Energy Curves
Every spirit has an energy curve — a per-round target income and spend profile. Hit the curve and your engine fires reliably; fall below and your hand rots; over-bank and your tempo stalls.
This chapter gives you the curve shapes for the four archetypes plus specific notes for the Brett-priority spirits.
What “energy curve” means
Two numbers per round:
- Income — what your presence track + growth produces this turn.
- Spend — what your playable hand actually costs.
Target: income ≈ spend + 1 (a small buffer). Equality is fine; banking > 2 is usually wrong; spending more than income means you gained a Major you can’t afford.
The four curve archetypes
1. Slow-ramp (Defend & Outlast, Major Power Shopping)
Example: Vital Strength of the Earth, Keeper of the Forbidden Wilds.
| Round | Target income | Target spend |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1E | 0–1E |
| 2 | 1E | 0–1E |
| 3 | 2E | 1–2E |
| 4 | 2E | 2E |
| 5 | 3E | 3E |
| 6 | 3–4E | 3–4E (Major) |
| 7 | 4E | 4E (Major + minor) |
| 8 | 4E+ | 4E+ |
Slow-ramp banks 1E through T2–T3 to afford T5 Majors. Deviation cost: skipping the bank means no Major on T5, and the archetype fails.
2. Fast-energy (Lightning, high-E Horizons spirits)
| Round | Target income | Target spend |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2E | 1–2E |
| 2 | 2E | 2E |
| 3 | 2–3E | 2–3E |
| 4 | 3E | 3E |
| 5 | 3–4E | 3E+ |
| 6 | 4E | 3–4E |
| 7 | 4E | 3–4E |
| 8 | 4E | 3–4E |
Fast-energy spends aggressively — cards cycle, presence lands, and the spirit’s pressure stays constant. Banking > 1E past T3 indicates you dropped a play.
3. Flat-cheap (Minor-heavy spirits)
Example: Downpour, Many Minds, Shroud (openings 1–2), Fangs.
| Round | Target income | Target spend |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1E | 0–1E |
| 2 | 1E | 0–1E |
| 3 | 1–2E | 1–2E |
| 4 | 2E | 2E |
| 5 | 2E | 2E |
| 6 | 2E | 2E |
| 7 | 2–3E | 2–3E |
| 8 | 3E | 3E |
Flat-cheap lives on 0–1 cost Minors. Income rarely clears 3E because it doesn’t need to. Banking = error (you drafted the wrong Minors).
4. Late-spike (Vengeance, Serpent)
| Round | Target income | Target spend |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1E | 0–1E |
| 2 | 1E | 1E |
| 3 | 1–2E | 1–2E |
| 4 | 2E | 2E |
| 5 | 2E | 2E |
| 6 | 3E | 3E |
| 7 | 4–5E | 4–5E |
| 8 | 5–8E | 5–8E |
Late-spike lives for T7–T8. Early turns are weak by design; late turns are game-ending.
Per-spirit energy targets (Brett-priority)
All 39 spirits below. Targets are directional; revisions per spirit land as each chapter is authored.
Base (8):
| Spirit | Curve | T3 target E income | T5 target E income |
|---|---|---|---|
| River Surges in Sunlight | Mid | 2E | 3E |
| Lightning’s Swift Strike | Fast-energy | 2–3E | 3E |
| Shadows Flicker Like Flame | Flat-cheap | 1E | 2E |
| Vital Strength of the Earth | Slow-ramp | 2E | 3–4E |
| Ocean’s Hungry Grasp | Mid | 2E | 3E |
| A Spread of Rampant Green | Slow-ramp-ish | 1–2E | 3E |
| Thunderspeaker | Fast-energy | 2E | 3E |
| Bringer of Dreams and Nightmares | Flat-cheap | 1E | 2E |
Branch & Claw (2):
| Spirit | Curve | T3 target E income | T5 target E income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharp Fangs Behind the Leaves | Flat-cheap | 1E | 2E |
| Keeper of the Forbidden Wilds | Slow-ramp | 2E | 3–4E |
Promo — Feather & Flame (2):
| Spirit | Curve | T3 target E income | T5 target E income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heart of the Wildfire | Flat-cheap (tight) | 1E | 2E |
| Serpent Slumbering Beneath the Island | Late-spike | 1E | 2E (spike T6+) |
Promo Pack 2 (2):
| Spirit | Curve | T3 target E income | T5 target E income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downpour Drenches the World | Flat-cheap | 1–2E | 2–3E |
| Finder of Paths Unseen | Mid | 2E | 3E |
Horizons (5):
| Spirit | Curve | T3 target E income | T5 target E income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Devouring Teeth Lurk Underfoot | Mid | 2E | 2–3E |
| Eyes Watch from the Trees | Mid | 2E | 2–3E |
| Fathomless Mud of the Swamp | Mid | 2E | 2–3E |
| Rising Heat of Stone and Sand | Mid | 2E | 3E |
| Sun-Bright Whirlwind | Mid | 2E | 3E |
Jagged Earth (10):
| Spirit | Curve | T3 target E income | T5 target E income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shifting Memory of Ages | Mid | 2E | 3E |
| Grinning Trickster Stirs Up Trouble | Mid (via innate) | 1–2E | 2–3E |
| Many Minds Move as One | Flat-cheap | 1E | 2E |
| Shroud of Silent Mist | Flat-cheap | 1E | 2E |
| Vengeance as a Burning Plague | Late-spike | 1E | 2E (spike T7+) |
| Volcano Looming High | Mid | 2E | 3E |
| Stone’s Unyielding Defiance | Slow-ramp | 2E | 3–4E |
| Lure of the Deep Wilderness | Mid | 2E | 3E |
| Fractured Days Split the Sky | Mid-high | 2–3E | 3–4E |
| Starlight Seeks Its Form | Flexible | form-dependent | form-dependent |
Nature Incarnate (10):
| Spirit | Curve | T3 target E income | T5 target E income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ember-Eyed Behemoth | Mid-high | 2–3E | 3–4E |
| Hearth-Vigil | Mid | 2E | 3E |
| Towering Roots of the Jungle | Slow-ramp | 2E | 3E |
| Breath of Darkness Down Your Spine | Mid | 2E | 3E |
| Relentless Gaze of the Sun | Mid | 2E | 3E |
| Wandering Voice Keens Delirium | Mid | 2E | 3E |
| Wounded Waters Bleeding | Mid | 2E | 3E |
| Dances Up Earthquakes | Mid | 2E | 3E |
| Covets Gleaming Shards of Earth | Slow-ramp | 2E | 3–4E |
| Ferocious Warrior of the Lost Lands | Mid | 2E | 3E |
Deviation cost
Falling 1E below curve for 1 turn costs you ~1 card play.
Falling 1E below curve for 3 turns compounds to ~3 missed plays = usually a lost game at L5+.
Banking 2+ E over curve means you missed a play; the extra energy doesn’t make up for it.
When to deviate on purpose
- Save for a Major next turn: legitimate bank. Limit: 1 turn.
- Scenario-specific: some scenarios (Powers Long Forgotten) forbid certain cards, forcing banking.
- Emergency defend: burning 2E on A Year of Perfect Stillness saves a game; worth spiking out-of-curve for one turn.
Cross-references
- Tempo — energy is one axis of tempo.
- Major vs. Minor — draft decisions shaped by curve.
- Card Draft Theory — draft in alignment with curve.
Last revised: 2026-04-19