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Demo build field notes

Cards, explained for a run.

Not a 523-card mirror. These are the cards used by our current guides, with the three things a player needs: the effect, the known acquisition evidence, and the combo or danger that changes a decision.

Checked 2026-09-02 · Steam demo build 23718635 / itch demo 0.4.77.1

KNOW THE NAME?

Jump straight to the card.

EXPLORE

Open paths and build camp.

Skeleton Key card artwork from the Shroom and Gloom Demo
Demo artwork · identification reference

Explore / Pick

Skeleton Key

0energy
What it does
Unlocks a compatible door or chest. Its Demo record carries Evolve 3.
How you get it
The packaged Demo record lists a shop cost of 3, but that alone does not prove which reward pool will offer it in every run.
Use it with
Use it on real locks instead of holding it forever: each play advances Evolve. The evolved result still needs an in-run check.
Soup Pot card artwork from the Shroom and Gloom Demo
Demo artwork · identification reference

Explore / Camp

Soup Pot

2energy
What it does
Places a Soup Pot camp structure, then consumes the card. The Pot uses edible cards to make soups.
How you get it
Its Demo record lists a shop cost of 4. The exact offer pool and appearance rate are not independently verified.
Use it with
Keep useful edibles available before deploying it. The complete ingredient-to-soup table is still launch-check pending.
Practice Dummy card artwork from the Shroom and Gloom Demo
Demo artwork · identification reference

Explore / Camp

Practice Dummy

2energy
What it does
Creates one card encounter, then consumes itself. The created camp object is recorded as Fixable in Demo build 23718635.
How you get it
The packaged Demo record lists a shop cost of 4, but does not prove a guaranteed shop, reward, or appearance rate in any run.
Use it with
Keep a Fix interaction available before building it. After Fix, inspect the attack and choices the current run actually shows: the complete upgrade pool, odds, and stacking rules are not recorded.
Rations card artwork from the Shroom and Gloom Demo
Demo artwork · identification reference

Explore / Food

Rations

0energy
What it does
The current Demo action record gains 1 energy. It has three uses and is recorded with Exhaust 1.
How you get it
The packaged Demo record lists a shop cost of 2, but that does not prove a guaranteed shop, reward, or appearance rate.
Use it with
Treat it as a net +1 Explore-energy tool in the current build. Old footage may show a 1-cost card gaining 2; that older version also netted only +1.
Canary card artwork from the Shroom and Gloom Demo
Demo artwork · identification reference

Explore / Food

Canary

Environment target only
What it does
Has no normal play action. Its current Demo interactions are Reveal and Feed; the card carries Temporary and Food 1.
How you get it
A current player reports receiving it after opening the bird cage. That does not prove every encounter source or reward roll.
Use it with
Drag it to a room object showing Reveal or Feed, and confirm that object has the glowing outline. Temporary destroys the copy when it leaves your hand.
Rat card artwork from the Shroom and Gloom Demo
Demo artwork · identification reference

Explore / Food

Rat

Environment target only
What it does
Has no normal play action. Its current Demo interactions are Break and Feed; the record carries Temporary and an Unplayable target.
How you get it
A current player identifies it as the same kind of unexplained animal helper as Canary, but the exact encounter source is not independently verified.
Use it with
Drag it to a room object showing Break or Feed. Do not try to play it into empty space: the normal card target is Unplayable.
Dark Crystal card artwork from the Shroom and Gloom Demo
Demo artwork · identification reference

Explore / Skill

Dark Crystal

1energy
What it does
Stores 1 Gloom. The current Demo record also carries Reveal interaction and six uses.
How you get it
Strange Geode creates one Dark Crystal. Its separate packaged shop cost of 2 does not prove that every run or shop offers it directly.
Use it with
Use its limited charges only when you expect to reach the Strange Geode payoff. The exact stored-Gloom conversion formula still needs an in-run check.
Strange Geode card artwork from the Shroom and Gloom Demo
Demo artwork · identification reference

Explore / Camp

Strange Geode

2energy
What it does
Creates its camp encounter and one Dark Crystal, then consumes itself. The record marks it Revealable.
How you get it
The packaged Demo record lists a shop cost of 4, but does not establish a guaranteed offer or appearance rate.
Use it with
Take it only when you can afford extra Explore turns: Dark Crystal stores Gloom for this route, while room Gloom can still punish a greedy camp stay.

FORESIGHT

Let the passive watch the run.

Foresights live in a third, passive deck. You do not draw them into an Explore or Combat hand.

Lazarus card artwork from the Shroom and Gloom Demo
Demo artwork · identification reference

Foresight / Passive

Lazarus

Automatic · one use
What it does
If lethal damage would kill you, Lazarus destroys itself and restores you to 50% of maximum HP instead.
How you get it
The current Demo database lists Lazarus as a Tier 1 Foresight. It can appear in Foresight rewards, but no source proves a guaranteed offer in a particular run.
Use it with
Treat it as one automatic recovery, then use the fresh hand on the new turn to stabilize. Once Lazarus is destroyed, a later lethal hit can still end the run.

COMBAT

Cycle, copy, sweep and scale.

Spicy Soup card artwork from the Shroom and Gloom Demo
Demo artwork · identification reference

Combat / Food

Spicy Soup

0energy
What it does
Deals 3 damage to all. A Fatal hit creates one Toasty; the Demo record carries three uses.
How you get it
It is a Soup Pot result in the Demo. The exact ingredient recipe is not yet stable enough for this guide to publish.
Use it with
Fits an eat/food engine and can finish several weakened enemies at once. Pairing it with Foul Breath is a strategy inference to verify in the current run.
Toasty card artwork from the Shroom and Gloom Demo
Demo artwork · identification reference

Combat / Food

Toasty

0energy
What it does
Heals 5, then consumes itself. The current Demo record carries Food 1 and needs no target.
How you get it
A Seasoned enemy is recorded to spawn Toasties when it dies. The packaged Toasty record also lists shop cost 2, but neither field guarantees a Toasty in every run.
Use it with
Save it until you have lost health. Check for Heart Burn before eating: that Curse damages you whenever you eat, and Consume destroys the Toasty after use.
Hope card artwork from the Shroom and Gloom Demo
Demo artwork · identification reference

Combat / Mood

Hope

Card target · Temporary
What it does
Targets one card, reduces its cost by 1, then draws 1 card. Hope carries Temporary.
How you get it
The packaged Demo record lists a shop cost of 2, but it does not prove a guaranteed shop, reward, or appearance rate.
Use it with
Drag it onto a card that costs at least 1, then use the discount while it matters. Do not wait for Hope to trigger automatically or return after leaving the hand.
Foul Breath card artwork from the Shroom and Gloom Demo
Demo artwork · identification reference

Combat / Passive

Foul Breath

0energy
What it does
Unplayable and Replenish. Whenever you eat, it deals 3 damage in the recorded Demo build.
How you get it
The Demo record lists a shop cost of 4, but the exact reward source and appearance rate remain unverified.
Use it with
A natural food-engine payoff: repeated eating turns healing or utility food into damage. Do not call it a guaranteed build until it actually appears.
Hot Poker card artwork from the Shroom and Gloom Demo
Demo artwork · identification reference

Combat / Attack

Hot Poker

2energy
What it does
Hits three times for 1 damage each. A Fatal hit creates one Toasty Kebab.
How you get it
The packaged Demo record lists a shop cost of 1; it does not establish a guaranteed shop or reward appearance.
Use it with
Its record contains three separate damage actions, while a food/eat payoff can use the Toasty Kebab created by a finishing blow. How a particular damage upgrade changes all three hits still needs a current-build comparison.
Hungry Blade card artwork from the Shroom and Gloom Demo
Demo artwork · identification reference

Combat / Attack

Hungry Blade

1energy
What it does
Deals 5 damage. If that hit is Fatal, this same card gains 2 damage for later plays in the run.
How you get it
The packaged Demo record lists a shop cost of 1; that is not evidence of a guaranteed shop or reward appearance.
Use it with
Set up weak enemies for its killing blow, then cycle the smaller deck back to the upgraded copy. A different card landing the kill gives Hungry Blade no growth.
Rad Scythe card artwork from the Shroom and Gloom Demo
Demo artwork · identification reference

Combat / Attack

Rad Scythe

3energy
What it does
Applies 3 Decay to all enemies, then deals 3 damage to all enemies.
How you get it
Its packaged Demo record lists a shop cost of 2, but the exact offer pool and appearance rate are not independently verified.
Use it with
Use it early when several enemies need softening: Decay makes later damage more valuable. Check Spellshield and Thorns before spending the full 3 energy.
Puppet Husk card artwork from the Shroom and Gloom Demo
Demo artwork · identification reference

Combat / Skill

Puppet Husk

1energy
What it does
Makes one permanent copy of a targeted Combat card, then consumes itself.
How you get it
The packaged Demo record lists a shop cost of 3; it does not prove a guaranteed source in any particular run.
Use it with
Copy a high-value one-use card, not a nearly empty charged tool. One current field report says remaining charges and Exhaust carry over; Temporary behavior is unresolved.
Second Guess card artwork from the Shroom and Gloom Demo
Demo artwork · identification reference

Combat / Skill

Second Guess

0energy
What it does
Discards one targeted card and draws one replacement. The Demo record carries Persistent 2 and Exhaust 1.
How you get it
Its packaged record lists shop cost 1 and a maximum of one copy, but neither field guarantees that a run will offer it.
Use it with
Turn an unneeded card into another look at the food or Fatal engine without spending energy. It improves selection; it does not create net hand size.

CURSES

Read the trigger before cleaning the hand.

Curse records can sit in the packaged Explore or Combat deck even when an enemy adds them during play. The label describes the record; the guide describes when the player meets it.

Cosmic Horror card artwork from the Shroom and Gloom Demo
Demo artwork · identification reference

Combat / Curse

Cosmic Horror

Boss Curse · cannot play
What it does
Inescapable, Replenish, and Unplayable. In Demo build 23718635, playing an Attack or Skill increases that card type's cost by 1 through Leach Cost.
How you get it
The official 0.4.70 notes add Cosmic Horror to the Gloom Worm fight. It is a boss-inflicted Curse, not a normal reward this guide promises you can obtain.
How to clear / avoid
Food and Curse plays no longer trigger its cost increase in Demo 0.4.71. A player reports Exhausting the card as a counter when that route is available; treat that as a field tactic, not a guaranteed draw or universal solution.
Heart Burn card artwork from the Shroom and Gloom Demo
Demo artwork · identification reference

Explore / Curse

Heart Burn

Triggered Curse
What it does
Punishes eating: the recorded trigger deals 1 damage whenever a card is eaten.
How you get it
Curse cards are added by telegraphed enemy actions. The exact enemy-to-card mapping is not yet verified.
How to clear / avoid
Avoid eating while it is active. Heart Burn is not recorded as Temporary and has no self-consuming action, so wait for an explicit remove, exile, or encounter exit.
Spore Lung card artwork from the Shroom and Gloom Demo
Demo artwork · identification reference

Explore / Curse

Spore Lung

Cannot play
What it does
Linger, Temporary, and Unplayable. Each card play reduces maximum health by 1 in the Demo record.
How you get it
Added through an enemy action; the current evidence does not identify every enemy that can create it.
How to clear / avoid
Use a Discard or another effect that moves it out of your hand. Temporary then destroys it; Linger only prevents the automatic end-of-turn discard.
Panic card artwork from the Shroom and Gloom Demo
Demo artwork · identification reference

Explore / Curse

Panic

Cannot play
What it does
Temporary and Unplayable. Taking damage triggers another 5 damage in the recorded Demo build.
How you get it
Added through a telegraphed enemy action. A universal source or removal route is not confirmed.
How to clear / avoid
Use a Discard or another effect that moves it out of your hand; Temporary then destroys it. Avoid self-damage until it is gone.
Touched By Gloom card artwork from the Shroom and Gloom Demo
Demo artwork · identification reference

Explore / Curse

Touched By Gloom

Playable · costs 1 HP
What it does
Deals 1 damage to you, then consumes itself.
How you get it
Enemy action is the confirmed general source; exact encounter mapping remains unverified.
How to clear / avoid
Unlike an unplayable curse, this one contains its own exit. Pay the 1 health only when doing so is safe.
Uneasy Feeling card artwork from the Shroom and Gloom Demo
Demo artwork · identification reference

Explore / Curse

Uneasy Feeling

Playable · costs 2 HP
What it does
Deals 2 damage to you, then consumes itself.
How you get it
Enemy action is the confirmed general source; the specific encounter is not yet mapped.
How to clear / avoid
Treat it as a health-cost exit. Do not play it at 2 health or lower merely to clean the hand.