Serpent Slumbering Beneath the Island
Card data, innate thresholds, special rules, growth options, presence track, and unique-card text parsed via scripts/wiki-fetch.py. Remaining [VERIFY]: Play Difficulty, aspect mechanics, live mindwanderer stats, board ratings.
Strategic framing paraphrased from jyonker13’s BGG openings thread 2282835 + Zetan’s solo refinement.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Expansion | Promotional Pack 1 |
| Complexity | High |
| Play Difficulty | [VERIFY] |
| Growth type | “one” — pick one growth per turn |
| Power summary (1–5) | Offense 2 · Control 2 · Fear 2 · Defense 4 · Utility 5 |
| Primary Elements | Earth (Serpent Wakes + Rouses) · Fire + Water (Serpent Wakes + Rouses) · Moon (Rouses) · Plant (Wakes) |
| Special Rules | Deep Slumber (5-presence cap; raise via Absorb Essence) |
| Aspects | None |
| Rei’s Guide | Not covered |
| latentoctopus | Not listed |
| BGG | jyonker13 thread 2282835 |
Spirit Overview — Framing
Serpent is an enabler-then-nuker — early turns are support via two Gift powers; mid-late, the Deep Slumber track absorbs presence off-board to power Serpent Wakes in Power + Serpent Rouses in Anger. jyonker13:
Being effective as a multiplayer Serpent hinges on predictive management of your own Presence cap, and a working knowledge of the Reclaim cycles of the other Spirits at your table.
Non-obvious traits:
- Solo vs multi divergence is sharper than any other spirit. In solo, Gifts self-target. In 2P+ 3 of 4 starting cards must target another spirit — there will be no-innate turns.
- Presence-cap management is active. Other spirits accidentally accelerate your wake via lent elements; maxing out = “only half wake up.”
- Gifts reshape partner reclaim cycles. Primordial Deeps delays reclaim; Flowing Power accelerates discard.
Complexity signal: High is accurate. Different spirit in solo vs. multi.
Starting Setup
Put 1 Presence on your starting board in land #5.
Growth Options (growthtype: “one” — pick one per turn)
| Growth | Effects | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| G1 | Reclaim + Move 1 Presence (Range 1) | Reclaim cycle + reposition |
| G2 | Gain 1 Power Card + +1 Energy | Card + energy |
| G3 | +4 Energy | Big energy spike for Majors |
| G4 | Add Presence (Range 0, No-Blight) | Spread on safe lands |
Presence Tracks
- Energy track (8 slots):
energy1 → fire → any → reclaim1E → earth → energy6 → any → energy12 - Card-play track (7 slots):
card1 → moonX → card2 → waterX → serpent → card4 → card5reclaim1
Starting income: 1 Energy, 1 Card Play. Energy track peaks at 12 E and has TWO “any element” slots — the scaling is enormous.
Core Mechanics & Special Rules
Special Rule: Deep Slumber
You start off limited to 5 Presence on the island. Raise this with your Absorb Essence Power Card. Each use covers the lowest revealed number; your Presence limit is the lowest uncovered number.
Serpent’s presence cap starts at 5 and expands via Absorb Essence casts. Managing this cap is the whole game.
Innate: Serpent Wakes in Power
- Speed: Slow · Target: You
| Level | Thresholds | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2  Fire + 1  Water + 1  Plant | Gain 1 Energy. Other spirits with any Absorbed Presence also gain 1 Energy. |
| 2 | 2 Water + 3  Earth + 2 Plant | Add 1 Presence to Range 1. Other spirits with 2+ Absorbed Presence may do likewise. |
| 3 | 3 Fire + 3 Water + 3 Earth + 3 Plant | Gain a Major Power without Forgetting. Other Spirits with 3+ Absorbed Presence may do likewise. |
The team-rewarding innate. Partners with Absorbed Presence benefit.
Innate: Serpent Rouses in Anger
- Speed: Slow · Range: 0 · Target: Any
| Level | Thresholds | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 Fire + 1 Earth | For each Fire & Earth you have, 1 Damage to 1 Town / City. |
| 2 | 2  Moon + 2 Earth | For each 2 Moon + 2 Earth you have, 2 Fear + Push 1 Town from target land. |
| 3 | 5 Moon + 6 Fire + 6 Earth | Cost 7 Energy. In every land in the game: X Damage, where X is Presence in and adjacent to that land. |
L3 is a board-wide nuke at 7E cost. The “steamroll” turn.
Unique Cards (Serpent has special Uniques; let me list what I have)
[VERIFY — Wiki-fetch didn't parse Serpent's uniques cleanly; the 4 canonical uniques are:]
Elemental Aegis
- 1 Energy · Fast · Range 0 · Any Land · Fire, Water, Earth
- Defend 2 in target land and all adjacent lands. For every Presence on your “Deep Slumber” track, Defend 1 in target land and all adjacent lands.
The Deep-Slumber-scaled Defend. Reclaimed every turn in the solo build.
Absorb Essence
- 0 Energy · Fast · Range 0 · Any Land · Moon, Water
- Absorb 1 of your Presence (remove from the game, covering your limit). Gain 3 Energy. Target Spirit gains 1 element that target Spirit has.
Presence → Energy conversion. Core to the Serpent economy.
Gift of Flowing Power
- 0 Energy · Fast · No Range · Another Spirit · Water, Earth, Plant
- Target Spirit gains an extra Power Card play this turn. Serpent gains an element that target Spirit has.
Partner extra-play + element theft.
Gift of the Primordial Deeps
- 0 Energy · Fast · No Range · Another Spirit · Moon, Water, Earth
- Target Spirit plays a Minor Power from the top of the Minor deck for free. Serpent gains an element that target Spirit has.
Partner free-Minor + element theft.
Key Strategic Principles
- Solo and multi are different spirits. Solo self-target Gifts; multi target partners.
- Don’t wake up too fast. jyonker13: “The biggest mistake you can make is attempting to wake up too fast at the expense of the board state.”
- Earth is pivotal. Gated behind T3 growth track — can’t be rushed.
- Absorb Essence is the bridge. Present → Energy + partner element-gift in one play.
- Elemental Aegis is reclaim-engine material.
- Choose Gift by partner tempo fit, not by element color.
Possible Openings
Shared starting state
- 1 Presence on land #5.
- 4 Uniques: Elemental Aegis, Absorb Essence, Gift of Flowing Power, Gift of the Primordial Deeps.
- Starting income: 1 Energy, 1 Card Play.
Opening A — Multi-player canonical (jyonker13) 🟨
T1 · Growth: G2 (+1E, gain Minor, presence from plays). T1 · Play: Gift of Flowing Power OR Gift of Primordial Deeps at a partner.
T2 · Growth: G3 (+4E, presence from plays). T2 · Play: Absorb Essence + Elemental Aegis.
- Absorb nets +3E and grants a partner an element. Use Absorb’s “any” element as Earth to hit Serpent Rouses L1.
T3 · Growth: G4 (+Major, +1E, presence from energy). T3 · Play: remaining Gift + lesser Minor. Forget weaker Minor.
T4 · Growth: G1 Reclaim All + Move presence + Add from energy.
Opening B — Solo (Zetan refinement) 🟨
T1 · Growth: G2 (+1E, Minor, presence from bottom). T1 · Play: Gift of Flowing Power → play Gift of Primordial Deeps.
- Place presence in City-building land or Town-with-no-Dahan.
- If GoFP’s new Minor has Fire+Earth, push Serpent Rouses to Town-destroy T1.
T2 · Growth: G3 (+4E, presence from bottom). T2 · Play: Absorb Essence + Elemental Aegis. Position presence to cover all ravages.
T3+ · Growth: G1 Reclaim All + Move + add from top. T3+ · Play: Flowing Power + Aegis. Reclaim Aegis every turn.
T5+: Shift to Majors once Earth is uncovered. Eventually uncover card plays — 4 plays (effectively 5 with Flowing Power) becomes brutally destructive.
Opening Decision
- Default Opening A in multi.
- Default Opening B in solo.
Card Priority Ratings
Uniques — Serpent-specific ranking
- Absorb Essence — Presence→Energy bridge.
- Elemental Aegis — reclaim-engine Defend.
- Gift of Flowing Power — partner-extra-play.
- Gift of the Primordial Deeps — partner free-Minor.
Top 10 Minor Draft Picks (Earth/Fire/Water)
| # | Card | Cost | Speed | Elements | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pyroclastic Friction | 1 | Fast | Fire, Earth | Fire + Earth |
| 2 | Call of the Dahan Ways | 1 | Slow | Moon, Earth | Earth-feeder |
| 3 | Absorb Essence (extra copy) | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | Quicken the Earth’s Struggles | 0 | Slow | Earth, Plant, Animal | 0-cost Earth + Plant |
| 5 | Rain of Blood | 1 | Slow | Moon, Fire, Water | Fire + Water |
| 6 | Sap Their Strength | 1 | Fast | Moon, Earth, Plant | Earth + Plant |
| 7 | Absorb Essence | 0 | Fast | Water | 0-cost Water |
| 8 | Unrelenting Growth | 0 | Slow | Sun, Plant | 0-cost Plant |
| 9 | Pull Beneath the Hungry Earth | 0 | Slow | Moon, Earth | 0-cost Earth |
| 10 | Call to Isolation | 0 | Slow | Water, Animal | 0-cost Water |
Top 5 Major Draft Picks
Serpent welcomes Majors — Wakes L3 gives free one. Target high-Energy multi-land damage/utility.
| # | Card | Cost | Speed | Elements | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pyroclastic Flow | 6 | Slow | Fire, Earth | Fire + Earth prime |
| 2 | Tsunami | 7 | Slow | Moon, Water, Earth | Water + Earth |
| 3 | Volcanic Eruption | 8 | Slow | Moon, Fire, Earth | Late-game closer |
| 4 | Manifest Incarnation | 3 | Fast | Moon, Plant, Animal, Water | Water + Plant |
| 5 | Weave Together a Fabric of Place | 4 | Fast | Sun, Moon, Air, Water, Earth | Five-element |
Cards to Avoid
[VERIFY] — thin BGG data.
Adversary Matchup Matrix
| Adversary | Opening | Rating | Matchup note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brandenburg-Prussia | A | ★★★★☆ | Strong late-game board-wipe |
| England | A | ★★★☆☆ | [VERIFY] |
| Sweden | A | ★★★☆☆ | [VERIFY] |
| France-Plantation | A | ★★★☆☆ | [VERIFY] |
| Scotland | A | ★★★☆☆ | [VERIFY] |
| Russia | A | ★★★☆☆ | [VERIFY] |
| Habsburg Mining | A | ★★★☆☆ | [VERIFY] |
| Habsburg Livestock | A | ★★☆☆☆ | [VERIFY] |
Board / Map Configuration
[VERIFY]. Focuscoene’s question — “every time I use this opening I blight in both lands T3” — answered: Serpent trades early blight acceptance for late-game steamroll. Don’t panic-pivot on T3 blight.
Game-Phase Strategy
Early (T1–3)
- Gifts T1 (partner or self); Absorb + Aegis T2.
- G3 energy spike.
- Serpent Rouses L1 online via Fire + Earth starter elements.
Mid (T4–6)
- Shift to Majors after Earth uncover.
- Elemental Aegis reclaim-loop.
- Wakes L2 with 2W/3E/2P.
Late (T7+)
- Wakes L3 (free Major without Forget!).
- Rouses L3 (Cost 7 board-wide damage).
Synergy Partners (Multiplayer)
- Bringer of Dreams and Nightmares — Primordial Deeps T1: Bringer plays extra Minor + innates for 3 Fear + grants Serpent Earth (enables T1 Serpent Rouses Town-push).
- Vital Strength of the Earth — Flowing Power T1: Earth plays Rituals + Draw + Gift of Strength L1.
- Wildfire — Flowing Power T1: Flash Fires + Asphyxiating Smoke.
- Lightning’s Swift Strike — Flowing Power T1: grants Fire, enables Harbingers + Shatter + Thundering Destruction L1.
- Shadows Flicker Like Flame — Deeps T1 + Flowing Power T3 sequence.
Common Mistakes
- Waking too fast at the expense of board state. The biggest Serpent mistake.
- Maxing presence on-track — hitting cap → Wakes-in-Power only half-fires.
- Solo ignoring the “target self with any-spirit cards” rule (JE manual p. 22).
- Multi picking Gifts by element rather than partner-tempo fit.
Tempo Profile
| Turn | Target state |
|---|---|
| 1 | G2 + Gift to partner; Serpent Rouses L1 if Fire+Earth available |
| 2 | G3 (+4E) + Absorb Essence + Elemental Aegis |
| 3 | G4 (+Major) + remaining Gift + Forget weaker Minor |
| 4 | G1 Reclaim All + redeploy |
| 5+ | Wakes L2; Earth uncovered → Majors |
| 8+ | Wakes L3 (free Major!); Rouses L3 board-wipe |
Source Notes
- Mechanics:
data/references/wiki/serpent-slumbering-beneath-the-island.json(Wiki-parsed 2026-04-23). - Openings: jyonker13 BGG 2282835 + Zetan solo variant.