Zap

Zap is the Defect's basic skill, channeling 1 Lightning Orb for 1 Energy (and upgrading to cost 0). Lightning Orbs deal 3 damage when evoked and passively deal 1 damage to a random enemy at the end of each turn. Zap is the Defect's primary way to build Orb count in the early game, and the cost reduction on upgrade makes it one of the most impactful basic-card upgrades across all characters.

At 0 cost, Zap becomes a free Orb-slot filler that works seamlessly with any strategy — electrodynamics builds that channel multiple Lightning at once, focus-heavy setups that scale Orb passive damage, or Defect builds that simply want a full Orb queue at all times. It also combos with Dualcast and Consume, and benefits from any source of Focus. Upgrading Zap should be a high priority whenever you visit a Smith.