Randomized Custom Runs are useful because they remove the comfortable part of planning. You do not get to choose the character first and build a friendly ruleset around them. You get a package, then have to make sense of it.
In beta v0.108, the Randomize button began choosing a character, two positive modifiers, and one negative modifier. That feature remains part of the current beta context covered here.
Read the bad news first
Positive modifiers are more exciting, so they steal attention. Start with the negative one anyway.
Ask what normal resource it attacks. Does it make early combat less forgiving? Does it pressure deck size, healing, card access, or another part of a standard run? You do not need a complete tier list to answer the useful question: what could end this run before the bonuses matter?
Write that pressure in one sentence. For example: "I need front-loaded damage earlier than usual" or "I cannot spend HP as casually on elite routes." That sentence becomes the filter for the first act.
The Act 1 pathing checklist still applies. Count fires, elites, shops, and escape branches. A positive modifier can raise your ceiling while the negative rule quietly lowers your margin for reaching it.
Give each positive modifier a job
Now inspect the two benefits. A modifier has practical value when it helps with the pressure you just identified or strengthens something your character already does reliably.
Use four labels:
| Job | What it means for the run |
|---|---|
| Stabilizer | Helps you survive weak opening draws or early fights |
| Accelerator | Brings damage, scaling, or upgrades online sooner |
| Consistency | Makes the important part of the deck appear more often |
| Luxury | Raises the ceiling after the deck is already functioning |
These labels keep a spectacular upside from disguising a basic hole. If both positive modifiers are luxuries, draft the missing fundamentals first. If one is a stabilizer, you may be able to take a slightly more ambitious route.
Draft the character you received
Random character selection is the part that makes the mode good practice. Resist the urge to recreate your favorite build with an unfamiliar kit.
During the first few rewards, take cards that solve immediate jobs: efficient damage, credible Block, draw that works with your current Energy, and an answer to groups. A synergy card becomes attractive after the deck can trigger it often enough. The build guides library can show a character's common packages, but the modifier rules should change which package you trust today.
Watch for a false sense of abundance. A bonus that creates cards or resources can tempt you to add more setup than the deck can play. Count Energy and draw order on an ordinary turn, not on the best screenshot the ruleset can produce.
Plan the map in checkpoints
Do not commit to the whole act from floor one. Use checkpoints.
Before the first elite, test whether the deck has enough immediate damage and whether the negative modifier changes the usual matchup. Before a second elite, check potion quality and HP again. At the final fire, compare the value of an upgrade with the chance that resting keeps the experiment alive.
The same approach works after the boss. Re-read all three modifiers at the start of each act. A drawback that barely mattered early may become the main constraint once enemies scale, while a slow positive effect may finally have enough time to pay off.
Turn the run into useful practice
A randomized run teaches more when you choose one skill to observe. Track how often you skip card rewards. Note whether the negative rule changed your route or only made you nervous. Record which positive modifier actually saved HP.
After the run, compare your opening assumption with what happened. If the run failed, identify the first decision that made the later loss likely. If it won, ask whether the modifier package covered weak drafting or whether the deck would have worked under ordinary rules.
Custom Runs do not advance achievement or Epoch unlocks, so treat the missing progression as permission to experiment. Try a line you would normally avoid, but keep the analysis honest.
Branch check
The Randomize feature began on the beta branch and beta rules can move. If the button or modifier behavior differs from this guide, confirm the branch in Steam and read the newest patch notes. The method still holds: identify the pressure, assign the bonuses real jobs, and draft for the run in front of you.