Strike

Strike is a 1-cost basic Attack card included in every character's starting deck that deals 6 damage. As the most fundamental attack card in the game, Strike establishes the baseline for damage output and energy efficiency against which all other cards are measured. Every character begins with multiple copies of Strike, providing consistent but modest damage in the earliest encounters of a run.

Strike's simplicity means it has few meaningful synergies, but it does benefit from effects that enhance all attacks. The Ironclad's Bash applies Vulnerable, making Strike deal 9 damage against affected targets. For the Silent, Accuracy has no effect on Strike since it only boosts Shivs, making Strike a prime removal candidate in Shiv builds. For the Defect, Strike is almost entirely outclassed by Orb-based damage from Zap and Dualcast. The relic Shuriken and Kunai count Strike toward their three-attack thresholds, providing some residual value if Strike remains in the deck.

Strike is adequate for Act 1 encounters against basic enemies like Nibbit and Toadpoles, but it falls off rapidly as enemy HP increases in Act 2 and Act 3. Against any boss, Strike is a liability that dilutes your draw and wastes energy that could be spent on better cards. All characters should prioritize removing Strike from their deck at every opportunity, as it is widely considered the weakest card to keep past the early game. Removing Strikes is one of the most impactful decisions a player can make to improve deck consistency.