This was game three of my Legacy of Yu campaign, and I came into it feeling like I really needed this one to go better. I had the fortuity effect from the previous loss which lets me prevent one damage, a weaker wall still hanging around, and another food shortage problem to deal with, so it still felt like the campaign was piling stuff on me. I also spent a little time up front talking about the channel, passing 300 subscribers, aiming for 500, and wanting to start doing more reviews. Then it was right back into trying to survive in the Yu-i-verse? (is that a thing?).

The run itself went a lot better once I finally got that wall out of the way. That felt like the big turning point. From there it became more about not fumbling the resource math and making sure I could close the game without doing something dumb at the end. I do get the win, which was nice, but of course the campaign immediately answers by adding stronger barbarians that deal two damage and can’t be bribed. So yeah, good win, not so good reward but that is how this game is designed to self-balance itself. Pretty normal for this game at this point but I have no idea if this will be a win lose win lose win lose kind of situation, or not.

I came back to Legacy of Yu already a little stressed because the last game was way longer and more intense than I expected, and this one starts with a nasty campaign twist right away. The wall above the barbarian space makes that whole side of the board way more expensive to deal with, so from the start it felt like I was behind. I spent a lot of this session just trying to keep the whole thing from collapsing while figuring out whether I should push the wall, deal with the barbarians, or go after the food shortage objective.

I did eventually get the wall down, which helped, (and seems like will continue to help future games…) but the game never really let up. It felt like I was constantly bleeding workers and provisions, and every time I thought I might stabilize, something else showed up to make life worse. There was also a camera freeze in the middle, which was not exactly helping. I do lose this one in the end, but the campaign reward is actually pretty huge. I unlock the Fortuity card, which lets me ignore one damage from barbarian attacks each round in future games, and honestly I can’t help to think that if I had that here, I probably win.

I finally got Legacy of Yu back to the table, even though I was still pretty sick and my throat was absolutely not happy with me. I feel like this happens a lot… I wanted to get a board game video up, didn’t want to disappear for two weeks, and figured I could at least push through one play even if I sounded rough.

The actual game itself turned into a long, tense solo session where I was constantly trying to stay ahead of the flood, manage the barbarians, and make sure I wasn’t accidentally cheating anything while my brain was a little foggy. I imagine I’ll be stating this a lot in future games.

What I liked here is that the run felt tight basically the whole way through. I had a few moments where I had to double check the flood timing, a few take-backs, and a lot of that solo-gaming internal debate of “is this smart or am I just stalling?” But it worked out. I got the win, which felt great, then the campaign immediately hit me with the Fortress card for future games, which feels… interesting and probably going to be very on-brand for this game. It seems narrative-wise you survive one problem and it just hands you a new one, which looks like it also function as a self-balancing mechanism of sorts.

About this session of Slay The Spire:

This is a full solo playthrough of Slay The Spire: The Board Game where I pilot the Defect at Ascension Level 2. I go through all three acts, talking through my card selections, path choices, relic grabs, and how I build a synergistic deck as I adapt to each encounter. If you’re curious how the Defect plays or want to see my thought process through a complete run, this session is for you.

Three Act Summary:

Act 1 sees me setting up my orbs and energy engine while dealing with early enemy pressure. Act 2 is about fine‑tuning the deck and picking up defensive tools to sustain through tougher fights. Act 3 culminates with an intense boss battle where careful planning and synergy between lightning and frost orbs are essential for victory.

🧱 Full Playthrough Summary – Slay the Spire: The Board Game (Ironclad, Ascension 1 – Solo)

This is my full 3-hour solo playthrough of Slay the Spire: The Board Game, playing as the Ironclad on Ascension Level 1. I walk through card picks, deck evolution, event outcomes, elite fights, and boss battles. I also share my thought process as I adapt strategies from the digital version of the game to the tabletop format.

Throughout the run, I shift my build in response to damage taken, relics acquired, and the enemies I face. From a near-death elite encounter in Act 1 to a tense final showdown with the Chronomancer in Act 3, this was a satisfying and challenging solo session that ended in a win.

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🃏 About this session of Slay The Spire:

This is a full solo playthrough of Slay the Spire: The Board Game where I take on the Ironclad at Ascension Level 1. I go through all three acts, talking through my card picks, path choices, relic grabs, and just kind of figuring things out as I go. If you’re curious how this plays solo or want to see what a full run looks like with real-time decisions, this is that.

📘 Three Act Summary:

Act 1 starts off pretty rough with some early hits and a brutal elite that nearly ends it. Act 2 has me scrambling for better energy and damage control, trying to pull the deck into something usable. By Act 3 I’ve trimmed things down and focused the build, but the enemies scale fast and the boss has some weird mechanics that really force me to play carefully.

🔧 Relic / Deck Synergies for this run with Ironclad:

The deck ends up leaning hard into strength gain and burst damage, with Double Tap and Bludgeon doing a lot of the heavy lifting. I’ve got support from things like Shrug It Off, Battle Trance, and Impervious to keep me alive when things get sketchy. Relics like Anchor, Ink Bottle, Golden Idol, and Blue Candle show up at the right times and honestly make the whole thing work better than it probably should’ve.

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⏳ Verified Timestamps

ACT 1 – Ironclad Setup and Early Scramble
0:00:00 – Act 1 Begins: Ironclad Setup (Ascension 1)
0:13:30 – First Shop and Route Planning
0:24:45 – Elite Fight vs. Gremlin Nob (barely survive)

ACT 2 – Recovery and Refinement
1:01:08 – Act 2 Begins: The Champ Revealed
1:27:34 – Elite Fight: Taskmaster
1:37:32 – Boss Fight: The Champ

ACT 3 – Final Push and Focused Deck
2:01:05 – Act 3 Begins: Chronomancer Incoming
2:22:18 – Elite Fight: Nemesis
2:43:54 – Final Boss Fight: Chronomancer

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🧩 Session Highlights by Act

ACT 1:

I started with a flexible build but quickly realized my damage was outpacing my ability to block. A close call with the Gremlin Nob forced me to rework my approach, adding more defense and shifting priorities. I spent time planning routes carefully, balancing rest sites, card upgrades, and avoiding further early damage.

ACT 2:

I rolled The Champ as the boss and picked a central path with access to merchants and campfires. I added Impervious for block and experimented with some upgrades, but energy issues started to hurt. I got punished hard in a mid-act elite fight, which made me rethink a few of my earlier card choices. Despite the setback, I pulled things back together and used some lucky relic synergies and campfire healing to get through the boss.

ACT 3:

I took on the Chronomancer, knowing it would challenge my card pacing and burst timing. I chose a path that gave me two elites but also let me double up on campfires for upgrades and healing. I used the Golden Idol to stock up on potions and grabbed a relic before the final boss. The elites were rough, but I managed to survive thanks to some well-timed blocks and thinned-out cards. The final boss fight was tight, but my deck came together at the right time and I won.

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🃏 Important Deck Synergies

This run leaned into a strength-scaling attack build with a focus on exhaust mechanics and efficient draw. I adapted the deck across all three acts based on what the game gave me, especially after some early close calls.

• Double Tap Core: One of the most important pickups was Double Tap, which allowed me to duplicate high-damage attacks like Bludgeon. This became the core of my burst turns, especially after picking up some strength gain and thinning out my deck.
• Bludgeon as Finisher: Bludgeon gave me a reliable, heavy-hitting option that synergized perfectly with Double Tap and made elite and boss fights more manageable when drawn at the right time.
• Strength Scaling: I picked up Spot Weakness, which helped me build strength consistently in longer fights. This worked well with Strike variants and Bludgeon, especially by Act 3.
• Draw Support: I relied on cards like Battle Trance and Shrug It Off to maintain hand size and cycle into my key damage pieces. These also helped me dig for Double Tap or Spot Weakness at the right moments.
• Deck Thinning and Exhaust: Exhausting weaker cards helped tighten the deck over time. While I didn’t lean all the way into an exhaust archetype, being able to remove or exhaust low-impact cards helped make my stronger plays more consistent.
• Survivability Tools: I added Impervious, which became my go-to emergency block. Between that and some smart relic use, I was able to stabilize after tough turns without overcommitting to defense.
• Late Game Refinement: By Act 3, I had removed many of the starting Strikes and Defends, which let me hit more consistently. With fewer dead turns and the ability to line up strength and burst attacks, I was able to control the final boss fight effectively.

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💎 Key Relics Used

• Double Tap + Bludgeon worked best when paired with relics that let me cycle faster or manage energy. The synergy often hinged on having enough energy to pull it off.
• Anchor: Gave me 6 block at the start of each combat. This was especially useful early on or in fights where I couldn’t set up quickly.
• Golden Idol: This helped me access extra gold, which I used to pick up potions or relics. It was key to staying adaptable, especially in Act 3.
• Black Blood: Stacked with the Ironclad’s default healing to give me 3 HP per turn. This added long-term sustain and made a big difference in elite and boss fights.
• Courier: Let me preview relics and gave some merchant flexibility. Not always game-changing, but came in handy for resource smoothing.
• Ink Bottle (inferred from card draw at 5): Provided card draw on a rhythm, helping me hit important combo turns more reliably.
• Mutagenic Strength: Gave me an early burst of damage on turn one. This helped stabilize aggressive fights and clear early enemies before they could scale.
• Blue Candle: Extremely helpful for exhausting Confuse cards during the Chronomancer fight. Let me clear negative status without energy cost and keep my deck lean.

These relics didn’t create a single core engine on their own, but they supported my combos, improved consistency, and gave me more control over an otherwise very reactive run.

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Solo Playthrough: Relics of Rajavihara Floors 1-1 to 1-10 – Sokoban in 3D! 📦

Want to reach out? 📧 Contact me at boardgames@wakasm.com

Welcome to the first episode of my Relics of Rajavihara solo board game playthrough! In this Sokoban-inspired puzzle adventure, I tackle the first floor of Rajavihara, working to solve 3D spatial challenges and uncover relics to bring them back to a Museum in this exciting campaign-style solo experience. If you enjoy games like Sokoban, Adventures of Lolo, or many of the other box pushing puzzle games, you might enjoy this too!

⚠️This is a learning game, rules mistakes may be made⚠️

About the Game:

🕌 Relics of Rajavihara is a campaign-based solo puzzle board game with a unique twist—think of it as 3D Sokoban with evolving challenges and strategies. 🌟 Players progress through levels, solving spatial puzzles to defeat enemies, avoid traps, and collect relics, all while navigating the story of Rajavihara’s cursed temples. With modular setups and a growing difficulty curve, this game is perfect for puzzle enthusiasts and fans of immersive solo adventures.

For more details, check out the full game description on BoardGameGeek: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/308493/relics-of-rajavihara

Missed previous episodes? Check out the playlist for a full walkthrough and a guide on how to play—timestamps included for easy navigation! ⏳

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