Inscryption, like any deck building game, has lots of cards, lots of strategies, and lots of interplay between them all. (Surprise!). But which cards lend themselves to the best combos? Which ones should you always pick up? How do you prioritize cards for winning the game? Read ahead to find out.

 

***SPOILERS AHEAD FOR ACT I AND FOR THE ENDGAME. LITERALLY FROM THE FIRST BULLET POINT IT’S SPOILERS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED***

 

15. Cuckoo

The ruthless Cuckoo drops one of its eggs for you when played.

Cuckoo is a card you get access to in Kaycee’s Mod, the endless mode you unlock after beating the game. Cuckoo is 1/1 card costing 1 blood, with the Airborne and Brood Parasite sigils.

When you play the Cuckoo, it summons a Broken Egg in the spot across from it, blocking any cards incoming from Leshy’s side of the board. This means:

Your Cuckoo is almost always safe, as there will almost never be a card across from it. This is because the Airborne sigil makes the damage it deals go directly to Leshy.

You can effectively block whichever incoming card is going to give you the most trouble

The only things to take into consideration are that the space across from Cuckoo needs to be open for the egg to be summoned. Also, the egg has a 10 % chance to spawn a Raven Egg instead of a Broken Egg, so you should consider upping Cuckoo’s power to help cancel that out.

Cuckoo is great as a way to control the board, preventing difficult cards from Leshy, and keeping a consistent ping of damage against him.

 

14. Black Goat

The Black Goat's is eager to please.

Black Goat is a 0/1 card costing 1 blood, and with the Worthy Sacrifice sigil.

Black Goat is a great card with a pretty direct purpose - bring out the big guns. The Worthy Sacrifice sigil means when you sacrifice the goat, you get 3 blood to use for summoning. 

Since it costs 1 blood to bring out Black Goat, your ideal starting hand is 1 squirrel (guaranteed), 1 Black Goat, and 1 heavy-hitting, high cost card. Then, on turn 1 you play the squirrel, sacrifice it for the goat, sacrifice the goat for your big guy. 

Use him to summon the Grizzly, for example, and you’re doing 4 damage on turn 1, which is crazy.

Black Goat is great for getting high-damage or high-value cards out early in the game, making almost any battle a breeze.

 

13. Hand Tentacle

The Hand Tentacle depends on you.

Hand Tentacle is an x/1, 1 blood cost card. The X is equal to the number of cards you have in hand.

Hand Tentacle has no sigils, but that’s because it doesn’t need them. It’s a glass cannon, and the size of the ammo is the size of your hand. 

The cards, sigils, and modifiers in this game lend themselves to crazy combos, like infinite hand sizes. We’ll actually talk about one later on in this list, when we talk about Beehive. But even if you aren’t going for infinite, there are plenty of strategies that either purposefully or accidentally result in a large number of cards in hand. 

This is what makes Hand Tentacle great. You can make it your key card, or you can just add it to a deck that already gives you big hands, and either way, you’ve got a really powerful card. Just don’t let it get hit, or use the campfire to up its health a bit.

 

12. Strange Larva

With proper protection, Strange Larva becomes an incredible ally.

Strange Larva is a 0/3, 1 blood costs card with the Fledgling sigil.

It’s one of those cards that seems, at first, like a pretty bad deal. Like yes, it grows into something, but it starts at 0/3. Plus even when it grows it’s still a 0/3, assuming it didn’t take damage. So what’s the point?

The point, of course, is for the second growth. The process is: Strange Larva -> Strange Pupa -> Mothman. And Mothman is one heck of a card. We’re talking 7/3 with Airborne- a one-hit-kill from scales in the middle, and a crazy come-back kid if you’re down a few teeth.

The only downside here is you gotta protect it- whatever health it has when it grows is the health it gets, so it could be easily killed before getting to Mothman. Boosting health with the Campfire, or giving it a sigil that gets it out of the way (like Waterborne) are both advised.

Strange Larva is great for quickly ending things for leshy, if you can keep it alive long enough.

 

11. Cat

The Cat has nine precarious lives.

Cat is a 0/1, 1 blood cost card with the Many Lives sigil.

Cat is great. You can sacrifice it up to nine times without removing it from the board, thanks to the Many Lives sigil. After the ninth time it turns into a 3/6 with no sigils, so no more sacrificing, but also you now have a pretty beefy boi on the board.

Since it’s only 1 blood, you can get it out on the board early, and effectively reduce the cost of every other card in your deck by 1. This is huge - and even though it takes up space, just stick it in front of any of the many obstacles likely to be on leshy’s side, and you’re good to go.

Cat is great for making the rest of your deck cheaper - pair it with a high-cost or high sacrifice deck for 9 lives well lived.

 

10. Child 13

You're doing it a favor by taking Child 13 under your wing. Don't think too hard about it.

Child 13 is a 0/1, 1 blood cost card with the Many Lives sigil.

You may be thinking, okay, so Child 13 and Cat are the same. Why is Child 13 ranked ahead of Cat?

The answer is simple - they aren’t the same! Of course! When Child 13 is sacrificed, it “awakens”, transforming into a 2/1 card with airborne and many lives. So, do damage earlier, and keep your sacrificing going!

Be aware, though of 2 things. First, when sacrificed again, it returns to dormant form. Second, after being sacrificed 13 times, it turns into Hungry Child - a card that has no power or health. So, time your Child 13 sacrifices well.

Child 13 is great for making the rest of your deck cheaper, while dealing more damage overall than Cat in most games.

 

09. Beehive

The Beehive spawns Bees - small but deadly, and can quickly overwhelm.

Beehive is a 0/2, 1 blood cost card with the Bees Within sigil. When struck, this card spawns a bee in your hand- a 1/1, 0 cost card with Airborne.

As you can imagine, this card by itself is great. It absorbs damage while outputting free multi-purpose cards. Bees can be damage dealers, sacrifices, blockers, whatever you need.

Buff Beehive’s health with a campfire, and you can get even more Bees. But do you want ultimate Bees? Then understand this tidbit - whatever sigil you put on Beehive gets added to the bees it generates. 

So, sigils like Unkillable and Fecundity give you potentially infinite bees - aka infinite damage, infinite blockers, infinite blood sacrifices. Wonderful!

Beehive is great for sigil combos that lead you to the ultimate swarm, and for buying time while you get your other cards out and ready.

 

08. Ring Worm

The unassuming Ring Worm makes quick work of those who dare to eat it.

Ring Worm is a 0/1, 1 blood cost card with no sigils. 

At first, Ring Worm seems like a pain - it’s essentially a squirrel that costs you. But it holds a great secret - it’s a Campfire Killer. 

As you know, throughout the game you can encounter a Campfire, where you can boost the Power or Health of your cards, at the risk of losing the card you're boosting to the hungry survivors who circle the fire. More boosts = greater chances of losing the card. 

The humble Ring Worm, however, is one you actually want to lose. This is because, upon consuming the Ring Worm, the survivors will die, and all future campfires will be without them. In other words, none of the future campfires will consume your cards, no matter how many times you boost them.

This can be extremely powerful, especially if you can pull it off early in your run. You’ll be able to get crazy stats on many cards without risking losing them at all!

Ring Worm is great for Killing the Campfire, and therefore (eventually) enhancing the rest of your cards to OP levels of Power and Health.

 

07. Corpse Maggots 

Corpse Maggots jump out at your opponents when they least expect it.

Corpse Maggots is a 1/2 card with 5 bone cost, and the Corpse Eater sigil.

This card’s strength is not by itself- it’s one of 2 cards in this list whose sole purpose is (in my opinion) to be sacrificed to other cards, giving them its sigil.

It’s pretty okay on its own, don’t get me wrong. 1/2 is a perfectly respectable set of stats. And 5 bones will inevitably happen in a game where you’re always sacrificing things. But that sigil - that beautiful, beautiful sigil - is where the real power lies.

Corpse Eater means that when one of your creatures dies, it plays itself in its place for free. 

For starters, give this to a high cost, high stat card like grizzly, then put a squirrel in harm's way, and BAM - free grizzly.

Even better, pair this with unkillable, and you’ll have an infinitely self-playing card. 

EVEN BETTER stick it on a card with Fecundity (which creates a copy of itself in your hand when it’s played) and you’ll have multiple infinite self-playing cards!

Corpse Maggots is great for free beefy bois and crazy combos! 

 

06. Cockroach

It just. Won't. Die.

Cockroach is a 1/1 card with a 4 bone cost, and the unkillable sigil.

You probably know where I’m going with this. Again, this is a perfectly fine card on its own- unkillable and 1/1 means it returns to your hand after dying, so as long as you have bones, you have a card to play.

But man, the COMBOS. Don’t keep Cockroach around. Give him up to the Inscryption gods and give his sigil to someone else - anyone else - and you’re in good hands. 

Stick him on whatever your key card is to keep your strategy alive no matter what. Stick him on someone that gives you nice things, like Beehive, and you’ve got infinite Bees. Stick him on someone with fecundity, and you’ve got infinite guys. Stick him anywhere! Just don’t keep him for him - he was never meant to be not-squished.

Cockroach is great for infinite combos and keeping your favorite cards around.

 

05. Magpie

Let the curious Magpie retrieve your best cards.

Magpie is a 1/1, 2 blood cost card with the Airborne and Hoarder sigils.

This is a very, very useful card. Specifically, we’re looking at the Hoarder sigil, which allows you to take any card of your choice from your deck and put it in your hand. 

Early game this isn’t a huge deal, since you won’t have a ton of cards. But this game gives you cards, and gives you cards, and gives you cards. Sure, there are plenty of ways to get rid of them, but it’s VERY easy for this to get out of hand.

The best decks have only exactly the cards they need to pull off whatever strategy they’re going for. The second best decks have cards that cut through the bullshit cards, so you can get your key cards asap. 

Magpie is one of these cards- the cut-through-the-BS ones. 

Its big downside is the cost - 2 blood is a bit tricky to have the resources for easily, especially early on. But there’s an easy fix - sacrifice Mr. Magpie and give his sigils to someone cheaper.

Magpie is great for decks with lots of cards - which is basically every deck by the third map.

 

04. Mantis

Obstacles are nothing to the long-armed Mantis.

Mantis is a 1/1, 1 blood cost card with the Bifurcated Strike sigil.

Mantis is one of the best cards in the game. (obviously, it’s in my top 5). So what’s the deal? Obviously, we’re focused on Bifurcated Strike. 

First of all, this sigil lets you avoid cards that “clap back” - like ones with Sharp Quills, or Steel Trap.

Secondly, and more importantly - when you upgrade Mantis’ Power, you’re not giving him a +1 - you’re giving a +2, as he strikes twice. Two power upgrades at the campfire, and you’re looking at a one-shot kill card, playable with a turn one squirrel.

His big weakness is the very thing that can save him from getting clapped back - without the ability to attack in front of him, as soon as there’s somebody in front of him, he’s dead. So, go ahead and give him a health boost too - as soon as the power boost is done. Or, give his ability to someone stronger - even if just a 1/2 or 1/3. Or even better, just stick unkillable on him and live your life with ease.

Mantis is great for 1 shot kills and avoiding traps.

 

03. Mantis God

A single upgrade and Mantis God becomes, well, a God.

Mantis God is a 1/1, 1 blood cost card with the Trifurcated Strike sigil.

You thought 2 hits were good? Have you even seen 3?? Trifurcated Strike is just OP. You don’t even have to risk Mantis God getting eaten by campfire survivors to get a 1 hit KO on a power upgrade. And all for one blood cost!

Sure, he won’t avoid the traps. But he can fend for himself by attacking foes in front. And, like regular Mantis, you can beef his health, or stick an unkillable on him, and you’re swimming in gravy from here on out.

Mantis God is great for handing out damage like it’s his freakin’ job.

 

02. Ouroboros

Play him well, and Ouroboros is unlimited.

Ouroboros is a 1/1, 2 blood cost card with the Unkillable sigil.

I can hear ye ignorant fools say “JL! Cockroach has Unkillable, he doesn’t cost 2 whole blood, and he’s a 1/2. Plus shouldn’t we kill Ouroboros and just stick Unkillable on Beehive or something?”

And normally you’d be correct! But not with the good ol’ tail-eater. Ohhh no. Ouroboros has a very, very special hidden ability.

Every time he dies, his Power and Health go up by 1. Every. Single. Time.

This is what we in the biz’ call “Ouroboros Training”. Get him early, get some kind of way to play him infinitely (see Beehive or corpse eater for an example), and you’re sitting on a card that can have as much Power and Health as you have patience. 

No joke - I once spent an hour getting him up to 69/69 just cause I could. 

So please, for the love of god, don’t sacrifice Ouroboros to anybody. Sacrifice the right folks to Mr boros, set yourself up with a drink and a snack, and feel the glee pile up as his Power and Health make him - and you - unstoppable.

(Plus he satisfies the ring trial at the end of Act 1).

Ouroboros is great for insane stats, and feeling just oh-so-powerful.

 

01. Geck

Ah, the malleable Geck. Ready for your moulding.

Geck is a FREE 1/1 card with no sigil.

The Boi. The little man. My sweet, sweet baby. Geck is one of those cards that I really love, maybe a little more than is healthy for a real person to love a fictional, digital thing. 

He’s pretty plain on the surface. Yes, he’s free, but so what? No sigil, 1/1, isn’t that just a bee? 

Yes, except you get to keep him between battles. So, you get to upgrade him to your heart’s desire.

Give him unkillable for a free, infinite Cat. Give him Worthy sacrifice for a free 3 blood. 

Want a quick and easy infinite resource? Fecundity. ONE SIGIL, and you’re there. Combine that with Unkillable for a suddenly massive hand, throw in Hand Tentacle and you’re dealing crazy damage numbers for nothing!

The potential is limitless with this lil guy. Not to mention giving him some warmth at a campfire just making whatever you do that much better. Plus, since he’s a blank slate, he can always fit into your strategy - no matter what it is!

Geck is great for literally any strategy you have. Just give him the right upgrade, and you’ll be King of the Cabin before you can blink.

 

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