The roguelike (and roguelite) genre might seem overly saturated right now, but Balatro somehow manages to put a fresh spin on things by creating a roguelike game out of poker. Here’s a rundown of every deck in Balatro and how to unlock them.
How to Unlock Every Deck in Balatro
There are a total of 15 decks available in Balatro. Each deck comes with a special effect that will change up how you approach a run. While there are a handful of decks that offer a clear advantage over the others, rest assured that you can clear the game with basically any deck in the game.
Most of the deck effects are really just suited to different play styles, and it’s up to you to decide which ones you want to run with. Listed below are all of the available decks, along with their unlock conditions and effects.
| Deck | Effect | How to Unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Red Deck | +1 discard every round | Default deck that everyone starts with. |
| Blue Deck | +1 hand every round | Discover at least 20 items from your collection. |
| Yellow Deck | Start with an extra $10 | Discover at least 50 items from your collection. |
| Green Deck | You don’t earn interest. Instead, gain $2 per remaining hand and $1 per remaining discard at the end of each round. | Discover at least 75 items from your collection. |
| Black Deck | +1 Joker slot, but -1 hand every round. | Discover at least 100 items from your collection. |
| Magic Deck | Start a run with the Crystal Ball voucher and two copies of The Fool. | Win a run with the Red Deck on any difficulty. |
| Nebula Deck | Start a run with the Telescope voucher, -1 consumable slot. | Win a run with the Blue Deck on any difficulty. |
| Ghost Deck | Spectral Cards may appear individually in the shop, and you start with a Hex card. | Win a run with the Yellow Deck on any difficulty. |
| Abandoned Deck | Start a run with no face cards in your deck. | Win a run with the Green Deck on any difficulty. |
| Checkered Deck | Start a run with 26 Spades and 26 Hearts in your deck. | Win a run with the Black Deck on any difficulty. |
| Zodiac Deck | Start a run with Tarot Merchant, Planet Merchant, and Overstock Vouchers. | Win a run with any deck on Red Stake difficulty or higher. |
| Painted Deck | +2 hand size, -1 Joker slot. | Win a run with any deck on Green Stake difficulty or higher. |
| Anaglyph Deck | After defeating each Boss Blind, gain a Double Tag. | Win a run with any deck on the Black Stake difficulty or higher. |
| Plasma Deck | Balance Chips and Mult when calculating your score for a played hand. Base Blind size x2. | Win a run with any deck on Blue Stake difficulty or higher. |
| Erratic Deck | All Ranks and Suits in your deck or randomized. | Win a run with any deck on Orange Stake difficulty or higher. |
As you can see, all of the decks in Balatro require you to unlock items and beat a run on its higher difficulty levels. You’ll naturally discover more items as you play more runs, though it may take some time and practice before you’re able to start tackling the harder levels.
And those are all of the decks in Balatro and how to unlock them. Be sure to search up The Escapist for more tips and information on the game.
