Unleashing the Vampire Lord’s Power
Basic Strategy:
Vampire Lord (VL) is not a normal Dice Throne (DT) hero. She is much more nuanced,
requiring strategic short and long-term planning. She cannot be played like other DT heroes. Her
complexity rating is a 4 (and could even be higher) because maximizing her strength necessitates
4 keys: Tactical Timing, Combination Attacks, Card Draw, and Large/Multiple Health Swings.
1. Tactical Timing – VL’s tactical timing often centers on when and how to utilize your
Blood Power (BP). When is the best time to use BP to +2 attacks? When is it time to
heal—is it on a current attack, or will you hold BP to heal on a later turn? When is it time
to trade 3 BP to draw cards?
Each of these decisions cannot be made in haphazard ways. You need to know why you
are making your BP decision and how that decision will impact later turns.
Examples:
• If you have 3 BP, you might use 1 BP to +2 an attack in order to make room
for more BP on your next turn.
• You might wait to heal until you can use the “Limb from Limb” attack
modifier (adding further damage and healing a greater amount).
• You might use 3 BP to draw cards early in the game to buff your deck, or later
in the game because you know a certain dice manipulation card is still in the
deck.
Special Note – Knowing VL’s deck is key. Keeping track of what is still
available will often determine your BP decisions.
• You might hold your 3 BP and wait to draw cards because you do not want to
discard any of the cards you currently have in your hand.
Special Note: One strategic goal is to not let BP sit on your board without
using it. It is a commodity to be spent multiple times throughout a match.
Many more examples could be given, but all of them require tactical timing,
knowing why and how you are using your BP.
2. Combination Attacks – The VL’s abilities lend themselves to combination attacks. An
example of a combination attack is the Glamour/Blood Magic (large straight)
combination which turns Blood Magic’s 8 defendable damage into 8 undefendable dmg
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(by utilizing the mesmerize you gained from Glamour). Together, this combination
inflicts 12 undefendable dmg (and even a possible 14 undefendable dmg if Blood
Magic’s BP is used as a +2 buff). Add a possible heal (using 4 BP) and this combination
turns into a 24 HP swing.
3. Card Draw – VL is one of the few Dice Throne heroes that has an ability to draw cards
(by trading 3 BP for 2 cards). Because this is a dice rolling game, any ability that gains
cards that can turn dice probabilities into certainties is a strong ability. Buffing your hand
is always powerful. Sanguimancy’s 3 BP gain allows you to immediately use 3 BP to
draw 2 cards into your hand, while discarding 1 (while also giving you a slight healing
ability). Presence (an additional attack on the Sanguimancy II upgrade) also allows for
card draw.
Special Note #1: In my mind, Sanguimancy (and especially Sanguimancy II) is a key
ability to maximizing VL’s power. Upgrade to Sanguimancy II as soon as possible.
See: “Sanguimancy Strategy” below.
Special Note #2: The strongest VL upgraded abilities are:
• Sanguimancy II – buffs heal from 2 to 3 and adds Presence (gain 2 BP and
draw 1 card)
• Blood Magic II (large straight) – buffs the 8 defendable dmg to undefendable
and adds Gash (5 undefendable dmg)
• Blood Thirst II – buffs undefendable dmg from 5 to 6 and BP from 2 to 3
Special Note #3: Specific VL Main Phase Cards:
• Strongest Main Phase Card – Blood Letting (gain 1 CP and 1 BP)
• Weakest Main Phase Cards – Dark Omen and Consume Blood. Sell or save
these to discard.
Special Note #4: VL’s Roll Phase Cards are strong and should be coupled with a 4
BP heal:
• Limb from Limb – gives the potential to add 5 additional damage/heal
• Blood Boil – Gives the potential to add 3 additional dmg (1 damage and 1
dmg per Bleed)
Special Note #5: Blood Flow (gain ½ BP of dice roll) is a versatile card and could be
drawn from the deck when rolling an ultimate, if you do not have enough BP to heal.
4. Large/Multiple Health Swings – VL has the unique ability to heal the same amount of
damage she inflicts on her opponent. Large health swings can be common in a 1v1
match. Maxing VL’s BP to 4 and using it at the most strategic times to heal is vital. If
you are not healing with BP, you will probably lose the match. This means you must be
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willing to see your HP dwindle, in order to set yourself up for a large health swing later.
This makes the in-game flow for a VL match different from all other heroes. It can be a
roller coaster, and you must be willing to see your HP drop to lower-than-normal levels
earlier in the match.
Vampire Lord’s Strengths:
1. A Variety of Undefendable Attacks:
• Basic Undefendable Attacks:
o Glamour – 4 dmg
o Blood Thirst – 5 dmg
o Blood Magic – 8 dmg (made undefendable by using a mesmerize)
o Exsanguinate! – 10 dmg
• Upgraded Undefendable Attacks:
o Glamour II – 5 dmg
o Blood Magic II – 8 dmg
o Gash – 5 dmg
o Blood Thirst II – 6 dmg
o Hemorrhage – 2 dmg
Special Note #1: VL has a total of 6 undefendable dmg attacks on a fully upgraded
board, most of the DT heroes (tied only with Barbarian). See chart below.
Undefendable Attacks
8
6
4
2
0
Category 1
Shadow Thief, Moon Elf
Artificer
Huntress
Treant, Monk, Pyromancer, Gunslinger, Cursed Pirate, Samarai, Tactician
Seraph, Paladin, Ninja
Barbarian, Vampire Lord
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Special Note #2: Adding BP for +2 dmg on an undefendable attack is a strong ability.
Special Note #3: Because of VL’s undefendable options, and because VL’s defendable
attacks are not guaranteed to set me up for a later attack (i.e, no additional BP, cards, or
CP), I very rarely attack with her defendable options (Gouge, Possess, Rend – I usually
sell these cards for CP or hold them to discard when I use 3 BP for the card draw). Of
course, my use of these defendable attacks depends on the strength of my opponent’s
defensive ability and the particulars of a late game attack.
2. Large Damage/Healing Swings
Special Note #1: The reason VL’s defense is weaker than other heroes’ is because of her
ability for large health swings.
Special Note #2: The 2 largest health swing potentials are: (1) Blood Magic (large
straight) for a 36 HP swing (BP for +2 dmg / Limb From Limb! for +5 / Blood Boil for
+3 / 4 BP to heal +18) and (2) Exsanguinate! (ultimate) for a 40 HP swing (BP for +2
dmg / Limb From Limb! for +5 / Blood Boil for +3 / 4 BP to heal +20)
3. Multiple End Game Strategies
Many DT matches are close and come down to the wire. In these instances, VL has a
definite advantage with her Bleed status effect and her ability to steal health steal during
her defensive roll (this is a unique defensive ability that only the VL currently has).
• End Game Strategies When Attacking:
a. VL’s many undefendable attacks (especially when using a +2 BP) can close out a
match quickly, bypassing your opponent’s defensive ability. Hitting a 10
undefendable Blood Magic (using its BP to +2 dmg) is devastating in a close
match.
b. In close matches when each hero has only 1 or 2 HP left, VL’s ability to inflict
Bleed during a final roll can: (1) bypass your opponent’s defensive ability and (2)
end the match on your opponent’s upkeep phase (Bleed has a 66% chance of
causing damage). The following attacks inflict Bleed:
• Influence – 2 Bleed
• Hemorrhage – 2 undefendable dmg and 2 Bleed
• Blood Magic II – 8 undefendable dmg (plus 1 BP, making the attack 10 dmg)
and 1 Bleed
• End Game Strategy When Defending:
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The Vampire Lord has the unique ability to end a game before an opponent’s attack
has completed. Her defensive ability Immortal Flesh (Immortal Flesh II – a necessary
upgrade!) allows her to steal an opponent’s health. This is powerful in close endgame
situations because if you steal your opponent’s health to 0 during your defensive roll,
the game immediately ends—your opponent’s attack does not inflict damage on you.
Special Note #1: Saving Better D and/or Six It for this final scenario increases your
odds to end the game in this way.
Special Note #2: The following is an actual end game scenario:
Seraph Vs. Vampire Lord
Seraph (3 HP) Vampire Lord (6 HP)
Upkeep Phase
Rolls "2" for Bleed (-1 HP)
Offensive Roll Phase Defensive Roll Phase
Attacks with Triumphant for 7 defendable Immortal Flesh II -- rolls 2 "6"'s and steals 2 HP
damage for the win
Special Note: VL had a Six It saved for this
scenario, but did not have to use it.
4. Ultimate Ability
VL’s Ultimate Ability (Exsanguinate!) is one of the best ultimates in DT because it:
• Inflicts 10 damage and, when coupled with the VL’s healing ability and attack
modifier cards, can lead to a 20-40 HP swing (see above).
• Allows for a free card draw from the deck that can set yourself up for a 2nd ultimate
(i.e., Twice as Wild!), save yourself from your opponent’s next attack (i.e., Not This
Time), buff your current attack (Limb From Limb), etc.
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The Sanguimancy Strategy – To maximize VL’s power, deck control is key. Utilizing
Sanguimancy / Sanguimancy II and/or Presence early in the game is a powerful strategy, setting
yourself up for combination attacks and healing. This turns the Vampire Lord into a deck builder
hero.
This is how I try to begin all VL games: for the 1st 3 or 4 turns (depending on my
opponent and other variables), I roll for Sanguimancy (using Glamour as my fallback attack). My
goal is to buff my deck early on, keeping the most powerful dice manipulations, attack upgrades,
and attack modifiers. I start the game having the “long-game” in mind, knowing that I am setting
myself up for a large HP swing later.
Special Note #1: There is a 60% chance to roll Sanguimancy using 3 rolls. Note the
following statistical analysis:
• Out of 100,000 simulations, ~60.04% resulted in successfully completing the
objective and ~39.96% failed the objective.
• Successful completion % by roll attempt is:
1st roll = 13.81%
2nd roll = 44.18%
3rd roll = 42.01%
• The following chart helps visualize the above results of 100,000 simulations
(Note: 0 = failed attempt)
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Special Note #2: It is possible to get through almost ½ of your 33 card deck within 3
rounds using the Sanguimancy strategy. For example: 4 cards as your starting hand / 1
card for each income phase / using Sanguimancy to draw 6 cards (keeping the best 3
in your hand) / utilizing Double Up! or Triple Up!. That’s 15 or 16 cards drawn from
a 33 card deck in just 3 turns!
Special Note #3: Though you have not dealt any damage in these 3 turns (not
including Bleed or HP steal from your defensive roll), you have gained a minimum of
6 health (and perhaps more, if you stole any health during your defensive roll or have
upgraded to Sanguimancy II to +3 health each time). This is important because an
average Dice Throne attack inflicts 6/7 damage—which means you have actually
mitigated at least 1 of your opponent’s attacks through Sanguimancy’s heal, while
also setting yourself up for a massive HP swing later.
Special Note #4: Glamour is your fallback attack if you are not able to roll the 6
needed for Sanguimancy. Though not gaining cards with Glamour (Glamour II), you
do inflict 4/5 undefendable dmg, gain CP to use for your cards later, and set yourself
up for a Glamour/Blood Magic (12 or 14 undefendable dmg) combination (using
Glamour’s mesmerize – see: Combination Attacks above).
Special Note #5: Whatever health deficit you may have experienced after those 1st 3
rounds can certainly be rectified through your BP healing capability. For example, if
you received 21 dmg from attacks, mitigated 8 HP through Sanguimancy and
defensive rolls, you will be at a 37-50 HP deficit (not counting any Bleed damage
inflicted through defensive rolls). If you then attack with Blood Magic (with the
healing option and mesmerize), you have the potential for a 20 HP swing, putting the
score at 47-40. And you still have cards in hand to set yourself up for another attack.
Special Note #6: Because you draw 2 cards and discard 1 using Sanguimancy, you
are able to stack your deck with the best cards. This mitigates deck-bloat, setting
yourself up for higher damage/heal attacks later.
Mitigating VL’s Weaknesses:
1. VL’s Defense
Vampire Lord’s defense is weak and does not mitigate any damage. But this does make
sense because of her BP healing ability. You can mitigate VL’s defensive deficiencies by:
• Upgrading to Immortal Flesh II (a necessary upgrade!)
• And using Better D and/or Six It in a close end game scenario (see above).
2. Having BP Stolen
Because VL’s healing ability requires 4 BP, this leaves VL open to status effect removal
cards. However, there are ways to counter to this:
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• Counter #1: When What Status Effects? or Get That Outta Here! is used, you can
immediately (because BP is an instant action) trade in 3 BP for the 2 card draw ability
(losing BP, but gaining cards).
• Counter #2: Do not max out to 4 BP on your board (see: Tactical Timing above).
Keep in mind future attacks and how much BP you will gain (such as: Blood Magic,
Blood Thirst, etc.).
Special Note: This 2nd weakness is no different than any other Dice Throne Hero who
relies heavily on positive status effects (i.e., Seraph, Paladin, Ninja, etc.). The difference
with VL is that you can at least gain cards if your opponent tries to wipe your status
effects.
Summary: VL is not like any other DT hero. Her strengths are unique, her strategy is nuanced,
and her in-game flow is different. She is a tactical hero who requires future planning and
intentional decisions during battle. When you use her BP effectively (and often), you are able to
set yourself up for combination strikes, buff her deck, and heal. Do this successfully and you will
take the Mad King’s Throne.
