Special Effect Joker Overview (Part 1)

Welcome to the comprehensive Joker card review series, where we'll analyze all 150 Joker cards one by one - stay tuned. This episode focuses on all special effect Jokers. This category is diverse and forms the core of various advanced strategies. Due to the massive amount of information, special effect Jokers will be analyzed in detail across multiple episodes. To deeply experience the powerful combinations of these special effect Jokers, we recommend using balatro seeds to quickly obtain key cards and feel the charm of different effects.

Top-Tier Special Effect Joker Analysis

T0 Tier 『Blueprint』can copy the ability of the Joker to its right, undoubtedly the most powerful card in the entire game and every player's dream target. Pay special attention that some effects cannot be copied, such as abilities triggered during settlement (like Golden Joker), effects with negative impacts (like Acrobat's -2 hand size), specific versions of Jokers (like Foil, Polychrome), and passive effects (like Seeing Double). When copying is impossible, it displays [Incompatible]. Additionally, Blueprint's position can be adjusted at any time - for example, placing it to the left of Burglar before playing to gain +6 plays, then moving it to the left of other Jokers to copy different bonuses. Overall, Blueprint enables rich combinations and is essential for all game-breaking operations. Always place it to the left of your strongest Joker (like multiplier Jokers) for maximum benefit.

『Burnt Joker』upgrades the first hand type discarded each round, a strengthened version of Space Joker and a blessing for High Card and Pair builds. It provides one hand type upgrade per round, especially suitable for High Card and Pair combinations, easily gaining +1 multiplier and +15/20 improvement, equivalent to having both growth-type multiplier and chip Jokers. Many players rely on it for their first Gold stake completion.

『Brainstorm』copies the ability of the leftmost Joker, a comprehensively weakened version of Blueprint but still powerful. It's the only Joker in the entire game with a square design - all others are rounded. Note that Brainstorm cannot copy the same content as Blueprint. More interestingly, Blueprint and Brainstorm can copy each other - arrangements like A-Blueprint-Brainstorm or Blueprint-A-Brainstorm can achieve A's ability being copied twice. However, since multiplier Jokers work best on the rightmost position, Brainstorm copying multiplier Jokers generally has mediocre returns.

『Burglar』directly grants 3 additional plays at the start while losing all discards. As we know, plays are superior to discards in most situations, so Burglar can almost be viewed as a ×2 multiplier Joker. It synergizes excellently with play-based growth Jokers like Supernova, Green Joker, and Bus, and can also coordinate with money-making Jokers for farming. Even when facing Bosses that only allow one play, it provides 3 extra opportunities with extremely wide applicability.

Advanced Special Effect Joker Analysis

T1 Tier 『Baron』gives each King in hand a 1.5x bonus, the absolute core of Red Seal Steel King builds. Detailed strategies can be found in the pinned success guides. 『Mime』retriggers hand abilities, gaining 1.5x bonus when paired with Steel cards. With Red Wax Seal, it can achieve four triggers, equally indispensable for Red Seal Steel King builds.

Special Effect Joker Usage Tips

Special effect Jokers are often the key cards that determine game direction. Proper utilization can create amazing combination effects. Using balatro seeds can help players quickly experience various special effect Joker combinations to find the most suitable tactical pairings. Beginners should prioritize mastering Blueprint and Brainstorm usage techniques, as these two cards form the foundation of most advanced builds.

【To be continued】