The short version
v0.111 is a beta patch with a few changes that look small in a changelog and large in an actual run. The cards worth re-learning are Hyperbeam, Ironclad's Expect a Fight, and Regent's Regalite. The practical shift is simple: more cards now ask whether your deck can convert a short window into a solved turn.
This guide covers the optional beta branch. The public main branch is still v0.107.1 at the time of writing, so use the text in your own client when it disagrees with a main-branch database page.
Five changes that should affect a draft
| v0.111 change | What it means at the reward screen |
|---|---|
| Hyperbeam loses 3 Focus this turn | A burst finisher can coexist with a Focus deck if the turn matters now |
| Expect a Fight becomes Strength-scaling Block | Take it after Strength is real, not as a speculative Energy card |
| Regalite drops from 6 to 4 Block | One creation per turn is still useful, but it no longer carries weak defense alone |
| Axebot and Mechaknight get stronger | Preserve front-loaded damage and Block before assuming Act 2 is solved |
| Mirage Exhausts before its upgrade | Silent's Poison defense needs more careful upgrade timing |
The mistake to avoid is reading these as a tier list. A card can be improved and still be wrong for the next elite. A card can be nerfed and still be the exact answer to a deck's missing job.
Defect: Hyperbeam is a turn, not a build label
The new beta text deals 24(30) damage to all enemies and makes you lose 3 Focus this turn. The old permanent Focus loss made it hostile to many orb plans. The temporary loss creates a different question: can this hand spend a high-output turn to end a dangerous fight or remove the target that makes the fight dangerous?
Take the card more seriously when:
- the next fights contain several enemies and the deck needs immediate area damage;
- you can play Hyperbeam before the Frost or Lightning output you need that turn;
- the fight is short enough that the Focus returns before it matters; or
- the deck already has reliable Focus and only lacks a clean close.
Be wary when the deck's only stable Block comes from Focused Frost and Hyperbeam would make the survival turn worse. The new version is not a free addition to every orb deck. It is a way to spend a window.
Ironclad: Expect a Fight needs Strength first
Expect a Fight is now a three-Energy Skill that grants 15(16) Block plus 5(8) Block for each Strength. It is no longer the awkward hand-based Energy card from the prior beta.
At zero Strength, paying three Energy for 15 Block is usually a warning sign, not an invitation. At two Strength, the base version is 25 Block; at three, it reaches 30. That is a much more credible answer to a large intent, especially when a Strength deck needs time to turn the corner.
The card is better after a Strength source has already appeared. It is not a reason to take weak Strength cards just to justify itself. If the next problem is early damage, a slow defensive payoff can still be too late.
Regent: Regalite loses some safety margin
Regalite's first creation each turn now grants 4 Block instead of 6. That does not delete the relic's purpose. A deck that creates one card on most turns still gets a dependable defensive nudge. It does mean the relic should stop being counted as the entire Block plan.
The useful comparison is still Pillar of Creation:
- Regalite pays once per turn. It likes consistent creation.
- Pillar pays per creation. It likes density and burst turns.
- Neither fixes a deck that cannot produce a safe creation turn in the first place.
If you are preparing for a multi-hit fight, write down the actual first-turn Block instead of adding the old six out of habit. That tiny calculation is where patch memory becomes a lost run.
Enemy buffs: do the first-turn math again
The patch raises Axebot's Hammer Uppercut to 14(18), increases its respawn Max HP by 10, and raises One-Two to 10(11) twice. Mechaknight also gains damage on its Flamethrower turn. These are not reasons to skip every elite. They are reasons to stop treating a half-finished scaling deck as if it has already stabilized.
Before routing into an Act 2 fight, ask:
- Can this deck block the first large intent without spending both potions?
- Does it have a way to remove a priority target before the second cycle?
- If a setup Power misses the opening hand, is there another line?
That is better information than a universal statement that the patch made an enemy "hard" or "easy."
Branch and save checklist
v0.111 also fixes cases around modded-save directories and multiplayer crashes. That is welcome, but it is not permission to mix every branch, Workshop dependency, and co-op lobby casually.
- Finish or record anything important before changing branches.
- Confirm the beta version in the title screen.
- Make every co-op player use the same version.
- Check a mod author's supported version before loading a shared save.
- Report an issue with the version number and the interaction that reproduced it.
The beta is most useful when a player can say what changed in a real fight. Test a single new card or interaction, not an entire pile of assumptions at once.
What to read next
For the individual decisions, use the Hyperbeam v0.111 guide, Expect a Fight guide, and Regalite guide. For old v0.110 changes that remain relevant, the previous beta strategy guide keeps the history and branch context separate.
