Foxglove Hand: how much Block do you need?

In Foxglove Hand, compare your Block with Incoming before playing a second defensive card. Incoming is the announced attack damage, not the health you will lose after Block. It can still read 4 when you already have 5 Block.

That leaves a useful choice: spend another energy on defense, or keep it for a card that does something else. In the opening fight below, one Bark Skin covers the hit. A second would add protection you don’t need for that attack.

Open the card and read the intent

Click or tap a card in your hand to open its full text. Bark Skin costs 1 energy and gives 5 Block. Its explanation says that Block absorbs damage until your next turn. Choose Play to use it; merely opening the card doesn’t spend energy.

Above each enemy, an icon and label show its next action. Read the words as well as the damage number. The Thorn Imp in this example announces 4 · Bruised 1: an attack with a status effect, not just four damage.

For this exact opening, select Medium, enter hedgea in the seed-code field and start that seeded run. Choose the first available fight. This is a replayable example from the current version, not a promise that every new run starts with the same cards or enemy.

Five Block can cover Incoming 4

The fight starts with 68 health, 3 energy and Incoming 4. Playing one Bark Skin changes the energy to 2 and adds a shield marked 5 beside the witch. Incoming still says 4.

Ending the turn at this point lets the Imp attack. The next turn starts with health still at 68, Block back at 0 and energy restored to 3. The unused point of Block does not carry over.

Ending early here isolates what the defensive card does. During a normal run, you can use the remaining energy before ending your turn. Check the current hand and enemy intent again rather than spending it on another Bark Skin automatically.

Block is not protection from every effect

The Imp still applies Bruised, even though its attack takes no health in this example. Block absorbs attack damage; it doesn’t cancel the whole enemy move. Tap the player’s health or status area to read the status explanations before deciding what the next turn needs.

Nor does spare Block become extra health. It disappears at the start of your next turn, before any new start-of-turn Block effects are applied. If an enemy announces a non-attacking action, don’t play a defensive card just because it’s affordable. Read what the enemy is preparing, then decide what your energy can accomplish this turn.