Healthcare Sector - Complete Deck Balance Report
Generated: January 15, 2026. Data tables refreshed against the live card files; see "Implementation Status" below.
Executive Summary
The Healthcare sector contains 62 cards across all rarities (up from 54 at last count), featuring a diverse blend of offensive, defensive, and utility effects with a strong thematic focus on Bleed synergies, healing mechanics, and risk-reward tradeoffs.
This document was originally a balance audit with concrete change proposals (deletions, nerfs, buffs, and 6 new Rare card designs). Nearly all of those proposals have since shipped - see Implementation Status for what landed, what evolved further than proposed, and what's still open.
Rarity Distribution
| Rarity | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Common | 20 | 32.3% |
| Uncommon | 28 | 45.2% |
| Rare | 13 | 21.0% |
| Curse | 1 | 1.6% |
The original report flagged "only 8 Rare cards" as a concern for late-game power fantasy. That's resolved - Rare count is up to 13 (21.0% of the sector, vs. 14.8% before), driven by the 6 new end-game Rares this report proposed.
Card Type Breakdown
| Type | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Attack | 27 | 43.5% |
| Defend | 13 | 21.0% |
| Skill | 22 | 35.5% |
Roughly the same shape as before (was 44.4% / 25.9% / 29.6%) - still Attack-leaning with a healthy Skill presence.
Energy Cost Distribution
| Cost | Count | Cards |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 9 | Backroom Deal, Coffee Crash, Golden Parachute, Infinite Hustle, Overtime Shift, R&D Subsidy, Reality Check, Risk Assessment, Server Overclock |
| 1 | 34 | Majority of deck (54.8%) |
| 2 | 17 | Bio Medicine Research, Class Action Suit, Clinical Trial, Efficiency Filter, Funding Cuts, Government Stimulus, Hostile Takeover, Ironclad Policy, Malpractice Suit, Pandemic Boost, Patent Extension, Premium Bleed, Premium Hike, Preventative Care, Stock Buyback, Terminal Diagnosis, Wellness Initiative |
| 3 | 2 | Hemorrhagic Collapse, Regulatory Stranglehold |
Cost Analysis
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Average Cost | 1.19 |
| Median Cost | 1 |
| Mode | 1 |
Average cost crept up slightly from 1.09 to 1.19, mostly from the new 3-cost Rares (a new cost tier that didn't exist before).
Complete Card Database
Common Cards (20)
| Card Name | Type | Cost | Effect | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asset Liquidation | Attack | 1 | Deal 8 Damage. If Winning, deal 16 instead. | - |
| Backroom Deal | Skill | 0 | Gain 2 energy. Lose 15 Liquidity. | Exhaust |
| Bedside Manner | Skill | 1 | User regains 6 Solvency. | - |
| Blood Draw | Attack | 1 | Deal 7 Damage. Regain 3 Solvency. | - |
| Chronic Malady | Attack | 1 | Deal 4 Damage. Apply 2 Bleed. | - |
| Distraction | Skill | 1 | Gain 2 Block. | - |
| FDA Filing | Defend | 1 | Gain 6 Block. Draw 1. | - |
| Generic Rx | Attack | 1 | Deal 4 Damage. Apply 3 Bleed. | - |
| Incomplete Form | Attack | 1 | Deal 8 Damage. Next Turn: Lose 1 energy. | - |
| Injection | Attack | 1 | Deal 9 Damage. | - |
| Insurance | Defend | 1 | Gain 5 Block. | - |
| Insurance Claim | Defend | 1 | Gain 3 Block per Bleed on Target. | - |
| Overtime Shift | Skill | 0 | Gain 1 energy. Lose 3 Liquidity. | - |
| Patent Extension | Defend | 2 | Double Block. Apply 2 Bleed. | - |
| Placebo Shot | Attack | 1 | Deal 3 Damage. Apply 2 Bleed. | - |
| Predictive Pricing | Attack | 1 | Deal 8 Damage. If Target has >3 cards, deal 16 instead. | - |
| Quick Fix | Defend | 1 | Gain 10 Block. Next Turn: Lose 1 energy. | - |
| Risk Assessment | Attack | 0 | Gain 4 Block. Draw 1 Card. | - |
| Standard Consultation | Attack | 1 | Deal 7 Damage. Gain 4 Block. | - |
| Sterile Shield | Defend | 1 | Gain 8 Block. | - |
Uncommon Cards (28)
| Card Name | Type | Cost | Effect | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bio Medicine Research | Skill | 2 | User increases Max Solvency by 5 and regains 5 Solvency. | Exhaust |
| Campaign Donation | Skill | 1 | Target's cards cost +1 energy next turn. | Exhaust |
| Claim Denied | Defend | 1 | Gain 10 Block. Remove 3 Bleed. | - |
| Clinical Trial | Defend | 2 | Gain 12 Block. Regain 4 Solvency. | - |
| Closed-Door Meeting | Skill | 1 | Deal 5 Damage. Gain 1 Influence per 4 cards in hand. | - |
| Coffee Crash | Skill | 0 | Draw 2. Next Turn: Lose 1 energy. | Exhaust |
| Efficiency Filter | Skill | 2 | Apply Efficiency Filter (enemy takes damage per card played). | - |
| Emergency Triage | Skill | 1 | Regain 5 Solvency. Deal 50% of amount as Damage. | Exhaust |
| Family Legacy | Defend | 1 | Gain 3 Block per turn number. | - |
| Funding Cuts | Attack | 2 | Deal 10 Damage. Target loses 1 energy next turn. | - |
| Government Stimulus | Skill | 2 | Gain 1 Cash Flow. Regain 8 Solvency. | Exhaust |
| Home Remedy | Skill | 1 | Regain 10 Solvency. Decrease all negative effects by 2. | - |
| Hostile Takeover | Attack | 2 | Deal 12 Damage. Next Turn: Steal 1 energy. | - |
| Injunction | Skill | 1 | Target cannot Attack next turn. | Exhaust |
| Layoffs | Attack | 1 | Target discards 2. Deal 5 Damage per discarded card. | - |
| Legal Loophole | Attack | 1 | Deal 6 Damage. If the target has Bleed, deal 12 instead. | - |
| Malpractice Suit | Skill | 2 | Regain 12 Solvency. Target loses Liquidity equal to amount regained. | - |
| Mandatory Fun | Attack | 1 | Deal 12 Damage. Target discards 1. | - |
| Non-Compete | Attack | 1 | Deal 6 Damage. Give Target 'Standard Contract'. | - |
| Performance Review | Attack | 1 | Deal 2 Damage. Apply 5 Glitch. | - |
| Premium Hike | Attack | 2 | Deal 10 Damage. If Target has Bleed, deal 20 instead. | - |
| Preventative Care | Defend | 2 | Gain 15 Block. | - |
| R&D Subsidy | Skill | 0 | Draw 2. Lose 3 Liquidity. | Exhaust |
| Reality Check | Attack | 0 | Enemy loses 5 Hype (applying Weak if negative). | - |
| Server Overclock | Skill | 0 | Gain 2 energy. Lose 10 Liquidity. | Exhaust |
| Technicality | Defend | 1 | Gain 12 Block. If Target has Block, deal 8 Damage. | - |
| Unchecked Math | Attack | 1 | Deal 10 Damage. Lose 4 Liquidity. | - |
| Undeclared Side Effect | Attack | 1 | Deal 12 Damage. Next Turn: Skip Draw Phase. | - |
Rare Cards (13)
| Card Name | Type | Cost | Effect | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burnout Protocol | Attack | 1 | Deal Damage equal to Liquidity lost this combat × 2 (max 50). Lose 5 Liquidity. | Exhaust |
| Class Action Suit | Attack | 2 | Deal 5 Damage per Bleed on Target. | - |
| Golden Parachute | Defend | 0 | Gain 45 Block. Regain 22 Solvency (usable at <30% Solvency). | Exhaust |
| Hemorrhagic Collapse | Attack | 3 | Deal 12 Damage + 3x Bleed on Target. Consume Bleed. | Exhaust |
| Infinite Hustle | Skill | 0 | If 5+ cards played this turn: Gain 2 energy and Draw 2. Else: Draw 1. | Exhaust |
| Ironclad Policy | Defend | 2 | Gain 15 Block. If 20+ Block, it does not expire. | - |
| Pandemic Boost | Skill | 2 | Gain 5 Hype. Next Card costs 0. | Exhaust |
| Premium Bleed | Attack | 2 | Deal 7 Damage. Apply 3 Premium Bleed. | Exhaust |
| Quarterly Growth | Attack | 1 | Deal Damage equal to 50% of current Block. | - |
| Regulatory Stranglehold | Skill | 3 | Target loses 1 energy. Apply 3 Influence. | Exhaust |
| Stock Buyback | Skill | 2 | Regain 15 Solvency. Deal Damage equal to amount regained. | - |
| Terminal Diagnosis | Attack | 2 | Target loses Liquidity equal to 40% of Missing Solvency (min 8). | - |
| Wellness Initiative | Skill | 2 | Regain 8 Solvency. Gain 1 permanent Block for every 5 Solvency regained this combat. | - |
Curse Cards (1)
| Card Name | Type | Cost | Effect | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Contract | Skill | 1 | Useless document (dead card). | - |
Implementation Status
The original version of this report ended with concrete recommendations: cards to delete, cards to rework, balance nerfs/buffs, and 6 fully-specified new Rare cards. Checked each against the current card files:
✅ Fully implemented as proposed
- Insurance Buffer and Scalpel Strike - deleted (were exact/near duplicates of Insurance and Injection)
- Server Overclock - now
IsExhaust = trueas proposed - FDA Filing - reworked to "6 Block + Draw 1" exactly as proposed, differentiating it from Sterile Shield
- Performance Review - now deals 2 Damage + 5 Glitch, exactly the proposed buff
- Asset Liquidation and Predictive Pricing - standardized to a clean 2x conditional multiplier (8→16) as proposed, alongside an unrelated cost reduction (was 10 base, now 8)
- All 6 proposed new Rares exist: Hemorrhagic Collapse, Wellness Initiative, Ironclad Policy, Burnout Protocol, Regulatory Stranglehold, Infinite Hustle - all using the exact effect classes and field values specified in the original proposal
🔁 Implemented, but evolved past the original proposal
- Blood Draw - proposed "5 DMG, heal 3"; shipped as 7 DMG, heal 3 (damage buffed further than proposed)
- Layoffs - proposed "5 DMG per discard (max 10)"; shipped as exactly that, but discard count and damage now read from card fields rather than hardcoded
- Campaign Donation - proposed "Enemy gains 3 Influence + Draw 1"; shipped as a different mechanic entirely ("Target's cards cost +1 energy next turn") - looks like a deliberate redesign, not an oversight
❌ Not done / still open
- Sterile Shield vs Insurance - the original report also flagged these as too similar (8 vs 5 Block, both 1-cost Defend with no rider effect). Not merged or differentiated; still essentially redundant.
- Efficiency Filter's description field reads literally "Apply Efficiency Filter." - a placeholder string, not a real player-facing description. Worth a copy pass regardless of whether the proposed numeric buff (2→3 dmg/card) happened.
Sections removed from this report
The original "Key Synergies," "Statistical Analysis (DPE/BPE)," "Archetype Viability Matrix," and "New End-Game Card Designs" sections were removed here. They were either:
- Already shipped (the 6 new card designs - see above), or
- Stale categorizations that would need a fresh pass given 8 new cards added since (Distraction, Risk Assessment, Reality Check, and others aren't categorized into any archetype/synergy bucket from the old analysis, and re-deriving accurate DPE/BPE/archetype tables for the current 62-card list is a real design-analysis task, not something to recompute from a script).
If a fresh synergy/archetype pass is wanted, it should start from the card list above rather than the old 54-card baseline.