Claw/Zero-Cost
Adefect
Spam zero-cost attacks to build up Claw's permanent damage counter. Every time any Claw is played across all copies, every Claw in every zone gains +2 damage. All for One recalls all 0-cost cards from the discard pile in a single play, enabling explosive burst turns from a thin deck.
The Claw/Zero-Cost archetype is built around one of the most satisfying permanent scaling mechanics in the game: every time any Claw is played — anywhere in the run, not just this fight — every copy of Claw gains +2 damage permanently. A Claw picked up in Act 1 will deal 20+ damage by Act 3 with consistent play. The strategy is to accumulate multiple Claws, pair them with All for One, and execute explosive burst turns that kill enemies before they can deal meaningful damage. The early game is about patience and accumulation. In Act 1, Claws are merely efficient: a 0-cost card that deals 3-5 damage and grows slightly. They do not feel powerful yet. What you are building is infrastructure — each Claw played now makes every future Claw hit harder. Prioritize Beam Cell for its 0-cost Vulnerable application and Go for the Eyes for Weak utility. Both are All for One targets, meaning they come back alongside your Claws when All for One fires. The starting deck should be thinned aggressively because the 0-cost spam plan only functions when you cycle quickly. Act 2 is the inflection point. All for One transforms the archetype from "good cards" into "legitimate win condition." The moment you play All for One with 3 Claws in the discard pile, you understand why the build works: it costs 2 energy, deals its own damage, and returns three 0-cost attacks that each deal 10+ damage to your hand. That is 30+ damage for 2 energy, all before any Claw growth this turn adds to future copies. Continue thinning. Every non-0-cost card that does not directly enable the loop is a card that dilutes your cycling and reduces the number of Claws All for One can retrieve. By Act 3, the deck should be 8-10 cards and the Claw loop should end most fights within 3-4 turns. The main vulnerability of this build is slow starts: if All for One does not appear until Act 3, or if elites in Act 2 deal heavy damage before the loop comes online, the run can feel miserable. In those cases, use Hologram to retrieve specific pieces you need, lean on Go for the Eyes and Beam Cell for defensive utility, and recognize that a pivot to Orb/Focus with Defragment is always available if Focus cards have appeared.
Card Tier List
Synergy Map
Claw + All for One
Build DefiningThe core loop: play Claws (0-cost, growing damage), discard them, then play All for One to retrieve the entire pile and play them again. With 3 Claws at 12 damage each and All for One, a single turn can deal 40+ damage for just 2 energy.
Priority Picks
Act 1
Pick up every Claw offered and any 0-cost cards you see. A single Claw in Act 1 is already playable — it deals real damage and starts the permanent counter. All for One will not appear until Act 2, so the priority now is assembling the Claw count.
Priorities
- 1.Claw is an absolute must-pick at every card reward
- 2.Beam Cell is a solid secondary 0-cost for early consistency
- 3.Begin removing Strikes — they are 1-cost and cannot be retrieved by All for One
- 4.Energy relics and Inserter are high priority
Card Picks
Key Decisions
Offered Claw vs a defensive card in Act 1
Take Claw
Your defensive plan is eventually going fast enough that enemies die before dealing damage. Every Claw accelerates that timeline.
Offered a Focus card like Defragment in Act 1
Take Defragment only if you lack Claws
Defragment is a pivot signal — if Act 1 offers no Claws, you may be heading toward Orb/Focus instead.
Act 2
Find All for One. This is the single most important card acquisition of the entire run. Once you have All for One plus 2+ Claws, the deck starts to feel explosive. Continue removing 1-cost filler.
Priorities
- 1.All for One is the defining pickup — buy it at shop if it appears
- 2.Third Claw if available
- 3.Scrape for draw and deck cycling
- 4.Remove every non-0-cost card you can afford
Card Picks
Key Decisions
Shop has All for One for 120 gold
Buy it at almost any gold total
All for One is the engine. Without it, Claw is just a good card. With it, you have a legitimate win condition.
Offered Claw vs All for One at card reward
Take All for One
You only need one All for One. More Claws are nice but All for One converts your existing Claws into burst.
Act 3
Thin the deck to 8-10 cards and let the Claw loop dominate. Each fight this act is a race — Claws deal enough damage by now that most enemies die within 3-4 turns of the loop engaging.
Priorities
- 1.Aggressive card removal — the deck must be lean
- 2.Do not add non-0-cost cards unless they are exceptional
- 3.Seek the Apparition event to get free zero-cost Apparitions if available
- 4.A second All for One is worth considering for redundancy
Card Picks
Key Decisions
Should you add more defensive cards in Act 3?
Only if you are dying to elites — otherwise keep the deck lean
Claw/Zero-Cost wins by going fast. Defensive additions slow the loop and reduce burst potential.
Offered Defragment in Act 3
Skip unless the deck is struggling
You are committed to the Claw plan. Adding Focus cards dilutes the 0-cost synergy without contributing to All for One returns.
Infinite Strategy
Claw Loop
moderate difficultyWith a sufficiently thin deck, Claws cycle back into hand faster than fights end. All for One recalls them every cycle, and Claw damage grows permanently each iteration, making each loop more powerful than the last.
Required Cards
Optional Cards
Setup Steps
- 1Acquire 2+ Claw cards — every additional copy is a damage multiplier
- 2Find All for One (shops, card rewards Act 2)
- 3Thin the deck to 8-10 cards maximum via card removal
- 4Ensure at least 3 energy per turn — Inserter relic or energy relics help
Execution Steps
- 1Play all Claws in hand (0-cost, damage grows per play)
- 2Play Scrape or other draw to cycle remaining cards
- 3Play All for One to pull all Claws from discard back to hand
- 4Repeat — each Claw now deals +2 more damage than the previous cycle
You're Online When...
- ✓You have 2+ Claws and an All for One
- ✓Your deck is under 10 cards
- ✓Claw base damage is 8+ (means you have played it many times this run)
Counterplay Warnings
- ⚠Thorns effects deal damage back on every Claw hit — thin enemies with Go for the Eyes Weak first
- ⚠Time Stop boss power (ends your turn) disrupts the loop mid-execution
Sources
Pilot Walkthrough
Overview
Pick up every Claw offered and any 0-cost cards you see. A single Claw in Act 1 is already playable — it deals real damage and starts the permanent counter. All for One will not appear until Act 2, so the priority now is assembling the Claw count.
Priorities
- 1Claw is an absolute must-pick at every card reward
- 2Beam Cell is a solid secondary 0-cost for early consistency
- 3Begin removing Strikes — they are 1-cost and cannot be retrieved by All for One
- 4Energy relics and Inserter are high priority
Card Picks
Card Removals
Relic Priorities
Decision Points
Offered Claw vs a defensive card in Act 1
Take Claw
Your defensive plan is eventually going fast enough that enemies die before dealing damage. Every Claw accelerates that timeline.
Offered a Focus card like Defragment in Act 1
Take Defragment only if you lack Claws
Defragment is a pivot signal — if Act 1 offers no Claws, you may be heading toward Orb/Focus instead.
Elite Strategy
Claws start weak in Act 1. Avoid elites unless your deck is already consistent. Use Beam Cell Vulnerable to amplify what damage you can deal.
Boss Strategy
By Act 1 boss you want 2 Claws and at least 1 other 0-cost. The boss has enough HP that Claw damage is still modest — lean on Beam Cell Vulnerable and play carefully.
Bad RNG Fallback
Bad RNG Fallback
Without All for One by Act 2, Claw is still a solid damage engine but lacks the explosive burst. Add Scrape and Hologram for cycling, accept a slower pace, and look for Focus scaling to supplement — a Defragment or two can make modest Claw damage more consistent.
If you don't see:
Consider pivoting to:
- →orb-focus
- →creative-ai
Multiplayer Tips
Claw deals flat damage — WEAKER against multiplayer HP scaling
Claw's permanent +2 stacking is flat damage, not percentage-based. In multiplayer where enemies have significantly more HP, your Claw damage is a smaller proportion of their total health. You need more Claw plays and a thinner deck to keep pace. Pair with teammates who apply Vulnerable to amplify your hits.
All for One burst is ideal for burst-killing priority targets
In multiplayer, coordinate All for One turns to eliminate dangerous enemies before they act. Your burst is among the highest in the game on the turn All for One fires.
Go for the Eyes Weak applies to one target — call which enemy you are weakening
Team coordination matters. Applying Weak to the enemy an ally is focusing amplifies the entire team's next attack on that target.