Keywords
Keywords are special ability words that condense long effects into a concise form. This simplifies card descriptions and makes it easier to tell when multiple cards share the same ability. All keywords are highlighted in orange text in a card's description, and their condensed abilities are fully expanded when examining the card.
Some keywords additionally have a numerical component, such as the Bombskull Charm granting Explode 8. This page will indicate numerical keywords using an arbitrary X.
Due to how Items are played from the hand while Companions, Clunkers, and enemies stay on the field, keywords may behave slightly differently for them.
Targeting-Related Keywords
Normally, Companions, Clunkers, and enemies will hit the front enemy in the opposing row when attacking, and Items are played on a specific target. These keywords modify a card's targeting.
Name | Field | Items | Cards with Keyword | Sources of Keyword |
---|---|---|---|---|
Aimless | When the card attacks, it hits a random enemy in the opposing row, instead of the front one. | The Item targets a random target in the selected row on the selected side of the field. | Loki, Wort, Junjun, Foggy Brew, Slapcrackers, Shrootles, Snowbo, Frost Lancer | Smog, Magma Booster, ![]() ![]() |
Barrage | When the card attacks, it hits all enemies in the opposing row simultaneously, instead of just the front one. | The Item hits/affects an entire selected row on the selected side of the field, not just one card. | Bombom, Jumbo, Vesta, Fallow, Berry Bell, Bom Barrel, Frost Bell, Molten Dip, Shellbo, Spore Pack, Sunlight Drum, Supersnower, Bigfoot, Bulbhead, Porkypine, Pygmy, Bigloo, Bumbo, Frost Bomber | Pom, Gachapomper, ![]() |
Longshot | When the card attacks, it hits the furthest enemy in the opposing row, instead of the front one. | No Items can have or gain Longshot. | Snowbirb | None |
General Interactions
- Aimless, Barrage, and Longshot are all mutually exclusive. If a card or effect would try to add one of these keywords to a card that already has one of the others, the most recently gained keyword takes priority. For instance, the Gachapomper allows allies with Aimless to overwrite Aimless with Barrage.
- A Charm cannot be attached to a card with one of these keywords if it would try to add one of the others. For instance, the
Gnome Charm cannot be attached to any card with Barrage.
Reactions that would trigger a card with Aimless or Barrage against a specific target will slightly change, since these cards cannot trigger against a single card. For instance, a card with Smackback and Aimless will not trigger against its attacker, but instead a random enemy in its attacker's row.
- This interaction also allows cards with these Reactions to use excess
Frenzy against new targets. Normally, a card with such a Reaction will stop its Frenzy attacks if its target is killed partway through. Since a card with one of these abilities no longer triggers specifically against one card, it can keep attacking with all its Frenzy.
- Uniquely, Longshot interacts properly with targeted Reactions. For instance, a card with Longshot and Smackback still triggers appropriately against its attacker. However, it can still use its excess Frenzy even if the attacker is killed.
- This interaction also allows cards with these Reactions to use excess
Aimless Interactions
- An Item with Aimless will only randomly choose between valid targets. For instance, if trying to use a Pinkberry Juice with the
Fish Charm attached (thus giving it Aimless), it will not attempt to give
health to any Clunkers in the selected row.
Barrage Interactions
- A field card with Barrage may take damage from multiple cards'
Teeth at once. This counts as a single instance of damage for the purposes of
Block,
Scrap,
Demonize, and
Bom, not multiple simultaneous instances of damage.
Damaging and Attack-Related Keywords
These keywords deal damage or modify a card's attack in some way.
Name | Field | Items | Cards with Keyword | Sources of Keyword |
---|---|---|---|---|
Explode X | When the card is destroyed, it simultaneously deals X damage to all cards in the opposing row. | No Items can have or gain Explode. | None | ![]() |
Faith X | When the card's effect summons a Shade, that Shade immediately gains X ![]() ![]() |
None | ![]() | |
Fury X | While the card has no other allied cards in its row, its ![]() |
No Items can have or gain Fury. | None | ![]() |
Greed | When the card attacks, it deals 1 extra damage per 50 ![]() |
When the Item hits a card on the field, it deals 1 extra damage per 50 ![]() |
None | ![]() |
Soulbound | When a card with Soulbound is sacrificed, all other cards with Soulbound simultaneously take 100 damage. | No Items can have or gain Soulbound. | None | Soulbound Skulls |
Interactions
- Greed does not increase the card's
attack continuously, only when the card is attacking or hitting something. This is important for effects that care about a card's current attack, such as Tinkerson Jr. and Forging Stove.
- Humorously, Greed works for both allied and enemy cards. If an enemy has the Greed Charm (only possible in the Eye of the Storm), that enemy will use the player's own Blings against them.
Restriction Keywords
Some keywords create restrictions on a card that prevent certain actions from being taken.
Name | Field | Items | Cards with Keyword | Sources of Keyword |
---|---|---|---|---|
Consume | No field cards can have or gain Consume. | After the Item is played and resolved, it is destroyed and can't be used again in that battle. | Blank Mask, Blaze Tea, Dragon Pepper, Foggy Brew, Frostbite Shard, Gigi's Cookie Box, Leech Mask, Molten Dip, Noomlin Biscuit, Nutshell Cake, Pom Mask, Shade Clay, Sheepopper Mask, Skullmist Tea, Snowcake, Suncream, Tigris Mask, Gunk Fruit | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Hogheaded | The card cannot be recalled from the field to the discard pile. | No Items can have or gain Hogheaded. | Spike | Numskull, ![]() |
Recycle X | No field cards can have or gain Recycle. | The Item can't be played unless the player's hand contains at least X Junk. When the card is played, it destroys that many Junk cards in hand from right to left. | Frenzy Wrench, Gigi's Gizmo, Haze Keg, Suncream, Sunsong Box, Supersnower | ![]() |
Summoned | The card cannot be recalled from the field to the discard pile. At the end of each turn, if the card triggered that turn, it loses 1 ![]() |
No Items can have or gain Summoned. | All Shades | Blank Mask, Shade Wisp |
Interactions
- Junk is destroyed by Recycle before the card hits or applies to its target(s).
- If a Summoned card has
Frenzy, it still only loses 1
health at the end of each turn it triggers.
- A Summoned card loses health even if it triggers without a target to attack or apply effects to.
Miscellaneous Keywords
These keywords have various effects.
Name | Field | Items | Cards with Keyword | Sources of Keyword |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cleanse | Removes all debuffs from the target. | Bonnie, Berry Basket | None | |
Critical | No field cards can have or gain Critical. | If the Item is the rightmost card in hand, its numerical effects are doubled. | Clockwork Bom, Snowzooka | ![]() |
Draw X | The player draws X cards. | Sneezle | Gigi's Gizmo, ![]() ![]() | |
Noomlin | The card does not end the player's turn when played. | Grabber, Mini Muncher | Noomlin Biscuit, ![]() | |
Smackback | A ![]() |
No Items can have or gain Smackback. | Gogong, Warthog, Spike Wall | ![]() |
Spark | The card triggers immediately when deployed. | No Items can have or gain Spark. | None | ![]() |
Trash X | Creates X Junk to the left of the player's hand. | Folby, Scaven, Bom Barrel, Proto-Stomper, Junkhead | ![]() ![]() | |
Yank | Pulls the targeted card to the front of its row. | Grabber | ![]() |
Interactions
- Critical can modify most, but not all, numerical effects. Effects that can be modified are written in orange, while numbers not written in orange can't be modified. For instance, the Storm Globe has "Apply 4
Snow" and "Reduce by 1 when played," but Critical will only increase the inflicted Snow, not the base amount lost.
- However, Critical also applies last after other value-modifying effects, so an effect that gains or loses value will effectively gain or lose twice as much value. For instance, a Critical Storm Globe will inflict 8 Snow when played (4 base Snow, then increased to 8), and then loses 1 Snow (3 base Snow, then increased to 6).
- Critical does not multiply together with
Lumin to quadruple the card's effects. Instead, each increases the card's base effects by 100%, so they will triple the card's effects.
- If a Draw ability would make the player draw more cards than are remaining in the deck, they will draw as many cards as possible, shuffle their discard pile, and draw the remainder.
- Spark causes the card to trigger and reset its
Counter before the natural turn countdown. For instance, if Foxee has Spark and is deployed, they will immediately attack, reset their Counter to 3, and then count down during the turn countdown.
- Bosses that take up 2 zones cannot be Yanked if they would displace more than 1 other card at a time. Other enemies in the battle also cannot be Yanked if they would displace enemies such that the boss would take up 2 non-adjacent zones.
Enemy-Specific Keywords
Certain keywords are only found on enemy cards. These are usually specific to certain fights.
Name | Description | Enemies |
---|---|---|
Absorb | Gain an ally's ![]() ![]() |
Woolly Drek |
Backline | The card always deploys to the back of the row. | Krunker |
Bombard | While the card is active, zones on the field are outlined in red. When the card attacks, it hits all the outlined zones, instead of the front one. | Krunker |
Frontline | The card always deploys to the front of the row, pushing back other cards in the row if needed. | Spike Wall |
Split | The card divides into two copies of itself that have half as much ![]() |
Truffle |
Unmovable | The card cannot be moved around on the field, but can still be recalled. It also moves to another zone if a card is deployed or summoned to the zone it occupies. | Frost Jailer |
Wild | The card gains 1 ![]() |
Hog, Warthog, Razor |
Interactions
- Although Monch uses the word "absorb," they do not have the Absorb keyword and will not gain eaten cards' abilities or statuses.
- A card with Backline will never move forward, even if zones are empty in front of it. It also cannot be Yanked. If the card becomes
Inked and loses Backline, it will move normally, but it will return to the back of the row once the Ink wears off.
- A card with Frontline, however, can still have enemies in its row Yanked to the front of the row.
- Cards with Wild will gain
Frenzy whenever another card on the field with Wild is destroyed, even if that card was on the opposite field.
Special Keywords
These keywords reflect a card's current status, rather than giving it abilities.
Name | Description | Causes |
---|---|---|
Injured | An injured Companion starts battles at half of their max ![]() ![]() |
Bell of Death, Injured Companion Map event |
Hidden Keywords
These keywords are used as conditions to activate or apply certain effects.
Name | Description |
---|---|
Active | A card is active while it is on the field. |
Healed | A card is healed when its ![]() |
Hit | A card is hit when it is attacked by another card on the field with an ![]() |
Sacrifice | A card is sacrificed if a card on its side of the field kills it (or the player's Item kills an allied card). Sacrificed cards display a skull icon when destroyed. |
Interactions
- Any card with an
attack stat is considered to hit its target(s), even if no damage is dealt. Any card without an attack stat does not hit its target(s).
- A card is considered sacrificed if an allied card is credited for killing it. Indirect sources of damage like
Shroom and
Overburn will also give credit, as long as the debuff was most recently inflicted by an allied card.
- A card cannot sacrifice itself. If a card kills or destroys itself (e.g. I.C.G.M., Moko Totem) or causes its own
health or
Scrap to become 0 or less (e.g. Bombom, Mega Mimik, Plinker), it is not sacrificed.
- A card cannot sacrifice itself. If a card kills or destroys itself (e.g. I.C.G.M., Moko Totem) or causes its own