EchoSpire Card Design Pack

Date: March 6, 2026
Model: GPT-5.4

This document is a docs-oriented copy of the GPT-5.4 card set. Key mechanic terms link into the Ability Definitions glossary.

Upgrade Recommendation

I recommend a single authored upgrade per card for the base game rather than branching upgrades at the start.

Why this is the right fit for EchoSpire right now:

• It keeps the content pipeline manageable while the total card pool is still being built.
• It makes simulation and balance testing much easier because each base card has one upgraded form.
• It lets starter cards stay readable while still expressing faction and class identity.
• It avoids fake choice. Early branching upgrade trees often create lots of noise before the game has enough cards and relics to support them.

Upgrade Rules

1. Each card has one upgrade and keeps the same core role.
2. Upgrades should improve one major axis only: output, efficiency, reliability, or downside smoothing.
3. Cost reduction should be rare and usually limited to a reduction of 1.
4. Starter attacks should usually gain a rider, not just flat damage.
5. Starter skills should usually gain consistency, Retain, or a stronger mechanic hook.
6. Faction cards should upgrade toward faction identity, not generic strength.
7. High-risk cards should upgrade by becoming cleaner, not by losing all risk.

Recommended Passive Suite

These are the passives I would use as the default identity for the card set.

Class Passives

Class	Passive	Effect
Anchor	Mass Memory	The first time each turn you fully absorb an enemy hit without losing Life, gain 1 Density.
Drifter	Vanishing Point	The first Attack you play each turn against an enemy with Echo-Lock gains +1 Echo-Lock before damage resolves.
Conduit	Residual Charge	If you end your turn with Overload, deal 2 damage to a random enemy and reduce your next self-burn from Overload by 1.
Machinist	Grid Discipline	The first Construct you deploy each combat gains +2 Integrity and triggers its passive effect immediately.
Catalyst	Instability Bias	The first time each turn you Mutate a card, draw 1.

Faction Passives

These align to the current codebase names and are good anchors for the starter card packages.

Faction	Passive	Effect
Valerii	Stasis Lock	At the start of your turn, if you took no HP damage last turn, gain 3 Block.
Syntacta	Calibration Protocol	At the start of your turn, Scry 1.
Aethari	Gilded Syphon	The first time each turn you deal HP damage to an enemy, gain 1 Gold.
Annalis	Temporal Echo	At end of turn, if your discard pile has 5 or more cards, add a random copy of one discarded card to your hand.
Salvari	Scrap Protocol	When a friendly Block pool is broken or a Construct is destroyed, draw 1 card.

Card Ability Pillars

Class Ability Pillars

Class	Card Ability Focus
Anchor	Gain Density, convert Block into impact, pin enemies with Drag, Vent mass for burst or control.
Drifter	Apply Echo-Lock in precise increments, evade instead of blocking, line up burst windows, chain kills.
Conduit	Borrow energy through Overload, fire AoE and beam effects, vent or Stabilize debt, gamble on Burnout tempo.
Machinist	Deploy Constructs, Repair and Overclock them, Redirect pressure, trade setup turns for board control.
Catalyst	Mutate cards in hand, generate temporary Anomalies, exploit self-risk, cash in unstable turns for explosive tempo.

Faction Ability Pillars

Faction	Card Ability Focus
Valerii	Stasis, Drag, fortified defense, punish disorder, reward taking clean turns.
Syntacta	Scry, sequencing, precision draw, prediction counters, efficient card flow.
Aethari	Self-harm for profit, shard-fueled tempo, greed, bonus damage, gain rewards while fighting.
Annalis	Recall, copied cards, delayed triggers, discard manipulation, history-based value.
Salvari	Improvised defense, break-your-own-gear value, scrap generation, dirty tricks, rebuild tempo.

Legal Starter Deck Combinations

Every legal hero starts with 20 cards: 15 class cards plus 5 faction cards.

Class	Valerii	Syntacta	Aethari	Annalis	Salvari
Anchor	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Drifter	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Conduit	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Machinist	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
Catalyst	No	No	Yes	No	Yes

Class Starter Packages

Anchor Starter Package

Design note: the Anchor starter deck should feel like a slow machine that becomes terrifying if the player sequences defense correctly.

Card	Cost	Type	Effect	Upgrade
Ballast Ram	1	Attack	Deal 7. If you have Block, gain 1 Density.	Deal 9. If you have Block, apply 1 Drag.
Load-Bearing Slam	1	Attack	Deal 6. Gain Block equal to half your Density, rounded up.	Deal 8. Gain Block equal to your Density.
Brace the Hull	1	Skill	Gain 8 Block. If you took no HP damage last turn, gain 1 Density.	Gain 10 Block and always gain 1 Density.
Inertial Plate	1	Skill	Gain 6 Block. Retain 1 Block next turn.	Gain 8 Block. Retain 2 Block next turn.
Compression Step	0	Skill	Gain 1 Density. Draw 1.	Gain 1 Density. Draw 1 and Retain this.
Counterweight Drop	2	Attack	Deal 12. If you have 3 or more Density, apply 1 Drag.	Deal 15. If you have 3 or more Density, apply 2 Drag.
Seal the Seams	1	Skill	Gain 7 Block. If this fully blocks the next hit, gain 1 Energy next turn.	Gain 9 Block. If this fully blocks the next hit, draw 1 next turn.
Gravitic Palm	1	Attack	Deal 5. Apply 1 Drag. Gain 1 Density.	Deal 7. Apply 1 Drag. Gain 1 Density and 3 Block.
Deadweight Cycle	1	Skill	Gain 5 Block twice. The second gain happens at end of turn.	Gain 6 Block twice.
Anchor Spike	2	Attack	Deal 10. Vent up to 2 Density. Deal 4 more per Density vented.	Deal 12. Vent up to 3 Density. Deal 5 more per Density vented.
Bulkhead Doctrine	1	Skill	Gain 9 Block. Your next Attack this turn deals +3.	Gain 11 Block. Your next Attack this turn deals +5.
Tectonic Hook	1	Attack	Deal 8. If the target has Drag, gain 6 Block.	Deal 10. If the target has Drag, gain 8 Block.
Pressure Vent	0	Skill	Lose 1 Density. Gain 1 Energy and draw 1.	Lose up to 2 Density. Gain that much Energy.
Core Compression	2	Power	The first time each turn you gain Block from a card, gain 1 Density.	Also gain 3 Block when played.
Event-Line Breaker	2	Attack	Consume all Block. Deal damage equal to consumed Block plus 6.	Consume all Block. Deal damage equal to consumed Block plus 10 and apply 1 Drag.

Drifter Starter Package

Design note: the Drifter starter deck should feel like stalking a firing line, not playing generic weak attacks while waiting for a combo.

Card	Cost	Type	Effect	Upgrade
Ghostline Round	1	Attack	Deal 6. Apply 2 Echo-Lock.	Deal 8. Apply 2 Echo-Lock.
Edge Survey	0	Skill	Apply 1 Echo-Lock to any enemy. Draw 1.	Apply 2 Echo-Lock. Draw 1.
Phase Sidestep	1	Skill	Gain 4 Block. The next attack against you this turn deals 0 if you played an Attack this turn.	Gain 5 Block. The next attack against you this turn deals 0.
Tether Mark	1	Skill	Apply 2 Echo-Lock. Your next Attack this turn deals +3.	Apply 2 Echo-Lock. Your next Attack this turn deals +5 and Ignore Block if target has 4 or more Echo-Lock.
Horizon Puncture	1	Attack	Deal 9. If the target has Echo-Lock, deal 3 more.	Deal 11. If the target has Echo-Lock, deal 4 more.
Quiet Vector	1	Skill	Draw 2. Discard 1. If you discarded an Attack, gain 1 Energy next turn.	Draw 2. Discard up to 1.
Blink Feint	0	Skill	Gain 3 Block. Apply 1 Echo-Lock.	Gain 4 Block. Apply 1 Echo-Lock and Retain this.
Zero-Noise Shot	2	Attack	Deal 14. If target has Exactly 5 Echo-Lock, draw 2.	Deal 17. If target has Exactly 5 Echo-Lock, gain 1 Energy and draw 2.
Crossfade	1	Skill	Move 1 Echo-Lock from one enemy to another. Draw 1.	Move up to 2 Echo-Lock. Draw 1.
Distant Angle	1	Attack	Deal 7 to any target. If it is the Only Enemy With Echo-Lock, apply 2 more.	Deal 9. If it is the Only Enemy With Echo-Lock, apply 2 more.
Failsafe Phase	1	Skill	If you would take HP damage this turn, prevent 6 of it.	Prevent 9 instead.
Collapse Window	2	Attack	Deal 10. If target has 3 or more Echo-Lock, this costs 1 less.	Deal 13. If target has 3 or more Echo-Lock, this costs 1 less.
Recon Throughline	1	Skill	Scry 2. Apply 1 Echo-Lock to the front enemy.	Scry 3. Apply 1 Echo-Lock to any enemy.
Kill-Box Drift	1	Skill	The next time an enemy reaches 5 Echo-Lock this turn, gain 1 Energy.	Also draw 1 when it triggers.
Timeline Needle	2	Attack	Deal 8 twice. If the first hit Breaks Block, the second hit gains triple Echo-Lock bonus if applicable.	Deal 9 twice.

Conduit Starter Package

Design note: the Conduit starter deck should let the player flirt with danger immediately instead of waiting for rare cards before Overload matters.

Card	Cost	Type	Effect	Upgrade
Arc Lash	1	Attack	Deal 8. If you are Overloaded, deal 2 to all other enemies.	Deal 10. Splash 3 to all other enemies if Overloaded.
Surge Borrow	0	Skill	Gain 1 Temporary Energy this turn. If you spend below 0, gain 1 additional Overload.	Gain 1 Temporary Energy. Draw 1.
Capacitor Skin	1	Skill	Gain 7 Block. If you have Overload, gain 3 more Block.	Gain 8 Block. If you have Overload, gain 4 more.
Flash Conduit	2	Attack	Deal 13. Overload Allowed.	Deal 16. Overload Allowed.
Dissipation Loop	1	Skill	Reduce your Overload by 1. Draw 1.	Reduce your Overload by 2.
Static Choir	1	Skill	Deal 3 to all enemies. If any die, gain 1 Energy next turn.	Deal 4 to all enemies.
Grid Spike	1	Attack	Deal 6. If This Card Causes Overload, deal 6 more.	Deal 7. If This Card Causes Overload, deal 8 more.
Emergency Ground	0	Skill	Lose 3 HP. Reduce your Overload by 2.	Lose 2 HP. Reduce your Overload by 2 and draw 1.
Ion Splitter	2	Attack	Deal 5 to all enemies twice.	Deal 6 to all enemies twice.
Voltaic Forecast	1	Skill	Scry 2. Your next Overload card this turn deals +4.	Scry 3. Your next Overload card this turn deals +5.
Reactor Jolt	1	Attack	Deal 9. Gain 1 Overload.	Deal 11. Gain 1 Overload and draw 1 if you already had Overload.
Cooling Veil	1	Skill	Gain 5 Block and reduce the next Burnout damage you take by 3.	Gain 7 Block and reduce the next Burnout damage by 4.
Cascade Primer	2	Power	The first time each turn you gain Overload, draw 1.	Also gain 1 Block whenever it triggers.
Faultline Beam	3	Attack	Deal 20 to one enemy. Overload Allowed.	Deal 24. Overload Allowed.
Blackout Relay	1	Skill	If you have 2 or more Overload, gain 2 Energy next turn. Otherwise draw 2.	If you have 2 or more Overload, gain 2 Energy next turn and 4 Block. Otherwise draw 2.

Machinist Starter Package

Design note: the Machinist starter deck should begin with enough setup density that Constructs matter from floor one.

Card	Cost	Type	Effect	Upgrade
Rivet Gun Sweep	1	Attack	Deal 7. If you control a Construct, deal 3 more.	Deal 9. If you control a Construct, deal 4 more.
Sentry Stub	1	Skill	Deploy a Sentry Stub: 5 Integrity, end of turn deal 3 to a random enemy.	7 Integrity, end of turn deal 4.
Barrier Pylon	1	Skill	Deploy a Barrier Pylon: 6 Integrity, start of turn gain 3 Block.	8 Integrity, start of turn gain 4 Block.
Field Repair	1	Skill	Restore 5 Integrity to a Construct. Draw 1.	Restore 7 Integrity. Draw 1.
Grease the Rails	0	Skill	The next Construct you play this turn costs 1 less.	Also draw 1.
Servo Jab	1	Attack	Deal 6. Overclock one Construct for 1 self-damage.	Deal 8. Overclock one Construct for 0 self-damage.
Turret Calibration	1	Skill	A Construct gains +2 output this combat.	A Construct gains +3 output this combat.
Weld-Screen	1	Skill	Gain 6 Block. If you control 2 or more Constructs, gain 4 more.	Gain 7 Block. If you control 2 or more Constructs, gain 5 more.
Scraploader Drone	2	Skill	Deploy a Scraploader: 7 Integrity, whenever one of your Constructs dies, gain 1 Energy next turn.	9 Integrity and draw 1 when deployed.
Ram Plate	1	Attack	Deal 8. If a Construct attacked this turn, apply 1 Drag.	Deal 10. If a Construct attacked this turn, apply 1 Drag and gain 3 Block.
Redirect Fire	0	Skill	The next attack that would hit you this turn hits a random Construct instead.	The chosen Construct gains 3 Block first.
Grid Expansion	1	Power	Your first Construct each combat costs 1 less.	Also draw 1 when played.
Shock Wrench	1	Attack	Deal 7. If target intends to attack, apply 1 Weak equivalent by reducing its next attack by 25 percent.	Deal 9 and apply the reduction regardless of intent.
Emergency Fabricator	2	Skill	Deploy two Micro-Drones: each has 3 Integrity, end of turn gain 2 Block.	Each Micro-Drone has 4 Integrity and end of turn gain 3 Block.
Kill Switch Array	2	Attack	Destroy one Construct. Deal damage to all enemies equal to its Current Integrity plus 4.	Deal Current Integrity plus 7.

Catalyst Starter Package

Design note: the Catalyst starter deck should teach the player that Mutation is a tempo tool, not just a late-combat gimmick.

Card	Cost	Type	Effect	Upgrade
Shard Scratch	1	Attack	Deal 7. If you played a Mutated Card this turn, heal 2.	Deal 9. If you played a Mutated Card this turn, heal 3.
Splice Nerve	1	Skill	Mutate a card in your hand. It costs 1 less this turn.	Mutate a card in your hand. It costs 1 less this combat.
Hazard Sip	0	Skill	Lose 2 HP. Draw 2.	Lose 1 HP. Draw 2.
Unstable Mixture	1	Attack	Deal 6. Mutate the top card of your draw pile.	Deal 8. Mutate the top card of your draw pile.
Skin of Glass	1	Skill	Gain 8 Block. At end of turn, lose 2 Block for each Mutated Card still in hand.	Gain 10 Block. Lose 1 Block per Mutated Card instead.
Bloom Error	1	Skill	Add a temporary Anomaly to your hand. Exhaust.	Add a stronger temporary Anomaly. Exhaust.
Echo Bile	1	Attack	Deal 9. Take 2 damage. If this is Mutated, take 0 instead.	Deal 11. Take 2 damage. If Mutated, draw 1.
Contaminate	1	Skill	A card in your hand becomes Volatile: when played, it deals +5 or gains +5 Block, then Exhausts.	The bonus becomes +7.
Wrongblood Reflex	0	Skill	When you play your next Mutated Card this turn, gain 6 Block.	Gain 8 Block.
Prismatic Fang	2	Attack	Deal 15. If this card is Mutated, deal 6 to all enemies.	Deal 18. If Mutated, deal 8 to all enemies.
Distill the Risk	1	Skill	Sacrifice a card in hand. Gain 2 Energy.	Gain 2 Energy and draw 1.
Living Solvent	1	Attack	Deal 5. Remove Positive Effects from the target, then Mutate a random card in your hand.	Deal 7 before stripping effects.
Fracture Feast	1	Skill	Lose 3 HP. The next two Mutations this combat cost 0.	Lose 2 HP. The next two Mutations this combat cost 0.
Unwritten Organ	2	Power	The first Anomaly you play each turn does not Exhaust.	Also gain 1 temporary Block whenever it triggers.
Apex Contagion	2	Attack	Mutate this in hand at the start of combat. Deal 12. If Mutated, deal 24 instead.	Base becomes 14. Mutated becomes 28.

Faction Starter Packages

Valerii Faction Package

Design note: Valerii cards should make the player feel safer and more authoritarian at the same time.

Card	Cost	Type	Effect	Upgrade
Edict of Stillness	1	Skill	Apply 1 Stasis to an enemy.	Apply 1 Stasis and 1 Drag.
Shield Tax	1	Skill	Gain 7 Block. If you already have Block, gain 1 Energy next turn.	Gain 9 Block.
Iron Decree	1	Attack	Deal 8. If target is Stasis-Locked or Dragged, deal 4 more.	Deal 10. Bonus becomes 5.
Checkpoint Siren	0	Skill	All enemies lose 25 percent of their next attack damage this turn.	Also gain 3 Block.
Aegis Anchor	2	Power	At the start of each turn, if you took no HP damage last turn, gain 2 Block.	Gain 3 Block instead.

Syntacta Faction Package

Design note: Syntacta cards should feel clinical, planned, and mathematically efficient.

Card	Cost	Type	Effect	Upgrade
Predictive Branch	0	Skill	Scry 2.	Scry 3.
Logic Cut	1	Attack	Deal 7. If this was the first Attack you played this turn, draw 1.	Deal 9.
Recursive Filter	1	Skill	Draw 2, then place 1 card from your hand on the Bottom-Deck.	Draw 2 and Bottom-Deck up to 1.
Error Budget	1	Skill	Gain 6 Block. If you Scryed this turn, gain 5 more.	Gain 7 Block. If you Scryed this turn, gain 6 more.
Solved Sequence	2	Power	The first time each turn you play exactly 3 cards, draw 1 and gain 1 Block.	Draw 1 and gain 3 Block.

Aethari Faction Package

Design note: Aethari cards should tempt the player with velocity, greed, and self-inflicted instability.

Card	Cost	Type	Effect	Upgrade
Liquid Dividend	0	Skill	Lose 2 HP. Gain 1 Energy.	Lose 1 HP. Gain 1 Energy.
Gilt Extraction	1	Attack	Deal 8. If this Deals HP Damage, gain 2 Gold.	Deal 10. If this Deals HP Damage, gain 2 Gold.
Shard-Laced Veins	1	Skill	Your next Attack this turn deals +5. Take 2 damage.	Your next Attack deals +7. Take 2 damage.
Hostile Appraisal	1	Skill	Apply Breach. Draw 1.	Apply Breach and gain 2 Block.
Lux Speculation	2	Power	The first time each turn you lose HP on your own turn, gain 4 Block and 1 Gold.	Gain 5 Block and 1 Gold.

Annalis Faction Package

Design note: Annalis cards should make the discard pile feel like a second hand and history feel heavier than the present.

Card	Cost	Type	Effect	Upgrade
Citation of Ash	1	Skill	Return a card with cost 1 or less from your discard pile to your hand. Exhaust.	Return any non-Power card. Exhaust.
Prime Witness	1	Attack	Deal 7. If this card was Created Or Copied, deal 5 more.	Deal 9. Bonus becomes 6.
Memorial Veil	1	Skill	Gain 6 Block. Add a Copy of the last card you played this turn to your discard pile.	Gain 8 Block.
Redacted Hour	0	Skill	Redact up to 1 card from your discard pile. Draw 1.	Redact up to 2. Draw 1.
Archive Surge	2	Power	The first time each turn a card enters your hand from your discard pile, it costs 1 less this turn.	It also gains Retain this turn.

Salvari Faction Package

Design note: Salvari cards should look messy on paper and feel incredibly practical in play.

Card	Cost	Type	Effect	Upgrade
Cut the Wrong Wire	0	Skill	Lose all Block. Draw 2.	Lose all Block. Draw 2 and gain 1 temporary Energy.
Back-Alley Patch	1	Skill	Gain 5 Block. If your Block breaks this turn, gain 1 Energy next turn.	Gain 7 Block.
Lifted Credentials	1	Skill	Create a Temporary Copy of a random faction card in your discard pile or draw pile. It costs 0 this turn.	Also draw 1.
Loose Panel Ambush	1	Attack	Deal 6. If you have no Block, deal 6 more.	Deal 7. If you have no Block, deal 7 more.
Chore List	2	Skill	Draw 3. Discard 1. If a card was discarded, gain 4 Block.	Draw 3. Discard up to 1. Gain 5 Block if you discarded.

How The Starter Decks Should Feel

The point of the 20-card starter is not to imitate Slay the Spire's flat baseline. The point is to let the player feel the faction-class combination immediately.

Examples:

• Valerii Anchor should feel like an escalating wall that weaponizes clean defense.
• Syntacta Drifter should feel like a premeditated execution engine with very little wasted draw.
• Aethari Conduit should feel like a beautiful financial crime that may also kill the player.
• Annalis Anchor should feel like impossible persistence, with defensive cards returning at the right time.
• Salvari Machinist should feel like surviving on junk, replacing broken tools faster than the enemy can break them.
• Aethari Catalyst should feel like profiting from your own collapse.

Recommended Implementation Notes

These card packages fit the current Core architecture well.

• Anchor cards naturally map to GAIN_BLOCK, GAIN_DENSITY, DEAL_DAMAGE, APPLY_STATUS for Drag, and a custom Block-to-damage finisher effect.
• Drifter cards map cleanly to APPLY_ECHO_LOCK, DEAL_DAMAGE, draw, Scry, and damage-prevention hooks.
• Conduit cards mainly need DEAL_DAMAGE, GAIN_ENERGY, Overload counters, and Burnout Mitigation.
• Machinist cards fit DEPLOY_CONSTRUCT, OVERCLOCK_CONSTRUCT, Construct repair, and a small set of construct templates.
• Catalyst cards need MUTATE_CARD, temporary card creation, self-damage, and selective Exhaust behavior.
• Faction cards mostly rely on existing primitives already implied by the current code and GDD.

Recommended Next Step

If you want to take this from design into implementation cleanly, the best next move is to translate this document into a card schema sheet with these columns:

• CardId
• Name
• ClassId
• FactionId
• Cost
• Type
• Rarity
• TargetType
• Keywords
• Effect1Id / Params
• Effect2Id / Params
• UpgradeCardId

That would let you seed the API-admin content pipeline and start simulation runs against a real starter-card environment.