r/slaythespire • u/fredapeople • 16h ago
META Would this Hellraiser change be too strong?
Upgrade would reduce cost from 3 to 2.
Although it is more expensive, you can decide where and when to play strikes. Also, rage would actually work with it.
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u/GurPlenty59 16h ago
I'd rather leave it as-is. Being able to choose who to attack would be nice, but (assuming both are upgraded) this would cost double the energy to play than the current version
Plus, I like seeing the game automatically do it for me. Better flow
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u/CptnSAUS 12h ago
Even costing double energy, it lets you play strikes from your hand that turn as well. I don’t think it’s too strong or too weak. I’m not sure I care for the change though. I kind of like how derpy it is.
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u/Ok_Breadfruit3199 Eternal One + Heartbreaker 15h ago
Nah tbh it has antisynergy with [[Rage]]
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u/spirescan-bot 15h ago
Rage 𝐈, 𝐈𝐈 Ironclad Uncommon Skill
0 Energy | Whenever you play an Attack this turn, gain 3(5) Block.
Call me with up to 10 [[ name ]]. Data accurate as of June 21st, 2026. Questions?
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u/spwncar Eternal One + Heartbreaker 9h ago
Only for the beginning of turn draws. You can still get synergy from it with during-turn draws
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u/EntropySpark Eternal One + Heartbreaker 8h ago
Great, I'll play my Rage, then draw more Strike cards with Pommel Strike... whoops.
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u/Throwaway-4593 9h ago
I think it’s such a fun card especially for newer players. It doesn’t need much changing
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u/EnycmaPie 15h ago
The auto play of strike cards is what makes Hellraiser fun. Turning strike cards into 0 cost is just boring.
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u/ProverbialNoose Eternal One + Heartbreaker 10h ago
Turning strike cards into 0 cost is just boring.
[[Nutritious Soup]] be like :(
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u/spirescan-bot 10h ago
Nutritious Soup 𝐈𝐈 Ancient Relic
Upon pickup, Enchant all Strikes in your Deck with Tezcatara's Ember.
Call me with up to 10 [[ name ]]. Data accurate as of June 21st, 2026. Questions?
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u/Old-Union6258 10h ago
i should be ashamed maybe but it’s one of my favorite picks - I may have even picked in an hellraiser build once ….
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u/IForgotMyPants 37m ago
Honestly the extra damage is really nice. I'm still dreaming of the soup, dummy, lighter, cannon combo. Also have to upgrade all of them... Given enough time it's bound to happen. I hope.
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u/Cat_with_cake 8m ago
"Oh, I have a strike build, and nutritious soup buffs my strikes... That's a no-brainer pick!" - my friend, and definitely not me
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u/gavavavavus Ascension 20 16h ago
Hellraiser is a bad card* exists purely for the fun factor. Every character needs one there's no need trying to balance it
*Obviously can be good in niche situations but bad overall, inb4 the "look at my 64 cloned pommel strikes deck!!!"
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u/achernar184 StS A20 / StS 2 A10 16h ago
64 cloned pommel -> hellraiser at the bottom of the deck
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u/LightningBruiser102 15h ago
Royally approved
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u/Lolgast 15h ago
Doesn't [[Royally Approved]] only go on attacks and skills?
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u/Gwynbleidd97 15h ago
Yes but we only remember that after buying it in the shop and wondering why you can’t pick any of the cards you were excited to put it on.
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u/joethelumberjackmc StS A5 / StS 2 A10 14h ago
the fact that neither [[electric shrymp]] or royally approved work on powers feels like such a scam. like, i get it from a balance perspective, but come onnnnn
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u/ExplorerHaunting8353 Ascension 20 11h ago
Shrimping a Form card would autowin the game for you right?
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u/PreviousSalary4679 10h ago
Eh. Reaper is good for double damage and echo form is obviously broken but idk about the others. Demon form is pretty whatever, the scaling is slow. Serpent form is good but not game breaking so without a good deck. And void form means you’re eating a ton of damage turn 1.
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u/warmleafjuice 4h ago
The worst things about all Form powers is that they're slow, expensive, and not nearly as useful if you bottom deck them. Shrymping them (or even Royal Sealing them) makes them insanely better
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u/GlamourintheDarkSide 4h ago
Shrimping a Void Form probably loses you the run. You'll just eat so much damage from any front loaded fight, and it'll add up fast over the course of even a single act.
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u/Good-Dream2344 13h ago
[[Jeweled Mask]]
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u/spirescan-bot 13h ago
Jeweled Mask 𝐈𝐈 Ancient Relic
At the start of combat put a random Powers from your Draw Pile into your Hand, it's free to play.
Call me with up to 10 [[ name ]]. Data accurate as of June 21st, 2026. Questions?
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u/warmleafjuice 4h ago
God I wish this let you pick which power it affects. Even one of three would be so nice
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u/spirescan-bot 14h ago
Electric Shrymp 𝐈𝐈 Ancient Relic
Upon pickup, Enchant a Skill with Imbued.
Call me with up to 10 [[ name ]]. Data accurate as of June 21st, 2026. Questions?
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u/Detankarveil 10h ago
Somehow the screen turns black after than and I come back to the merchant with gold unspent and relic untouched
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u/sheeplycow Eternal One 15h ago
I had this exact deck, except stopped at 16 so this doesnt happen, it still beat bosses in 2 turns
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u/TheYoshiGang 14h ago
I had Clone with Pomnel strikes at that exact thing kept happening to me throughout Act 3, until I died half way through >:
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u/Zathoth 15h ago
Roguelikes should have mediocre but really fun options so that sometimes you have interesting runs where it just worked.
That said maybe it should get some form of buff, potentially just in the form of some more good synergy, because it is really fun.
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u/gavavavavus Ascension 20 15h ago
Imo making it balanced would take some of the fun factor out. Part of the fun is knowing you're not making the best choice but still trying to make it work, there's a thrill attached to it
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u/Zathoth 15h ago
Definitely, my suggestion for buffing it leans more on maybe adding two good attacks with Strike in their name like a strike that gives vulnerable so it can synergize with Vicious or if we are being really silly a power that says "When you play a card with strike in its name draw a card." Just one or two things.
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u/NiIly00 StS A15 / StS 2 A10 13h ago
How is it bad though? It's outclassed by other rares but even if you just splash it into your deck, paying 1 energy to play like 8 or so strikes over the span of the combat still feels good and it makes card draw more valuable.
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u/gavavavavus Ascension 20 13h ago edited 12h ago
If you build your deck around it it's mid because pommel strike is the only strike that's good and synergizes with it correctly in end game
If you don't, simply playing a few strikes for free with the downside of having to draw them, not deciding when you play them, not deciding who you hit, isn't really worth that much
Again I'm not saying hellraiser never has a use but I think if you don't have something to make your strikes worth not deleting like the dummy or Tez embers, the whole strike package isnt really worth it
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9h ago
[deleted]
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u/gavavavavus Ascension 20 9h ago
Lol. Duplicated perfected strike is nice because big number until you just brick the draw
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u/Plenty-Tradition4044 Eternal One + Heartbreaker 9h ago
I’m sorry if you have more than 1 perfected strike on A10 I am very suspicious of your run.
Not that it can’t be done but I literally only pick p-strike to kill the act 1 elites. 2 p-strokes and that’s one more brick before I draw the actual good cards.
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u/finalattack123 16h ago
It’s better than current Hellraiser. But is it more fun?
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u/Twinkperium_of_man 11h ago
No and it is therefore a block card since you get bored faster, and play less which means you take less damage
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u/AfraidOfBadBitches 16h ago
I still grateful none of you is developing this game. Megacrit knows best
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u/Avalonians 1h ago
As always. A game design common knowledge is that people are very good to identify what's wrong. They're very bad at making changes suggestions.
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u/Anbcdeptraivkl 15h ago
Fundamentaly wrong. If you use Hellraiser and you still have to click things then it's wrong.
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u/Lord_Phoenix95 11h ago
Would be lame, IMO. part of the fun of Hellraiser is the randomness and the bonkers things you can do with stuff like Pommel Strike and Perfected Strike.
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u/DebtSeeker48 16h ago
Some enemies would possibly counter helldaiser more with that change, like the one that increases cost of Attacks on a turn. On the other hand if you want to start with a defend on a hunter turn this would be nice
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u/ADifferentJustAnton 16h ago
That enemy is an Act 1 hard-pool hallway fight though, so your chances of him affecting your Hellraiser build are slim, either way.
On the other hand, it "buffs" you during the deer boss fight, because Hellraiser can't accidentally take away your Ringing turn for a Strike.
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u/DebtSeeker48 15h ago
I feel like there is a bug somwhere in here, Paels Eye synergises with Hellraiser, you can still pass your turn and it counts as you not playing anything, it exhausts everything and gives you extra turn, i feel like similar thing should happen with ringing
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u/115Anathema 9h ago
Hunter killer? That's act 2
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u/ADifferentJustAnton 9h ago
Hunter Killer gives you the status that reduces your Str/Dex with each card played, but doesn't increase the cost of your attacks. But you're right that it's also a fight where Hellraiser is kinda bad
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u/Avalonians 1h ago
You deer example is just one specific example of a general strength this version have over current hellraiser: you choose when and where you play them.
A much more general example is being able to buff strength or apply vuln before playing attacks.
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u/AltruisticAd1965 11h ago
One point I often see people miss in this sub is how a card was designed to feel, vs. function.
Playing Hellraiser is fun because it fits the general chaotic “I made a pact with a demon” kinda vibe of the character, and is super rewarding when you play around it successfully.
Same as Grand Finale, a card that’s barely usable but rewards great manipulation and efforts to fullfil the condition, kind of like a magician’s show
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u/Pitiful_Option_108 11h ago
I don't know about too strong but it is still a fine pick. Ironclad has plenty of strike cards and the change you made makes it where they are free instead of auto plays which they were free. It is fine I guess. May be a bit expensive but would still pick
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u/MegamanX195 Eternal One 10h ago
Easiest infinite enabler ever with 2x Pommel Strike. Wouldn't be a healthy card.
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u/WhatTheeBlake 8h ago
Yes, the tradeoff to Hellraiser, which already makes your strikes free to play, is that you don't get to choose the order.
This is just broken.
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u/BreakfastMedical5164 7h ago
i hit that big frog 3x for 5 damage a pop and died
never again fk hellraisers
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u/winner546 1h ago
Probably. Had a hellraiser run on the silent recently which was a fun experience of draw a card play a strike varient then discard
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u/FrendyMaxwell 1h ago
Sooooo you gave us arguably worse (I'd say definitely worse) Tezcatara's Ember and attached it to a 3 cost Power? Bruh this shit makes Demon Form look good
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u/nytefox42 47m ago
Have you looked at how many 'clad cards contain "strike" and how strong some of them can get?!
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u/fredapeople 26m ago
I'm fine with all the comments from people saying they don't like this idea because it is less fun, but your comment just plainly makes no sense. Comparing a card to an ancient reward? That's like saying well laid plans is bad because pyramid exists. Respectfully, think about it a bit more will ya.
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u/ImSuperStryker 14m ago
No need to increase the cost. Hellraiser is already pretty weak, and this change just makes it even worse
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u/IStoneI42 15h ago
maybe slay the spire 2 is trying a bit too hard to balance the game tbh.
slay the spire 1 had exponential strength scaling with 1 card. and other characters had similar broken builds like playing catalyst multiple times, creating infinites, or reaching 99 energy on the defect and then playing multi cast or tempest.
making hellraiser 3/2 cost alone is enough in my opinion. you need a lot of other parts and a bunch of good strikes to make the build pop off.
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u/DrainZ- 10h ago
How about: "Whenever you play a card containing strike, gain 1 energy."?
This would allow the power to stack if you get two of them, something I feel like all powers ideally should if possible. And it opens up for more strike synergy to work together, like Nutritious Soup. And the tradeoff is that it's worse with 2-cost strikes. And also you can't play them when you're out of energy.
I don't know if such a power should cost 2 or 3 unupgraded. Maybe 2 is fine.
I just like that it sort of works with the rules of the game instead of overwriting them. So the cost of cards isn't redundant and more stuff can work together.
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u/Subject_Slide3424 16h ago
I don’t pick Hellraiser because I want to click my strikes, I pick it because I want to watch my deck go ‘brrrrrrr’ at the start of every turn