Velvet Choker

Velvet Choker is a boss relic that grants 1 additional Energy at the start of each turn while capping the number of cards you can play each turn at 6. It is available as a boss relic reward after defeating an Act boss, offering the standard extra Energy trade-off with a hard ceiling on card plays per turn.

The 6-card-per-turn limit is rarely a constraint on lean, focused decks that average 3–5 cards played per turn — in those cases, the extra Energy is an enormous benefit with minimal downside. However, Velvet Choker is punishing on decks that rely on playing many cards quickly, such as Ironclad Whirlwind builds, Silent shiv decks or Acrobatics-fueled card-cycling strategies, Defect orb decks that slot many Strikes, or Watcher decks that transition between stances while playing large numbers of cards. The relic also hard-counters synergies built around Zero-cost card spam or drawing and playing your entire hand. When evaluating Velvet Choker, consider whether your average turn naturally stays under 6 plays — if so, it is among the strongest boss relic options available.