This HELLCARD Best Build 2025 January introduces the Bruja Wrathstealer and Malfeasance build for the endless run, which, after completing the deck and with some artifact help, offers excellent offensive and defensive capabilities while not burdening itself with HP sacrifice or Black Bile generation.
While preparing this build, I initially wanted a character capable of high damage while also walking the edge of the knife between Reckoning and Grace. When playing it, the damage feels excellent indeed, but the edge of the knife is actually as wide as the Great Plains.
HELLCARD Best Build – Deck
Final Build
10 card deck, all cards in Fanny Pack – starting hand (available in Rogue’s Hideout Locations)
Wrathstealer x1
Malfeasance x4
Wendigo x1
Surface Pressure x1
Bone Broth x1
Salt Circle x1
Sate x1
At the beginning of your first turn, slam Wrathstealer to gain block and Reckoning. Activate Wendigo to generate more block and draw cards and Surface Pressure for more mana in future turns. Activate Bone Broth if needed to heal HP. Start spamming Malfeasance to kill monsters. Salt Circle helps you to gain more block and Reckoning, while Sate can provide Grace. In later turns, keep spamming Wrathstealer and Malfeasance until you crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentations of their women.’
Wrathstealer is perhaps the best defensive card in the game and stands as the core defensive and
damage increasing card of the deck. We want our enemies to try to hit us fast and hard to gain the
most of it. It does not take into account possible damage taken from Rotten monsters, Imp
explosions, or self-buffing monsters like Gluttons, but we can manage that by casting it repeatedly
in one turn. Wrathstealer is also currently bugged in that it also provides Grace. We are however
prepared for the possible fix, as our build also includes Sate to gain Grace.
Malfeasance is the damage-dealing card of this build, which scales with our Reckoning provided by
the Wrathstealer (and Salt Circle). As it keeps to Strain itself, we are running multiple copies.
Technically, you may also think of replacing 1 copy by Channel Wrath to be able to precisely snipe
enemies like the Slithering Magus, but in my opinion it is just not worth it.
Wendigo provides block, although rather small in comparison with the Wrathstealer, and card draw.
If you are playing multiplayer with a party member dedicated to provide cards, you can possibly
skip this card.
Surface Pressure provides mana in later turns (scaled with your Reckoning). If you are playing
multiplayer with a party member dedicated to provide mana or mana discount, you can possibly
skip this card.
Bone Broth heals you and your party as long as you are killing monsters. Sure, if all goes well, you
shouldn’t be taking damage from monsters, but it also keeps to heal you if you damage yourself by
mechanics like the Hoarder modifier. Technically, if you are going all alone, the preceding Teeth
Necklace provides stronger healing, but the Antipope may have to say something about that.
Salt Circle provides more block and Reckoning for the build.
Sate will serve to provide Grace even if they fix the Malfeasance Grace gain bug as long as you
keep killing monsters. If there are not four monsters to be killed, it is probably the final turn of the
battle anyways.
Upgrade Paths
All possible upgrade paths to final cards of the build, always sorted by usefulness of preceding cards.
Appease-Haruspicy-Wrathstealer
Accessorize-Evil Eye-Scarring-Wrathstealer
Accessorize-Scab-Scarring-Wrathstealer
Accessorize-Scab-Haruspicy-Wrathstealer
Insolence-Scarring-Wrathstealer
Insolence-Haruspicy-Wrathstealer
Channel Wrath-Veer Anger-Malfeasance
Nick Jugular-Necrotize-Veer Anger-Malfeasance
Nick Jugular-Cabrit sans Cor-Tit for Tat-Malfeasance
Nick Jugular-Necrotize-Tit for Tat-Malfeasance
Drain Essence-Soul Shield-Wendigo
Pinch-Blame-Soul Shield-Wendigo
Deadlines-Surface Pressure
Pinch-Blame-Imbrued Lien-Surface Pressure
Drain Essence-Linden Brew-Surface Pressure
Bag of Bones-Teeth Necklace-Bone Broth
Pinch-Inner Well-Teeth Necklace-Bone Broth
Pinch-Blame-Imbrued Lien-Salt Circle
Bag of Bones-Ribleaf Compress-Salt Circle
Pinch-Blame-Soul Shield-Sate
Bag of Bones-Ribleaf Compress-Sate
Any card not listed in these paths is not a part of the solution, and therefore, sooner or later, becomes a part of the problem.
Temporarily Useful Cards
These cards can have a place in the build for the time being, to manage Reckoning/Grace and do damage, until the final build is reached. Only the most efficient upgrade paths are listed.
Damage and Reckoning
(Leeches-)Hex-Malevolent Glare-Sinister Chant
These cards improve your damage and help you gain Reckoning faster, as in early game, the monsters don’t do enough damage to fuel the Wrathstealer fast enough. They could probably be removed around floor 40-50. As for the cost-damage efficiency, both Malevolent Glare and Sinister Chant are recommended.
Grace, Reckoning and Damage
(Nick Jugular-)Cabrit sans Cor-Ill Intent-Mind Fracture
These cards do a bit of damage, increase Reckoning and provide you with Grace, until you have Sate or Wrathstealer available for that purpose. In that part, they shall be replaced around floor 25 or so. Ill Intent is probably the most cost efficient, as I feel Mind Fracture is simply not enough bang for your bucks.
Damage
Wickedness-Violent Delight
While you are still running the two lines of cards mentioned above, this can boost your damage. I feel that Wickedness is actually better than the upgrade, because of Exhaust instead of Strain. Just be careful with Cook’s Chopped Meat.
Reckoning and Grace
Adjourn-Libation-Corrupt Offering
These cards are used to fuel Reckoning and provide Grace. I actually think the basic Adjourn is the most effective one, as it costs you least HP and provides most Reckoning. They should be definitely replaced as soon as you generate Grace reliably (Wrathstealer, Sate or even Cabrit… etc. cards) as they also spoil your deck with Black Bile and they have no long-term place in the build as they disable the Stone Mask max HP gain.
All lines of cards listed here also fuel your main damage source, which should of course be the Channel Wrath-Veer Anger-Malfeasance cards.
Not Deck
Notes on Other Cards
Haruspicy
Apart from being on the upgrade path to Wrathstealer, this can also be used to card draw and mana gain. However, I prefer Wendigo and Surface Pressure for these purposes, as Haruspicy also messes with your Grace. (Take note that Embrace Ire disables the Grace permanently for the turn and shall never be used.)
Block Skill Cards
These can be useful early on. However, try to follow the path to the Wrathstealer as soon as possible.
Strength-lowering Skill Cards
Not counting the Evil Eye(-Scarring-Wrathstealer), the other cards do not lead to anything useful in the long term, as their defensive value is easily dominated by the Wrathstealer.
Healing Blood/Drops and Reckoning Skill Cards
These are somewhat useful to fuel Reckoning. However, I feel the Malevolent Glare-Sinister Chant cards are more useful for that purpose.
Black Bile Cards/ HP Loss Cards other than Adjourn-
No. Stay out.
Reckoning-reducing Skill Cards
These can be used very early when you still do not generate Grace reliably. However, as they also reduces your damage, replace them as soon as possible.
Other Attack Cards
They are simply less effective than the Attack cards listed in the previous part. Period.
+Damage when HP lost Influence Cards
We do not plan to lose HP, as we are looking for the Stone Mask max HP gain.
Mercy Plea
We do not plan to lose HP.
Ignoring HP loss cost Influence Cards
We do not plan to use HP costing cards. Stay out.
Reckoning-reducing Influence Cards
Now this is simply terrible.
Healing Drops/Blood Influence Cards
Meagre and unwieldy healing compared to the Bone Broth line.
(Ribleaf Compress-)Knead Cobwebs
Well, this does actually heal, if you have plenty of mana with the Surface Pressure. I feel the Bone Broth is still better, as it provides also for the party.
Dark Embrace
At first glance, this may look interesting. However, at the beginning of the turn it reduces incoming damage from reckoning just to your actual HP-1, thus limiting Wrathstealer effect. Stay out.
Last Favor
No. We don’t need a card that would activate very, very rarely and possibly still not help us even then.
Other cards not mentioned are probably not worth mentioning.
Artifacts I
Starting Artifacts
Recommendation for starting artifacts, there are three viable (and even great!) choices, of which you can afford two at the same time.
Chirograph – this artifact costs one gemstone and replaces your starting deck with the following cards: 2x Appease, 1x Adjourn, 2x Anoint, 1x Channel Wrath, 2x Hex. This can get you faster on the right track with damage/Reckoning/Grace cards, allowing for a smoother start, especially in singleplayer. Later, you can also possibly exchange it for another artifact in the Mage Library.
Finger Guillotine – this artifact costs two gemstones and gives you 1 max HP after each battle you survive. This is a nearly unconditional max HP gain and should be taken every time.
Sangrethyst – this artifact costs one gemstone and, at the beginning of each battle, makes you lose all your gemstones above 3, giving you 3 max HP for each gem thus lost. This has the highest long-term potential.
To sum it up, I would recommend Chirograph and Finger Guillotine for more casual players and Sangrethyst and Finger Guillotine for those that like more challenging start, to go deeper and to keep pondering each and every gemstone cost.
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Artifacts in each of the following categories are generally sorted from these better/less bad to those less good/worse.
Excellent Artifacts
These artifacts greatly help the build and are worthy to be aggressively searched for and to be bought even by losing maximum HP (Ritual in Ruins Location).
Whale Figurine – you get one extra gemstone after the battle. Look, it’s raining money! This is one of the best artifacts in the game. Early, it will help you to get/improve/remove more cards and get more artifacts. Later on, using the Sangrethyst, it more or less translates to +3 max HP after each battle.
Stone Mask – if you don’t lose any HP during battle, gain +3 max HP. As you start using the Wrathstealer-Malfeasance combo, this condition is quite easy to fulfil. Just be sure not to poke the zombies, keep imps at arm’s length and don’t overeat on Burrito. Speaking of which…
Burrito – when out of mana, use HP instead. This can help you to have a strong first turn in a boss battle (and to make some combinations even survivable, like an encounter with Mirage Mage, Skull Spook, Antipope and Archdemon while under effect of Brain-fogged and Freezing influence) – which is a reason Multiplayer is easier than Singleplayer. Just don’t use it unnecessarily to mess with the Stone Mask.
Thumb Lancet – if you don’t have enough gemstones to take the selected action, you can do it by losing 5 HP for each missing gemstone (as long as it won’t kill you). This is excellent especially early in the game, when you want every possible reward – card upgrades, artifacts, max HP… at once. Just be sure not to damage yourself too much to be able to survive the next battle. The Bone Broth and predecessor cards can help to bring you back to health.
Golden Ticket – your prices in Future Locations you add are lowered to 1 gemstone. This is excellent, as it saves you gemstones to afford more rewards or more max HP with the Sangrethyst.
Moka Pot – you can use 2 options in each future location. This is excellent early in the game, when you want to Examine, Scoop or Snatch all those artifacts and also add/remove/upgrade cards etc. Keeps some of its usefulness even later. Also helps to mitigate the effects of the Distracted modifier, as it allows you to choose 2 rewards (albeit they have to be in the same Location).
Sticky Finger – when your hand is empty during your turn, draw a card. This is excellent, as it helps you to go on even while encountering the Slithering Magus and you don’t need to kill to draw a card (as is the case with the Wendigo). Just don’t stick your fingers into too much Burritos.
Can of Beans – prices in future Locations are randomized between the range of 0 and their cost increased by 1. At first glance, this seems not to help you much. However, if you are using Sangrethyst, just take the opportunity to Exercise for free, which nets you one more gem for +3 max HP. In any case, don’t take the options which seem overpriced (and don’t offer you another excellent artifact at least).