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There are many ways to improve your deck in Balatro, and nearly all of them are a valid focus of any given run. Planet Cards can enhance your played hands, Tarot Cards offer a variety of small benefits, and Jokers drastically change how your deck plays. The rarest form of enhancement, however, is the Spectral Card.
Spectral Cards appear infrequently and can warp a run in ways you might not expect. They act in a very similar manner to Tarot Cards, only their effects are amplified. Be warned, many of these cards also have downsides. In this guide, we will walk you through each Spectral Card in Balatro.
More Balatro content:
Deck Unlock Guide | Planet Card Guide | Tarot Card Guide
What Are Spectral Cards
There are a total of 18 Spectral Cards in Balatro. As a general rule, these can only be found in rare Spectral Packs. These can appear in your shop and will occasionally appear as a reward for skipping a Blind. Certain Vouchers can increase the odds of seeing Spectral Cards, with some even placing single Spectral Cards in your shop for purchase. Additionally, several Jokers will reward you with Spectral Cards if you perform specific actions during a Round. These are often difficult to achieve, but the reward can be worth it.
Finally, two Spectral Cards can appear in other packs. Black Hole can appear in Celestial Packs. The Soul can appear in Arcana Packs. Both of these are incredibly rare and equally valuable.
Every Spectral Card In Balatro
Here is a list of every Spectral Card in Balatro, and what they do:
| Spectral Card | Effect |
| Incantation | Destroy 1 random card and add 4 enhanced Numbered Cards to your deck |
| Familiar | Destroy 1 random card and add 3 enhanced Face Cards to your deck. |
| Grim | Destroy 1 random card and add 2 enhanced Aces to your deck |
| Talismen | Add a Gold Seal to a card |
| Deja Vu | Add a Red Seal to a card |
| Trance | Add a Blue Seal to a card |
| Medium | Add a Purple Seal to a card |
| Aura | Add Foil, Holographic, or Polychrome to a card |
| Wraith | Creates a random Rare Joker. Sets money to $0 |
| Sigil | Converts every card in hand to a random single Suit |
| Ouija | Converts every card in hand to a random single Rank. Reduce Hand Size by 1 |
| Ectoplasm | Adds Negative to a random Joker. Reduces Hand Size by 1. |
| Immolate | Destroy 5 random cards. Gain $20 |
| Ankh | Creates a copy of 1 random Joker. Destroy all other Jokers |
| Hex | Adds Polychrome to a random Joker. Destroy all other Jokers |
| Cryptid | Creates 2 exact copies of a single card in your hand |
| The Soul | Creates a random Legendary Joker |
| Black Hole | Upgrades every Poker Hand by 1 level |
Seals and Editions, Explained
Spectral Cards are one of the only ways to get Seals and Editions in your deck. These offer a variety of benefits, and here’s a quick rundown of what each does.
Seals
Note: Seals DO NOT remove Enhancements and do not remove Editions. You can only have 1 Seal per card.
- Gold Seal – Gain $3 when card is scored
- Red Seal – Retrigger a card 1 time. This includes when played and any in-hand effects such as Steel and Gold, as well as Joker effects.
- Blue Seal – Creates a random Planet Card if in hand at the end of a Round
- Purple Seal – Creates a random Tarot Card if card is Discarded
Editions
Note: You can have Enhancements AND Seals in addition to an Edition. You can only have 1 Edition per card/Joker.
- Base – Your basic card. No added effects.
- Foil – +50 Chips when scored
- Holographic – +10 Mult when scored
- Poly Chrome – x1.5 Mult when scored
- Negative – +1 Joker Slot
With the knowledge of Spectral Cards in your dome, you are ready to smash Ante 8 and hit Endless. Check out our other guides for more Balatro tips and tricks.
