Floppy Knights is a unique blend of deck building and good old-fashioned tactics. Fans of either genre may find themselves grappling with a Commander they don’t understand or beating their heads against the limited action points and randomized pools of actions. Strategy takes place on two fronts, and blending them may take a minute. Luckily, we went through the growing pains for you.
Don’t forget your basic attack
Every action in Floppy Knights is gated behind a card and an energy cost. Moving, buffing, deployment, and retreating are all actions dictated by the cards in your deck. The focus on using cards to take any action at all may override one of the most basic pieces of information you’re given up top. All of your units have a basic attack that refreshes at the top of every round, no card or energy required. If you’re finding yourself coming up short on damage every time you attempt a mission, you may be forgetting to use your free attack every round. Your basic attack will make or break a run, especially once you’ve begun to dabble in stat buffs.
Keep your decks lean
If Floppy Knights is your first foray into deck building, there’s an instinct you’re probably going to have to work to break. A bulky deck is an inconsistent deck. Your cards remain in the discard pile until you’ve drawn all the way through your deck, which means it’s going to be a minimum of three turns until you see the cards in your opening hand. We understand the appeal of the Swiss Army Deck, but often you’ll just find yourself bringing fire to a water fight if you can’t reign your deck in.
Analyze your weaknesses
The joy of deck building lies in placing and finding the right cards for you. The expressiveness of a deck is unlike anything else out there. You’re going to get to know your decks well, and their weaknesses will stick out immediately. If you’re starting to struggle, you’re probably hitting the exact same pain point. Don’t get too precious about the contents of your deck; sometimes, a single card is the difference between success and failure.
Your Commander is designed like that on purpose
Your Commander is the core of your deck. If you’re familiar with the Commander format of Magic: The Gathering, this concept may be familiar. Building a Commander deck is only dissimilar from Floppy Knight in scale. Your Commander guarantees you pull at least one of the same card each turn. That Commander’s card should be your north star when you’re building a deck.
For example, The Big Mad commander card comes with a Bull Rush every turn and buffs its strength in proportion to the damage it’s taken. Combining this with the Hop that a Succulent Kicker generates and a Treefolk Rock will boost Big Mad’s damage ceiling and give it more movement options, making it effectively unstoppable. You’ll be surprised how much momentum you can build with two or three simple synergies.
Keep your cool
Floppy Knights has an excellent difficulty curve; you’ll be challenged on every map with interesting and unique game states. This game wants you to explore the depths of its mechanics, and its precious wrapping paper belies an exciting depth. Take your time, don’t be afraid to experiment, and you’ll clear the fog of war in no time.
