Build a team around jobs, not labels
The official Steam page confirms online co-op and multiplayer-specific cards, but a good party still obeys the same deckbuilding rule as solo: a plan is only real when it survives an ordinary bad hand. The team gets more tools; it does not get permission for four players to draft only late-game payoffs.
Use these roles as a conversation, not a lock-in screen.
| Role | Responsibility | Healthy overlap |
|---|---|---|
| Tempo | Win early fights and remove a priority enemy | Any deck with a real opening attack line |
| Guard | Cover repeat damage and rescue ugly turns | Block, weakness, or flexible defense on more than one deck |
| Scale | End long elite and boss fights | A second deck that can contribute damage while the engine starts |
| Utility | Improve card access, debuff pressure, or resource timing | A normal fight card that also makes teammates better |
The team does not need one pure owner of every column. It needs to know who is ahead on each job right now.
A dependable two-player shape
The easiest co-op group to pilot is stabilizer plus scaler. The stabilizer takes the early damage, block, and potion decisions that make the first act safe. The scaler takes a payoff only after the party has room to set it up. Later, the roles can meet in the middle: the stabilizer adds a boss clock, and the scaler takes enough defense to stop being fragile.
Examples of healthy starts:
- Ironclad takes immediate damage and Block while Silent waits for actual Poison or Shiv support.
- Silent provides card quality and flexible turns while Defect builds a supported engine rather than a pile of setup.
- Regent banks Stars on safe turns while a partner covers the route’s early elite threshold.
Examples of unhealthy starts:
- both players skip early damage because each expects the other to carry it;
- one player drafts “support” cards that do nothing in a hallway fight;
- a team takes every elite while holding no potion or recovery branch for a poor draw.
Three- and four-player parties
More players make it tempting to create a dedicated support role. Resist that until the support package is attached to a deck that can already play a normal turn. The party is stronger when support is extra value on top of a player’s own tempo, defense, or scaling.
At three players, look for one deck ahead on tempo, one on stable defense or utility, and one developing a long-fight clock. At four, add redundancy before specialization. Two decks capable of covering a dangerous intent are much safer than one perfect defender and three spectators.
Reward-screen rules for co-op
When a player sees a reward, ask four questions before anyone says “take it”:
- Which team problem does this solve in the next act?
- Does this player have the Energy, draw, or existing cards to use it?
- Is another player already solving the same problem more reliably?
- What hard fight becomes easier if this is taken?
This keeps the party from collecting redundant win-more effects while missing the first card that gives it a real answer to boss pressure. A card does not need to be individually flashy to be the best team pick.
Shared route, potion, and boss plans
Before a risky route branch, name the resource that pays for it. “We have plenty of health” is not enough. “We can use this potion to cover the elite opener and still reach a campfire” is a plan.
For bosses, call the breakpoints aloud: who handles the first dangerous turn, who has the scaling clock, and which potion is reserved for a miss. The all bosses guide links each documented encounter’s data; the boss preparation checklist turns that into a final-shop decision.
When a team build needs a pivot
Pivot when a role is only theoretical. A player who has drafted three scaling cards but cannot play a meaningful turn is not “the scale player” yet. Take immediate damage, Block, draw, or a removal opportunity and rebuild the plan around what is real.
Likewise, do not hold a player to the job assigned at floor one. If the Silent finds the best boss clock and the Ironclad finds the best emergency defense, let the decks change jobs. Co-op rewards groups that react to the run, not groups that role-play the opening plan.
For lobby setup and join troubleshooting, start with the multiplayer guide. For solo character foundations that still matter in co-op, use the best beginner builds, Silent guide, and Ironclad guide.