Necrobinder's True Potential

Author's note: I am not a very good player and am still in the process of learning StS2. My winrate climbing up to Asc 4 is 18.92% on Necrobinder. However, I fully believe these cards are fundamental to playing a good Necrobinder across all ascensions. So many possibilities are opened by these few cards that it would be unreasonable to list every possible combination.

I will be talking about card combinations very often. With the exception of the main three ([[Dredge]], [[Transfigure]], [[Graveblast]]), assume the combinations do not require upgraded cards. The combinations can still work with default versions, but not always.

Graveblast — Common, Humble Recycler

One of my favorite cards in the entire game when upgraded. I even look for it in shops. I especially like having two copies upgraded but only one upgraded [[Graveblast]] can still add tremendous value to any deck.

[[Graveblast]] enables so many different and highly effective recycles with 1 or 0 cost cards it is worth upgrading as soon as possible. If nothing else, it can fetch a card from the Discard Pile we were not able to play in a different turn which already makes it worth considering for that reason alone. It is also a common rarity card!

Here are a few of my favorite [[Graveblast]] loops with 3 energy. If we have 4 Energy and 2 Graveblasts in hand we can play many of these loops starting from the Discard pile. These loops still work without Graveblast+, only [[Graveblast]], but are much less accessible under those circumstances.

Loop #1: Melancholy Loop

[[Melancholy]] → [[Graveblast]] → [[Melancholy]]

This loop is massive block protection for one turn which in the best case scenario only costs 1 energy. [[Bone Shards]] helps kill Osty faster to reduce the cost of this card more consistently in any given encounter.

You can also play [[Graveblast]] → [[Melancholy]] → [[Graveblast]] → [[Melancholy]] if you have two Graveblasts in hand. [[Death's Door]] looped using [[Graveblast]] is even better block for decks that can apply [[power:Doom]] consistently but this is more energy expensive.

Loop #2: Negative Pulse Loop

[[Negative Pulse]] → [[Graveblast]] → [[Negative Pulse]]

Decent block, great [[power:Doom]] stacking early on and very good for encounters with lots of enemies.

Loop #3: Capture Spirit Loop

[[Capture Spirit]] → [[Graveblast]] → [[Capture Spirit]]

Instant card draw engine. [[Parse]] (Draw 3 Cards) is a more direct substitute to [[Capture Spirit]] for the purpose of drawing cards. I have always preferred [[Capture Spirit]] over [[Dirge]] because [[Dirge]] is sometimes hard to play for its maximum value in terms of Souls. Now that [[Dirge]] is an Exhaust card in the beta branch, this loop is far more practical.

Loop #4: No Escape Loop

[[No Escape]] → [[Graveblast]] → [[No Escape]]

Early into an encounter this loop is good for stacking [[power:Doom]] on a single target. Because of how [[No Escape]] stacks Doom it is even a winning combination once the enemy has a high amount of Doom. Great for boss fights.

Loop #5: Hang Loop

[[Hang]] → [[Graveblast]] → [[Hang]]

This combination helps scale [[Hang]] faster and it also does decent damage.

Loop #6: Transfigure Loop

[[Transfigure]]+ → [[Graveblast]] → [[Transfigure]]+

Extremely powerful, extremely rare, and extremely situational loop. I will discuss [[Transfigure]] in more detail later in the guide.

Other Notable Loops

• Loop #7: [[Invoke]] → [[Graveblast]] → [[Invoke]] — Generic high energy loop for the next turn. Very good for decks running lots of high cost cards.
• Loop #8: [[Fear]] → [[Graveblast]] → [[Fear]] — Stacking [[power:Vulnerable]] debuffs.
• Loop #9: [[Defy]] → [[Graveblast]] → [[Defy]] — Stacking [[power:Weak]] debuffs.
• Loop #10: [[Reave]] → [[Graveblast]] → [[Reave]] — Easy soul generation early game.
• Loop #11: [[Grave Warden]] → [[Graveblast]] → [[Grave Warden]] — Easy soul generation early game.

Please take notice that I did not include every possible combination for using [[Graveblast]]. There are other viable loops and [[Graveblast]] is not limited only to Necrobinder cards. Colorless cards and cards of other classes are sometimes very good targets for a Graveblast loop.

Dredge — Uncommon, Emergency Recycler

If you've read the guide up to this section you may be thinking, "Ok. Cool. Graveblast. Loops. Whatever. What if I can't find a Graveblast / can't upgrade it / can't find extra copies?". Don't worry, [[Dredge]] serves a very similar purpose and can help maintain access to a "Graveblast" type of loop while opening up even more possibilities.

Typically I use [[Dredge]] as a substitute for [[Graveblast]]. I don't always upgrade it but it is absolutely worth a consideration. [[Dredge]] is perfect for the times when [[Graveblast]] is not available, especially when it is upgraded. Retain (only available on Dredge+) is a very good feature that [[Graveblast]] does not have, meaning we can use it when it would make the most difference in any encounter.

Discovering loops for [[Dredge]] takes more thought since it pulls three cards from the Discard Pile instead of one. It is also much more situational since it depends heavily upon the contents of the Discard Pile and Energy available. Consider starting Dredge loops with [[Wisp]] or [[Borrowed Time]] (to refund the Energy spent on Dredge).

Dredge Loop Example

Assume that [[Transfigure]] is in Discard Pile, 3 energy to start:

[[Borrowed Time]] → [[Hang]] → [[Dredge]] → (get back Hang, Borrowed Time, Transfigure) → [[Transfigure]] (targeting Hang) → [[Borrowed Time]] → [[Hang]]

This loop achieves many things:

• Play [[Hang]] once, doubling its attack value against the target for the rest of the encounter
• [[Transfigure]] makes Hang cost 2 Energy
• Total of 3 [[Hang]] plays in one turn
• Outputs 77 damage (11, 22, 44) assuming no prior Hang plays on the target
• Scales [[Hang]]'s future damage — if drawn again, it would deal 264 damage (88+176) in one turn

This loop is very powerful for single targets, though [[Dredge]] can only be used once per encounter.

Note: The beta branch increased the [[power:Doom]] cost of [[Borrowed Time]]. Consider this loop more practical if Borrowed Time is upgraded, or substitute it for another energy card like [[Production]].

Transfigure — Rare, Magical Multiplication

One of my favorite cards in the entire game. It is a shame I rarely am able to find it or play it.

[[Transfigure]] can multiply the value of important cards directly. What makes this so valuable is that we can multiply again using the loops mentioned earlier. [[Transfigure]] can even be used more than once on the same card. And whatever cards we Transfigure become perfect candidates for [[Graveblast]] or [[Dredge]] loops.

What makes [[Transfigure]] beautiful is that it lets us create our own scaling out of any Power cards, Skill Cards, and Attack cards in the deck: Double [[Lethality]], Double [[Demesne]], Double [[Squeeze]], etc. If we already had duplicates of these cards, we scale even harder.

Transfigure Preparation Loop

[[Transfigure]]+ → [[Graveblast]] → [[Transfigure]]+

This is a preparation loop for when we have multiple cards worth doubling in value. With high energy we can play those cards on the same turn; if not, save them for another draw.

Winning Example: vs. Queen (Ascension 3)

I used this combination to win against the Queen boss:

Turn 1 (Preparation): [[Transfigure]]+ targeting [[Banshee's Cry]]+ → [[Graveblast]] → [[Transfigure]]+ targeting [[Banshee's Cry]]+

Turn 2 (Execution): [[Banshee's Cry]]+ (×3) → [[Graveblast]] → [[Banshee's Cry]]+ (×3)

This works because [[Banshee's Cry]] has infinite negative mana scaling — I could have scaled it for as long as necessary if I continued to survive and play ethereal cards.

Another Transfigure Combination

[[Transfigure]] targeting [[Veilpiercer]] → [[Veilpiercer]] = two Veilpiercers → [[Graveblast]] → [[Veilpiercer]]

Notice that many [[Graveblast]] combinations are equivalent to combinations that exist with [[Transfigure]] played by itself. Free ethereal cards is a very nice bonus in this particular scenario.

Conclusion

Necrobinder's true power is multiplying card values in an easily accessible way. No other class gets such simple and cheap cards to increase the value of the best cards in their deck. It is a class capable of turning good cards into amazing cards and of creating win conditions where there might not be any.

This guide was originally published on Steam by Kaine HBG-Hands. Republished with permission. Translation and redistribution encouraged with credit.