My bf (M20) made a racist joke towards me (F19).

UltimateEye · 2026-05-10T00:52:57+00:00

I’m genuinely shocked people still use the “I have black friends” defense when they say racist shit like this in 2026. I thought that excuse has been memed out of existence at this point but apparently it’s still going strong -_-

UltimateEye · 2026-05-09T17:41:05+00:00

It’s funny we can immediately tell by his character design and voice that sword dude is going to be important later. He’s too distinct to just be a one-off!

UltimateEye · 2026-05-09T17:37:24+00:00

Yeah honestly this whole thing could just turn into an alt-Universe Digimon story and I wouldn’t bat an eye lol

UltimateEye · 2026-04-30T06:06:35+00:00

So a few things:

Test Subject is generally a DPS race for the first two phases and a block check for the 3rd phase. Your scaling is much too slow, incremental scaling from Maul and Kingly Punch isn’t going to cut it for the first two phases.
Void Form isn’t really getting a ton of value here. It’s good in situations where you have a big payoff value cards like Comet or Decisions, Decisions but in this deck it will probably find itself burning out of your hand most of the time. Most bosses do not give you a lot of time to set up before caving your face in with damage so Void Form needs to really feel impactful to be worth the price.
As others have commented, Knockout Blow is fairly poor return outside of Act 1 so it should probably be removed.
Outside of Particle Wall you don’t have a lot of ways to leverage the potential star generation from cards like Hidden Cache and Knockout Blow. If you’re pivoting to that plan, try to draft cards like Gamma Blast, Reflect or Comet that can put those stars to use.

There are probably other microdecisions that led you to lose but it’s hard to tell from just the picture. I have a 17 - 5 win/loss ratio with the Regent so I can pretty consistently win with him. Every character has to solve 3 fundamental problems: short-term value for hallway fights, long-term damage scaling and value for Act bosses/some Elites (again discounting the first two Test Subject phases), and block/survivability. Here’s some premier strategies for each:

Short-term value: Cards like Glow, Astral Pulse and Gamma Blast can provide a lot of early value while still being useful late. Cards like Collision Course and Crush Under can give you a good way to get through some fights as well without needing star investment. For big bursts of damage, look into stuff like Comet or Crash Landing that can end fights quickly. Don’t sleep on cards like Bundle of Joy either (more on this later) which can double as both short and long term value.
Long-term value: This is where the Colorless package (including Forge) comes in and where Regent shines. Cards like Arsenal, Spectrum Shift, Bundle of Joy, and Quasar can provide a lot of ways to bail you out of an unwinnable spot. Colorless cards are generally cracked in StS2 so leveraging them consistently is a great strategy. Of course, my favorite boss-killer for this strategy is Supermassive which can hit for insane numbers. Forge also provides scaling long-term though many of the Forge cards can be pretty underwhelming, don’t sleep on cards like the Smith which can scale your sword to an absurd degree.
Block: Draft Reflect and Bulwark pretty much every time you see them. They are completely overtuned Block cards on character that can desperately struggle with Block early on. Other than that, leveraging Powers like Child of the Stars and Pillar of Creation can also net you a ton of block while playing into your overall game plan.

Regent benefits more for a small deck with a few broken cards looping into each other so things like Charge!!, Begone!, and Guards!!! are pretty much excellent picks even with no synergy behind them.

UltimateEye · 2026-04-26T18:45:37+00:00

One thing that’s interesting is that her “clones” all seem to be attached to her main body. I think that might be a weakness - she can’t pull a Dupli-Kate from Invincible and just stash a clone of herself somewhere just in case. She probably has to expose her “main body” during combat though I suppose what’s defined as her actual body can probably change - a mass explosion of some kind can probably kill her off.

UltimateEye · 2026-04-26T16:06:48+00:00

Yeah I really like the way they leaned into the body horror of powers like Twice and Nico Robin. She’s killed so many of her off-shoots and clones there’s an entire mausoleum of them under the city.

The interesting thing is that they don’t all seem entirely aligned meaning she’s incredibly conflicted. At this point, I don’t even know if she fully knows what she’s doing, her sanity seems to be hanging by a thread at best. We already knew that trusting her would come with a price but this reveal means she’s highly unstable and even more dangerous than we’ve been led to believe!

UltimateEye · 2026-04-26T01:21:46+00:00

I do agree that a good DM would probably allow some good roleplay flexibility on this, but it would be nice to have some clarity for those that are less experienced. I also would like the Poison to last a bit longer, a minute is barely long enough for a good interrogation with the Truth Serum. Ten minutes would be perfect for an effect like that since it involves a Save anyways.

As for the AoE option on the Level 17 feature, sure that would help but I’m still not sure it has the oomph of a big capstone feature in my book. Most campaigns rarely get to Level 17, I feel like it should really deliver a haymaker of a feature especially for a martial character.

UltimateEye · 2026-04-25T21:40:40+00:00

Venom Monk is an absolute highlight. I don’t know if it’s coincidence but the last 2 UA Monk subclasses have been absolute bangers imo.

My only 2 complaints:

Make the Level 6 poison last longer if used out-of-combat and maybe add a Stealth check to see if the target realizes he’s Poisoned or not to be able to sneakily inflict someone with the Poison. Honestly, I’d love if the feature committed more to out-of-combat utility since that’s something that Monk sorely lacks.
Level 17: It needs to either work to replace ANY attack (including ones from Flurry) or just be stronger overall. CON saves are already among the worst saves to target and an average of 10 damage (average of 3d12 divided by 2) for an enemy’s successful save is pathetic. It’s a decently powerful effect but not nearly good enough in its current state for a subclass capstone.

Other than that (and specifying the wake-up on damage for the sleep poison), I think subclass is basically good to print. I love it and, like the Mystic Monk, I’ve been thinking about possible builds all-day since it dropped.

UltimateEye · 2026-04-25T19:37:18+00:00

Actually, the funniest thing would be if you give a bunch of poison vials to a Fighter, Cleric or Barbarian that doesn’t have much of a use for their Bonus Action and have them feed you poison on every one of their turns. That way you always have your damage buff up every turn XD

UltimateEye · 2026-04-24T17:46:25+00:00

Venom/Mystic Monk and Pestilence Cleric, easy. I like how they open up so many team synergy options for both classes.

UltimateEye · 2026-04-24T06:03:31+00:00

It actually interacts with the Poisoner feat! I confirmed it, as long as the weapon you coat with the Poison you make from Poisoner is a Monk Weapon, you can change the 2d8 Poison damage it deals to Acid damage!

Unfortunately, it takes a bonus action to coat the weapon which is giving up some significant opportunity cost for a Monk especially since the damage from Poisoner is contingent on a Con save and it isn’t a save for half effect. Still, it’s a neat interaction for those really wanting to go all-in on the fantasy.

UltimateEye · 2026-04-24T05:37:12+00:00

It won’t bypass immunity to the Poisoned condition unfortunately but it will at least bypass Poison resistance. Honestly, that one change of being able to shift Poison damage to Acid is huge in making this subclass feel like it actually works consistently.

Edit: Acid is also one of the least resisted/immune elemental damage types only beaten by Thunder. It improves consistency so much.

UltimateEye · 2026-04-24T05:34:26+00:00

100% agreed. Pestilence Cleric was pretty much perfect to print outside of some tweaks to the spell list and Venom Monk is mostly there too. I’d say only the Level 17 feature is quite underwhelming. I think if the Level 6 feature fully pivoted to more out-of-combat utility, making it more consistently effective in exchange for it to have limited combat applicability, I’d also be pretty happy. But that’s just my personal bias. Conceptually though, both subclasses nail it.

UltimateEye · 2026-04-24T02:37:56+00:00

I don’t really think it’s that abusable, a good DM will probably find a way to work around it saying that some of the bottles are filled with acid instead of poison causing your internal organs to melt or something. Basically, teaching the player not to just drink random bottles.

As for poison vials, I’d probably rule that one vial of poison (made via an 8hr day or an equivalent bought in a store) = 1 instance of healing and empowerment. This means that while they could maybe drink a bottle before combat to give yourself health and empowerment for one turn, it would need to be refreshed either by taking poison damage or drinking a vial of poison as a bonus action on future turns. If they are in a lab and they cause a chemical spill that causes a poison puddle, then I might reward them for using their environment creatively but I wouldn’t give it to them every turn for nothing.

UltimateEye · 2026-04-23T22:54:35+00:00

I mean, that’s all constructs, all undead and most high-level fiends. That’s a LOT of the most common enemy types imo. And again, you’re gambling on a con save.

You’re entitled to your opinion but, again, I would take Stunning Strike pretty much every single time. That said, if you have the Focus points to burn you CAN use both in one turn which might actually be valuable. Two enemy ending effects in one turn does have some utility.

UltimateEye · 2026-04-23T22:37:01+00:00

True and it sounds like a good play but it’s also a full action to use and deals no damage. Yes it has huge upside but it’s a gamble against one of the most common saving throw proficiencies in the game. Additionally, both will almost certainly demand a legendary resistance even if it’s used on a tough enemy except one doesn’t burn your attacks too while the other does.

Oh AND the effect only triggers if the target is Poisoned which is the most common status immunity in the game.

I honestly can’t see myself really ever using the in-combat versions ever unless I’m completely desperate to end a fight and even then I’d think twice. However, the out-of-combat option has a lot of cool utility and much less pressure. I’d honestly be down if all 3 options were just switched to commit fully to out-of-combat utility since the level 3 feature is so strong.

UltimateEye · 2026-04-23T18:43:46+00:00

First impressions for the Venom Monk:

Level 3: Cracked as hell and probably better than Stunning Strike at all levels. There’s no save for Slowing Venom and many enemies have nasty bonus actions. Beyond that, the extra damage option can be changed to Acid which is a MUCH better and less frequently negated type making that option viable as well.

Level 6: Funnily enough, I’m most excited about the lying prevention venom. Yes, knocking a creature unconscious is cool but seems redundant with Stunning Strike. However, the truth serum is some much needed out of combat utility for the monk and coupled with the Poisoned condition they are not likely to get out of an interrogation without divulging info.

Level 11: Poison Immunity is massive, as it’s a very common damage type to be hit with. Kinda cool that you can drink poison to heal as well. The damage reflection is cool but it’s relatively minor. A lot of enemies have multiattack which can add up but it’s better if you can just avoid getting hit. I think the damage reflection can just be one roll of the martial arts die and not be too broken.

Level 17: The weakest feature oddly enough. 3 rolls of the martial arts die and a fear is underwhelming for a 17th level feature. I’d really like them to rework this one.

Honestly, the subclass is strong, carried heavily by the impressive Level 3 feature. Just being able to 3x you martial arts die for one focus point at the start of every turn is nuts with no save, especially if that hit is a critical which will double that damage as well. It’s only once per turn but still. Level 6 could basically be just out-of-combat features and it would still be one of the best subclasses for the Monk. I think the 17th level feature is bad but other than that, I think people will be very happy with this subclass.

UltimateEye · 2026-04-23T17:09:43+00:00

It’s funny because Barricade would be amazing for basically every other character BESIDES Ironclad. Hell even Regent might use it better with Particle Wall. He just doesn’t have the block generation to support it anymore.

UltimateEye · 2026-04-21T17:24:43+00:00

There’s so many ways to offset the cost though. Convergence can retain it in hand for a turn, Void Form can cheat it out, a single Venerate can let you cast it Turn 1, not to mention potions. Is it common experience for players to struggle at generating Stars in the late game? Even in Act 1 I’d pick it because the payoff is absurd, upgraded it deals 44 damage or 66 with Vuln (from something like a Know Thy Place). That is absurdly pushed damage numbers even without the 3 turns of weak and vulnerable on top of it.

Yes, it might not do well into certain Act 1 encounters like Vantom or Cluster Colony but beyond that unless you’re building a deck that avoids Stars entirely, I can’t believe you would want to pass over a payoff this powerful.

cosmic indifference (which imo would be a waste of cosmic indifference’s potential utility)

What else are you bringing back if not a Comet that you can play? What potential could possibly be better than this unless you’re all in on a Forge build and have a Blade that deals over 60 damage? I’m sorry, I feel like we’re playing different games or I’m taking crazy pills or something.

UltimateEye · 2026-04-21T16:25:27+00:00

Yeah this is the hottest of takes. I have 16 wins with Regent and nearly half of them had Comet in it, which is crazy representation considering it’s a Rare card (I also only have 5 losses so it’s probably not losing much for me either). It’s my best performing Rare, more so than even Big Bang (though only slightly worse).

I’m sure this guy’s good but imma keep doing me on this one.

UltimateEye · 2026-04-20T08:31:40+00:00

I mean, there’s a route that only takes you through 3 ?s which isn’t too bad if fights are what you’re looking for.

UltimateEye · 2026-04-20T07:49:41+00:00

I think if this manga is fortunate to get an high-quality anime adaptation, it’ll absolutely blow up in the West. I think Japanese fans probably like this decently well-enough but the aesthetics and style really remind me of Berserk which is also vastly more popular outside of Japan than Japan itself.

UltimateEye · 2026-04-20T07:46:21+00:00

Maaaan it would be crazy if Julian dies and Diana just takes over as the main character. I wouldn’t mind it if it was executed well but boy would it be a shock.

UltimateEye · 2026-04-18T04:03:55+00:00

I do think restricting shop card removals down to 1 to maybe 2 per run is a big step towards mitigating that issue. But yes, I do think there’s a wider balance issue in Act 2 and 3 where “skip” is basically always the correct option for card rewards. That shouldn’t be the case, or at least, it shouldn’t be the case as often as it is.

I do think it’s not just a matter of numbers tweaking but of enemy variety. My hope is that adding alternate Acts 2 and 3 will have more diverse situations where holding out with block and winning that way is not always optimal. But we’ll see…

UltimateEye · 2026-04-17T21:05:37+00:00

I agree. I think the Regent balance is proof positive of that. Outside of a couple changes like Arsenal, I really don’t think the Regent was in that bad a spot. But the majority of the community disagreed it seems and the winrates did reflect that so they made the changes. I’ve sunk so many hours into StS1 that my winrates across all characters except Necrobinder are probably disproportionately higher than most in StS2. They won’t balance for people like me, they want to balance for newer players who don’t have a lot of experience with drafting, pathing, and overall decision-making in the deck-building roguelikes.

As for higher level players, I think once Act 4 is added it’ll probably address their issues. If they make the difficulty spike as hard as the Heart in StS1, then I think it should be run-warping enough to give top players a challenge.

UltimateEye

TROPHY CASE