Strength Engine
Stack Strength to amplify every attack, then unleash devastating multi-hit or heavy attacks. The classic Ironclad power fantasy.
Synergy Chain
How the core cards connect
How It Plays
This archetype focuses on playing Strength-granting powers and skills early, then leveraging multi-hit attacks and Heavy Blade to deal exponentially more damage. In the early game, prioritize picking up Strength generators. By Act 2, you want at least one scaling power and a couple of strong payoff attacks. Limit Break doubles your Strength each time it's played, creating a runaway damage engine that trivializes late-game encounters.
Core Cards
Must-have cards for this archetype
2 card(s) not found in current data — they may be named differently in-game.
Support Cards
Good additions that strengthen the build
Key Relics
Akabeko
Vajra
Bag of Marbles
Pen Nib
Act-by-Act Strategy
Act 1
Pick up Bash for Vulnerable and any Strength generators you find. Armaments and Flex are solid early pickups. Heavy Blade is your priority damage card.
Act 2
Look for Demon Form or Limit Break as your scaling engine. Add multi-hit cards like Sword Boomerang or Pummel. Start removing Strikes to streamline your deck.
Act 3
Your Strength should be snowballing by now. Focus on surviving long enough to set up — Shrug It Off and Iron Wave help you block while building. Limit Break + any Strength source = infinite scaling.
Boss Matchups
Strong Against
Weak Against
Strength Engine excels against bosses with long fights where you have time to scale. Against bosses that punish slow setups, prioritize Vulnerable to front-load damage. Flex can be clutch for burst turns against time-sensitive encounters.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- +Exponential damage scaling with Limit Break
- +Heavy Blade hits incredibly hard with even moderate Strength
- +Simple gameplan that's easy to pilot
- +Multi-hit attacks scale twice — once from Strength, once from hit count
Weaknesses
- -Slow to set up — vulnerable in the early turns of combat
- -Needs time to play power cards before dealing real damage
- -Weak against multi-enemy fights without AoE
- -Artifact or Strength-removal effects are devastating
Other Ironclad Archetypes
Exhaust Machine
IntermediateExhaust cards for value, triggering powerful effects every time a card leaves your deck. Thin your deck into a perfect engine.
Barricade Fortress
AdvancedStack Block permanently with Barricade, then double it with Entrench. Once your Block is sky-high, Body Slam converts it into massive damage.