Battle Progression & Enemy Deck Design - Statistical Analysis

Generated: January 15, 2026

[!WARNING]
The "10 enemy characters across 2 defined phases" figure below is stale.
There are now 9 phase resource files spanning 3 sectors (Healthcare, Energy,
AI - Phase_Healthcare_MegaCorp.tres, Phase_Energy_Family/MidTier/MegaCorp.tres,
Phase_AI_Family/MidTier/MegaCorp.tres, plus Phase_MidTier.tres and
Phase_Tutorial.tres), and 50 Character_*.tres resource files exist in
resources/characters/ (a mix of enemies and player-style variants - not
cleanly separable by filename alone, so not restating as a single "enemy
count" here without a real per-file check). The sections below already use
an H/E/A sector legend in places, suggesting parts of this doc were updated
after the Energy/AI sectors shipped but the opening summary wasn't. Treat
the rest of this report as informative but unverified against current data
rather than authoritative.

Executive Summary

The campaign features 10 enemy characters across 2 defined phases, scaling from 40 HP early-game encounters to a 300 HP final boss. Enemy decks range from 6-20 cards with distinct AI personality behaviors (Aggressive, Defensive, Optimal) that affect card selection priority during combat.

Phase Progression Overview

Phase 1: "The Family Business" (ScrappyClinic Tier)

Phase 2: "Aether-Life General" (MidTierCorporation Tier)

Late-Game Encounters (Pending Phase Assignment)

Global Enemy Archetype Analysis

Threat Quadrant: Offense vs Durability

Y-Axis: Offensive Threat (DPT + Aggression) | X-Axis: Durability (HP + Defensive Deck %)

OFFENSE (DPT)
      K  │
      I  │                                                  (H,10)
      L  │                                (H,9)(E,9)(A,9)
      L  │                (H,8)SURG
      E  │        (H,1)   (A,8)ATK
      R  │        SON
      │  │                        (H,6)
      │  │                        CEO
      │  │        (E,7)   (H,5)   (H,5)HR              (E,9)
      │  │        FUEL    LOBBY
      │  │                        (A,9)
      │  │(H,2)           (H,3)   (H,8)
      │  │NURSE           MOM     COORD
      │  │
      │  │                        (H,7)                (H,4)
      │  │                        MAINT                WALL
      │  └───────────────────────────────────────────────────
      │  LOW      MED     HIGH    TANK    FORTRESS   IMMORTAL
                          DURABILITY (HP + BLOCK)

Quadrants:
- Top-Left (Glass Cannons): High damage, low survival. Ex: The Son, Surgical Unit.
- Top-Right (Juggernauts): High damage, high survival. Ex: Core Mind, The Chairman.
- Bottom-Right (Tanks): Low damage, extreme survival. Ex: Claims Adjuster, Legal Dept.
- Bottom-Left (Grunts): Low damage, low survival. Ex: Nurse, Maintenance Drone.

Legend & Metrics

(H=Healthcare, E=Energy, A=AI)

Deck Size Progression

Phase 3 Deck Composition (New Standard)

All Phase 3 enemies follow a strict deck size progression:
- Grunts (12 Cards): 3-4 simple copies. Focused theme.
- Elites (14 Cards): 4-5 copies of core mechanics, plus specific counters (e.g., Injunction).
- Bosses (16-18 Cards): Wide variety, multi-phase mechanics, utilizing cards from their sector's pool.

AI Personality Distribution

Special Boss AI: The Chairman & Phase 3 Bosses

Phase 3 Bosses (Core Mind, Grid Nexus, Singularity) have DataMiningEnabled = true (or equivalent complexity) to handle phase transitions.

Enemy Deck Archetypes

1. Self-Damage Tempo (The Son)

Cards: Unchecked Math (×2), Quick Fix (×2), Coffee Crash, Placebo Shot

Playstyle: Trades HP for energy/tempo. Vulnerable to sustained pressure.

2. Heal + Bleed (Nurse Sister)

Cards: Bedside Manner (×2), Sterile Shield (×2), Injection (×2), Generic Rx

Playstyle: Sustain-focused with light offense. Weak to burst damage.

3. Block Wall (Claims Adjuster)

Cards: FDA Filing (×3), Claim Denied (×3), Standard Consultation (×2), Technicality (×2), Incomplete Form (×2)

Playstyle: Stacks massive block. Weak to Bleed and percent-based damage.

[!CAUTION]
The Adjuster currently uses zero healing cards despite Defensive personality. Consider adding 1-2 heal cards to match archetype fantasy.

4. Influence + Draw (Lobbyist)

Cards: Campaign Donation (×3), R&D Subsidy (×2), Generic Rx (×3), Closed-Door Meeting (×2), Backroom Deal (×2)

Playstyle: Disrupts player energy economy via Influence. High card cycling.

5. Bleed + Deck Pollution (Head of HR)

Cards: Placebo Shot (×4), Performance Review (×3), Standard Consultation (×2), Non-Compete (×2), Mandatory Fun

Playstyle: Attrition via Bleed stacking and dead card injection. Forces deck management.

6. Heavy Hitter (Regional CEO)

Cards: Quarterly Growth (×3), Asset Liquidation (×3), Premium Hike (×2), Preventative Care (×2), Clinical Trial (×2), Golden Parachute (×2)

Playstyle: Block scaling via Quarterly Growth. Burst potential with Asset Liquidation.

7. Control Fortress (Legal Department)

Cards: Class Action Suit (×3), Injunction (×3), FDA Filing (×4), Claim Denied (×4), Patent Extension (×2)

Playstyle: Locks out Attack cards, doubles block. Extremely defensive.

[!WARNING]
3 Injunction copies = potential lock-out: Player may be unable to play Attack cards for multiple turns in a row.

8. Efficiency Engine (The Algorithm)

Cards: Predictive Pricing (×4), Efficiency Filter (×3), Model Collapse (×3), R&D Subsidy (×3), Server Overclock (×3)

Playstyle: Punishes player for playing many cards (Efficiency Filter). High tempo.

9. Multi-Phase Final Boss (The Chairman)

Cards: Stock Buyback (×3), Hostile Takeover (×2), Patent Extension (×2), Layoffs (×2), Injunction (×2), Predictive Pricing (×3), Premium Hike (×2), FDA Filing (×2), Golden Parachute (×2)

Playstyle: 3-phase AI:
1. Control Phase (>65% HP): Injunction + Takeover priority
2. Aggro Phase (30-65% HP): Stock Buyback + raw damage
3. Desperation Phase (<30% HP): Market Dominance + Golden Parachute

Statistical Findings

Cards Per Archetype (All Enemy Decks Combined)

Enemy DPT (Damage Per Turn) Estimates

Assuming 3 energy, 5-card hands, standard cost distribution:

Balance Concerns

🔴 Critical Issues

🟡 High Priority

🟢 Medium Priority

Recommended Enemy Deck Renovations

The Son (Junior Associate)

Current: 6 cards | Proposed: 7 cards

Rationale: Adds energy generation theme consistency.

Claims Adjuster (The Wall)

Current: 12 cards | Proposed: 12 cards

Rationale: Defensive personality should include sustain. Reduces raw damage for survival theme.

Policy Auditor (Variant of Adjuster)

Proposed: 12 cards (NEW DECK)

Rationale: Creates Bleed-Block hybrid distinct from pure Block Wall.

Head of HR (The Deck Shredder)

Current: 12 cards | Proposed: 12 cards

Rationale: Adds forced discard theme. Reduces Bleed saturation.

Legal Department (The Shield)

Current: 16 cards | Proposed: 14 cards

Rationale: Reduces perma-lock potential. Trims deck for consistency.

The Chairman (Final Boss)

Current: 20 cards | Proposed: 18 cards

Rationale: Adds percent-based damage for scaling threat. Reduces block spam.

Phase 3: MegaCorp Tier (Implemented)

Healthcare Sector (Orbital Data Dynamics)

• Maintenance Drone (145 HP, Defensive): Block/Heal tank.
• Data Harvester (135 HP, Aggressive): Bleed/Pollution.
• Surgical Unit (175 HP, Optimal): Precision burst.
• Orbital Coordinator (165 HP, Defensive): Control dominance.
• The Core Mind (250 HP, Boss): Multi-phase AI controller.

Energy Sector (Omnium Grid Station)

• Repair Relay (145 HP, Defensive): Shield/Surge tank.
• Fuel Extractor (135 HP, Aggressive): Combustion focus.
• Reactor Core (175 HP, Optimal): High Surge burst.
• Grid Controller (165 HP, Defensive): Resource denial.
• The Grid Nexus (250 HP, Boss): Grid saturation boss.

AI Sector (Omniscient AI Core)

• Backup Node (145 HP, Defensive): Glitch mitigation.
• Data Miner (135 HP, Aggressive): Data theft/Pollution.
• Attack Vector (175 HP, Optimal): Hype cycle burst.
• Protocol Handler (165 HP, Defensive): Glitch/Control.
• The Singularity (250 HP, Boss): Algorithmic convergence.

Summary Metrics

Final Recommendations

End of Battle Progression & Enemy Deck Design Report v1