Jester (Butcher's Circus)

## Combat Skills

(All buffs and debuffs last for 3 rounds unless otherwise specified.)

\* Finale is able to kill heroes who are not on Death's Door yet, and without needing to make a Death's Door check, but it must reduce their HP to -1 or lower. Reducing their HP to exactly 0 will not trigger a Deathblow.

## Tactical Analysis

### Using a Jester

The PvP version of *Finale* has the ability to bypass Death's Door, meaning that if it puts any enemy unit below 0HP they **immediately die**, without any regard to their Deathblow resistance. However, if *Finale* does just enough damage to put them to exactly 0HP, that enemy simply falls to Death's Door like normal. *Finale* is essentially **the** reason to run a Jester, so it's best to build around it. As the self-buffs to *Finale* can stack up to 280%, Finale can hit for 24-44 damage before accounting for buffs and crits, so he can kill the squishier units at a little less than full health.

Most Jesters are best placed at position 3 so that they can open with a *Battle Ballad* which gives a long-lasting ACC buff. *Dirk Stab* is a basic skill that puts the Jester in position for *Finale* but also has an oft-overlooked ability to bypass Guards and have a slightly higher Deathblow rate. This lets him contribute to battle significantly as he builds up to a good *Finale*, and as heroes dwindle he can contribute to stray Deathblows to turn the tides in your favor.

The last skill is dependent on preference. *Harvest* is great for spreading AoE Bleeds and can be combined with the Crushed Hemlock to inflict both Bleed and Blight to the enemy middle ranks. *Mortal Wound* can weaken the enemy's Deathblow resistance to help the Jester or his companions assassinate them. *Inspiring Tune* can be helpful in defending against single-target Stress attacks. *Solo* can help set up for a deadly *Finale*, but since its buffs are not too different from those provided by the rest of the Jesters' skills, it's one of the least-used skills in the repertoire.

Knowing when to use *Finale* is important if you run a Jester. Use it before you've built up enough damage, and you've wasted the attack and pretty much given the opponent a vulnerable, fragile unit to pick off. Hold it for too long, and you might lose the Jester before you get to unleash it. Ideally, *Finale* is best used on fragile but problematic targets like the enemy's healers or support units, but if your opponent is expecting you to use Finale they will work to prevent you from doing so by Stunning or moving the Jester or Guarding or healing your intended target. Try to keep at least two possible victims at low health so that the opponent doesn't know which one you intend to go for. You can also soften the entire enemy ranks by spreading Bleed and Blight around with your team. The Reaper Shroud will give a sizeable boost to his damage all-around and the raised ACC against low-health units makes *Finale* a guaranteed hit.

### Fighting a Jester

*Finale* can seriously destroy your momentum if it lands on a vital unit, so do your best to keep the Jester from using it. He has a low Stun and Move resistance - a well-placed Stun can buy you enough time to heal your low-health units, while a knockback effect can keep him out of the front lines and deny use of *Finale*. The Jester's high DODGE can make him difficult to hit, so pack ACC buffs or Trinkets to ensure that your attacks make their mark. You can also Guard any threatened units to deter *Finale*, but be careful for the possibility of *Finale* just killing your guarding unit anyway. Never pull the enemy Jester forward, as it's an invitation to get one of your heroes killed on the spot.

After the *Finale* drops, the Jester becomes a lot more vulnerable, suffering a great DODGE penalty, 3 turns of Daze, and an incurable buff that raises Stress taken. This makes him easier to kill and break, but it doesn't mean you can ignore him, since he's still perfectly capable of landing Deathblows on your worn-down party. Pick him off quickly and the opponent has one less action available to them.