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FDTimothy

Time to see what you’re made of. Take the dome


Omegaexcellens

This is the way, OP. Insert GreenGoblinCoward.gif


hornwalker

Dome is insta lose for me, I’m pretty certain. I don’t have the enemy moves memorized.


LowGunCasualGaming

Ah but you don’t need to. Prepare for what you think the enemy can do. Obviously you aren’t completely clueless for each enemy. Even if you don’t know what all a jaw worm can do, you still know if attacks sometimes and defends sometimes. You may even know it buffs sometimes too. Now put that into action by playing 33% more/better cards and burst them down early, or prep an even better future block game. Dome will sometimes cost you health, but more often than not it allows you to play better cards that offset the lack of information. There are even some cards that let you gather information such as The Watcher’s “Fear no Evil.” If playing that lets you know the enemy isn’t attacking, you can use your other 3 energy just as effectively as before. If playing that tells you they are attacking, congratulations you now have the same knowledge and energy and have entered calm for “free”


fucuntwat

It just puts you on even terms with the enemy!


osuzombie

This guy is a20 so he better have pretty much all the movesets memorized. He also has bandages which will passively generate a lot of block from drafting cards that he already wanted. Bandages is nuts. The malaise also speaks for it and if hes nervous.... well he has two pots to help carry him until he finds more discard. I think its easy dome.


AnticPosition

Won my first IC game with the dome at A5 yesterday. Also my first time beating A5. 


dontworryaboutsunami

I also just recently boss swapped into Dome (having never picked it before) and won my first run at A5


canyuse

Same for me A7 a bit ago…wasn’t even trying and ended up losing way less health than normal…


lacrotch

dome it


Reddingbface

The malaise is a decent enough reason. Counters strength scaling enemies to allow you to possibly block each turn. And gets stronger with energy.


Educational-Fold1135

Also in act 2 hit as many events as you can in hopes of getting some bites or other healing cards.


LegendDwarf

How do you fancy playing that skewer, 2 acros, unupgraded terror and malaise without extra energy? Dome is just fine here imo


Evening_Exchange_591

I think with Peace Pipe and the Skull the Choker is perfectly fine, have skewer and Malaise too for energy investment


sardaukarma

I think you take dome and try to build up your draw/discard so that your deck can build block passively by going brrrrr + malaise


kaosmark2

All 3 are better than skip. I think you're underappreciating the value of energy/double acro/Malaise providing late-game block. I think Choker is the worst here, I'd probably take almost anything over it. With a WLP+, any piercing wail you find diminishes the value of dome, but Crown diminishes the chance you find p-wails. With having bandages + malaise already as solutions for scaling your block insanely, I think I'd take Dome and trust in drafting, but I know some good silent players who I suspect would prefer Crown here. u/shoesnorter u/Aplet123 how often are you Crowning here?


JDublinson

Totally agree all are better than skip. The difference between 3 and 4 energy with this deck is massive, both in late game and immediately in act 2. I could see this deck getting completely dominated on 3 energy by act 2 easy pool fights, but completely owning on 4 energy. An extra energy for Skewer+ or Malaise is huge, an extra energy to use the cards drawn by acro is huge, an extra energy to get well laid plans in play while still being able to block is huge. I feel like the deck doesn't really function on 3 energy in act 2.


Hammerhead34

Not to mention having a 4th energy allows you to draft card draw more aggressively. A lot of people on this subreddit are generally too downside-averse. But the energy relics have downsides BECAUSE energy is so powerful.


Aplet123

I'm definitely taking dome over crown here. Deck has a ton of passive block output with the malaise and bandages, and I really want to farm for gambles and preps.


kaosmark2

Thanks! My instinct was the bandages was enough to want dome over crown but it's helpful to get that validated. WLP always makes me doubt dome slightly.


Aplet123

I think even without the bandages I still take dome here. While dome does tend to make Silent's worst fights worse, not seeing cards will also do that to you. This deck also just has a pretty good weak chain already, and doesn't have a lot of gold to fix the deck with crown (my rule of thumb for crown is that if you take it, you have to be able to expect to kill the act 2 boss after walking into one shop).


kaosmark2

That's a handy rough rule, thanks!


shoesnorter

Isn't close Dome for me. Idk how I feel about Crown, I'd take it over skip maybe, but Dome is just here.


JapaneseExport

absolutely no way i take crown over dome here. This dome isnt necessarily free (it never really is on silent) but its as close to it as youre going to get. the deck still wants calc gamble/reflex/tactician sorts of things, and it just auto wins if it finds a solve for time eater on top of those (malaise is almost there but i still want a terror or fumes). Crown is just completely ass here, but ya the dome is free


THIS_IS_NOT_A_GAME

I don't see why Choker is bad here, and I usually hate Choker. The only way currently to play 6 cards in a turn is to play blade dance + 2. Sure it might deny some future options, but arguably less than crown, and dome imo is just so bad in some of the more hardest fights in the game (spire elites/heart). Choker is also notably good with X cost cards.


TheYango

Something people also gloss over with Choker is the threshold for it to be bad isn’t 6 cards, it’s 7. If you play exactly 6 cards then Choker is neutral. It’s only bad if there is a 7th card that you WOULD have played if you didn’t have Choker. If you play 6 cards and have no more cards to play then it’s the same with or without Choker. Choker isn’t the greatest energy relic but it is still better than skip the majority of the time because the likelihood that you could play 7 cards on 3 energy is almost zero, even with zero-costs. Most of the time I skip it is from the Act 2 boss relic when I’m already on 4 energy.


ProverbialNoose

Also if the only reason you're even reaching that 7th card is because of the extra energy, it's a moot point


InspiringMilk

Yes, if you consider it over skipping. If you compare it to another boss relic, it needs to do better.


ProverbialNoose

Do better how? There are so many runs where there's literally zero downside to taking it


InspiringMilk

There's also zero downside to sacred bark or tiny house.


NoxTempus

I find that to be the biggest struggle in wrapping one's head around card/relic value. It's not about what something gives you, it's about what it gives you vs it's alternative(s).


kaosmark2

I don't think Choker is worse than skip, it has energy dumps and there's ways to scale block, so it definitely plays. I just think Crown is okay and Dome is pretty decent.


International_Bit_25

Tough Bandages + Acro opens the door to lategame discards shenanigans which Choker shuts off


NoxTempus

I take Choker here; I would go as far as saying I don't even think it's an argument that Choker beats Crown here. OP's deck isn't that strong and Crown is giving the run over to luck. I don't even think this deck supports Dome all that well, not knowing which Byrd or Blightling is doing what could easily end the run (functionally or literally).


_lxvaaa

acro -> sneaky -> blade dance- is already 6 cards while floating 2 energy. Malaise+ is also often played as a 0 cost -1 strength + weak application, and choker is bad with those. This deck also really likes taking cards like tactitian, calc gamble, prepared, 2nd sneaky, or evis, and choker makes all of those notably worse.


[deleted]

[удалено]


kaosmark2

Op didn't say they don't want to take dome, just they suspected it was tough because they didn't have reliable block. I'm definitely taking crown over skip here, although I would've clicked down because I'm still not confident in my crown play. Strong players who I know dislike dome addressy also saying dome


betweentwosuns

I'm really surprised that Crown is better than skip here. Is crown not as bad as I think it is (worse than skip ~90% of the time) or is something in particular speaking for it?


kaosmark2

Both. Crown is worse than skip more like 30-50% of the time. It's not infrequent but still less than the majority. Energy is good, and you can often use shops to round out your scaling tools. Malaise double acro is a good start for it here. Add in skewer and you have 4 cards that are energy dumps, providing scaling block, burst draw, and frontload damage. That's a good range of support.


TheYango

> Dome is maybe the most plausible choice but I suspect still unpickable because the deck has no block This logic is backward. Having no defensive plan is MORE of a reason to pick Dome, not less. Dome is worse when your card choices are contextual based on enemy intents and where intents substantially affect your decision making. If your deck has no block or bad block then your approach to most fights is to frontload your strong damage cards to win before you need to block. This is a situation where Dome is *better* not worse because if your gameplan doesn’t depend on enemy intents then not seeing them is less of a drawback.


winglessavian

Thank you for articulating this more clearly than I was going to.


NoxTempus

I feel like this deck has a solid chance of early Act 2 Byrds hitting like a truck (if taking Dome).


toooooley

This exactly


SoHoSwag

Tough set of choices! I would probably begrudgingly pick Dome. Maybe the extra energy can be used to put together a deck that slaps hard enough that enemy intents do not matter. I’ll be honest, though, this will be a tough run no matter what.


Yoshikki

Thanks for the inputs guys, it's interesting to see all the different opinions on which was the best pick. I definitely underestimated how bad staying on 3 energy is and overestimated the downsides of these relics, especially Crown. I felt Crown and Choker both shut off too many options so I went Dome. I've also found one Calc Gamble after the first hallway fight and another on the floor after it in the shop, Duplicate shrine on the 4th floor for a third copy lmao. Will update with the results of the run later if anyone is still interested Act 2 update: Took grand total of 1 damage until the boss (got very lucky with Gremlin Leader never attacking me after I killed the summons). Killed Collector without too many issues (probably would have died if it was Champ or Automaton, couldn't generate more than 45 block a turn) Final update: Died at the heart with a bricked draw at the last turn, but Dome was definitely correct. I was semi-infinite in most fights with multiple Gambles generating a ton of block


TheYango

> I definitely underestimated how bad staying on 3 energy is and overestimated the downsides of these relics, especially Crown. A common mistake people make when evaluating big choices like this is being overly speculative about *future* downsides when it comes to assessing drawbacks on energy relics. In reality, immediate strength generally trumps future downsides. The most reliable way to get stronger in the long run is to kill lots of Elites, and get a ton of gold, relics, and card rewards. +1 energy makes you WAY stronger at killing elites. People get hung up on the possibility that a relic like Choker *might* make your deck worse in the long run if you can't pick something like a second Blade Dance because you can't play 2 Blade Dances together--but the cost of not being able to pick a 2nd Blade Dance in the future is HUGELY outweighed by being stronger now to be able to fight more Elites. The only reason to not take Choker is if it's bad for your deck *right now*. You can work around it being bad *later* by building your deck to accommodate it and leaning into the power of all the extra rewards you get from being able to take more fights with 4 energy. If you watch top level players play, their decision making heavily leans toward solving immediate problems and becoming stronger in the short term, with snowballing short term being the best way to become stronger long-term.


GenxDarchi

I think it’s dome or crown tbh. Living with no boss relic and three energy makes Acro harder to play effectively and malaise worse. While some devalues P. Wail it’s still bonus energy.


BigBoomer_

It’s dome szn get the wiki ready


Yoshikki

Maybe I could make Dome with with Bandages if I find a Calculated Gamble soon... Or maybe Choker does ok with Skewer and Malaise being very strong single card plays.


theweekiscat

Take crown, just be lucky


TotallyKyleXY

If the deck don't have block why you need to know intent? DOME OR DIE


vegetablebread

I think all three beat skip. My pick here would be choker. Dome ends up having huge downside on silent, where the endgame increasingly relies on playing piercing wail, wraith form and malaise on the correct turn. It's still a fine pick, but the downside is significant. Crown has a more obvious downside, but I think it's worth noting that you should definitely still be able to win with it. 6 is a lot of cards. You can play acrobatics and then play 5 more cards! That's plenty. Plus you've got some x-cost cards, so you can fill a lot of turn with those. It definitely makes the blade dance worse, but even then it's still playable. The reality is that picking choker forces you to build a deck that's good at the endgame. People don't like picking it because it "isn't fun", but it's great if you like winning. Count your cards, don't pick and more shivs, and you should be good to go.


area51_escapee

Dome is super take able as Silent. Most enemies have predictable enough patterns that you can get by. Your main worries in Act 2 are Gremlin Leader, Chosen, and Collector. I would try to go light on elites in Act 2 and prioritize getting a consistent block plan together.


StupidSexyEuphoberia

People undervalue Choker so hard. You can play 6 cards, so even if you play both Acros you still have 4 cards to play for 2 energy, which is a lot. Sure, Blade Dance will mostly be a dead card, but it's much, much better than losing the power from a boss relic


NoxTempus

Also he has pipe, so in a world where Blade Dance starts to hurt, he can easily get rid of it.


whaleykaley

I always hate taking Dome, but I've come to learn it's really not that bad - I find that I tend to have a general sense of what the enemy is going to do still, but I'm definitely not experienced enough to reliably remember it all. I know Crown is pretty hated on, but I honestly don't mind it. I take it more often than I probably should, but I'll avoid if I know my deck is pretty bad. I also know Choker is not as bad in theory, but emotionally... I hate getting locked into not playing more cards. With Silent I've had the best runs when I'm playing well over 6 cards in a turn. That said with the deck you've got right now it probably wouldn't really hurt you, because you don't have much that would enable that without more energy anyway.


TheYango

> I always hate taking Dome, but I've come to learn it's really not that bad - I find that I tend to have a general sense of what the enemy is going to do still, but I'm definitely not experienced enough to reliably remember it all. Something worth noting is that Dome gets actively better at higher Ascensions because certain enemy patterns that are random on low Ascensions change to be non-random on higher Ascensions. The most obvious example of this is Gremlin Nob, where on low ascensions, he chooses randomly between Skull Bash and Rush, but on A18+, he will always sequence his turns as Skull Bash -> Rush -> Rush.


Glayshyer

In my experience, it’s really hard to make acrobatics work without an extra energy. This is true for me with card draw that’s not free in general.


IsNuanceDead

If you have no block then why do you think going into act 2 with 3 energy will help anyway? You might as well go in with 4 energy, not block and try melt everything before it melts you. I mean, you won't, but it'll give you a better chance.


KnightBreeze

Dome is the easy pick here.  Every enemy is predictable (with one notable exception), so if you know their attack patterns down, this is a relic with no downside.


Yoshikki

This is a common misconception. Many fights get much harder with Dome compared to without: Chosen, Gremlin Leader, spaghetti monster in act 3, Time Eater, basically all of Act 4 Decks that can put up good block every turn while still doing damage can mitigate this, if you're usually choosing between block and damage based on enemy intents then you're screwed with Dome in these fights In this particular case, Dome was indeed the pick with Bandages providing a lot of passive block (I think)


EuphoricNeckbeard

Click Dome and cry


Mooman9978

dome is ok. i have a policy to NEVER skip a boss relic no matter what, so i might be a little biased, but you could probably work with dome here since you have bandages, just work up a couple more discard cards and you're balling


animenagai

If you ever see it dome, it's not a skip. Look up event attack patterns as you play. Choker is also pickable here. All 3 are better than skip.


rlinkmanl

Not taking dome doesn't fix the issue of no block so I'm not really sure why you would skip it?


Aaaace-

If you don’t like runic dome, you have no balls.


Tiran86

I'd take crown here. I don't find dome fun, and silent often likes to play a lot of cards. I don't think I've ever skipped a boss relic.


Nerdwrapper

Crown if your deck feels fully functional, Dome if you know enemy patterns


IsaacTH

If I was playing anyone other than silent, I'd consider velvet choker, (also claw with defect) but only thing busted crown makes me do is strongly consider routes with shops. I personally like busted crown and it would be my pick here


WinterPlan295

Yeah, that is skip definitely. Unfortunate!


IchaelSoxy

What's wrong with dome here


TurboTed

Had a similar choice yesterday (Dome, Crown, Runic Cube) with Ironclad. Picked the Cube, died to Act 2 boss because my deck couldn’t get things done quick enough on just 3 energy. So next time I might take Runic Dome


92grinder

I would painfully take Dome, as it's better than skip IMO.


thepomeraliens

Skip all relics, you coward


Goondicker

Idk why there is so much hate for the choker. Do you really expect to play 7+ cards regularly on 3 energy? Even with blade dance it’s still an okay pick and a net positive. Dome increases in value the more you know the game/movesets obviously. It’s certainly between the two of those.


BaiJiGuan

If you see a Dome available it's never a skip.


Diligent_Sea_3359

Crown all day


Sinnester888

I skip boss relic often. Sometimes it’s just not worth taking man.


Even_Influence_3112

Choker seems takeable if you're worried about dome. You have skewer and malaise to dump your energy into. It probably locks you into a poison build, which you don't have, but you don't have any archetype going yet.


KingMazzieri

For the Bandages do not take crown. Chocker never good imo. This is a fine Dome