Mutations
Mutations are passive augments you draft mid-run — you pick one to start, then draft another each stage you clear, and they stack for the rest of the run. They cluster into archetypes; holding several of one builds toward its payoff.
29 mutations · 5 archetypes
Spring More mana per move — hold several and the rate climbs again.
Wellspring common
+1 mana per move (1 → 2)
Mana comes in quicker every move.
Second Wind common
While you cannot afford your cheapest piece, mana arrives twice as fast
Broke? Mana comes in twice as fast.
Tithe uncommon
+2 mana per move (1 → 3) · −3 mana cap (12 → 9)
Faster flow · less storage
Deep Current uncommon
−1 mana per move for your first 8 moves, then +2 for the rest of the fight
Slow start · fast finish
Confluence rare
+0.5 mana per move for every Spring card you hold, this one included
Springs speed each other up.
Priming uncommon
Your first summon of each fight refunds half its cost
Your opening summon is half price.
Artesian rare
Other cards can no longer reduce your mana per move
Nothing can slow your mana down.
Vault A higher mana cap, so you can save up for a bigger piece.
Deep Reserves common
+4 mana cap (12 → 16)
Room to save up before waste.
Cistern uncommon
+6 mana cap (12 → 18)
Save up for something bigger.
Standing Stock common
+3 starting mana (3 → 6)
Begin each fight with mana already banked.
Watertight rare
Mana earned while already at the cap is saved for the next fight, up to 5
Mana at the cap is saved instead of wasted.
Reservoir rare
+1 mana cap for every fight you have cleared this run
Hold more the deeper you go
Bargain Pieces cost less mana to summon.
Foundry Discount common
−1 to the cost of every piece
A standing discount on what you summon.
Pawn Doctrine uncommon
Pawns 0 (was 1.5), knights 4.5 (was 3.5), bishops 3.5 (was 2.5), rooks 5 (was 4), queens 8 (was 7)
Free pawns; everything else costs more.
Regicide rare
Queens 3.5 (was 7)
Queens at half price.
Bulk Order uncommon
The second and later copies of a piece type cost 1 less
Repeat buys of the same piece cost less.
Haggler uncommon
Every piece costs 1 less for each 16 moves the fight lasts
Cheaper the longer it runs
Clearance rare
−6 mana cap (12 → 6) · pawns 0.5 (was 1.5), knights 1.5 (was 3.5), bishops 0.5 (was 2.5), rooks 2 (was 4), queens 5 (was 7)
Bargain prices · tiny cap
Barter common
−1 to the cost of every piece
Cheaper pieces at the cost of your flow.
Surge Mana in bursts rather than a steady drip — bigger spikes, emptier gaps.
Cold Open common
+5 starting mana (3 → 8)
Rich start · slow earning
Slow Burn uncommon
−3 starting mana (3 → 0) · +1 mana per move for every 8 moves the fight lasts
Poor start · strong finish
Pulse uncommon
No mana for 4 moves, then 4 on the 5th
Three dry moves · then a lump
Adrenaline rare
+1 mana per move for each piece you lose, up to 3
Every piece you lose makes mana come faster.
Metronome uncommon
Exactly 2 mana per move, whatever else you hold
Flat predictable income
Thrift Mana you would otherwise waste comes back as ♣ clubs.
Sapper uncommon
Summoning next to an enemy piece refunds 1 mana
Summon beside an enemy and get mana back.
Overflow common
Mana wasted at the cap becomes ♣ clubs instead, 3 mana per club
Wasted mana turns into ♣ clubs.
Salvage Rites uncommon
Each piece you lose returns 2 mana
Losing a piece hands you some mana back.
Ledger Discipline uncommon
Unspent mana at the end of a fight becomes ♣ clubs, 5 mana per club
Whatever you did not spend becomes ♣ clubs.
Alchemy rare
Once per fight, spend 10 ♣ clubs for 10 mana
Spend ♣ clubs to buy mana mid-fight.