Reap
Attack
3
Retain.
Deal 27 damage.

Retain

Card property
Retained cards are not discarded at the end of turn.

At the end of your turn your Hand flushes to the Discard Pile; a Retained card stays in Hand for the next turn instead.

  • Sources: Retain can be printed on the card, added for the rest of combat (Snap, Phantom Blades, Choices Paradox), or granted for one turn only (Well-Laid Plans, Salvo, Equilibrium, Convergence).
  • Does not stop: Ethereal still Exhausts the card before the flush, and end-of-turn effects like Burn still hurt you.
  • Cost reductions: ones that last until played survive on a Retained card, which is what Bookmark exploits.
  • Full stop: Runic Pyramid and Ringing Triangle switch the flush off entirely.
Named by
2 relics1 potion, 3 powers, 1 event

Cards with Retain

Anointed
Skill
1
Put every Rare card from your Draw Pile into your Hand.
Exhaust.
Calculated Gamble
Skill
0
Discard your Hand,
then draw that many cards.
Exhaust.
Convergence
Skill
1
Next turn,
gain and .
Retain your Hand this turn.
Dredge
Skill
1
Put 3 cards from your Discard Pile into your Hand.
Exhaust.
Equilibrium
Skill
2
Gain 13 Block.
Retain your Hand this turn.
Eradicate
Attack
X
Retain.
Deal 11 damage X times.
Fade
Skill
0
Retain.
Another player gains 6 Dexterity this turn.
Gold Axe
Attack
1
Deal damage equal to the number of cards played this combat.
Luminesce
Skill
0
Retain.
Gain .
Exhaust.
Misery
Attack
0
Deal 7 damage.
Apply any debuffs on the enemy to ALL other enemies.
Monologue
Skill
0
Whenever you play a card this turn, gain 1 Strength this turn.
Phantom Blades
Power
1
Shivs gain Retain.
The first Shiv you play each turn deals 9 additional damage.
Poor Sleep
Curse
Retain.
Unplayable.
Purity
Skill
0
Retain.
Exhaust up to 3 cards in your Hand.
Exhaust.
Reap
Attack
3
Retain.
Deal 27 damage.
Reaper Form
Power
3
Whenever Attacks deal damage, apply that much Doom.
Restlessness
Skill
0
Retain.
If your Hand is empty, draw 2 cards and gain .
Royal Gamble
Skill
0
5
Gain 9 .
Exhaust.
Sacrifice
Skill
1
Retain.
If Osty is alive, he dies and you gain Block equal to double his Max HP.
Salvo
Attack
1
Deal 12 damage.
Retain your Hand this turn.
Scrawl
Skill
1
Draw cards until your Hand is full.
Exhaust.
Snakebite
Skill
2
Retain.
Apply 7 Poison.
Snap
Attack
1
Osty deals 7 damage.
Add Retain to a card in your Hand.
Sovereign Blade
Attack
2
Retain.
Deal 10 damage.
Sow
Attack
1
Retain.
Deal 8 damage to ALL enemies.
Spur
Skill
1
Retain.
Summon 3.
Osty heals 5 HP.
Time's Up
Attack
2
Deal damage equal to the enemy's Doom.
Exhaust.
Well-Laid Plans
Power
1
At the end of your turn, Retain up to 1 card.
Wish
Skill
0
Put a card from your Draw Pile into your Hand.
Exhaust.
Wisp
Skill
0
Gain .
Exhaust.

Named by

Vakuu

Notes

The Necrobinder gets the most Retain: Reap, Sow, Spur, Eradicate, Sacrifice and the upgrades of Wisp, Dredge and Time's Up. The Silent gets Snakebite, Phantom Blades and Well-Laid Plans. Colorless Purity and Restlessness retain, as do upgraded Anointed, Scrawl and Gold Axe. Poor Sleep is a curse that never leaves your Hand. Relics: Runic Pyramid, Ringing Triangle, Bookmark, Choices Paradox.

Changes by version

  1. 16 Jul 2026MentionPlaytest
    Uncommon 0 Power - Cost 1 - "At the end of your turn, Retain up to 1(2) card(s)." to Rare - Power - Cost 1(0) - "At the end of your turn, you no longer discard your Hand."
    Related cardExpertisePlaytest
    Reworked Expertise card: "Draw cards until you have 6(7) in your hand." to "Draw 2(3) cards. They gain Retain this turn."
  2. 2 Jul 2026CostFadeDexterityPlaytest
    Fade: Uncommon - Skill - Cost 0 - "Retain. Another player gains 6(9) Dexterity this turn."
  3. 18 Jun 2026Bug fixBookmarkEquilibriumv0.107.1
    Bookmark relic now applies its cost reduction to a card retained by a "Retain your Hand" effect like Equilibrium
All 34 patch notes31 older
  1. 7 May 2026Bug fixBookmarkEquilibriumBeta branch
    Bookmark relic is now able to properly apply its cost-reduction effect to a card that has been retained by a "Retain your Hand" effect like Equilibrium card
  2. 26 Mar 2026Bug fixWaterlogged ScriptoriumBeta branch
    Waterlogged Scriptorium event's Tentacle Quill and Prickly Sponge options now properly show a hovertip for Retain
  3. 12 Feb 2026ChangeForbidden GrimoireInternal playtest
    Changed Forbidden Grimoire card: upgrade changed from gain Retain to decrease Energy cost by 1
  4. 5 Feb 2026InterfaceForgeInternal playtest
    When the Forge hovertip is shown, the Retain hovertip is now shown along with it
  5. 18 Dec 2025ReworkRoyal StampInnateInternal playtest
    Reworked Royal Stamp relic: now gives Innate and Retain instead of prior effect
  6. 20 Nov 2025ChangeReaper FormInternal playtest
    Changed Reaper Form card: upgrade changed from reducing Energy cost to gaining Retain
  7. 30 Oct 2025Bug fixConvergenceMayhemInternal playtest
    Cards that Retain your hand this turn (Convergence, etc.) now work properly when auto-played by Mayhem card
  8. 16 Oct 2025InterfaceStable SerumInternal playtest
    Stable Serum potion now shows a Retain hovertip
  9. 2 Oct 2025ChangePoor SleepUnplayableInternal playtest
    Changed Arrhythmia (now Poor Sleep) card: now an Unplayable curse with Retain
    Bug fixSnapInternal playtest
    Snap card now allows you to apply Retain to Statuses and Curses
  10. 25 Sep 2025ChangeScrawlInternal playtest
    Changed Scrawl card: upgrade changed from -1 cost to gains Retain
  11. 27 Aug 2025BuffEidolonInternal playtest
    Buffed Eidolon card: no longer Exhausts, now has Retain
  12. 14 Aug 2025BuffInternal playtest
    Buffed Zlatir's Choice's Paradox relic: now also adds Retain to the chosen card
  13. 7 Aug 2025ChangeInternal playtest
    Now has Retain
  14. 24 Jul 2025UpgradeDarvForbidden GrimoireInnateInternal playtest
    Changed Darv's Forbidden Grimoire card: upgrade changed from Innate to Retain
  15. 20 Jun 2025UpgradeDredgeInternal playtest
    Changed upgrade from increasing Dredge amount to gains Retain
  16. 12 Jun 2025BuffRestlessnessInternal playtest
    Buffed Restlessness card: now has Retain
  17. 5 Jun 2025UpgradeCalculated GambleExhaustInternal playtest
    Changed Calculated Gamble card: upgrade changed from losing Exhaust to gaining Retain
  18. 27 Feb 2025TextBlight StrikeInternal playtest
    Harvest card's random Retain power was incorrectly named "Blight Strike" and has now been corrected to "Harvest"
  19. 6 Feb 2025ChangeInternal playtest
    No longer has Retain by default
    UpgradeInternal playtest
    Upgrade changed from additional cards to grants Retain
  20. 9 Jan 2025ChangeInternal playtest
    Changed Constellation card: upgrade changed from Retain to cost 0
  21. 12 Dec 2024BuffSacrificeInternal playtest
    Buffed Sacrifice card: now has Retain
  22. 5 Dec 2024BuffEradicateInternal playtest
    Buffed Eradicate card: now has Retain
    UpgradeMiseryInternal playtest
    Upgrading Misery now also gives it Retain
    ChangeExhaustInternal playtest
    "Retain. Gain 1 Star for each card in your hand. Exhaust."
  23. 21 Nov 2024ChangeRoyal GambleInternal playtest
    Changed Royal Gamble card: upgrade no longer lowers Star cost, now gives Retain instead
  24. 1 Nov 2024MentionInnateExhaustInternal playtest
    "Innate(Retain). Deal damage to the enemy equal to the amount of damage they have already taken this turn. Exhaust."
    UpgradeInternal playtest
    Upgrade gives it Retain
  25. 6 Sep 2024UpgradeAnointedInnateInternal playtest
    Changed Anointed card: upgrade changed from Innate to Retain
  26. 30 Aug 2024UpgradeMonologueStrengthInternal playtest
    Changed Monologue card: upgrade changed from Strength increase to giving it Retain
  27. 7 Jun 2024MentionForgeExhaustInternal playtest
    "Forge 12(18). Starlight Sword gains Retain. Exhaust."
  28. 4 May 2024DamageOstyInternal playtest
    "Retain. Osty deals 5 damage for each Skill already played this turn."
    MentionOstyStrengthDexterityInternal playtest
    "(Retain) Lose 1 HP. Osty gains 1 Strength. Osty gains 1 Dexterity."
  29. 26 Apr 2024Bug fixEquilibriumInternal playtest
    Equilibrium no longer has Retain
    Bug fixInternal playtest
    Well Laid Plans power now lets you select 0 cards to retain & no longer has Retain itself
  30. 8 Sep 2023UpgradeInternal playtest
    Upgrade: Adds Retain keyword
  31. 9 Feb 2023Bug fixInternal playtest
    Retain keyword NPE fix

Internal playtest notes are from before the Early Access release. Names and numbers in them can differ from the game today.

EternalEtherealExhaustInnateSlyUnplayable
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