Cards

**Cards** are the colourful essence of battle in Shuffle. Various cards may be fired as projectiles, resulting in the receiving enemy being inflicted various unique effects upon contact, or a structure being placed. The player should replenish cards by picking up card stacks (alternatively referred to as boxes, crates, or card packs) scattered throughout dungeons.

The player's current card deck is visible at the bottom of the screen. Cards cannot be cycled through manually and can only be used in the order in which they are given.

## Card Stacks

### Effects

Card deck replenishment

**Card stacks** are small, rectangular objects that can be picked up by the player. Upon doing this, the player's card deck is replenished with an entirely new, randomly-generated deck of cards to use. Card stacks will only appear once the player has used up all cards in their current deck.

It is important to note that card stacks will be able to spawn **anywhere** inside the level's main room, excluding the outside perimeter or within wall tiles. If the player is in the middle of shooting a card, the animation must stop before the stack is to be picked up.

## Instant Damage

### Colour

Blue Violet

The **instant damage** card is a purple card marked with an magical curse emblem, allowing you to take out 6 points of an enemy’s health. Receiving 2 or more instant damage cards in the same deck is rather lucky, as this card is widely considered as the best in the game.

Instant damage cards are also the only in the game which do not leave any special effect on the receiver. This is presumably to make the card effectiveness system more balanced.

## Fire

### Colour

Roman

The **fire** card is a red card marked with a flame emblem that will burn an enemy for 2.8 seconds to take out approximately 8 points of their health. This card is unique as it is the only card which has the ability to blow up barrels on contact.

Enemies that are burning change to have a translucent flame-like body engulfing them whilst the effect is active. Enemies can still suffer a burning effect despite being frozen beforehand, and vice versa.

## Freeze

### Colour

Turquoise Blue

The **freeze** card is a light blue card marked with a ice shard emblem that freezes an enemy in ice for 3 seconds, removing their ability to move during this time. This card may be useful for halting enemies when the player is stuck in tight positions.

The freeze card is unique as it does not deal any damage directly, which is traded for a useful freeze effect. This card should be used strategically and carefully, as it may sometimes slow down progress or result in unwanted pathway blocks. Freezed enemies can still eliminate the player should they come in contact in any way. Attempting to freeze an enemy that is already in a freeze effect will result in nothing.

## Poison

### Colour

Magic Mint

The **poison** card is a green card marked with a poison gas emblem that inflicts a poison effect, lasting 2.8 seconds. Upon contact, enemies’ health points are gradually reduced and their movement speed degraded significantly until the effect wears off.

The poison card is the only card which alters an enemy's movement speed, rather than reducing it to 0 or unaffecting it. Upon contact with an enemy, no damage is given directly. Instead, the resulting poison effect is what reduces their hitpoints.

### Structure Cards

**Structure** cards are grey cards that can be shot at special tiles, placing their respective structure (appearing on the card's emblem) on the tile for 3 seconds before disappearing. Structure cards do not deal any damage directly and are not designed to be shot at enemies.

*See Structures.*