QUICK FIELD CHECK
Check who landed the kill, then read that card's reward.
Fatal is one condition with several possible rewards. Only the card whose own damage is lethal resolves the action attached to its If Fatal trigger.
- Enemy survives
- Fatal resultNo Fatal trigger.
- PersistenceThe printed reward does not resolve.
- Another card kills
- Fatal resultNo trigger for the card you are checking.
- PersistenceThe killing card is the only one eligible for its own Fatal reward.
- Hungry Blade kills
- Fatal resultThat same card gains 2 damage.
- PersistenceThe growth remains for later plays this run and can be earned again.
- Hot Poker kills
- Fatal resultCreate 1 Toasty Kebab.
- PersistenceAn immediate card reward, not damage growth.
- Greedy Dagger kills
- Fatal resultDraw 1 card.
- PersistenceAn immediate draw reward, not a permanent card change.
- Thirsty Mace kills
- Fatal resultGain 2 energy.
- PersistenceImmediate combat energy, not a damage refund or persistent growth.
KILLING-BLOW LOOP
Set up the final hit, then verify growth.
Lower an enemy until the Fatal card can finish it. Damage from a different card will not trigger this card's killing-blow reward.
Use the card for the final hit. Resolve the printed Fatal effect after the kill: permanent damage growth, food creation, card draw, or energy depending on the card.
For Hungry Blade's +2 effect, inspect the card after combat or on its next draw. Its base hit should now be 2 higher for the rest of that run.
Set up weakened enemies so Hungry Blade can land the killing blow safely. A later Fatal with that same card can add another 2 damage for later plays in the run.
Do not assume every Fatal reward is damage. Hot Poker creates one Toasty Kebab, Greedy Dagger draws one card, and Thirsty Mace gains 2 energy; read the clause after ‘If Fatal’.
Do not classify every triggered card as Fatal. Foul Breath triggers when you eat, not when it lands a killing blow, so it belongs to the food-build route instead of this page's Fatal card notes.
WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE
After Hungry Blade lands a killing blow, the same card shows and deals 2 more damage on a later play. Repeating the condition stacks more permanent damage during that run.
VERSION BOUNDARY
The trigger meaning and Hungry Blade record are cross-checked against the current Demo extraction and a current Steam thread with multiple confirming reports. The table gives representative recorded rewards, not a complete Fatal card list or tier list. Card pools and values may change in Early Access, but the core answer is complete for Demo build 23718635.
CARDS IN THIS ANSWER
Know the effect before you build around it.
Ability text is tied to the recorded Demo build. “How you get it” stays cautious where a packaged shop value does not prove a guaranteed reward.
Combat / Attack
Hungry Blade
- 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.
Combat / Attack
Hot Poker
- 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.