Archetype summary
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When to pivot to 'Block' archetype
When you find an early Juggernaut or Body Slam. That said, unlike most archetypes, it is better to transition into this build in Act 2 and Act 3, since it has clunky cards like Barricade and Entrench that can weaken your run until you have more energy.
Star items
power
Barricade
3
D+
Block no longer expires at the start of your turn.
skill
Entrench
2
D-
Double your current Block.
power
Juggernaut
2
C
Whenever you gain Block, deal 5 damage to a random enemy.
attack
Body Slam
1
B
Deal damage equal to your current Block.
Barricade can help you keep up your block; if you're able to outblock the damage you can slowly build it up turn by turn. This can then combo with Entrench to double your block and take it to crazy high values, up to 999, making you practically immortal.
Despite being block focused, this deck still needs to deal damage. Body Slam is an obvious win condition if you can get Barricade set up. An alternative is Juggernaut which allows you to slowly whittle down foes as you turtle, though the fact that it hits random targets makes this less reliable on certain multi-foe encounters. You can of course take both and have the best of both worlds.
Support items
skill
Impervious
2
B+
Gain 30 Block.
Exhaust.
skill
Second Wind
1
D+
Exhaust all non-Attack cards in your hand and gain 5 Block for each.
Once Barricade is online, cards that generate huge block in one turn (such as Impervious and Second Wind) go from situational to game-winning.
'Block' archetype weaknesses
Gremlin Nob and the Chosen punish the use of skills. Drafting too much block in Act 1 whilst Elite hunting is asking for trouble.
In fact, you need to make sure you're still picking up offensive cards in Act 1 to be able to make it through the Act 1 Boss. As previously mentioned, this deck doesn't come together until Act 2 or 3.