Dice Throne
Sign in
Back to all heroes

Duelist

Playstyle: Offensive · Complexity: 3/6 · Vanguard

Find team partners

Who is this character?

A fencer on the Footwork Track: forward for +3 damage, backward for +3 prevention – position is everything.

How to play Duelist

If after roll 1 5× Pierce for Master of the Blade! are reachable. Keep 5× Pierce and reroll all dice not needed, aiming at Master of the Blade! (5 dice). If fewer than 5 matching dice remain after roll 1, switch to Bladestorm. Master of the Blade! deals a documented 11 damage and applies Disarm/Guard Break, so the 5 committed dice stay on the table.

Early game: Play Balestra/Retreat to push the track forward.

Late game: Use pierce rolls for Bladestorm and Master of the Blade!.

If after roll 1 4× Pierce for Bladestorm are reachable. Keep 4× Pierce and reroll all dice not needed, aiming at Bladestorm (4 dice). If fewer than 4 matching dice remain after roll 1, switch to Master of the Blade!. Bladestorm deals a documented 8 damage and applies Disarm/Disarm/Disarm/Guard Break, so the 4 committed dice stay on the table.

En Garde's 4-die follow-up can inflict Disarm multiple times – gold against card hoarders.

Oscillating around the middle of the track and never collecting a +3 bonus.

Staying forward while the opponent visibly builds towards their ultimate.

Strengths

  • Footwork: forward positions add +1/+3 to attacks, backward +1/+3 prevention
  • Reposition (passive): 1–2 free steps every round; moving back grants Guard Break
  • Strike: 7/10 damage from straights with no token needs
  • Disarm: discard a card OR lose the income phase

Weaknesses

  • Retreat blocks almost nothing (~1) and forces you backward
  • Only ONE bonus per turn: never offense and defense at once

Key attacks

  • Blade Flurry
    Standard route

    Reliable damage route for turns without special setup.

    Take it as soon as 3× 🗡 Blade is mostly on the table after roll 1 (98% across all three rolls): safe damage beats rerolling working dice for a harder route.

    3× 🗡 Blade · 4 damage

  • Feint Attack
    Burst

    High single-turn damage that locks several dice.

    Only go for it when at most one symbol of 2× 🗡 Blade + 2× ➹ Pierce is missing after roll 1 (49% across all three rolls); otherwise you give up an already safe route.

    2× 🗡 Blade + 2× ➹ Pierce · 2 damage

  • Balestra
    Burst

    High single-turn damage that locks several dice.

    Only go for it when at most one symbol of 2× 🗡 Blade + 3× 👢 Boot is missing after roll 1 (49% across all three rolls); otherwise you give up an already safe route.

    2× 🗡 Blade + 3× 👢 Boot · 6 damage

  • Strike
    Burst

    High single-turn damage that locks several dice.

    Only go for it when at most one symbol of Small straight (4 in a row) is missing after roll 1 (59% across all three rolls); otherwise you give up an already safe route.

    Small straight (4 in a row) · 7 damage

  • Bladestorm
    Control

    Control route: damage plus an effect against the opponent's next turn.

    Worth it when the opponent is hunting their strong route next turn (10% across all three rolls): the effect beats a few extra damage points there.

    4× ➹ Pierce · 8 damage · disarm

  • En Garde
    Standard route

    Reliable damage route for turns without special setup.

    Take it as soon as 3× 👢 Boot + 1× ➹ Pierce is mostly on the table after roll 1 (60% across all three rolls): safe damage beats rerolling working dice for a harder route.

    3× 👢 Boot + 1× ➹ Pierce · 8 damage · disarm

  • Master of the Blade!
    Finisher

    Ultimate: the board's highest damage value with the hardest requirement.

    Do not force 5× ➹ Pierce (1% across all three rolls): only when the requirement is reachable after roll 1 is giving up the safe route worth it.

    5× ➹ Pierce · 11 damage · disarm

Key statuses & resources

  • Footwork Track: The token starts at Neutral: forward +1, far forward +3 on attacks; back +1, far back +3 prevention. Only ONE bonus per turn. The Reposition passive 1–2 steps per upkeep, Balestra/Bladestorm up to 2, ultimate up to 4, a Blade Flurry four-of-a-kind 1. All the way forward before your burst turn, backward before enemy burst rounds – budget for Retreat's forced steps.
  • Guard Break: Max 2: spend at attack conclusion and roll – on 4–5 the attack becomes undefendable. Feint Attack, Bladestorm, backward steps via Reposition, ultimate +2. On Strike (10) or En Garde (8) – a one-third chance the big blow becomes unblockable.
  • Guard Break (positive) and Disarm (negative, via Bladestorm/En Garde/ultimate).
  • Spend the +3 Footwork bonus only on attacks of 6 or more; it is wasted on Blade Flurry (4).
  • Footwork Track: The Reposition passive 1–2 steps per upkeep, Balestra/Bladestorm up to 2, ultimate up to 4, a Blade Flurry four-of-a-kind 1.
  • Footwork Track: All the way forward before your burst turn, backward before enemy burst rounds – budget for Retreat's forced steps.
  • Guard Break: Feint Attack, Bladestorm, backward steps via Reposition, ultimate +2.
  • Guard Break: On Strike (10) or En Garde (8) – a one-third chance the big blow becomes unblockable.

Abilities & board

Health: 50 · Starting CP: 2

Dice symbols

🗡 Blade · 3/6 (faces 1, 2, 3)👢 Boot · 2/6 (faces 4, 5)➹ Pierce · 1/6 (faces 6)

Level I abilities

  • Blade Flurry
    Normal
    Dice requirement:
    3× 🗡 Blade
    Damage/healing:
    4 damage
  • Feint Attack
    Undefendable
    Dice requirement:
    2× 🗡 Blade + 2× ➹ Pierce
    Damage/healing:
    2 damage
  • Balestra
    Normal
    Dice requirement:
    2× 🗡 Blade + 3× 👢 Boot
    Damage/healing:
    6 damage
  • Strike
    Normal
    Dice requirement:
    Small straight (4 in a row)
    Damage/healing:
    7 damage
  • Bladestorm
    Normal
    Dice requirement:
    4× ➹ Pierce
    Damage/healing:
    8 damage
    Key effects:
    disarm
  • En Garde
    Normal
    Dice requirement:
    3× 👢 Boot + 1× ➹ Pierce
    Damage/healing:
    8 damage
    Key effects:
    disarm

Ultimate

  • Master of the Blade!
    Ultimate
    Dice requirement:
    5× ➹ Pierce
    Damage/healing:
    11 damage
    Key effects:
    disarm

Defense

Retreat The defense roll is made whenever you are attacked. It does not prevent damage directly. Retreat: 4 dice – 1 counter per 2 blades (~1), each boot/pierce pushes you a step back. The real block is the far-back Footwork position (+3 prevention).

Special mechanics

  • Footwork Track
    Board mechanic
    Persistent positional state across five fields from 2 back to 2 forward. Start is Neutral. Standing forward means +1 or +3 damage as an attack modifier, standing back means 1 or 3 damage prevented. Only one bonus counts per turn, so the track is a rhythm between attacking and defending rounds. · Maximum: 2
  • Reposition
    Board mechanic
    Passive: 1 to 2 free steps per upkeep. Backward steps additionally bank Guard Break, so defensive retreating pays off offensively later.
  • Guard Break
    Token mechanic
    At most 2 tokens. At the attack conclusion discard a token and roll: on a 4 or 5 the attack becomes undefendable (about 33%). It only pays off on big hits, because the token is consumed regardless of the result. · Maximum: 2
  • Disarm
    Token mechanic
    Denial on the opposing figure: at the start of that figure's income phase they choose between discarding a card and losing the entire income phase. Against card-heavy or resource-dependent opponents this is the harder part of Duelist's pressure.
  • Retreat
    Board mechanic
    Defense roll across 4 dice: blade pairs counter (about 1 damage on average), boots and pierce force backward steps. Retreat provides no genuine damage prevention – that comes solely from the rear position of the Footwork Track.

Resources

  • Footwork TrackThe token starts at Neutral: forward +1, far forward +3 on attacks; back +1, far back +3 prevention. Only ONE bonus per turn. · The Reposition passive 1–2 steps per upkeep, Balestra/Bladestorm up to 2, ultimate up to 4, a Blade Flurry four-of-a-kind 1. · All the way forward before your burst turn, backward before enemy burst rounds – budget for Retreat's forced steps.
  • Guard BreakMax 2: spend at attack conclusion and roll – on 4–5 the attack becomes undefendable. · Feint Attack, Bladestorm, backward steps via Reposition, ultimate +2. · On Strike (10) or En Garde (8) – a one-third chance the big blow becomes unblockable.

Upgrades & cards

What changes?

  • Blade Flurry
    Level II
    • Damage: 5 damage instead of 4 damage
    • Dice requirement: 4× 🗡 Blade instead of 3× 🗡 Blade
  • Blade Flurry
    Level III
    • Damage: 6 damage instead of 4 damage
    • Dice requirement: 5× 🗡 Blade instead of 3× 🗡 Blade
  • Strike
    Level II
    • Damage: 10 damage instead of 7 damage
    • Dice requirement: Large straight (5 in a row) instead of Small straight (4 in a row)

Hero-specific cards

Not sufficiently verified

Works well with

  • Seraph

    Seraph adds the healing that Duelist lacks.

  • Barbarian

    Barbarian adds the healing that Duelist lacks.

  • Wolverine

    Wolverine adds the healing that Duelist lacks.

Good matchups

  • Loki

    Duelist keeps Loki tied up with Disarm, many of Loki's effects get cancelled that way.

  • Scarlet Witch

    Scarlet Witch lands spikes up to 12 damage off Crackle without a long ramp – and Duelist has little to absorb it.

  • Tactician

    Tactician lands spikes up to 12 damage off Tactical Advantage without a long ramp – and Duelist has little to absorb it.

Tough matchups

  • Druid

    Druid keeps Duelist tied up with Wound, and Duelist already needs tight rolls.

  • Huntress

    Huntress keeps Duelist tied up with Bleed, and Duelist already needs tight rolls.

  • Storm

    Storm keeps Duelist tied up with attack denial, and Duelist already needs tight rolls.