Archetype summary
Use Establishment to make your Retain cards free to unleash huge value turns.
When to pivot to 'Retain' archetype
When you find an early Establishment, or when you find an Establishment after already drafting some retain cards or a Battle Hymn.
Star items
power
Establishment
1
A
Whenever a card is Retained, reduce its cost by 1 this combat.
power
Battle Hymn
1
B-
At the start of each turn, add a Smite into your hand.
attack
Sands of Time
4
B+
Retain.
Deal 20 damage.
When Retained, lower its cost by 1 this combat.
attack
Windmill Strike
2
A-
Retain.
Deal 7 damage.
When Retained, increase its damage by 4 this combat.
skill
Protect
2
A-
Retain.
Gain 12 Block.
skill
Meditate
1
B+
Put a card from your discard pile into your hand and Retain it.
Enter Calm.
End your turn.
Establishment is the key item here, allowing you to generate a lot of value over several turns by discounting your retain cards. Note that Establishment reduces the cost not until played, but for the rest of combat, making longer fights a cakewalk.
Establishment can be paired with virtually any retain cards, but Battle Hymn is a great choice as it can cover the majority of your damage requirements on its own. Switch to Wrath before playing them out for even more value. Sands of Time and Windmill Strike are obvious alternatives that both pack a punch.
Protect is a solid source of block that is easy to find. Once it's been discounted it becomes very high value.
Meditate gets a special mention since it allows you to discount any card you use it on, allowing for some game breaking interactions.
Support items
attack
Flying Sleeves
1
C+
Retain.
Deal 4 damage twice.
skill
Perseverance
1
D
Retain.
Gain 5 Block.
When Retained, increase its Block by 2 this combat.
skill
Worship
2
C-
Gain 5 Mantra.
skill
Deceive Reality
1
B
Gain 4 Block.
Add a Safety to your hand.
skill
Safety
1
A
Retain.
Gain 12 Block.
Exhaust.
attack
Carve Reality
1
C
Deal 6 damage.
Add a Smite to your hand.
attack
Smite
1
A-
Retain.
Deal 12 damage.
Exhaust.
skill
Spirit Shield
2
S
Gain 3 Block for each card in your hand.
skill
Indignation
1
D
If you are in Wrath, apply 3 Vulnerable to ALL enemies, otherwise enter Wrath.
There are a host of other cards with retain that benefit from being discounted. Don't forget cards that generate cards with retain too.
Spirit Shield is a great card that synergises with having a big hand from retain cards.
Wrath should be used since all your attacks benefit from it, so feel free to sprinkle in some stance cards - since your attacks retain, it's usually easy to find a turn where you can enter Wrath to unload a ton of damage and usually finish the combat.
'Retain' archetype weaknesses
The cost discount takes a while to kick in and repeated value can take even longer to reap the benefits of, giving this archetype some set up time. That said, it has a good balance of offence and defense once it gets going.
Establishment can be difficult to pick up if you have no retain cards at all to pair it with, so can be a dead card until you get offered some retain cards - fortunately, there are a lot in Watcher's card pool so it rarely takes long.
This archetype doesn't do insane things like some other decks; it just offers solid value with a straightforward gameplan. You won't be one-shotting bosses or playing infinite combos (though Establishment can help with that - see the Establishment Infinite Stance Dance deck for more).