Having quickly become one of thebest indie gamesin history, it’s easy to forget thatBalatrois also among themost demanding.
Every Balatro Deck Ranked By Difficulty
In this roguelike, you have 15 different options to lose contact with the real world.
This wonderful roguelike is full of challenges and secrets that only become clear after many playthroughs, asunderstanding its multiple systems and synergies isn’t easy.
However, it’s still one of thebest deckbuilders for beginners. Its learning curve is accessible, and the game is so addictive that you will have already dedicated dozens of hours to it before you know it.
That was precisely what happened to me, and after having beaten it in all difficulties with multiple decks, there’s nothing better to do than share my knowledge through this list ofthe ten best Rare Jokers,ranked.
10Burnt Joker
Upgrades Every Round
Upgrade the level of the first discarded poker hand each round
Unlock Requirement
Sell 50 cards
Certain Jokers improve your economy indirectly, such as the under-the-radarBurnt Joker.
Since it requires you to discard the hands you want to enhance, it’s useful only for compositions that don’t require as many cards to score points, butit almost completely negates the need to buy Celestial Packs.
Thus, it not only increases the chips and multiplier of your chosen hands, but it also allows you to refocus the income you have towards other purchases.
If you’re using Straight, Flush, or similar, its effect is almost impossible to pull off consistently, thoughit’s great for hands that use three cards or fewer.
9Baseball Card
Uncommon Jokers each give X1.5 Mult
Available from start
When you’re just starting out, there are very helpful Jokers which don’t require any modification to your playstyle.
Among these, one of the most powerful and consistent isBaseball Card, which benefits from having Uncommon Jokers in your lineup.
While it does fade as the run progresses due to its power peaking in the mid-game,it’s tremendous for getting through the early Antes without much trouble.
It’s the typical Joker you pivot from to something more useful eventually, but Baseball Card’s transient status doesn’t make it any less worthwhile to grab when possible.
Satisfying but Difficult to Assemble
This Joker gains X0.2 Mult per consecutive hand played without playing your most played poker hand
Obelisk is among the most underrated Jokers in theBalatrocommunity, mainly because of all the setup it requires.
As it forces you to play hands different from the one you’ve been working on, most people shy away from it despite its great power.
If you organize your game properly,Obelisk can be one of the best multipliers in the entire game, allowing you to exponentially grow your scores with each hand.
It doesn’t rank higher because it’s tricky to get the most out of it, but when you do, it’s simply magnificent.
7Driver’s License
Perfect for Enhanced Decks
X3 Mult if you have at least 16 Enhanced cards in your full deck
Enhance 16 cards in your deck
While mindlessly adding cards to your deck is counterproductive, certain builds benefit from it, as evidenced by the existence ofDriver’s License.
Enhanced Decks often suffer from inconsistency, but this particular Joker is one of the big reasons they’re a viable archetype.
If you may get it to function by just upgrading your existing cards instead of adding new ones,it’s a phenomenal multiplier that feels almost free.
It may not be the most useful in the world in the latter Antes, but for finishing the first eight, it’s a killer.
A Worthy Sacrifice
+250 Chips, -2 hand size
Earn at least 100 million (100,000,000) Chips in a single hand
Many ofBalatro’s powerful Jokers come with a very noticeable counter effect, most notablyStuntman.
Having such a small hand is a considerable handicap, but in the right build,those extra 250 chips can make a world of difference.
If you have a perfectly fixed deck or your main hands require a few cards like High Card or Pair, Stuntman is as potent as possible.
By countering its negative effect through vouchers likePaint BrushandPalette, you can completely forget about chips and focus on everything else because you’re more than covered on that front.
5Invisible Joker
High Probabilities of Success
After 2 rounds, sell this card to Duplicate a random Joker
Win a game while never having more than 4 jokers
Certain options inBalatroallow you to duplicate the Jokers' effects you have at your disposal, andit’s one of the most powerful mechanics in the entire game.
Balatro: 10 Best Vouchers Ranked
Get to know the best Vouchers you can redeem in Balatro. Don’t lose a run, and use these powerful Vouchers to succeed.
Invisible Jokeris a significant demonstration of this, as even despite its random nature, it can change the focus of a run entirely on its own.
If you can sell some expendable Jokers to ensure you duplicate the most powerful ones,it can help you break your high scores in no time.
It’s not the most suitable option regarding cloning Jokers, butthe effect itself is so powerful that it doesn’t stop it from being high on this list.
The Key to Many Builds
If first hand of round has only 1 card, add a permanent copy to deck and draw it to hand
Balatrois full offun builds, and I’d say a lot of them rely on the presence ofDNA.
Instead of cloning Jokers, it directly clones cards,enabling usually difficult-to-assemble hands,like Four of a Kind or Five of a Kind.
While it’s practically useless on its own, its ability to synergize with numerous Jokers makes it a great support for many types of decks.
DNA is responsible for many of the highest scores I’ve ever achieved and seen, which is all you need to know to justify its position.
High Scores' King
Each King held in hand gives X1.5 Mult
If I had to count the top ten scores I’ve gotten,I believe Baron has been in nine of them.
Although this exposes the few builds that can really achieve exponential numbers, it’s undeniable that it’s one ofBalatro’s most powerful Jokers.
At first, he’s very difficult to take advantage of due to the decks' inconsistency regarding drawing kings, but in the game’s later stages, he reaches an incomparable power.
His only weakness is The Plant (which debuffs all face cards), but from then on,he’s an extremely solid option to reach high Antes.
2Ancient Joker
Absolute Balance
Each played card with [suit] gives X1.5 Mult when scored, suit changes at end of round
While it took me a while to realize its potential,Ancient Joker is an absolute blast for Flush fans like myself.
Balatro: 10 Best Common Jokers Ranked
Are you struggling to get through the start of Balatro? This list will highlight strong Common Jokers to help you gain momentum.
With a balanced deck and effects that replay hand scores, it reaches hundreds of millions of points with overwhelming ease.
If you’re unlucky and its effect falls on an ill-timed suit, you’ll definitely have to restart the game, but that’s a rare possibility.
Overall,Ancient Joker is remarkably consistent and less susceptible to Boss Blinds, though it also relies more heavily on other Jokers than alternatives like Baron to bring out its full power.
1Brainstorm/Blueprint
Versatility Gods
Copies the ability of leftmost Joker / Copies ability of Joker to the right
Discard a Royal Flush / Win 1 run
As I mentioned before,duplicating effects is one of the most powerful mechanics inBalatro, as it helps achieve long runs like no other.
Because of this, the requirement to getBrainstormis among themost difficult to achieve, as its ability to do absolutely everything makes it a safe bet every time.
Whether you want economy, chips, multipliers, doublers, or whatever,Brainstorm is a versatile Joker you will always wish for in your composition.
Then, take everything I said aboutBrainstormand strip away the positioning issues, and you getBlueprint, probably the best Joker in all ofBalatrowithoutmods.
I’m hard-pressed to think of a build that doesn’t benefit greatly from the presence of both of them, asthey’re technically perfect and suited for every situation imaginable.
Beyond your hands, vouchers, deck, or Ante, their ability to adapt to every circumstance makes them globally useful, almost to the point of being annoying because of how necessary they become to achieve high scores.
Regardless,this pair will always be what you needand probably the only Jokers you’ll buy immediately every time you see them.
