Every game in Balatro offers the opportunity to build a unique deck with the help of special tools, and the Spectral cards are one of them. These cards grant bonuses that alter your entire gameplay. However, there are also drawbacks to using some of them, such as reduced hand size or destroying an “x” number of cards in your hand.
We will be taking a look at the list of all the spectral cards in Balatro and rank them on a tier list based on their overall power level and utility.
Table of Contents
Best Spectral Cards
S-Tier
1. Black Hole – Upgrades every poker hand, including future hands, by one level.
A generally good Spectral card. Improving your current and all future hands by one will help you reach those impossibly high scores more consistently in those endless run attempts.
2. Cryptid – Create two similar copies of a card in your hand.
Making a copy of an already modified card is super useful. You can double the score with double multi, double triggers, and potentially do more stuff with this Spectral card. Make sure to always pick it up if it appears in a pack.
3. Deja Vu – Put a Red Seal on a chosen card.
Retriggering card effects is super effective and is the only consistent way to reach the astronomical Antes in the higher levels. This card is a must-pick in almost every deck and build in the game.
4. Immolate – Gain $20 by destroying 5 random cards in your hand.
Immolate is one of the best spectral cards in Balatro. Destroying five cards is an advantage because you can thin out the deck and increase the consistency of getting the cards you want. If you manage to get this card in the consumable slot and draw a hand of five low-numbered cards, not only do you destroy them, but you also get $20 for it.
5. The Soul – If you have room, create a Legendary Joker.
Legendary Jokers are super strong compared to any other Joker rarity in the game. Always pick up this card if you find it in a pack.
A-Tier
1. Ectoplasm – Gives a random Joker Negative and reduces your hand size by 1.
An extra joker is always useful especially if you can get in early. This gives you enough time to offset the reduced hand size with other modifiers. You can even pick this card up in the mid-late game, provided that fewer cards don’t affect your gameplay.
2. Grim – Destroys a random card in your hand but you also gain two random Enhanced Aces.
Getting two Enhanced Aces at any point of the game is sheer value. This is a deck-defining card that you should always pick unless you’re heavily invested in other builds.
3. Sigil – Converts all in-hand cards into a single suit (randomly chosen).
A must-have spectral card, especially if you have a Flush build where you’ve upgraded Flush a couple of times. It can be a hindrance if your playstyle revolves around a different suit, but in tough situations where you don’t have the winning combo, Sigil can be a lifesaver.
4. Wraith – Lose all your money but gain a random Rare Joker in an empty slot.
Super useful card in the early game as it potentially gives you a free Joker. You can also pick this up in the late game if you’ve to burn through all your money and still have an empty slot. There are a lot of good rare Jokers out there.
B-Tier
1. Ankh – Generates a copy of one of your jokers (chosen randomly and including all enhancements except Negative) and destroys the others.
This is a super useful card if you find it in the early game. However, its usefulness drops once you’re past Ante 3-4 and have a consistent set of Jokers. It’s useless at that point as killing your jokers ruins the run.
2. Aura – GIves a chosen card with either a Holographic, Foil, or Polychrome effect (chosen randomly).
Aura is a high-roll card and it can help you reach those rare, endless runs. You can always use this card because there are no downsides to it. The only reason it’s in the B-tier is because you won’t pick it if you have more powerful Spectral cards to choose from or if you’re in a tough situation.
3. Familiar – Gain three random Enhanced face cards by destroying one random in-hand card.
It is quite useful since the cards are from a smaller pool, which decreases the probability of getting bad ones. Also, if you’re playing a face build and also have a Joker that buffs them, this Spectral card is a must-have.
4. Ouija – Reduce hand size by one and convert all in-hand cards into a single rank (chosen randomly).
Ouija is a situational card. If your playstyle revolves around a certain kind of card, then you should always pick this. The reduced hand size is a downer, but in most cases, especially in the early game, you’ll benefit from a hand with all the same cards.
C-Tier
1. Hex – Makes a random Joker Polychrome and destroys the remaining ones.
Similar to Ankh, only it’s more useless. Making a Joker polychrome isn’t all that useful and you’ll always be better off picking a different option.
2. Incantation – Gain four random Enhanced numbered cards in hand by destroying a random one.
Random numbered cards aren’t that useful. They can be useful in niche situations, especially in the early game, but in most cases, getting a bunch of 1’s and 2’s will lose you the game.
3. Medium – Puts a Purple Seal on a selected card.
It’s not a bad card, but compared to the alternatives, Medium pales in value. You’ll always pick another Spectral over this one in most cases.
4. Talisman – Puts a Gold Seal on a selected card.
5. Trance – Puts a Blue Seal on a selected card.
