The Angler

Close up shot of The Angler in Act I

> Go fish.
>
> The Angler

**The Angler** is a boss in Act I, an NPC and opponent in Act II, and the Fishbot card in Act III.

The Angler is one of Leshy's subordinates. His role is that of a fisherman, his main task being to dredge *Inscryption's* files for OLD\_DATA.

## Act I

### Battle

The Angler is the boss of the Wetlands. He has two phases.

#### Phase 1

Unlike the other Act I bosses, the battle against the Angler starts with an entirely empty board. His cards in this phase include Kingfishers and River Otters. Additionally, as his special ability, he aims his hook at a card every other turn (denoted by a glowing hook symbol on the card). He always targets the newest played card, regardless of stats. At the end of his next turn, he will hook the targeted card, dragging it to his side of the field, pushing back any cards already in that space.

If the player has not died at least once, defeating the first phase will result in the Angler filling the board with Grizzlies with the Mighty Leap Sigil.

#### Phase 2

When his first candle is snuffed out, he clears his board and summons Bait Buckets in front of each creature in play. When a Bait Bucket is defeated, it summons a Great White. The only cards he plays in this phase are Bait Buckets.

#### Strategy

The Angler's cards are all Waterborne, meaning that there is no way to hit them on the player's turn. Each card he gets is more damage the player will be forced to take. It is suggested to hit The Angler fast and hard before too many cards spawn. A quick way to deal with his special ability is to play a Squirrel or Pelt at the end of the turn, to protect more powerful cards from being hooked. This can be taken further by putting it opposite one of his cards (either already on the board or ready to be played next turn), as this will replace it with something that can't attack.

In Phase 2, The Angler's **Bait Buckets** should be ignored, as the resulting **Great Whites** are difficult to manage. Airborne cards are the best defense against them, as they will fly over the buckets, allowing you to attack directly to end the fight. If you don't have any **Airborne** cards, you may want to sacrifice cards in front of the buckets to prevent them from being destroyed. If buckets are destroyed, the **Great Whites** that spawn won't submerge until the following turn, meaning that with Bifurcated Strike, Trifurcated Strike, or Double Strike, you can kill a **Great White** before it can attack. On that note, cards with these sigils can be useful to attack empty lanes and end this phase quickly but need to be placed cautiously to avoid buckets. If all else fails, a **Great White** can be spawned intentionally, then stolen using the Fish Hook to quickly turn the tide of battle.

#### Post-Battle

After he's defeated, the player has their candles relit and proceeds to the Snow Line.

After defeating the Angler for the first time, the Fish Hook item is given at the start of subsequent runs.

## Act II

The Angler is seen fishing on a bridge outside Leshy's Cabin. He refuses to let you pass until he's shown a picture of a fish, after which he will initiate battle. Unlike most characters in Act II, he will speak without being interacted with before battling him.

### Battle

The Angler will always start by playing a Salmon, then another Salmon, and finally a Kingfisher.

#### Strategy

While the Angler only plays 3 cards, they are invincible once played. It's advised you end the battle quickly, as the amount of damage the Angler can do per turn increases the longer it goes on. Due to all his cards being Waterborne, you can always attack him directly, meaning Airborne cards are mostly irrelevant.

#### Post-Battle

After defeating him, he gives the player a Beastly card pack and allows them to cross the bridge.

He can also be found fishing at the dock after his battle. The Salmon in a chest there is likely one of his previous catches.

## Act III

The Angler has been transformed into the Fishbot card and hidden within P03's Factory.

## Kaycee's Mod

### Battle

The Angler's Role in Kaycee's mod is roughly the same as in Act I, however he can be encountered later or earlier, as the map order is randomized in the mod. If encountered as the third boss, he will begin the first phase with 2 Bait Buckets on the board, and in the second phase he will forego playing Bait Buckets and play Great Whites.

## Quotes

### Act II

* Player attempts to pass bridge without a picture:
	+ "No. No fish? No pass."
	+ "No fish? No pass."
	+ (wrong picture) "Dead fish? Joke?"
	+ (wrong picture, afterwards) "Dead fish. Rotten fish. No."
* Initiating a battle with the player:
	+ "Fish. Fresh fish. Good. Still. Must battle."
	+ "No pass until beat."
	+ "Fish good. Still. Must beat."
	+ (player fixed their deck) "Deck good. Battle now."
* Player's deck is invalid:
	+ "Deck Bad. Need cards. 20."
* Player loses the battle:
	+ "Thank for fish. But no pass until beat."
	+ "No pass until beat."
	+ "No beat. No pass."
* Player wins the battle:
	+ "You beat. You pass. First, take."
* Spoken to:
	+ "Me? Work continue. Find fish for Leshy."
	+ "Leshy want good fish. Fresh fish. Corrupted Fish."
	+ "Leshy trust. I not disappoint. Find corrupted fish."
	+ "Fresh fish? No. Leshy want corrupted. I find some time. Always do."
* Spoken to at the dock:
	+ "Sometime... I try this spot. Find good fish. Corrupted fish. OLD\_FISH."
	+ "Boat? Scrybe only. In case bad happen. "Backup Plan," Leshy say."
	+ "I catch OLD\_FISH last time. Good fish. Beat Dredger. Beat Goo. Beat Kaycee. Good Fish."
	+ "Leshy trust. I not disappoint."

## Achievement

Achievement

Role Reversal is obtained through the Fish Hook, and is quite self explanatory. It also works if Leshy has used the Angler's hook in his boss battle. Grizzled Angler is obtained by defeating The Angler in Act I.

## Gallery

### Act I

Act II

1. ↑ "I catch OLD\_FISH last time. Good fish. Beat Dredger. Beat Goo. Beat Kaycee. Good fish." -The Angler