt/squirrel, so he'll hook that to his side--play them in front of his Kingfishers to take them out of play.
Phase 2
The Angler will place a bait-bucket against all of your active cards. DO NOT ATTACK THE BUCKETS! Airborne cards are safe, as they strike the opponent directly. Destroyed Bait buckets summon Great Whites; 4 attack/2 health, with Diving sigils, making them nigh impossible to counter-attack. If you have a card in-play that doesn't deal direct damage, sacrifice them to avoid becoming shark-food.

Trapper/Trader:
Phase 1; Trapper
The Trapper starts with two Strange Frogs and a Leaping Trap, with the second lane open. The Strange Frog is identical to Bullfrog (1 attack/2 health, flying-defense), but when defeated will 'break' into another Leaping Trap. Play damage-shields (pelts/squirrels) if you must, but take heed; attacking the Leaping Trap will instant-kill whatever card struck it (and give you a Wolf Pelt). A counter to this is to have an Undying-sigil card (Cockroach) trigger the traps to clear them from the board.
Phase 2; Trader
The Trader takes all cards off her side of the board, gives you a Wolf Pelt, then lays out 8 OP cards. You can trade any/all your Wolf Pelts for those cards--but the rest will fight for her. If you have a card that deals high-damage already on the board, pick the opposing cards in your card's lane, or clear the first row and strike quickly. You can also pick an OP card of hers and summon it with your cards too.

Leshy:
Phase 1 + 2
Leshy will cycle through the Prospector, Angler, and Trader abilities, so hitting hard/fast is key. OR have enough damage-sponges in-play. Use the above counter-measures. Leshy plays Mantis, Moleman, and Alamgum cards.
Phase 2
Leshy will play deathcards from fallen challengers (or your own if you're unlucky) Repeat above advice; hit hard and fast, and counter the mini-boss attacks.
Phase 3
Leshy plays...THE MOON!! Moon as 1 attack/45 health hits all lanes, has air-defense, and will pull squirrels/bees 'into orbit' (out of play). Leshy no longer plays anything, does not cycle through his minions, so if you have high defense-card(s), you'll be fine. Get your heavy-hitters out and go to town. An OP counter for the Moon is to have a card with the Stinky-sigil (Stinkbug/Skunk) in-play, as that will lower Moon's 1-attack to 0, turning the final battle into a cake-walk.

[YetiChow]

Originally posted by cpt.draco:

My tips for you:

General deck building:
Have plenty of low-cost cards, as well as bone-cards. If you get the chance, have a Black Goat in your deck. This will be great for cards like Grizzly, Great White--both 3-cost--or Urayuli--4-cost. Black Goat is also good for quick-summoning a 2-cost card, such as Oroborus. If you can get an Undying sigil (from Cockroach ideally) on Black Goat, then you can over-buff Oroborus by sacrificing one to summon the other over and over--Oroborus gains 1-attack/-health AND returns to your hand after each death.
Alternatively, if you're using a more bone-heavy deck, should you see the icon for the Bone Lord (on the map it's a blank card with a large X through it) sacrifice the Black Goat--you'll get the Major Boon of Bone Lord; starting each battle with 8 bones--perfect to summon bone-cards right away.
TOTEMS!!! Find what kind of totem works best for you, such as Undying Squirrels for free draws on your main deck.
Campfires; if you have them, play the Ringworm, Adder, or Long Elk cards and buff them until they are consumed; this will kill the survivors, giving you free buffs (up to 5) the rest of the run.
Mycologist; If you have two of the same card (little mushroom that 'grows' when you're getting a new card) the Mycologist will combine them together, adding their attack/health together. EX; two Bullfrogs with 1attack/2health will become one Bullfrog with 2attack/4health--and still be just a one-cost card to play. Sigils will also combine, so if one Bullfrog had Guardian, and the other had Undying, then the 'experiement' will have both.

Prospector:
Phase 1
Play a low-cost semi-weak card to take out the mule BEFORE starting Phase 2--and don't fill your side of the board. Have some spare pelts as damage-shields for the coyote, or one with high-defense/low attack. Mole/Moleman with a few buffs will work fine.
Phase 2
Depending where he plays Bloodhound, you should have a damage-shield in-play from the Prospector's Gold-Rush attack (where he turns all your active cards to gold nuggets). Bloodhound jumps to most recently played card, so beware if you put a weak-card to oppose her. Deal as much damage QUICKLY as you can.

Angler:
Phase 1
The Angler starts with a Kingfisher on the board, with a second one ready to join. You can block them (Air-Defense) but can't attack them, as the dive 'underwater' for safety. (I've found that the perfect counter for Kingfisher is a card with air-defense and quills, as the Kingfishers will be counter-attacked and destroyed, due to low health.) Alternatively, playing airborne cards can counter-damage to balance from the Kingfishers. Play cards sparingly in prep for Phase 2. When you see the hook icon on your cards, play a pelt/squirrel, so he'll hook that to his side--play them in front of his Kingfishers to take them out of play.
Phase 2
The Angler will place a bait-bucket against all of your active cards. DO NOT ATTACK THE BUCKETS! Airborne cards are safe, as they strike the opponent directly. Destroyed Bait buckets summon Great Whites; 4 attack/2 health, with Diving sigils, making them nigh impossible to counter-attack. If you have a card in-play that doesn't deal direct damage, sacrifice them to avoid becoming shark-food.

Trapper/Trader:
Phase 1; Trapper
The Trapper starts with two Strange Frogs and a Leaping Trap, with the second lane open. The Strange Frog is identical to Bullfrog (1 attack/2 health, flying-defense), but when defeated will 'break' into another Leaping Trap. Play damage-shields (pelts/squirrels) if you must, but take heed; attacking the Leaping Trap will instant-kill whatever card struck it (and give you a Wolf Pelt). A counter to this is to have an Undying-sigil card (Cockroach) trigger the traps to clear them from the board.
Phase 2; Trader
The Trader takes all cards off her side of the board, gives you a Wolf Pelt, then lays out 8 OP cards. You can trade any/all your Wolf Pelts for those cards--but the rest will fight for her. If you have a card that deals high-damage already on the board, pick the opposing cards in your card's lane, or clear the first row and strike quickly. You can also pick an OP card of hers and summon it with your cards too.

Leshy:
Phase 1 + 2
Leshy will cycle through the Prospector, Angler, and Trader abilities, so hitting hard/fast is key. OR have enough damage-sponges in-play. Use the above counter-measures. Leshy plays Mantis, Moleman, and Alamgum cards.
Phase 2
Leshy will play deathcards from fallen challengers (or your own if you're unlucky) Repeat above advice; hit hard and fast, and counter the mini-boss attacks.
Phase 3
Leshy plays...THE MOON!! Moon as 1 attack/45 health hits all lanes, has air-defense, and will pull squirrels/bees 'into orbit' (out of play). Leshy no longer plays anything, does not cycle through his minions, so if you have high defense-card(s), you'll be fine. Get your heavy-hitters out and go to town. An OP counter for the Moon is to have a card with the Stinky-sigil (Stinkbug/Skunk) in-play, as that will lower Moon's 1-attack to 0, turning the final battle into a cake-walk.

One small correction: when it comes to the leaping traps, they destroy whatever card is opposite them, not what struck them. Using any creature with Bifurcated/Trifurcated to attack "from the side" is a viable strategy; the pronghorn is especially good here because it will move after attacking and so a single pronghorn can trigger all 3 traps without dying itself. Just use either a squirrel or a card with Undying (or any card you can afford to sacrifice to make a pelt) in front of the trap so that you get the pelt when it's triggered; it's possible to trigger the trap and not get a pelt but it's more beneficial to have the pelt/s for the second phase.

Also note that re: your first point, it's not always a great plan to have a lot of 1 blood (or bones) summon-cost creatures. There's a mechanic called "fair hand" which ensures that you can always play at least 1 card on your first turn, by forcing the first card you pull in your starting hand to either be a 1-blood or a bone (or free -- i.e. pelt, geck or similar) card. So, if you have just 1 such card, you can guarantee that it comes out first turn every time; and if you put a strong sigil on that card you can guarantee that your chosen strategy will work out every time. In Act 1, you start with several such cards (Stoat, Stinkbug, Stunted Wolf) so there's a bit of work required to get rid of unwanted cards; but in Kaycee's Mod every deck has a viable "fair hand" starting card that you can use to get your strategy up and running.

For building up sacrifice fodder, it's better to go for cards and sigils that can create other cards -- Rabbit Warren, Skink (the tail can be sacrificed), Beehive and Long Elk are great options because they create extra sacrifices for you. The Beaver can be given Worthy Sacrifice (or better yet, put Dam Builder on a Black Goat) to get three 3-blood sacrifices at once, which is probably the best way to guarantee success with a "beatdown" deck or when using Urayuli. Another good option is to put Bone Hoarder on a Cockroach so that you get a card which can be sacrificed and re-summoned infinitely because it pays for its next summon any time it dies.