Challenge Decks are unique decks that contain some condition making them unique from, and often more challenging than, the normal decks. This could manifest in having an altered starting deck, possessing certain eternal jokers, restrictions on hands or discards, restrictions on allowed cards, and more.
When playing Challenge Decks, achievements and unlocks cannot be obtained, as some would be trivialized by the conditions given by the deck. Statistics such as number of times a consumable has been used and high scores like Best Hand/Highest Ante do still get updated. It's not possible to start a seeded run on Challenge Decks, but seed generated by each challenge run can still be used on normal decks.
Localthunk, the developer, has stated that some manner of Challenge Creator is on his list of things to add, though there is no timetable.
Decks[]
There are twenty different Challenge Decks currently in Balatro, with the first five unlocking after winning on five different decks. Each subsequent deck is unlocked after winning a run with a new Challenge Deck. To unlock all the Challenge Decks, the player needs to win with fifteen of them.
| Nr | Name of Challenge | Custom Rules/Game Modifiers | Restrictions | Deck | Initial Jokers, Consumables, Vouchers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Omelette |
All Blinds give no reward money Extra Hands no longer earn money Earn no Interest at end of round |
Banned Vouchers: Seed Money, Money Tree Banned Jokers: |
Standard | 5x  Egg
|
| 2 | 15 Minute City | None | None | Two copies of every face card, no Aces, 2's, or 3's (Adds to a 52 card deck) |
Eternal Eternal |
| 3 | Rich get Richer |
Chips cannot exceed the current $ Start with $100 |
None | Standard | Seed Money and Money Tree Vouchers |
| 4 | On a Knife's Edge | None | None | Standard | Eternal, Pinned  Ceremonial Dagger. The Pinned Joker is always in the leftmost position.
|
| 5 | X-ray Vision |
1 in 4 cards are drawn face down
(Impacted by |
None | Standard | None |
| 6 | Mad World |
Extra Hands no longer earn money Earn no Interest at end of round |
Banned Blinds: The Plant | No Aces, face cards, or 10s (32 card deck) |
Eternal, Negative Eternal |
| 7 | Luxury Tax |
Hold -1 cards in hand for every $5 you have.
(+1 for every -$5 with e.g. 10 base hand size |
None | Standard | None |
| 8 | Non-Perishable | All Jokers are eternal |
Banned Jokers: Banned Blinds: Verdant Leaf |
Standard | None |
| 9 | Medusa | None | None | All face cards are replaced with Stone cards | Eternal  Marble Joker
|
| 10 | Double or Nothing | All Played cards become debuffed after scoring | None | All 52 cards have a Red Seal | None |
| 11 | Typecast | When ante 4 boss is defeated, all Jokers become eternal and set Joker slots to 0 (self-destructing Jokers will not become eternal) | Banned Blinds: Verdant Leaf | Standard | None |
| 12 | Inflation | Permanently raise prices by $1 on every purchase | Banned Vouchers: Clearance Sale and Liquidation | Standard |  Credit Card
|
| 13 | Bram Poker |
Jokers no longer appear in the shop (Buffoon Packs and Tags that force Jokers to spawn still appear and work) |
None | Standard |
Eternal The Empress and The Emperor Tarot Cards Magic Trick and Illusion Vouchers |
| 14 | Fragile | None |
All methods of adding non-glass cards or removing glass enhancements are banned:
(Notably, |
All 52 cards are Glass |
2x Eternal, Negative |
| 15 | Monolith | None | None | Standard |
Eternal Eternal, Negative |
| 16 | Blast Off |
2 hands per round 2 discards per round 4 Joker Slots |
Banned Vouchers: Grabber and Nacho Tong Banned Jokers: |
Standard |
Eternal Eternal Planet Merchant and Planet Tycoon Vouchers |
| 17 | Five-Card Draw |
6 discards per round 5 hand size 7 Joker slots |
Banned Jokers:  Juggler,  Troubadour and  Turtle Bean (all methods of increasing hand size)
|
Standard | |
| 18 | Golden Needle |
Only 1 hand per round 6 discards per round Discards each cost $1 Start with $10 |
Banned Vouchers: Grabber and Nacho Tong Banned Jokers: |
Standard | Credit Card
|
| 19 | Cruelty |
Small Blinds and Big Blinds give no reward money 3 Joker slots |
None | Standard | None |
| 20 | Jokerless |
Jokers no longer appear in the shop 0 Joker slots |
All ways to spawn Jokers and all tags and boss blinds related to Jokers are banned: |
Standard | None |
Trivia[]
- The cardback of the Challenge Deck is a maze. You can use the top or the bottom opening and go through the maze and reach the other end.
- The concept of a 15-Minute City is an urban environment where most amenities (such as shops, education, leisure facilities and healthcare) can be found within 15 minutes walk, cycle or public transport from your home or where you are.
- Medusa is a famous mythical goddess, known for turning anyone who looks at her into stone.
- Bram Poker is a pun on the name of Irish author Bram Stoker, famously known for his 1897 novel Dracula which popularised vampires outwith Transylvanian folklore, and invented the idea of vampires transforming into bats and their weaknesses to garlic, crucifixes and sunlight.
- Five-Card Draw brings Balatro closer to the popular Poker variant of the same name, where players are dealt five cards in their hand and are able to discard and replace many of these easily.
- With the Rich Get Richer challenge it is possible to get a 0 point hand.
- It is easiest with boss blind The Ox (money is set to $0 if most played hand is played)
- In the Golden Needle challenge, grabbing any card that decreases the amount of Hands you can play, such as
Troubadour or the Hieroglyph/Petroglyph Vouchers, cannot actually reduce your Hands to 0, making it effectively free.
- This will also cause The Needle to set Hands to 2 instead of 1, which is believed to be a bug.
In other languages[]
| Language | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese (Simplified) | ęęēē» | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | ęę°ēēµ | |
| Dutch | Uitdagingskaartspel | |
| French | Jeu du dƩfi | |
| German | Herausforderungsdeck | |
| Indonesian | Challenge Deck | |
| Italian | Mazzo sfida | |
| Japanese | ćć£ć¬ć³ćøććć | |
| Korean | ģ±ė¦°ģ§ ė± | |
| Polish | Talia wyzwania | |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | Baralho Desafiante | |
| Russian | ŠŠ¾Š»Š¾Š“Š° ŠøŃŠæŃŃŠ°Š½ŠøŠ¹ | |
| Spanish (Spain) | Baraja desafĆo | |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Baraja desafĆo |
| Language | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese (Simplified) | ē čå· | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | ē čę² | |
| Dutch | De omelet | |
| French | L'Omelette | |
| German | Das Omelett | |
| Indonesian | Dadar | |
| Italian | La frittata | |
| Japanese | ćŖć ć¬ć | |
| Korean | ģ¤ėÆė | |
| Polish | Omlet | |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | A Omelete | |
| Russian | ŠŠ¼Š»ŠµŃ | |
| Spanish (Spain) | La tortilla | |
| Spanish (Latin America) | El omelet |
| Language | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese (Simplified) | 15åéé½åø | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | äøå»éååø | |
| Dutch | 15-minutenstad | |
| French | Ville du quart d'heure | |
| German | 15-Minuten-Stadt | |
| Indonesian | Kota 15 Menit | |
| Italian | CittĆ di 15 minuti | |
| Japanese | 15åé½åø | |
| Korean | 15ė¶ ėģ | |
| Polish | 15-minutowe miasto | |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | Cidade dos 15 Minutos | |
| Russian | 15-Š¼ŠøŠ½ŃŃŠ½ŃŠ¹ Š³Š¾ŃŠ¾Š“ | |
| Spanish (Spain) | Ciudad de 15 minutos | |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Ciudad de los 15 minutos |
| Language | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese (Simplified) | åÆč ęåÆ | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | åÆč ęåÆ | |
| Dutch | Rijken worden rijker | |
| French | Enrichir les riches | |
| German | Reiche werden reicher | |
| Indonesian | Kaya makin Kaya | |
| Italian | Ricchi sempre piĆ¹ ricchi | |
| Japanese | 大åÆč±Ŗ | |
| Korean | ė¶ģź° ė ė¶ģė” | |
| Polish | Bogaci jeszcze bogatsi | |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | Ricos ficam Mais Ricos | |
| Russian | ŠŠ¾Š³Š°ŃŃŠµ ŃŃŠ°Š½Š¾Š²ŃŃŃŃ Š±Š¾Š³Š°ŃŠµ | |
| Spanish (Spain) | Asquerosamente rico | |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Los ricos se enriquecen |
| Language | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese (Simplified) | åéä¹äø | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | åéä¹äø | |
| Dutch | Bloedstollend | |
| French | Sur le fil du rasoir | |
| German | Auf Messers Schneide | |
| Indonesian | Di Mata Pisau | |
| Italian | Sul filo del rasoio | |
| Japanese | ē“äøé | |
| Korean | ģ¹¼ėģģ | |
| Polish | Na ostrzu noża | |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | No Fio da Navalha | |
| Russian | ŠŠ° Š¾ŃŃŃŠøŠµ Š½Š¾Š¶Š° | |
| Spanish (Spain) | Al filo de la navaja | |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Al filo de la navaja |
| Language | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese (Simplified) | Xå č§ē | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | éč¦ē¼ | |
| Dutch | Rƶntgenogen | |
| French | Vision aux rayons X | |
| German | Rƶntgenblick | |
| Indonesian | Penglihatan sinar-X | |
| Italian | Visione a raggi X | |
| Japanese | éč¦č½å | |
| Korean | ģģ¤ė ģ“ ģģ¼ | |
| Polish | Rentgenowski wzrok | |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | VisĆ£o de Raio X | |
| Russian | Š ŠµŠ½ŃŠ³ŠµŠ½Š¾Š²ŃŠŗŠ¾Šµ Š·ŃŠµŠ½ŠøŠµ | |
| Spanish (Spain) | VisiĆ³n de rayos X | |
| Spanish (Latin America) | VisiĆ³n de rayos X |
| Language | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese (Simplified) | ēÆēäøē | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | ēēäøē | |
| Dutch | Krankzinnige wereld | |
| French | Monde de fous | |
| German | VerrĆ¼ckte Welt | |
| Indonesian | Dunia Gila | |
| Italian | Mondo folle | |
| Japanese | ēę°ć®äøē | |
| Korean | ėÆøģ¹ ģøź³ | |
| Polish | Szalony Åwiat | |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | Mundo Maluco | |
| Russian | ŠŠµŠ·ŃŠ¼Š½ŃŠ¹ Š¼ŠøŃ | |
| Spanish (Spain) | Mundo loco | |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Mundo loco |
| Language | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese (Simplified) | å„¢ä¾ēØ | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | å„¢ä¾ēØ | |
| Dutch | Welvaartsbelasting | |
| French | Taxe de luxe | |
| German | Luxussteuer | |
| Indonesian | Pajak Barang Mewah | |
| Italian | Tassa sul lusso | |
| Japanese | ććććēØ | |
| Korean | ķ¹ė³ ģė¹ģø | |
| Polish | Podatek od wzbogacenia | |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | Imposto de Luxo | |
| Russian | ŠŠ°Š»Š¾Š³ Š½Š° ŃŠ¾ŃŠŗŠ¾ŃŃ | |
| Spanish (Spain) | Impuesto de lujo | |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Impuesto al lujo |
| Language | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese (Simplified) | äøč ä¹ē© | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | äæä¹ ē©č³ | |
| Dutch | Houdbaar | |
| French | Non pƩrissable | |
| German | Haltbar | |
| Indonesian | Tidak Mudah Rusak | |
| Italian | Non deperibile | |
| Japanese | äæåé£ | |
| Korean | ė¹ė¶ķØ | |
| Polish | TrwaÅy | |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | NĆ£o PerecĆvel | |
| Russian | ŠŠµ ŠæŠ¾ŃŃŠøŃŃŃ | |
| Spanish (Spain) | No perecedero | |
| Spanish (Latin America) | No perecedero |
| Language | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese (Simplified) | ē¾ęč | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | ę¢ ęč | |
| Dutch | Medusa | |
| French | MĆ©duse | |
| German | Medusa | |
| Indonesian | Medusa | |
| Italian | Medusa | |
| Japanese | ć”ćć„ć¼ćµ | |
| Korean | ė©ėģ¬ | |
| Polish | Meduza | |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | Medusa | |
| Russian | ŠŠµŠ“ŃŠ·Š° | |
| Spanish (Spain) | Medusa | |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Medusa |
| Language | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese (Simplified) | å¤ę³Øäøę· | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | å¤ę³Øäøę² | |
| Dutch | Dubbel of niets | |
| French | Quitte ou double | |
| German | Doppelt oder nichts | |
| Indonesian | Dobel atau Tidak | |
| Italian | Lascia o raddoppia | |
| Japanese | äøćå «ć | |
| Korean | ė ė°° ėė ź½ | |
| Polish | Wszystko albo nic | |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | O Dobro ou Nada | |
| Russian | ŠŃŠµ ŠøŠ»Šø Š½ŠøŃŠµŠ³Š¾ | |
| Spanish (Spain) | Doble o nada | |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Doble o nada |
| Language | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese (Simplified) | č§č²åŗå | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | å®åč§č² | |
| Dutch | Beeldvorming | |
| French | Typecasting | |
| German | Typisierung | |
| Indonesian | Typecast | |
| Italian | Caratterista | |
| Japanese | ćÆć¾ćå½¹ | |
| Korean | ģ ķķ | |
| Polish | Szufladkowanie | |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | EstereĆ³tipo | |
| Russian | ŠŠ“Š½Š¾ Šø ŃŠ¾ Š¶Šµ | |
| Spanish (Spain) | Encasillado | |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Encasillado |
| Language | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese (Simplified) | é蓧čØč | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | éč²ØčØč¹ | |
| Dutch | Inflatie | |
| French | Inflation | |
| German | Inflation | |
| Indonesian | Inflasi | |
| Italian | Inflazione | |
| Japanese | ć¤ć³ćć¬ | |
| Korean | ģøķė ģ“ģ | |
| Polish | Inflacja | |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | InflaĆ§Ć£o | |
| Russian | ŠŠ½ŃŠ»ŃŃŠøŃ | |
| Spanish (Spain) | InflaciĆ³n | |
| Spanish (Latin America) | InflaciĆ³n |
| Language | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese (Simplified) | åøč±å§Ā·ęå | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | åøčę²å | |
| Dutch | Bram Poker | |
| French | Bram Poker | |
| German | Bram-Poker | |
| Indonesian | Bram Poker | |
| Italian | Bram Poker | |
| Japanese | ćć©ć ćć¼ć«ć¼ | |
| Korean | ėøėØ ķ¬ģ»¤ | |
| Polish | Bram Poker | |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | Bram PĆ“quer | |
| Russian | ŠŃŃŠ¼-ŠæŠ¾ŠŗŠµŃ | |
| Spanish (Spain) | Bram Poker | |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Bram PĆ³ker |
| Language | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese (Simplified) | ęē¢å | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | čå¼±äøå Ŗ | |
| Dutch | Kwetsbaar | |
| French | Fragile | |
| German | Zerbrechlich | |
| Indonesian | Rapuh | |
| Italian | Fragile | |
| Japanese | ćć©ćøć£ć¤ć« | |
| Korean | ģ°ģ½ķØ | |
| Polish | Kruchy | |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | FrƔgil | |
| Russian | Š„ŃŃŠæŠŗŠ¾Šµ | |
| Spanish (Spain) | FrƔgil | |
| Spanish (Latin America) | FrƔgil |
| Language | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese (Simplified) | å·Øē³ | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | å·Øē³ę± | |
| Dutch | Monoliet | |
| French | Monolithe | |
| German | Monolith | |
| Indonesian | Monolit | |
| Italian | Monolite | |
| Japanese | äøę岩 | |
| Korean | ėŖØė øė¦¬ģ¤ | |
| Polish | Monolit | |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | MonĆ³lito | |
| Russian | ŠŠ¾Š½Š¾Š»ŠøŃ | |
| Spanish (Spain) | Monolito | |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Monolito |
| Language | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese (Simplified) | ē¹ē«åē©ŗ | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | äøé£ę²å¤© | |
| Dutch | Explosie | |
| French | Mise Ć feu | |
| German | Abheben | |
| Indonesian | Meluncur | |
| Italian | Lancio | |
| Japanese | å¹ćé£ć°ć | |
| Korean | ė°ģ¬ | |
| Polish | Odpalenie | |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | Decolar | |
| Russian | ŠŠ° Š²Š·Š»ŠµŃ | |
| Spanish (Spain) | ExplosiĆ³n | |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Estallido |
| Language | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese (Simplified) | äŗčæę½ | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | äŗå¼µęē | |
| Dutch | Trekking van vijf kaarten | |
| French | Tirage Ć cinq cartes | |
| German | FĆ¼nf-Karten-Zug | |
| Indonesian | Tarik Lima Kartu | |
| Italian | Poker tradizionale | |
| Japanese | ćć”ć¤ćć«ć¼ćććć¼ | |
| Korean | ģ¹“ė 5ģ„ ė½źø° | |
| Polish | Losowanie piÄciu kart | |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | Saque de Cinco Cartas | |
| Russian | ŠŃŃŃ ŠŗŠ°ŃŃ | |
| Spanish (Spain) | Retirada de cinco cartas | |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Saca cinco cartas |
| Language | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese (Simplified) | éé | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | é»éé | |
| Dutch | Gouden naald | |
| French | Aiguille d'or | |
| German | Goldene Nadel | |
| Indonesian | Jarum Emas | |
| Italian | Ago dorato | |
| Japanese | ć“ć¼ć«ćć³ćć¼ćć« | |
| Korean | ź³Øė ė°ė | |
| Polish | ZÅota igÅa | |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | Agulha Dourada | |
| Russian | ŠŠ¾Š»Š¾ŃŠ°Ń ŠøŠ³Š»Š° | |
| Spanish (Spain) | Aguja dorada | |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Aguja dorada |
| Language | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese (Simplified) | ę®é · | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | ę®åæē”ę | |
| Dutch | Wreedheid | |
| French | CruautƩ | |
| German | Grausamkeit | |
| Indonesian | Kekejaman | |
| Italian | CrudeltĆ | |
| Japanese | ę®č | |
| Korean | ģģøķØ | |
| Polish | OkrucieÅstwo | |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | Crueldade | |
| Russian | ŠŠµŃŃŠ¾ŠŗŠ¾ŃŃŃ | |
| Spanish (Spain) | Crueldad | |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Crueldad |
| Language | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese (Simplified) | ę å°äø | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | å°äøäøå | |
| Dutch | Zonder jokers | |
| French | Sans blague | |
| German | Jokerlos | |
| Indonesian | Tanpa Joker | |
| Italian | Senza Jolly | |
| Japanese | ćøć§ć¼ć«ć¼ćŖć | |
| Korean | ģ”°ģ»¤ ģģ | |
| Polish | Bez jokera | |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | Sem Curinga | |
| Russian | ŠŠµŠ· Š“Š¶Š¾ŠŗŠµŃŠ¾Š² | |
| Spanish (Spain) | Sin comodines | |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Sin comodines |
