The short answer
Before spending gold or choosing Smith, name the next fight’s weakness. Buy or upgrade something that changes that fight; rest when the planned route otherwise leaves too little room for a bad hand.
Before you start
- Inspect the next elite or boss, current HP, potions, deck and gold.
- The removal table shows base prices; discounts and other modifiers can change the merchant’s displayed price.
Budget for card removal
| Earlier shop removals | Ascension 0–5 | Ascension 6+ |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 75 gold | 100 gold |
| 1 | 100 gold | 150 gold |
| 2 | 125 gold | 200 gold |
| 3 | 150 gold | 250 gold |
Sources for this section
Compare purchases before clicking
- Read all available cards, relics and potions before buying.
- Set aside the displayed removal cost if a curse or weak draw is your priority.
- Compare the remaining purchases against the next encounter. A potion may solve a one-fight problem without adding a card.
- Recheck the total after discounts; leave only when the chosen purchases are complete.
Sources for this section
Rest or Smith without a fixed HP rule
| Situation | Decision to examine |
|---|---|
| The route has forced damage before the next heal. | Rest if the extra HP is needed to reach your next useful choice. |
| An upgrade makes a repeatedly drawn card affordable or materially stronger. | Smith if you can survive long enough to use it. |
| A potion covers the immediate danger. | Compare using it with resting; the saved rest site may become an upgrade. |
| You are taking the dangerous route only for an imagined future reward. | Choose the safer branch while it is still available. |
Sources for this section
A shopping calculation you can check
Kingy arithmetic example: with 175 gold and one earlier shop removal, the base service costs 100 at Ascension 0–5, leaving 75. At Ascension 6+, it costs 150, leaving 25. Compare those balances with the actual item prices before committing. This example models no discounts.
Removing a card increases access to the remaining deck, but does not create missing damage or Block. Use the draw-odds tool to examine access, then judge whether the available cards can do the job.
Sources for this section
Your checklist
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Research checked 2026-09-12. This is a source-based guide; Kingy has not independently play-tested these steps. Evidence and coverage.