The purpose of this guide is to help new players learn the basics of the Rogue Class in Card Quest in order to provide them with an easy playthrough to get more accustomed to how the game works. I call this build the Serial Killer because, with one exception, you can use it to beat every section of the main game with little effort, wiping out enemies quickly with Dagger attacks. It prioritizes card draws and maximizes damage using STUN and UNAWARE features. Navigate this guide to see how it works and try it yourself! Note that two cards are provided at the start of the game and are not particular to any of the sets described. They will be explained in the how to play section of this guide.

The following is the selection of cards you should have prepared using Assassination School. I will explain how each card works in detail below.

Assassination School
Assassination School is a selection of cards unlocked at Level 7. Make it one of your priorities to achieve Level 7 so you can receive these cards. It should not take long. The following is an explanation of each card and its purpose, starting from the leftmost card and moving to the right.

1. Killing Blow - This particular card will be your most important for killing bosses. Though it is a CHAINBREAKER (breaks any bonuses from cards used in succession), it deals massive damage, is UNDODGEABLE, ignores ARMOR, and ignores STRIKEBACK from enemies that have that feature. After usage it nets you a 2-card draw as well.

2. Distraction - In spite of its high cost, which increases by 1 STAMINA to a total of 4 after the first for any subsequent cards until a CHAINBREAKER is used, Distraction can avoid any attack thrown at you that you can defend. It is useful for enemies that can attack more than once per turn, including if DISTANT. As soon as it is used, the attack is entirely ignored and it puts the target into UNAWARE status for one round. Any attacks for that target cease after Distraction is used for the duration of its effect.

3. Plan Ahead - This particular card allows you to build TACTICS. You need 3 to use Killing Blow and 1 or 3 for Vanish (see next card). However, the aspect of it you need to exploit is the fact that it nets you two cards and it costs nothing to do it! Even if you already have full TACTICS you can use it as a way to draw more cards without losing STAMINA. Another important detail about this trick is that this card creates a CHAIN for damage cards. It is, thus, an easy way to start out with maximum damage.

4. Vanish - This card creates a state of UNAWARE for all enemies on-screen, with the exception of some that are immune to it. However, for most enemies it creates a state of UNAWARE for two rounds maximum. This gives you time to build up STAMINA by passing for a turn or enables you to do more damage to an UNAWARE enemy.

The following is the selection of cards you should have prepared using the Dagger as your primary weapon. This may seem strange since it is such a low-level item. The Wiki, for example, declares this weapon "useless." It is anything but when you see how this build owns. I will explain how each card works in detail below.

Dagger
The Dagger is a weapon that unlocks a selection of cards after you defeat the Old Town battle in the City of the Undead, the very first battle of the level. The following is an explanation of each card and its purpose, starting from the leftmost card and moving to the right.

1. Backstab - Be careful as this card is a CHAINBREAKER. It deals more damage than Jab (see below), even without being part of a CHAIN, but it is best used as a final attack or when no other attacks remain. It is very effective to use this card after one or more in a series of Jab cards as it weakens the opponent, does more damage, and ignores 2 points of ARMOR. In a CHAIN it costs 1 STAMINA less and deals 2 points additional damage. In a CHAIN, though it will break it, it will deal 1 card after use.

2. Jab - This is your primary attack with this build. Jab works best once it is in a CHAIN with other Jab cards since they draw so often, but not Backstab, which is a CHAINBREAKER. After the first one is used, or if is is already part of a chain, you net 1 card draw per attack.

The following is the selection of cards you should have prepared for your Secondary set. I will explain how each card works in detail below.

Bare Rogue
Bare Rogue is the first Secondary in the game as the Rogue class, provided when you start. As with the Dagger, it would seem worthless to use it at later levels, but it is another core detail of this build that is absolutely required for it to work.

1. Cheap Trick - This is the most critical card of this entire build. Cheap Trick will apply STUN effect to any enemy that can be stunned. When you use it once, it creates a CHAIN effect for more Cheap Trick cards or attacks, provided they are not a CHAINBREAKER. So if you already have a chain going and use Cheap Trick, it will enact its most important feature, which is generating a whopping 2 cards upon use for 0 STAMINA! Similar to Plan Ahead (see the Assassination School card set in a separate section of this guide for more details) it enables you to exploit card draws but unlike Plan Ahead it is extremely common and drops frequently. Note it also supplies a damage boost for the next attack that connects, regardless if the target was hit with Cheap Trick.

2. Arm Parry - This card is practically worthless at higher levels. It provides some defense, but without ARMOR, not much at all against higher-tier enemies, and it does not avoid things like POISON as the Distraction card in the Assassination School set does (see separate section of this guide). However, for attacks at 2 points of damage or less (unless you have armor points increased), it is sufficient, and, more importantly, it generates 1 card draw upon the first use, then 2 cards if in a CHAIN. In higher-level battles you will generally discard this one.

The Shadow Cloak is a piece of armor you receive later in the City of the Undead. It is received after beating the battle called the Roofs. This is the final battle in the middle row right before the final boss battle. Though it decreases your STAMINAl by 2 points, it puts all enemies into UNAWARE at the start of every battle, provided they can be. It can also be used as a last effort to dodge an attack, as it works in the same way as Distraction (see Assassination School section of this guide), but it effects all enemies on-screen that can be confused, making it also work at the same time like another card from the Assassination School set called Vanish (see separate section). It requires 2 encounters to recharge its 1 usage, please note.

There are two items I recommend in the Trinket slot for this particular build. The Garrotte is the first you get, received by completing the Rogue Class tutorial. Though it is fairly weak, only doing 8 damage per attack, if you use it to kill an enemy who is in a state of STUN or UNAWARE, it will net a 2-card draw. Thus it can be used in a bind to do a quick draw of 2 cards, increasing your chance of pulling out something like Plan Ahead or more commonly Cheap Trick to draw more cards (see Assassination School and Bare Rogue sections of this guide for more information). Another benefit to this trinket is that the Garrotte fully recharges after every successful battle, meaning you can use it in every encounter you face as it does not need more recharge time.


A later trinket you receive is the Smoke Bomb. Received in the City of the Undead in the High Town battle (second battle in the bottom row after choosing the lower path), this particular item can be used for defense or offense, making it useful against large groups of enemies, such as the three groups of adds The Forest King drops at three separate points of the encounter. When used it makes UNAWARE all on-screen enemies that can be effected by it, making it similar in use to the Vanish card in the Assassination School set (see separate section of this guide) and the Shadow Cloak armor (see separate section) combined.

The Poison Darts are one of the earliest items you receive for the Bag. They are received after completing the Mountain's Foot battle in the Dwarven Mountains, the very first battle of the level. The Poison Darts deal a minimum of 2 damage per attack, unless the enemy is UNAWARE and/or in a state of STUN, where they will deal more damage depending on ARMOR (they ignore 2 points). They also POISON for 2 damage per dart per turn for 3 turns total, making them useful for picking some life away from enemies that can be affected by them. For this build they also provide a way to hit enemies at a distance for a little damage and also initiate a CHAIN without using cards. Another important detail about them is you have 6 to use total and you recharge 2 darts per successful encounter. This makes them more valuable than even higher-level Bag items because you can use all of them in the first round of an encounter and have them all back within 3 more.

Now that you know how to set the build, let me explain the basics. If possible, I will add a video later showing you examples of the build in action, but it should be fairly easy to understand once you see how the card drops work and how to deal out your damage properly. Note that 2 cards shown near the bottom are provided naturally with any Rogue card set you use. They are not particular to any Style, Primary, or Secondary set.

How to Use Your Card Deck
I have organized each explanation below based on how they were introduced earlier in this guide. Following all of the card sections below is a section describing how to pull it all together.

Killing Blow should primarily be reserved for bosses, or for cases where enemies need to be killed while avoiding strikeback damage. The mushrooms in the MUSHROOM CAVES (see special separate section of the guide for more information), a battle in the Dwarven Mountains, are the primary example of when to use this on a regular enemy. Distraction, in spite of its higher cost, can avoid anything. In various later battles where enemies are hidden, it is really the only way to avoid their attacks. It is good to have at least 1, or better yet 2, in your hand when you have a lot of enemies still present or anticipate hidden enemies appearing. For The Forest King, for example, he will reappear after you defeat his various add drops, so you need 1 to avoid his attack, putting him into a state of UNAWARE. Plan Ahead is easy to use and should never be discarded. If possible, use this one first to make your attacks more powerful before you attack, creating a CHAIN for more damage and also for lower cost in some cases. You should try to have one Vanish always ready to go for tougher encounters. The constant dropping of cards using the other two sets (see other sections of guide) will eventually net you at least one of these, as it is more common than Killing Blow. Note that it can cost 1 or 3 TACTICS depending on cards you have played already. If you see it costs 3 and want to get around it until the next Plan Ahead card to use Killing Blow, the easiest way is to use a CHAINBREAKER card and it will reduce back to 1 TACTICS, but a higher cost at 6 STAMINA versus 3 or 4.


The best way to utilize the Dagger is to start with Jab, drawing more cards using the other sets in the build if possible, and then ending with Backstab. When opponents are UNAWARE the first attack on them will do more damage, but it breaks the effect. If they are in STUN, however, it does more damage and does not break their status. If they are in STUN and UNAWARE the damage is even higher and the STUN will not break, though UNAWARE still will. Thus, with the high draw rate of this build, you can waste an entire team of enemies in a single turn if you get the right cards, which you generally will because of the high draw rate. One important detail is you can start the CHAIN with Jab by using the Plan Ahead card that is part of the Assassination School (see separate section of the guide) or by using the Poison Darts from your Bag (see separate section) for a single hit on any target you like. Note that enemies can and will DODGE if they have that capability, unless they are in STUN or UNAWARE. Once these statuses are gone their DODGE is back for how ever many times they can do it. It works well to use Jab against enemies with less life, such as the fairies, while they are confused to net more cards, quick kills, and continue the damage chain.


Cheap Trick is the most important feature of this build. When it is part of a CHAIN, which can include any attacks, it costs you nothing, but it can STUN and generate 2 cards. When you combine this with UNAWARE via a card like Vanish (see the Assassination School set in a separate section of this guide) it can create massive damage on enemies when you start to use your attacks. Of course, some enemies cannot be stunned, but the great part is that Cheap Trick will still generate two card draws, or one card draw if not in a CHAIN, even if the enemy is not affected by it. Thus, you can use this card any time you get it to generate more card draws. In a CHAIN it costs nothing so you can only gain from its use whether or not its confuse effect works. Arm Parry, however, is a card you will primarily discard unless you need a card draw or have no other defense to utilize. Against enemies that deal 2 or less damage it can be quite useful, but for later battles it is essentially worthless unless you have armor points or want to get a single or double card draw.


These cards exist within the other classes as well. Concentration provides 2 STAMINA and draws 3 cards. Inner Strength draws only 1 card, but provides 5 STAMINA. With the high draw rate this build creates due to cards like Cheap Trick and Plan Ahead, you will pull one or both of these quite often. This enables you to keep your STAMINA level replenished while slowly dealing out the cards you need for specific situations, such as Killing Blow for bosses. Even if your STAMINA is full, they will still draw out more cards. Inner Strength is useful if you find you have nothing to utilize. Simply spend 5 STAMINA to draw another card from your deck, then refill with Inner Strength like it never happened. Of course, you might not get the card you need the first draw, but it helps to have this in tight situations. Both are CHAINBREAKER cards, please note, but because of how often you will be drawing Cheap Trick you can easily activate a CHAIN again to keep damage high. They also can only be used in attack phases, not during defense, so be careful to generate enough energy before you go into the enemy's turn. If you use Distraction it will reduce your eSTAMINA quickly so you need a lot if you choose to utilize a few of them!

To How Play the SERIAL KILLER Build
This build works intuitively once you see how the cards function. Though you will not get the Shadow Cloak until later (see separate section of this guide for more details), the primary card sets shown above are the real core of how it all works. Your goal is to slowly tear away at enemies by causing as much damage as possible through cards like Vanish and Cheap Trick. The latter gives you tons of card draws and can be used to CHAIN and deal massive damage. When an enemy is STUNNED or UNAWARE, the damage rate is much higher, especially when you are using attack cards in a CHAIN. With all the continuous draws from cards like Jab (when in a CHAIN) and especially Cheap Trick, you should find that you can lay waste to many encounters without more than 2 turns passing for both sides. Even enemies with high amounts of HEALTH cannot withstand the progressive damage. With this build you have an incredibly high draw rate that almost eliminates the luck factor of this game. There are still some strategies to learn for different battles, such as when HIDDEN ENEMIES are going to appear, but that comes with learning the game. Let me know if you have any questions and enjoy! Just note that there is one particular battle that might give you trouble, which is why this guide has one more special section! The final one will lead you to a Subclass guide.

If there is one battle that can give you trouble, it is the Mushroom Caverns with its extremely annoying Mushroom Heart boss. This battle is the first in the middle row in the Dwarven Mountains level. The vast majority of enemies in the different parts of this battle are totally immune to both STUN and UNAWARE tactics. Further, since the Rogue Class works best at melee but has to be careful of taking damage, this makes this battle very difficult. You cannot rely on STUN and/or UNAWARE to win as you can in every other battle using this build. It is still possible to beat it without tweaks, but you have to save up Killing Blow and use it on any enemies that possess STRIKEBACK, such as the Acid Mushroom, to make sure your HEALTH is at full or almost at full for the boss. The Mushroom Heart is the most difficult enemy for this build because it spawns more mushrooms with STRIKEBACK and heal capabilities, deals damage you cannot dodge in any way every time it gets a turn, and has a large amount of HEALTH in addition to STRIKEBACK. The key, then, is that you have to absolutely lay into it and kill it first before finishing off anything else. If you are looking to beat it with no stress whatsoever, however, you can win with a slight tweak in the build so you can complete this battle in particular, and then use the regular layout of the build for everything else. Use the following three tweaks and you should find it rather simple. Again, note you can beat it with the regular build, but it will be extremely difficult and you absolutely need to capitalize on tons of card draws and Killing Blow.

Armor: Brigand Armor

Because of the large amount of STRIKEBACK from mushrooms in the rounds of this battle, you might need more life than the amount given by the base build. The Brigand Armor is acquired after beating the Logging Village battle in the Enchanted Forest (second battle if you choose to go towards the lower path). This armor increases your HEALTH by 8 and it gives three ARMOR of 2 each per use, in addition to 1 card draw. It only requires 2 rounds to recharge, as well. If you have its additional ARMOR, note that this increases the defense of cards like Arm Parry (see Secondary: Bare Rogue in this guide for more information). This gives it a particular edge for the mushroom encounters.

Trinket: Dragonstick

This item is not received until later, but you can skip right past the Mushroom Caverns to get it quite easily. You receive it in the Dwarven Mountains level after completing the Dwarven City battle (the second battle in the bottom row after choosing the lower path). It can be used for offense or defense, deals 6 damage points per use, and burning the target as well for a single turn. The other benefit is that you have 3 uses of it and it ignores STRIKEBACK. If you need a quick defense against something like the Acid Mushroom enemies while fighting the boss, this will thin them out. I suggest saving it for when you beat the Mushroom Heart when it spawns a number of them.

Bag: Dwarven Bombs

This Bag item is acquired after completing the Dwarven Tunnels battle in the Dwarven Mountains (it is the first battle in the bottom row after choosing the lower path). Similar to the Dragonstick above, they ignore STRIKEBACK, dealing 8 damage points to their target, and 4 damage to 1 target on either side. If the targets can DODGE, however, they will avoid it for the first time. Since you have 3 bombs total, saving these for the Mushroom Heart will make it much easier. In addition, if you choose your path in the Dwarven Mountains from the Mountain Foot through the Old Mines before the Mushroom Caverns, you will occasionally earn another 3 Dwarven Bombs by finding a treasure chest, buying one from a merchant, and by defeating the boss of the Old Mines battle (second battle after the first battle going towards the lower or middle path), who will toss a free bomb at you when he dies. This gives you, in effect, 6 total Dwarven Bombs to use, which can make short work of the Mushroom Heart by dealing out a potential total of 48 points of damage on it. Usually you will end up with 5 bombs total, including the ones in the Bag, but occasionally you will find a chest with one in it on that path that will increase the total. So use these tweaks if you find that battle too tough!

Easily the most difficult boss in the entirety of Card Quest, the Demon in the Box can absolutely destroy you if not aware of how the battle works. Even with its high difficulty the Serial Killer build still makes short work of it due to the high card-draw rate and numerous 0 STAMINA cards for cycling. The most important detail is you should never worrying about hitting the Demon in the Box unless you know for certain you will have enough STAMINA to defend properly for the enemy's turn. Still, the Serial Killer build requires a special tweak in order to complete this battle as quickly as possible, otherwise, though you can do it, it will take you an extremely long time to pull it off. I have created some special adjustments of the build in order to make it as easy as possible, but this is included in my Demonling Subclass unlocking guide since it applies to that primarily. So check out that guide for more information on how to complete this encounter. The link is provided directly below.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2935429103