Archetype summary
Generate infinite energy by jumping in and out of Calm.
When to pivot to 'Infinite Stance Dance' archetype
Picking up an early Violet Lotus from a Neow trade or an Act 1 Boss. Best chosen when you still have few cards in your deck or find a Peace Pipe early.
Star items
power
Rushdown
1
C
Whenever you enter Wrath, draw 2 cards.
attack
Eruption
2
C
Deal 9 damage.
Enter Wrath.
skill
Inner Peace
1
B+
If you are in Calm, draw 3 cards.
Otherwise, enter Calm.
skill
Scrawl
1
A-
Draw cards until your hand is full.
Exhaust.
power
Mental Fortress
1
B
Whenever you change Stances, gain 4 Block.
Peace Pipe
rare
You can now remove cards from your deck at Rest Sites.
C
C+
C+
C+
Rushdown is a key part of this build, drawing you cards without any cost. Inner Peace is a reliable, non-exhausting 1-cost source of Calm, and Eruption+ is a cheap source of Wrath that deals damage. The key is to hold your entire deck in your hand then enter Calm, enter Wrath, then draw those cards back with Rushdown. Exiting calm generates the energy to cover the card cost, allowing you to replay this until the enemies are dead.
Note that Eruption must be upgraded to bring its cost down, otherwise this combo won't work.
This strategy of course requires a lot of card removals, which Peace Pipe can be great for, especially since upgrades aren't particularly important to this combo. Hit the shops whenever you can to thin your deck down.
Scrawl allows you to draw your combo pieces cheaply and reliably.
Mental Fortress is required in fights where you can't one-shot.
Support items
skill
Indignation
1
D
If you are in Wrath, apply 3 Vulnerable to ALL enemies, otherwise enter Wrath.
attack
Fear No Evil
1
B+
Deal 8 damage.
If the enemy intends to Attack, enter Calm.
attack
Tantrum
1
A-
Deal 3 damage 3 times.
Enter Wrath.
Shuffle this card into your draw pile.
skill
Empty Mind
1
B
Draw 2 cards.
Exit your Stance.
skill
Sanctity
1
C
Gain 6 Block.
If the last card played was a Skill, draw 2 cards.
attack
Cut Through Fate
1
A
Deal 7 damage.
Scry 2.
Draw 1 card.
skill
Vault
3
A+
Take an extra turn after this one.
End your turn.
Exhaust.
Violet Lotus
boss
Whenever you exit Calm, gain an additional [energy].
A
Smiling Mask
uncommon
The merchant's card removal service now always costs 50 Gold.
C-
C+
C-
C-
Runic Pyramid
boss
At the end of your turn, you no longer discard your hand.
A-
B
B-
B-
Singing Bowl
common
When adding cards to your deck, you may gain +2 Max HP instead.
S
S
S
S
Bag of Preparation
common
At the start of each combat, draw 2 additional cards.
B
B-
B+
B+
Although the exact combo pieces may vary, this build requires you to be able to repeatedly get into Wrath then into Calm using the amount of energy you gain from exiting Calm. Violet Lotus can allow you to use your starter cards to perform this combo, since the extra energy can cover the extra cost of Vigilance.
There are alternate sources of Wrath and Calm that can be used too. Indignation and Fear No Evil can be used but are less reliable; Tantrum is fine but no better than an upgraded Eruption. Smiling Mask can also help you remove cards from your deck more easily.
Some draw to get you set up is important: Empty Mind can fill this niche, though Sanctity or even Cut Through Fate can work as a backup. Vault or Bag of Preparation can also help you get set up.
Runic Pyramid, although not draw in itself, can help you hold all your cards to be able to pull your combo off more easily.
Since you must keep your deck small, Singing Bowl can give enormous amounts of health in the long-run.
'Infinite Stance Dance' archetype weaknesses
The Heart and Time-Eater prevent one-shotting so require some block generation. Mental Fortress is usually enough to offset this weakness.
Enemies that put statuses in your deck, especially Wounds from the Book of Stabbing, Slaver, Reptomancer's Daggers, can eventually kill your combo if you don't pull it off quickly enough. The Heart also generates a Wound and a Burn, so make sure to account for this by being able to get down to 8 or fewer cards so you can hold your entire deck. Wounds are especially dangerous with the Runic Pyramid; Burns are at least polite enough to discard themselves after triggering.
Note that Simmering Fury and Meditate both give benefits to your next turn, not your current one, so rarely help you with this combo.