Slay the Spire – X-Cost Cards with Echo Form and Value of X

slay-the-spire

I can never keep straight in my head all the situations when an X value is and isn't preserved in Slay the Spire. One such situation is when a card with an X-Cost Reinforced Body triggers Echo Form. My guess is that the Value of X would be preserved when the second copy of the card is played.

However, I recently came across a situation where if the value of X wasn't preserved it would have meant losing the run. So before deciding what to play I tried searching online for confirmation of how Echo Form works with X-Cost cards, but I couldn't find an answer. Since experimenting in that situation may have resulted in losing the run, I elected not to let me X-Cost trigger Echo Form.

For next time, though, I'm hoping to get a definite answer to this question that I can easily reference when my memory fails me.

When activating X-Cost cards with Echo Form, is the value of X preserved?

Best Answer

When activating X-Cost cards with Echo Form, the value of X is preserved.

There are a couple notable cases where duplicating a card such as via Echo Form, Necronomicon, Double Tap, or Burst may not produce the expected results, though.

  • Fiend Fire, which gets an X-like value from its card text, rather than its cost, will only deal the damage again if your hand refills between activations, such as via Dead Branch or Dark Embrace.
  • Second Wind also provides an effect by counting the number of cards exhausted and similarly won't provide block the second time unless more eligible cards enter the hand.

Also, perhaps more obviously, any card that evokes orbs will use the first orb, then the second orb, not the first orb twice.