Caltrops

Only available through the Junk Pile event.

This event appears in Underdocks. Choosing to rummage through the junk rewards 100 gold plus 1 random card. The card pool includes Dual Wield, Entrench, Outmaneuver, and others, so Caltrops is not guaranteed.

Thorns is a passive damage-reflect effect.

• Whenever the enemy attacks, each hit deals Thorns damage back
• Even if Block reduces incoming damage to 0, Thorns still triggers
• Multi-hit attacks trigger Thorns per hit (a 3-hit attack reflects 3 times)
• Stacks additively with Thorns from Bronze Scales (Relic)

Caltrops is a steady passive damage source. For 1 Energy you get permanent Thorns 3, so the accumulated damage grows the longer the fight drags on.

The drawback is that you do not attack proactively, so on turns the enemy does not attack (buff or summon turns) it does nothing. Against single-hit heavy-damage enemies (like a 40-damage haymaker) it only reflects 3, which is inefficient.

Caltrops truly shines against enemies that throw multi-hit attacks.

Damage Math

Against enemies with 3 or more hits, the 1-Energy Power pulls decent damage efficiency.

Relics

• Bronze Scales: adds Thorns 3, stacking with Caltrops for Thorns 6
• Liquid Bronze (Potion): adds temporary Thorns
• Torii: reduces incoming damage of 5 or less to 1. Multi-hit damage collapses while Thorns still triggers on every hit
• Tungsten Rod: -1 to all damage taken. Combined with Thorns, chip damage is effectively negated

Cards

• Barricade: Block carries over between turns. With full blocking defense, Thorns deals damage back each turn - a near-ideal combo
• Metallicize: gain Block automatically each turn, which pairs well with the Thorns strategy
• Body Slam: converts Block into damage; you can attack while defending

Deck Archetypes

• Block-heavy decks: reduce damage taken and grind down the enemy with Thorns
• Ironclad Turtle build: Barricade + Entrench + Caltrops as the ironwall combo

• Skip if your deck is fire-focused and going for fast kills; passive Caltrops is unneeded
• Weak against enemies that buff or summon more than they attack (many bosses)
• When your deck count is tight and Power slots are limited, usually better Powers exist
• At the Junk Pile event, Entrench or Dual Wield are often better picks

Recommended ranking of cards from the Junk Pile pool:

Caltrops rises in priority when your deck already has solid blocking and wants to grind the fight out long.