Shiv

Archetype summary

Death by a thousand cuts.

When to pivot to 'Shiv' archetype

When you find Shuriken or Kunai. It's fine to pick up some Shiv cards early - if you find an Accuracy after you have a couple that can be a sign to pivot too.

Star items

power

Infinite Blades

1

B+

At the start of your turn, add a Shiv to your hand.

skill

Blade Dance

1

C+

Add 3 Shivs to your hand.

power

After Image

1

A+

Whenever you play a card, gain 1 Block.

power

A Thousand Cuts

2

B

Whenever you play a card, deal 1 damage to ALL enemies.

power

Accuracy

1

D+

Shivs deal 4 additional damage.

Wrist Blade

boss

Attacks that cost 0 deal 4 additional damage.

C

Shuriken

uncommon

Every time you play 3 Attacks in a single turn, gain 1 Strength.

A-

S

B

A

Kunai

uncommon

Every time you play 3 Attacks in a single turn, gain 1 Dexterity.

C+

S-

C+

B-

Blade Dance is the best source of Shivs and has good damage for a common even without synergies. Infinite Blades is also consistent though quite slow.

Any effects that trigger when you play cards work well, such as A Thousand Cuts and After Image. Shuriken and Kunai work very well in a Shiv deck, since the Silent can make very good use of both Strength and Dexterity.

Accuracy significantly increases the damage of your Shivs, as do other Strength effects.

Support items

attack

Choke

2

C-

Deal 12 damage.
Whenever you play a card this turn, targeted enemy loses 3 HP.

power

Panache

0

D+

Every time you play 5 cards in a single turn, deal 10 damage to ALL enemies.

attack

Finisher

1

C

Deal 6 damage for each Attack played this turn.

skill

Storm of Steel

1

B-

Discard your hand.
Add 1 Shiv to your hand for each card discarded.

Nunchaku

rare

Every time you play 10 Attacks, gain 1 Energy.

B-

B+

B-

B

Ornamental Fan

uncommon

Every time you play 3 Attacks in a single turn, gain 4 Block.

C-

C+

D+

C-

Girya

rare

You can now gain Strength at Rest Sites. (3 times max)

A-

Vajra

common

At the start of each combat, gain 1 Strength.

A+

A

A

A+

Strength gain obviously works well if you can find it, since every Shiv benefits from the damage boost.

Finisher is inconsistent but can occasionally deal tons of damage in just one card which can be important in certain encounters.

I find Storm of Steel quite unimpressive - only run this if you have lots of draw. It leaves you open to damage if you discard your defence, and underwhelming with a small hand.

'Shiv' archetype weaknesses

Dead Branch theoretically synergises with Shiv, but generally it makes your second cycle so big that you basically stop running a Shiv deck and have to use whatever random cards get generated. I try to avoid Dead Branch when running Shiv, though you might be able to make use of it.

Strange Spoon is a definite no, since drawing Shivs is terrible - it will mean you float energy and have lacklustre turns.

Since you play so many cards, Velvet Choker is a definite no-no.

Time Eater and the Heart can be tough for this deck. Accuracy, Strength and Dexterity will help you make the most of each card.

Items to avoid

Dead Branch

rare

Whenever you Exhaust a card, add a random card to your hand.

S+

S

B-

S

Velvet Choker

boss

Gain 1 Energy at the start of each turn. You cannot play more than 6 cards per turn.

A

A-

A

A-

Strange Spoon

shop

Cards which Exhaust when played will instead discard 50% of the time.

B+

C-

B-

B+