Inscryption beginner’s guide: Vendors, card upgrades, and combat tactics

Inscryption beginner’s guide – Basic mechanics

Let’s talk about the basic mechanics in Inscryption. You’ll need to master these to progress further in the game.

Understanding card stats and sigils in Inscryption

A vast majority of the cards in Inscryption show various animals and monsters. They also have their own stats and perks:

• Attack (ATK) – The lower-left portion of a card.
• Defense or health (HP) – The lower-right portion of a card.
• Summon cost (i.e., mana) – Seen on the upper-right portion of a card:
  • Blood – Some cards cost blood before they can be played. You earn blood by sacrificing other cards (more on this later).
  • Bones – Conversely, there are cards that cost bones. You earn bones whenever your cards get destroyed by an opponent. This mana/resource will be introduced as a mechanic after your first loss or “death” against Leshy.

• Sigils – Some cards in Inscryption have a sigil or passive perk seen at the bottom segment. However, additional upgrades would be placed at the upper-left section, too. Here are some examples of sigils:
  • Waterborne – The creature submerges itself when it’s your opponent’s turn. Your opponent will damage you directly.
  • Airborne – Strikes your opponent directly even if there’s an opposing creature.
  • Mighty Leap – Blocks an opposing creature with the Airborne sigil.
  • Touch of Death – If this creature attacks another, its target is automatically killed.
  • Unkillable – If a card with this sigil perishes, a copy is created in your hand.
  • Many Lives – If a card with this sigil is sacrificed, it does not perish.
  • Fledgling – A card’s power will grow if it remains on the board after a turn.
  • Sharp Quills – If struck, the attacking creature will suffer damage as well.
  • Amorphous – When drawn, the sigil is replaced with another at random.
  • Bone King – If a card with this sigil dies, +4 bones are awarded instead of +1.
  • Worthy Sacrifice – If a card with this sigil is sacrificed, it counts as +3 blood instead of +1.
  • Bifurcated Strike – This creature will only attack opposing spaces to the left and right.
  • Trifurcated Strike – This creature will attack opposing spaces to the left, right, and center.

The basics of card combat in Inscryption: Card placements, drawing, obstacles, and Squirrel sacrifices for blood tokens

When you engage in card battles in Inscryption, you’ll see that you have a handful of cards taken from your deck. Likewise, you’ll notice a board with multiple rows. There are four spaces in the bottom row where you can place your own cards. Your opponent, Leshy, will also play his hand. In case two creatures are opposing each other in the same column, then their ATK and HP values are taken into consideration. Your cards will act first after you place them down, and Leshy’s will attack after he’s done with his turn. In some cases, there are obstacles like boulders or trees in a space.

At the start of your turn, you can also choose to draw from your deck or draw a Squirrel card. The Squirrel doesn’t cost a single blood or bone token. In fact, it’s actually used often for sacrifices. If you click on a card that costs blood, you can also click on the Squirrel and other cards you own. These will sacrifice the ones that you selected, allowing you to summon a stronger card with a higher blood cost. However, gaining blood tokens is an action that’s solely for that card that you’re about to place down. Conversely, bone tokens are a pooled resource whenever any of your creatures get killed by your opponent. The idea is to be aware of what you have in your deck so you’re not starved for mana/resources.

Note: For more about card mechanics, you can take a look at our best cards/sigils guide for Inscryption.

Winning battles and boss fights, overkill damage, excess teeth, death, and Deathcards

To win card battles in Inscryption, you need to tip the scales in your favor (i.e., the scales are seen at the left side of the table during matches). If creatures aren’t opposed by a monster in that column, or if they can attack your opponent directly, then they’ll take damage (you’ll see little “teeth” dropping on the scales).

If you greatly damage your opponent well past the limit, this is considered “overkill.” The excess teeth that spill over can be used to purchase pelts from the Trapper (more on this vendor later).

Of course, if you mess up and your opponent trounces you, this will also lead to your doom. Your lives per run are limited (symbolized by candles at the right side of the table). If all the candles are snuffed out, you’re considered “dead.” Leshy will taunt you and ask you to make a Deathcard, a powerful addition to your deck if you can pick some cool combinations.

After you make a Deathcard, Leshy will take a picture of you. It’s time to begin another run where you’re given a starter deck. You need to progress and upgrade stuff again. Yes, Inscryption is very much a rogue-lite CCG.

Note: We discuss some of the tougher opponents you’ll face in our Cabin boss battles guide.

Puzzles

If you take a look at your surroundings, you’ll realize that you’re trapped inside a cabin. There are several strange devices here. These are actually puzzles that you can solve, and they provide you with some awesome rewards.

Note: We discuss these in detail in our Cabin puzzle solutions guide. For now, let’s go to the next part of our Inscryption beginner’s guide to discuss general progression, vendors, and card upgrades.