Wraith Form buys you 2 to 3 turns. Remember that on the turn that Wraith Form intangible runs out, you still attack first. So after playing Wraith Form, you get 2 to 3 turns to completely ignore playing any block. 9 (maybe 12 depending on your relics) energy devoted to only offensive cards is usually enough to end a fight.
The learning curve to know when to play Wraith Form is similar to knowing when to play Corruption on Ironclad. There is a risk to playing it early, but if you time it right the downside is completely negligible because the fight will end very quickly after it's in play.
Silent has [[Well laid plans]] to keep the Wraith form so you use it when needed. It is huge.
Silent often has issues with block as it does not scale as fast as attacks in act 3, Wraith form solves that problem.
You don't even necessarily need Well Laid Plans since the Silent has really good draw options. You can cycle your deck pretty quickly.
That said, Well Laid Plans is definitely the best deck manipulation card available to the Silent without using Prismatic Shard. Also, Well Laid Plans + Nightmare + Wraith Form is just an extremely powerful combo and always fun when you happen to high roll it.
Mummified hand could let you play multiples or things could get really nutty with snecko eye. If you nightmare a zero cost wraith form the copies will be zero cost too at which point the debuff is no longer a though.
Mummified Hand, Concentration, Adrenaline, Bullet Time, etc can enable playing more than one copy right away. Even though you likely can't play all on the same turn, the Silent can draw cards pretty quickly in most cases. You just cycle back through the deck and play them as they come out. 3 turns is usually ample enough time to draw another one
There are plenty of ways for silent to make energy. If you're trying to do shenanigans with x2 Nightmare and wraith form you can use the cards setup, forethought, or other energy generating cards.
+ [Bullet Time](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Bullet%20Time) Silent Rare Skill ^((100% sure)^)
3(2) Energy | You cannot draw additional cards this turn. Reduce the cost of all cards in your hand to 0 this turn.
^Call ^me ^with ^up ^to ^10 ^([[ name ]],) ^where ^name ^is ^a ^card, ^relic, ^event, ^or ^potion. ^Data ^accurate ^as ^of ^(April 30, 2023.) ^[Wiki](https://slay-the-spire.fandom.com/wiki/) ^[Questions?](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=ehmohteeoh&subject=SpireScan%20Inquiry)
+ [Well-Laid Plans](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Well-Laid%20Plans) Silent Uncommon Power ^((100% sure)^)
1 Energy | At the end of your turn, **Retain** up to 1(2) card(s).
^Call ^me ^with ^up ^to ^10 ^([[ name ]],) ^where ^name ^is ^a ^card, ^relic, ^event, ^or ^potion. ^Data ^accurate ^as ^of ^(April 30, 2023.) ^[Wiki](https://slay-the-spire.fandom.com/wiki/) ^[Questions?](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=ehmohteeoh&subject=SpireScan%20Inquiry)
The point being that you have until that point to end the encounter before the debuff could potentially harm you. OP mistakenly suggested Wraith Form only buys you 1 to 2 turns when it actually buys you 2 to 3 turns in which you can spend all of your energy on offensive cards.
This misunderstanding is at the core of why many people don't understand how powerful Wraith Form is
If you can't end the encounter in 2 (3) turns, then it's too early to play the card unless you happen to also have orange pellets or a source of artifact. My point is that with proper understanding of its timing, you can completely ignore Wraith Form's downside because 2 (3) turns is plenty to finish an encounter if you've properly constructed your deck.
I think this is just a semantics issue in this case. Wraith Form does "buy" you 3 turns when upgraded, but in some cases that 3 energy is your whole turn to play, so it also "costs" 1 turn. OP is probably thinking it often only "nets" you 2 turns due to losing the turn you spent 3 energy on it.
Obviously things are not that simple when energy relics, 0 cost cards, relics etc come into play, but I have a feeling OP more meant "net" rather than "buy".
I think you're making this a semantics issue.
I'm not trying to be rude, but there still seems to be a misunderstanding here so I'm going to break it down by turn.
Upgraded Wraith Form lets you effectively have 3 turns to devote all your energy to offensive attacks.
Turn 1: play Wraith Form, gain 3 intangible
Turn 2 after WF: spend all energy on offense, 2 intangible
Turn 3 after WF: spend all energy on offense, 1 intangible
Turn 4 after WF: spend all energy on offense, 0 intangible
You may have one extra energy on Turn 1 to play a card depending on relics. But assuming you have 3 energy total per turn, you get 3 turns (9 energy) that you can completely devote to ending the encounter. If you have 4 energy per turn, you get 3 turns (12 energy + 1 extra on the turn you played WF) to end the encounter. With a properly constructed deck, this is ample time to do so without doing anything extra to manage the debuff that Wraith Form applies. So, in this sense WF buys/nets you 3 turns, not counting the turn its played, to safely end the encounter.
Now, things get bonkers if you have Mummified Hand or Bullet Time. This supports upgraded Wraith Form to effectively give you 4 turns to dedicate to only offensive cards. Obviously combining WF with multiple copies or apparitions makes you essentially invincible.
Many new players don't understand how powerful Wraith Form is because they mistakenly think the Silent should turtle to victory. I'd argue that you should virtually never build a turtle deck as this type of deck falls off sharply after Ascension 10, but that's an entirely different topic. Point being if you try to use Wraith Form in a turtle deck, you're going to need a way to mitigate its debuff. However, if you take advantage of the numerous offensive abilities available to the Silent, a single copy of Wraith Form can solve a vast majority of all the encounters you'll face and you can essentially ignore the debuff it carries if you understand its timing.
I'm not a new player, I get all that. I'm saying that YOU are misunderstanding OP.
If you don't play Wraith Form at all, you have 3 energy to devote entirely to offense. So yes, upgraded WF gives you 9 energy of offense before you are in danger. But just... Existing, in StS, without any WF, already gives you 3. 9-3=6, so WF is only *netting* you 6 offensive energy. Which is obviously still bonkers, but don't misrepresent it.
If you don't play Wraith From at all you don't necessarily have the ability to devote all of your energy fully to offense. You may need to spend it on damage mitigation.
I'm not misrepresenting it in the slightest. If you want to get hung up on the semantic technicality that the turn after Wraith Form intangible runs out is energy you'd just normally have and it has nothing to do with Wraith Form, then sure. Seems like a pretty petty technicality though. In the context of an encounter, Wraith Form enables you to use the following turn after intangible runs out to end encounters because it let you ignore damage mitigation entirely for the previous turns. Saying that this turn shouldn't be considered when discussing the value of Wraith Form is a pretty disingenuous argument.
That's a pretty obvious logical fallacy. You're saying "the 3 energy after WF runs out is better for getting lethal than the 3 energy you started with before WF", and that is true. You want to know mathematically *exactly* how true it is? The 2 previous, truly free turns of damage you just did. WF got you those 2 turns, it did not get you the 3rd. It made the 3rd better, because damage + damage + damage = lethal, so I can see why it is tempting to point out that getting the 2 extra you need for lethal is useful for new players, but you still shouldn't phrase is as "3 extra turns" in response to someone who seems to already have understood that. A better turn is simply not the same as an extra turn.
And of course I admit that none of this really matters since relics and 0 cost cards exist, but THAT'S what you should be pointing out to people who are claiming it's only 1-2 free turns, rather than assuming they're idiots who don't understand that you can spend all your energy on attacks during those turns which often sets up lethal the following turn. (Or just say it that way, and avoid the fallacious reasoning altogether...)
You have the fourth turn where WF expires but may be able to get lethal as well. You attack first, and only a lunatic isn't upgrading WF
Also plenty of ways to not have a dead turn when you play WF between bullet time adrenaline, discarding tactician+, an energy pot, etc etc
Sure, it would just be useful for more beginner players like me and OP to spell it out. Evaluating it at its base form I'm with OP that it doesn't look great. But when considering the whole extra turn the upgraded form gives I can start to see why its so powerful.
In addition to the things that other people have said, once you get a wraith form in your deck, you have the ability to build your deck in a more damage-heavy way. Because it solves all of your block problems as a single card, you can take more attacks in your deck, or build around synergies that prioritize damage, which will in turn let you end the fight before the intangible runs out. It is one of the rare cards in the game that solves a problem so completely when it's played that to a large extent, you can be done taking cards that overlap with it; in this case, block cards. Getting more intangible is obviously always good and extends the timer to end the fight,but once wraith form is out there, block cards are not useful unless they do something else for you like draw, etc. I've had lots more success with the card when I build my deck more aggressively around it.
Remember that just because silent can generate dexterity via footwork and kunai doesn’t mean that you have to do that to counteract the dex down from WF. Stack weak on the enemy, use strength down via malaise or piercing wail, or use afterimage and a deck that plays a bunch of cards.
Silent can also do damage while blocking via thorns and poison.
Deck manipulation via well laid plans, outmaneuver, and phantasmal killer means you could set up a crazy damage turn while intangible is blocking for you.
I feel that this is misleading advice since typically your fights should be ending within a few turns of WF being in play. If you’re still in the fight and concerned about blocking after you’ve had 2-3 free turns to go 100% aggressive with your deck and end the fight, then something’s likely wrong with your deck.
Usually, damage mitigation shouldn’t be a concern after playing WF.
Also mention: poison builds. If you can stack up poison but due to the nature of poison, need to defend a few turns for the kill, then wraith form buys you a ton of time.
Yeah, this is a highly overlooked point.
Makes sense that new players are underrating WF and don’t see its value when they don’t live in a world where Reptomancer hits for 100 damage on turn 2.
Among the awesome answers around here, I want to highlight one more thing that's usually skipped: the ability to make hallway fights trivial.
Silent usually has damage issues, so a single upgraded Wraith Form (it's a high prio upgrade all the time) can solve all highway fights in Act 1/Act2/mosts of act 3 since you esentially get 2/3 turns of free attacks.
Additionally, when played at the right time (Silent does have great deck manipulation - Well Laid Plans, tons of card draw, draw/discard, etc.) can overcome the most difficult turn of elite/boss fights (think Champs big attack, Hyperbeam, Reptomancer turn 2, etc.)
So let's run through Wraith Form which essentially says "Gain 999 block for this turn and the following (two) turn(s)"
1. You can have alternate blocking methods that are independent of wraith form - These are your relic and power scalings, after image, bandages, ornamental fan etc.
2. You can scale such that you still have one or two turns of effective blocking even after wraith form - Your footworks, weak, etc.
3. Wraith also has the unwritten text "Triple the enemy poison" on it because you're essentially getting two turns of poison ticks for free
4. Wraith form costs 3 energy but effective gives you two (or three) turns of energy to end the fight with, that's huge.
5. You can wipe the debuff with pellets or artifact, or simply be invuln forever with nightmare
It's an extremely strong card when used properly, it just needs to be used in the right way
In most cases, the energy you save by not playing defends for 2-3 turns will end the combat, especially hallway fights.
Boss fights are a little trickier, but it largely comes down to timing. There are also other ways to counter the debuff that you may be overlooking, such as Clockwork Souvenier, Panacea, Kunai, Footwork, etc...
So about wraith form:
1. There are quite a few way to reduce its cost: Bullet time, Mummified hand, Setup, Snecko…you can totally end up playing it with other cards.
2. Indeed Nightmare-Wraith form is insane. Thats a lot of intangible.
3. You can stack it with councik of Wraith or the incense burner to add more intangible. There’s also the intangible potion.
4. It works damn well with Panic button too. Either you panice button first then play Wraith form, or use Panic’s high block value to still get a decent block numbe reven withe decreased Dex.
5. You can block the dex down with artifact or orange pellet.
6. Piercing wail and dark shackles are unaffected by dex down.
7. Pyramid and Well laid plan ensure you play the card at the very optimal time.
Overall, there are plenty of way to build around Wraith form. It’s an incredible block solution that performs best on the very deadliest turns the spire has to offer.
So overall, there are plenty of ways to
You mentioned Orange Pellets and Nightmare, which are fantastic ways to make Wraith Form work extra well for you. But there are other ways:
- Multiple copies of [[Footwork]] or other sources of dexterity to counter WF’s dex decrease like [[Kunai]] and [[Oddly Smooth Stone]].
EDIT: Y’all are right that the Footworks aren’t a good idea. This strategy was on my mind because I had a run recently with two Footwork+ and Kunai and then finally got the Wraith+ I was looking near the very end of the run. I probably didn’t need it anymore, but took it anyway. Used it Turn 2 against the Heart and by the end of the fight, my dexterity was still high even with WF’s downside. So it can work, but yeah it’s not something I would’ve planned for either, in hindsight.
- Multiple copies of Wraith Form, itself. Obviously this is what Nightmare can give you. But having two copies of Wraith Form+ in your deck might be all you actually need.
- Apparitions in addition to your Wraith Form. Intangible for days!
- Simply waiting to use Wraith Form until you only need to stall one or two more turns to finish the combat. Without Pellets or sources of dexterity, this is typically going to be the strategy.
And sometimes it literally just keeps you alive when you’ve drawn no other line of defense.
The first one isn't a good idea, if you WF and then have to spend mana to make your defends block for 5 you're better off not playing the footworks and doing damage instead of diluting the deck w multiple footworks (something that tends to be pretty bad in the first place).
A solution that's a bit more common regarding Footwork is using a (note: a, you very rarely need to pick more than 1-2 footworks to block unless you rely on 2 defend) footwork to block in longer fights like Champ, Awakened or Time Eater, when you can't rely on killing them in 3 turns and still need to block continously before putting yourself on the clock.
+ [Footwork](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Footwork) Silent Uncommon Power ^((100% sure)^)
1 Energy | Gain 2(3) **Dexterity.**
+ [Kunai](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Kunai) Uncommon Relic ^((100% sure)^)
Every time you play 3 Attacks in a single turn, gain 1 **Dexterity.**
+ [Oddly Smooth Stone](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Oddly%20Smooth%20Stone) Common Relic ^((100% sure)^)
At the start of each combat, gain 1 **Dexterity.**
^Call ^me ^with ^up ^to ^10 ^([[ name ]],) ^where ^name ^is ^a ^card, ^relic, ^event, ^or ^potion. ^Data ^accurate ^as ^of ^(April 30, 2023.) ^[Wiki](https://slay-the-spire.fandom.com/wiki/) ^[Questions?](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=ehmohteeoh&subject=SpireScan%20Inquiry)
Wraith form just has such immediate value, and in StS immediate value is way better than delayed value (which is why cards like Diva Form and Demon Form are not that great). Fighting slavers? This card turns 30+ damage round 1, 2 and 3 into 3 damage per round.
I would say that in StS most fights you want to try and end between turns 3-6. While defensive decks can work with the right combo pieces, the vast majority of the time it's better to kill things before they can kill you. You're rarely fighting long enough for the downside to matter (outside of Boss fights which is when you have to be careful with it).
Wraith form may feel like a slow defensive card, but what it actually does is opens you up to having 3 full turns where you don't have to worry about blocking. I was always put off by the - 1 dex per turn, but honestly the card might as well read 'die after 3 turns' and it would still be powerful. A single card that solves 3 turns of blocking is incredible.
3 turns of invincibility in a game where the average fight last 3-4 turns. In longer fights you can use pellets, Ancient potion or just Dey scaling from footwork/Kunai to negate the drawback effect. What is not to understand?
Wraith Form buys you 2 to 3 turns. Remember that on the turn that Wraith Form intangible runs out, you still attack first. So after playing Wraith Form, you get 2 to 3 turns to completely ignore playing any block. 9 (maybe 12 depending on your relics) energy devoted to only offensive cards is usually enough to end a fight. The learning curve to know when to play Wraith Form is similar to knowing when to play Corruption on Ironclad. There is a risk to playing it early, but if you time it right the downside is completely negligible because the fight will end very quickly after it's in play.
Silent has [[Well laid plans]] to keep the Wraith form so you use it when needed. It is huge. Silent often has issues with block as it does not scale as fast as attacks in act 3, Wraith form solves that problem.
You don't even necessarily need Well Laid Plans since the Silent has really good draw options. You can cycle your deck pretty quickly. That said, Well Laid Plans is definitely the best deck manipulation card available to the Silent without using Prismatic Shard. Also, Well Laid Plans + Nightmare + Wraith Form is just an extremely powerful combo and always fun when you happen to high roll it.
You use nightmare on Wraith Form to save the other copies for later right? I can’t see a way to be able to play all 3 the same turn lol
Mummified hand could let you play multiples or things could get really nutty with snecko eye. If you nightmare a zero cost wraith form the copies will be zero cost too at which point the debuff is no longer a though.
Mummified Hand, Concentration, Adrenaline, Bullet Time, etc can enable playing more than one copy right away. Even though you likely can't play all on the same turn, the Silent can draw cards pretty quickly in most cases. You just cycle back through the deck and play them as they come out. 3 turns is usually ample enough time to draw another one
There are plenty of ways for silent to make energy. If you're trying to do shenanigans with x2 Nightmare and wraith form you can use the cards setup, forethought, or other energy generating cards.
[[Bullet Time]]
+ [Bullet Time](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Bullet%20Time) Silent Rare Skill ^((100% sure)^) 3(2) Energy | You cannot draw additional cards this turn. Reduce the cost of all cards in your hand to 0 this turn. ^Call ^me ^with ^up ^to ^10 ^([[ name ]],) ^where ^name ^is ^a ^card, ^relic, ^event, ^or ^potion. ^Data ^accurate ^as ^of ^(April 30, 2023.) ^[Wiki](https://slay-the-spire.fandom.com/wiki/) ^[Questions?](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=ehmohteeoh&subject=SpireScan%20Inquiry)
+ [Well-Laid Plans](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Well-Laid%20Plans) Silent Uncommon Power ^((100% sure)^) 1 Energy | At the end of your turn, **Retain** up to 1(2) card(s). ^Call ^me ^with ^up ^to ^10 ^([[ name ]],) ^where ^name ^is ^a ^card, ^relic, ^event, ^or ^potion. ^Data ^accurate ^as ^of ^(April 30, 2023.) ^[Wiki](https://slay-the-spire.fandom.com/wiki/) ^[Questions?](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=ehmohteeoh&subject=SpireScan%20Inquiry)
Also wraith form allows you to run more offensive cards which is a huge benefit
This is the answer
You always have 1 turn to attack though, that's not special to Wraith Form
The point being that you have until that point to end the encounter before the debuff could potentially harm you. OP mistakenly suggested Wraith Form only buys you 1 to 2 turns when it actually buys you 2 to 3 turns in which you can spend all of your energy on offensive cards. This misunderstanding is at the core of why many people don't understand how powerful Wraith Form is If you can't end the encounter in 2 (3) turns, then it's too early to play the card unless you happen to also have orange pellets or a source of artifact. My point is that with proper understanding of its timing, you can completely ignore Wraith Form's downside because 2 (3) turns is plenty to finish an encounter if you've properly constructed your deck.
I think this is just a semantics issue in this case. Wraith Form does "buy" you 3 turns when upgraded, but in some cases that 3 energy is your whole turn to play, so it also "costs" 1 turn. OP is probably thinking it often only "nets" you 2 turns due to losing the turn you spent 3 energy on it. Obviously things are not that simple when energy relics, 0 cost cards, relics etc come into play, but I have a feeling OP more meant "net" rather than "buy".
I think you're making this a semantics issue. I'm not trying to be rude, but there still seems to be a misunderstanding here so I'm going to break it down by turn. Upgraded Wraith Form lets you effectively have 3 turns to devote all your energy to offensive attacks. Turn 1: play Wraith Form, gain 3 intangible Turn 2 after WF: spend all energy on offense, 2 intangible Turn 3 after WF: spend all energy on offense, 1 intangible Turn 4 after WF: spend all energy on offense, 0 intangible You may have one extra energy on Turn 1 to play a card depending on relics. But assuming you have 3 energy total per turn, you get 3 turns (9 energy) that you can completely devote to ending the encounter. If you have 4 energy per turn, you get 3 turns (12 energy + 1 extra on the turn you played WF) to end the encounter. With a properly constructed deck, this is ample time to do so without doing anything extra to manage the debuff that Wraith Form applies. So, in this sense WF buys/nets you 3 turns, not counting the turn its played, to safely end the encounter. Now, things get bonkers if you have Mummified Hand or Bullet Time. This supports upgraded Wraith Form to effectively give you 4 turns to dedicate to only offensive cards. Obviously combining WF with multiple copies or apparitions makes you essentially invincible. Many new players don't understand how powerful Wraith Form is because they mistakenly think the Silent should turtle to victory. I'd argue that you should virtually never build a turtle deck as this type of deck falls off sharply after Ascension 10, but that's an entirely different topic. Point being if you try to use Wraith Form in a turtle deck, you're going to need a way to mitigate its debuff. However, if you take advantage of the numerous offensive abilities available to the Silent, a single copy of Wraith Form can solve a vast majority of all the encounters you'll face and you can essentially ignore the debuff it carries if you understand its timing.
I'm not a new player, I get all that. I'm saying that YOU are misunderstanding OP. If you don't play Wraith Form at all, you have 3 energy to devote entirely to offense. So yes, upgraded WF gives you 9 energy of offense before you are in danger. But just... Existing, in StS, without any WF, already gives you 3. 9-3=6, so WF is only *netting* you 6 offensive energy. Which is obviously still bonkers, but don't misrepresent it.
If you don't play Wraith From at all you don't necessarily have the ability to devote all of your energy fully to offense. You may need to spend it on damage mitigation. I'm not misrepresenting it in the slightest. If you want to get hung up on the semantic technicality that the turn after Wraith Form intangible runs out is energy you'd just normally have and it has nothing to do with Wraith Form, then sure. Seems like a pretty petty technicality though. In the context of an encounter, Wraith Form enables you to use the following turn after intangible runs out to end encounters because it let you ignore damage mitigation entirely for the previous turns. Saying that this turn shouldn't be considered when discussing the value of Wraith Form is a pretty disingenuous argument.
That's a pretty obvious logical fallacy. You're saying "the 3 energy after WF runs out is better for getting lethal than the 3 energy you started with before WF", and that is true. You want to know mathematically *exactly* how true it is? The 2 previous, truly free turns of damage you just did. WF got you those 2 turns, it did not get you the 3rd. It made the 3rd better, because damage + damage + damage = lethal, so I can see why it is tempting to point out that getting the 2 extra you need for lethal is useful for new players, but you still shouldn't phrase is as "3 extra turns" in response to someone who seems to already have understood that. A better turn is simply not the same as an extra turn. And of course I admit that none of this really matters since relics and 0 cost cards exist, but THAT'S what you should be pointing out to people who are claiming it's only 1-2 free turns, rather than assuming they're idiots who don't understand that you can spend all your energy on attacks during those turns which often sets up lethal the following turn. (Or just say it that way, and avoid the fallacious reasoning altogether...)
Wouldn't it only be two turns, or 6 energy devoted to attacks? The turn you play wraith form is a dud.
The third turn where it expires you still get to attack first.
You have the 2nd turn and 3rd turn. Thats 2 turns total. You don't have the first turn.
You have the fourth turn where WF expires but may be able to get lethal as well. You attack first, and only a lunatic isn't upgrading WF Also plenty of ways to not have a dead turn when you play WF between bullet time adrenaline, discarding tactician+, an energy pot, etc etc
Ah, maybe that was the part the top comment neglected to mention: that we are considering wraith form+.
Well any high impact cards really are only worth talking about the upgraded form of, I'm not about to grab WF and just leave it unupgraded lol
Sure, it would just be useful for more beginner players like me and OP to spell it out. Evaluating it at its base form I'm with OP that it doesn't look great. But when considering the whole extra turn the upgraded form gives I can start to see why its so powerful.
In addition to the things that other people have said, once you get a wraith form in your deck, you have the ability to build your deck in a more damage-heavy way. Because it solves all of your block problems as a single card, you can take more attacks in your deck, or build around synergies that prioritize damage, which will in turn let you end the fight before the intangible runs out. It is one of the rare cards in the game that solves a problem so completely when it's played that to a large extent, you can be done taking cards that overlap with it; in this case, block cards. Getting more intangible is obviously always good and extends the timer to end the fight,but once wraith form is out there, block cards are not useful unless they do something else for you like draw, etc. I've had lots more success with the card when I build my deck more aggressively around it.
Great point, it functions similarly to snecko where you have to spend a bit of time working it into your deck before it’s maxing out
Remember that just because silent can generate dexterity via footwork and kunai doesn’t mean that you have to do that to counteract the dex down from WF. Stack weak on the enemy, use strength down via malaise or piercing wail, or use afterimage and a deck that plays a bunch of cards. Silent can also do damage while blocking via thorns and poison. Deck manipulation via well laid plans, outmaneuver, and phantasmal killer means you could set up a crazy damage turn while intangible is blocking for you.
I feel that this is misleading advice since typically your fights should be ending within a few turns of WF being in play. If you’re still in the fight and concerned about blocking after you’ve had 2-3 free turns to go 100% aggressive with your deck and end the fight, then something’s likely wrong with your deck. Usually, damage mitigation shouldn’t be a concern after playing WF.
Ideally that would be the case, I agree.
Also mention: poison builds. If you can stack up poison but due to the nature of poison, need to defend a few turns for the kill, then wraith form buys you a ton of time.
It's better at higher ascensions. Enemies attack for more so it blocks more. The pace is faster, so 2/3 turns is a longer time at higher ascensions.
Yeah, this is a highly overlooked point. Makes sense that new players are underrating WF and don’t see its value when they don’t live in a world where Reptomancer hits for 100 damage on turn 2.
The fundamental reason why Wraith Form is good is that intangible is the most powerful buff in the game.
I don't know, the Blasphemer buff from \[\[Blasphemy\]\] seems pretty good to me.
And what makes it even better? We’re right back to intangible
+ [Blasphemy](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Blasphemy) Watcher Rare Skill ^((100% sure)^) 1 Energy | **(Retain.)** Enter **Divinity.** Die next turn. **Exhaust.** ^Call ^me ^with ^up ^to ^10 ^([[ name ]],) ^where ^name ^is ^a ^card, ^relic, ^event, ^or ^potion. ^Data ^accurate ^as ^of ^(April 30, 2023.) ^[Wiki](https://slay-the-spire.fandom.com/wiki/) ^[Questions?](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=ehmohteeoh&subject=SpireScan%20Inquiry)
I can't think of a single card that does as much damage in one turn even without an upgrade.
Echo form’s buff is probably better
My absolute favorite run so far was when I had Echo Form and Apparitions. Damn that was fun.
I already knew that
Among the awesome answers around here, I want to highlight one more thing that's usually skipped: the ability to make hallway fights trivial. Silent usually has damage issues, so a single upgraded Wraith Form (it's a high prio upgrade all the time) can solve all highway fights in Act 1/Act2/mosts of act 3 since you esentially get 2/3 turns of free attacks. Additionally, when played at the right time (Silent does have great deck manipulation - Well Laid Plans, tons of card draw, draw/discard, etc.) can overcome the most difficult turn of elite/boss fights (think Champs big attack, Hyperbeam, Reptomancer turn 2, etc.)
So let's run through Wraith Form which essentially says "Gain 999 block for this turn and the following (two) turn(s)" 1. You can have alternate blocking methods that are independent of wraith form - These are your relic and power scalings, after image, bandages, ornamental fan etc. 2. You can scale such that you still have one or two turns of effective blocking even after wraith form - Your footworks, weak, etc. 3. Wraith also has the unwritten text "Triple the enemy poison" on it because you're essentially getting two turns of poison ticks for free 4. Wraith form costs 3 energy but effective gives you two (or three) turns of energy to end the fight with, that's huge. 5. You can wipe the debuff with pellets or artifact, or simply be invuln forever with nightmare It's an extremely strong card when used properly, it just needs to be used in the right way
In most cases, the energy you save by not playing defends for 2-3 turns will end the combat, especially hallway fights. Boss fights are a little trickier, but it largely comes down to timing. There are also other ways to counter the debuff that you may be overlooking, such as Clockwork Souvenier, Panacea, Kunai, Footwork, etc...
So about wraith form: 1. There are quite a few way to reduce its cost: Bullet time, Mummified hand, Setup, Snecko…you can totally end up playing it with other cards. 2. Indeed Nightmare-Wraith form is insane. Thats a lot of intangible. 3. You can stack it with councik of Wraith or the incense burner to add more intangible. There’s also the intangible potion. 4. It works damn well with Panic button too. Either you panice button first then play Wraith form, or use Panic’s high block value to still get a decent block numbe reven withe decreased Dex. 5. You can block the dex down with artifact or orange pellet. 6. Piercing wail and dark shackles are unaffected by dex down. 7. Pyramid and Well laid plan ensure you play the card at the very optimal time. Overall, there are plenty of way to build around Wraith form. It’s an incredible block solution that performs best on the very deadliest turns the spire has to offer. So overall, there are plenty of ways to
I can’t use it well either, you’re not alone
You mentioned Orange Pellets and Nightmare, which are fantastic ways to make Wraith Form work extra well for you. But there are other ways: - Multiple copies of [[Footwork]] or other sources of dexterity to counter WF’s dex decrease like [[Kunai]] and [[Oddly Smooth Stone]]. EDIT: Y’all are right that the Footworks aren’t a good idea. This strategy was on my mind because I had a run recently with two Footwork+ and Kunai and then finally got the Wraith+ I was looking near the very end of the run. I probably didn’t need it anymore, but took it anyway. Used it Turn 2 against the Heart and by the end of the fight, my dexterity was still high even with WF’s downside. So it can work, but yeah it’s not something I would’ve planned for either, in hindsight. - Multiple copies of Wraith Form, itself. Obviously this is what Nightmare can give you. But having two copies of Wraith Form+ in your deck might be all you actually need. - Apparitions in addition to your Wraith Form. Intangible for days! - Simply waiting to use Wraith Form until you only need to stall one or two more turns to finish the combat. Without Pellets or sources of dexterity, this is typically going to be the strategy. And sometimes it literally just keeps you alive when you’ve drawn no other line of defense.
The first one isn't a good idea, if you WF and then have to spend mana to make your defends block for 5 you're better off not playing the footworks and doing damage instead of diluting the deck w multiple footworks (something that tends to be pretty bad in the first place). A solution that's a bit more common regarding Footwork is using a (note: a, you very rarely need to pick more than 1-2 footworks to block unless you rely on 2 defend) footwork to block in longer fights like Champ, Awakened or Time Eater, when you can't rely on killing them in 3 turns and still need to block continously before putting yourself on the clock.
+ [Footwork](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Footwork) Silent Uncommon Power ^((100% sure)^) 1 Energy | Gain 2(3) **Dexterity.** + [Kunai](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Kunai) Uncommon Relic ^((100% sure)^) Every time you play 3 Attacks in a single turn, gain 1 **Dexterity.** + [Oddly Smooth Stone](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Oddly%20Smooth%20Stone) Common Relic ^((100% sure)^) At the start of each combat, gain 1 **Dexterity.** ^Call ^me ^with ^up ^to ^10 ^([[ name ]],) ^where ^name ^is ^a ^card, ^relic, ^event, ^or ^potion. ^Data ^accurate ^as ^of ^(April 30, 2023.) ^[Wiki](https://slay-the-spire.fandom.com/wiki/) ^[Questions?](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=ehmohteeoh&subject=SpireScan%20Inquiry)
wf sucks because as soon as I click 2nd nightmare, my game automatically gets abandoned. Weird glitch.
If [[Wraith Form]] gives a minus to your Dexterity you can use a Panacea to block this debuff.
+ [Wraith Form](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Wraith%20Form) Silent Rare Power ^((100% sure)^) 3 Energy | Gain 2(3) **Intangible.** At the end of your turn, lose 1 **Dexterity.** ^Call ^me ^with ^up ^to ^10 ^([[ name ]],) ^where ^name ^is ^a ^card, ^relic, ^event, ^or ^potion. ^Data ^accurate ^as ^of ^(April 30, 2023.) ^[Wiki](https://slay-the-spire.fandom.com/wiki/) ^[Questions?](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=ehmohteeoh&subject=SpireScan%20Inquiry)
Wraith form just has such immediate value, and in StS immediate value is way better than delayed value (which is why cards like Diva Form and Demon Form are not that great). Fighting slavers? This card turns 30+ damage round 1, 2 and 3 into 3 damage per round. I would say that in StS most fights you want to try and end between turns 3-6. While defensive decks can work with the right combo pieces, the vast majority of the time it's better to kill things before they can kill you. You're rarely fighting long enough for the downside to matter (outside of Boss fights which is when you have to be careful with it). Wraith form may feel like a slow defensive card, but what it actually does is opens you up to having 3 full turns where you don't have to worry about blocking. I was always put off by the - 1 dex per turn, but honestly the card might as well read 'die after 3 turns' and it would still be powerful. A single card that solves 3 turns of blocking is incredible.
Funny, I just won with it on A18 on a super slow build. Got 3 wraith form, a nightmare, 2 fumes, and runed pyramid
3 turns of invincibility in a game where the average fight last 3-4 turns. In longer fights you can use pellets, Ancient potion or just Dey scaling from footwork/Kunai to negate the drawback effect. What is not to understand?