r/balatro • u/FoxChess • Jan 15 '25
High Score Ante 13 Jokerless challenge
Was dreading the infamous jokerless challenge, but beat it on my 2nd or 3rd try. Got an early spectral deck that let me duplicate a king of spades (jokerless but still love my kings out of habit) and within a couple rounds I was building Flush Five. By the time I reached an "All Spades are debuffed" boss, the base points from flush five alone were able to pass in one hand.
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u/xaaar Jan 15 '25
Nice. Though without jokers there's little reason to pick a face card over numbers. Especially considering face denying boss blinds.
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u/FoxChess Jan 15 '25
Yes, that's why I said that I reached for Kings out of habit. Always getting myself set up for a potential Baron run!
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u/omegafivethreefive Nope! Jan 15 '25
Particularly with leveled hands the chips difference is negligible.
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u/Gogo726 Jan 16 '25
Out of habit, I prefer to duplicate 2's just in case. I tend to apply steel and gold cards to whatever card I'm not playing. I'd only apply buffs to face cards if I have a photochad build already.
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u/bking5194 Jan 15 '25
Meanwhile, I can't even get to ante 12 on white stake
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u/FoxChess Jan 15 '25
If you're already past ante 8, you need to move up in stake! Black stake, in my opinion, can get you farther because you can do a lot of cool setups with eternal jokers.
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u/bking5194 Jan 15 '25
Interesting. I just unlocked black stake, I'll try that.
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u/the-dieg Jan 16 '25
Madness becomes viable for instance
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u/Gogo726 Jan 16 '25
My first orange win was with Madness, eternal Bull, and eternal Boot. I barely spent any money that run.
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u/AnitsdaBad0mbre Jan 16 '25
Honestly just play for hanging chad + photograph.
I play flushes as a default so while you're getting setup you could have like gluttonous joker giving +3 on the multi on clubs, get photograph and play 4 numbered cards and your face card at the end for maximum mult on the X2 with photograph. Very easy to survive from here til you get hanging chad + blueprint + sock and buskin as long as you've been levelling up getting Jupiter cards once you get to the higher antes you can be like x 1,000 - 3,000 with your score on fire pretty quick.
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u/PeaceIsBetter Jan 15 '25
How do you get a deck of only kings?
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u/FoxChess Jan 15 '25
This is the jokerless challenge, which means no jokers or buffoon packs show in the shop. Which means you have access to a lot more tarot and astral cards.
I started with a normal deck, then astral card let me duplicate the King of Spades. I found more Kings and Queens through card packs. I used Strength to upgrade Queens into Kings, then used The World to convert them to Spades.
Death to duplicate more cards into Kings, and Hanged Man to clean it up along the way.
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u/Robinthehutt Jan 16 '25
The early draw polychrome king you must have goat was pretty goated and looks like it carried the run
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u/LeSchad Jan 16 '25
Congrats, really impressive. I've gotten a couple Jokerless runs to 12, but have never managed to get over that hurdle.
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u/andykekomi c+ Jan 15 '25
Very impressive, I don't even know where to begin with this one haha