In every Ante, first comes the Small Blind, then the Big Blind, and then the Boss Blind,Balatro’s equivalent to the end-of-stage boss fight from classics like Super Mario Bros. and Mega Man. These Boss Blinds can be a breeze, or completely ruin a previously-unproblematic build in a matter of seconds.
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Thankfully, through the use of Jokers and Tags, Boss Blinds can be debuffed or negated in dire situations, and we know which Boss Blinds to save these rainy-day consumables for.
10The Flint
The base Chips and Mult for playing a poker hand are halved this round
This boss blind eviscerates any investments made into Planet cards throughout your run, splitting both your starting Mult and Chips in half. If you don’t have any solid Mult addition cards, or any cards to boost your Chips, you’ll be in for trouble most certainly.
The best way to combat this blind is to diversify your build:don’t just focus on one modifier, but have an even split of enhancements as well as Jokers that add and multiply Mult as well as add Chips.
9The Pillar
Cards played previously this Ante (during Small and Big Blinds) are debuffed
If your build isn’t defeating blinds on the very first hand, then The Pillar is probably going to raise some issues. This can be especially brutal for builds that focus on specific cards or suits, as it will prevent your primary standard cards from playing.
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One of the best ways to circumvent this blind is to spot it early on andskipthe Small and Big Blinds, so that way there are zero cards being debuffed in the Boss Blind. This method only works if you have a strong enough build, obviously, so plan wisely.
8The Plant
All face cards are debuffed
Face cards are not only some of the highest-value cards in terms of chips, but are also lucrative for the success of many Jokers. Plus, if you have a deck built around thePareidoliaJoker, this Boss Blind will render every single one of your cards useless until the Joker is sold.
The obvious solution for this blind is to simply not play face cards, or at least play hands that aren’t comprised entirely out of face cards. Try hands like theStraightorFull Houseto diversify and earn some of your chips back.
Decreases the level of Hand you play by 1
The Arm is another blind that attacks any Planet cards purchased so far, but this one stings more than the Flint since it permanently undoes the enhancements of a Planet card with every hand played. Note: it decreases the level of the hand by 1beforeit is scored.
Keeping a decent amount of Jokers and standard cards is a must in any deck, but it’s especially important here. If you don’t have a way to access lots of Planet cards, try shooting for aStraight Flush(or any other hand you use less often).
6The Mouth
Only one hand type can be played this round
If you’re playing a hand-based deck, then this blind will likely come as no issue to you. But if you’re playing with a variety of hands (or clumsily play a random hand type without thinking), this can absolutely ruin your day.
When this blind pops up, you need to be extremely careful with each hand you play, as well as heed thewords of warningthat pop up on the screen. Do not play a Pair or a High Card unless your Jokers can absolutely handle it.
5The Needle
Play only 1 hand
While the amount set to pass The Needle is lower than any other Boss Blind, it comes at a price: no matter what, you only get to play one hand. Cards like the Card Sharp (x3 if you already played this hand this round) become obsolete, and building up combos between hands is obviously impossible.
Be sure to have plenty ofdiscardson hand if needed, and be specific about which cards and hands you’re aiming for as youdiscard. Go for your highestChipsandMultpossible (as always).
Every hand played this round must be of a different type and not previously played this round
If you have a hand-based deck, The Eye will absolutely screw you. Once you play a hand, you cannot score with that hand again (it will disqualify all points for the hand you play, and take away one of your total hands remaining), so you have to diversify.
If you run into this issue, try to build hands that are compatible with your build even if you aren’t aiming for them. Flush builds can go for Straight Flushes or Flush Houses while Two-Pair builds can go for Full Houses, for example.
3Violet Vessel
Very large blind
If you’re at the eighth ante and aren’t swiging over the fence yet, this blind is going to be a rough one. The first final Boss Blind increases the blind by a huge exponent, reaching well over 400,000 chips in even the lowest stake games.
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There’s not much to say here other than don’t waste your hands, and buy anyvoucheryou can once you spot this blind. We recommend going forxMultcards as well!
2Verdant Leaf
All cards debuffed until 1 Joker sold
It’s painful to lose a friend, and our best friends in Balatro are the Jokers we find along the way. The only reason why this doesn’t reach our number one spot is because (thankfully)you can choosewhich of your Jokers has to go, and there’s a chance not all of them are needed to succeed.
If you see this coming, keep an eye out for any chance of anegativeJoker popping up (inSpectral Cards, for example), so you can sell the negative and keep your original build intact for the final round.
1Crimson Heart
One random Joker disabled every hand (changes every hand)
Playing the odds is the name of the game in Balatro, but it’s never been more brutal (or stressful) than when the Crimson Heart comes around. Each hand is a different struggle, and it can truly come down to the very last turn you have to see if you’ll make it through.
Be sure to maximize on your discards when you have a less-intensive Joker disabled, and never forget that you can rearrange your Jokers whenever you want (looking at you, Blueprint).
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