Relic database
Black Blood
Returning Ironclad relic reference
Black Blood is a familiar anchor for returning players and a useful example for starter or character-linked relic pages.
Ironclad
Useful when HP pressure matters more than explosive scaling
Returning-player note
Do not evaluate familiar relics only by old habits. Relic value shifts with act damage, enemy patterns, and available sustain. Black Blood-style sustain can make aggressive paths safer, but it can also be weaker than energy or damage if the deck is already surviving and needs a way to close fights.
When sustain matters
Sustain relics become stronger when the route asks the deck to trade HP for rewards. They become weaker when the deck needs energy, draw, or damage more urgently. The page should explain the tradeoff rather than treating healing as automatic value.
- Raise sustain when it allows safer elite routing or fewer rests.
- Lower sustain when the deck cannot win long fights.
- Compare healing against upgrade needs before choosing a path.
Ironclad route check
Black Blood is most useful when it converts HP into better pathing: one more elite, one more upgrade instead of a rest, or a safer route through hallway fights that would otherwise chip the run down. It is weaker when the deck already has enough sustain and still lacks a way to end fights. Treat exact healing numbers and sequel-specific upgrade behavior as needs verification unless the current patch footage shows them clearly.
- Raise it when healing changes a concrete pathing decision.
- Lower it when the deck needs damage, energy, draw, or scaling more than recovery.
- Compare it against Ironclad cards that already stabilize HP trades.
Best pairings
The best Black Blood shells are Ironclad decks that can spend HP profitably and then recover enough to keep upgrading. Direct damage decks appreciate fewer forced rests, while block-heavy decks may value it less if they already prevent chip damage. Pair the page with Ironclad, Ironclad build, and boss-prep guidance rather than ranking it in isolation.
Common mistake
The common mistake is treating sustain as a win condition. Healing can keep the run alive, but it does not solve enemies that outscale the deck or bosses that demand burst, block, or scaling on schedule. If Black Blood lets the player rest less but the deck still cannot beat the next boss, the relic has not solved the run.