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Monk

Playstyle: Balanced · Complexity: 4/6 · Season 1

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Who is this character?

Balanced with token build-up: Fist Strike (3× Fist, 84%) carries the base damage while Meditate banks Chi for the rarer Palm and Lotus routes.

How to play Monk

If after roll 1 3× Palm for Tempest Rush are reachable. Keep 3× Palm and reroll all dice not needed, aiming at Tempest Rush (3 dice). If fewer than 3 matching dice remain after roll 1, switch to Transcendence!. Tempest Rush deals a documented 18 damage and applies Knockdown, so the 3 committed dice stay on the table.

Early game: Prioritise Meditate / zen faces to build Chi.

Mid game: Use Fist Strike and Combo Strike as reliable damage turns.

Late game: Aim for Tempest Rush with a full Chi stack or Transcendence! to close out.

If after roll 1 5× Lotus for Transcendence! are reachable. Keep 5× Lotus and reroll all dice not needed, aiming at Transcendence! (5 dice). If fewer than 5 matching dice remain after roll 1, switch to Tempest Rush. Transcendence! deals a documented 10 damage and applies Knockdown, so the 5 committed dice stay on the table.

Lotus Strike (4× lotus, only 1 lotus face) is a ~10% shot – only chase it with two lotus already showing after roll 1.

Offensive Chi only works the turn after banking: plan the pump turn one round ahead.

Cleanse removes knockdown or burn – save one for the moment a status would cost you an attack turn.

Burning Chi on 1–2 damage hits and then eating the big attack in full.

Repeating Meditate with the stack already at its limit – the 5 Chi are lost.

Strengths

  • Fist Strike lands very reliably (3+ fists, 6–8 damage)
  • Lotus Strike is undefendable; Transcendence! inflicts Knockdown.
  • Fist Strike is the most reliable recorded damage route (6–8 damage).

Weaknesses

  • Without a fully documented Chi spend, defensive and burst planning remains uncertain.

Key attacks

  • Fist Strike
    Standard route

    Reliable damage route for turns without special setup.

    Take it as soon as 3× ✊ Fist is mostly on the table after roll 1 (84% across all three rolls): safe damage beats rerolling working dice for a harder route.

    3× ✊ Fist · 6 damage

  • Meditate
    Setup

    Setup attack: places effects that later turns rely on.

    Play it early while turns remain for the effect to pay off – as the last action of a close game Meditate deals no damage.

    3× ☯ Zen

  • Combo Strike
    Standard route

    Reliable damage route for turns without special setup.

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

    3× ✊ Fist + 1× ✋ Palm · about 7 damage

  • Tempest Rush
    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 (36% across all three rolls): the effect beats a few extra damage points there.

    3× ✋ Palm · Sum of 3 dice · knockdown

  • Fist of Harmony
    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) · 6 damage

  • Lotus Strike
    Burst

    High single-turn damage that locks several dice.

    Only go for it when at most one symbol of 4× ❀ Lotus is missing after roll 1 (10% across all three rolls); otherwise you give up an already safe route.

    4× ❀ Lotus · 5 damage

  • Fist of Tranquility
    Burst

    High single-turn damage that locks several dice.

    Only go for it when at most one symbol of Large straight (5 in a row) is missing after roll 1 (25% across all three rolls); otherwise you give up an already safe route.

    Large straight (5 in a row) · 7 damage

  • Transcendence!
    Finisher

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

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

    5× ❀ Lotus · 10 damage · knockdown

Key statuses & resources

  • Knockdown: negative, inflicted by Tempest Rush (conditionally) and the Transcendence! ultimate.

Abilities & board

Health: 50 · Starting CP: 2

Dice symbols

✊ Fist · 2/6 (faces 1, 2)✋ Palm · 1/6 (faces 3)☯ Zen · 2/6 (faces 4, 5)❀ Lotus · 1/6 (faces 6)

Level I abilities

  • Fist Strike
    Normal
    Dice requirement:
    3× ✊ Fist
    Damage/healing:
    6 damage
  • Meditate
    Dice requirement:
    3× ☯ Zen
    Damage/healing:
    Not sufficiently verified
  • Combo Strike
    Normal
    Dice requirement:
    3× ✊ Fist + 1× ✋ Palm
    Damage/healing:
    about 7 damage
  • Tempest Rush
    Normal
    Dice requirement:
    3× ✋ Palm
    Damage/healing:
    Sum of 3 dice
    Key effects:
    knockdown
  • Fist of Harmony
    Normal
    Dice requirement:
    Small straight (4 in a row)
    Damage/healing:
    6 damage
  • Lotus Strike
    Undefendable
    Dice requirement:
    4× ❀ Lotus
    Damage/healing:
    5 damage
  • Fist of Tranquility
    Normal
    Dice requirement:
    Large straight (5 in a row)
    Damage/healing:
    7 damage

Ultimate

  • Transcendence!
    Ultimate
    Dice requirement:
    5× ❀ Lotus
    Damage/healing:
    10 damage
    Key effects:
    knockdown

Defense

Serenity The defense roll is made whenever you are attacked. The prevented damage is not sufficiently verified. Avoiding the attack is also possible. Serenity: 4 dice; the dataset records no prevention value, only a counter of 1 damage per fist face.

Special mechanics

  • Chi token engine
    Token mechanic
    Meditate banks Chi (3 zen faces, ~84.2%), Tempest Rush cashes it for +1 damage per token; a full stack is recorded at up to 23 damage. · Maximum: 5
  • Serenity counter
    Board mechanic
    Serenity rolls 4 dice and counters 1 damage per fist face (avg ~1, max 4). No prevention value is recorded.

Resources

  • ChiChi is recorded as a positive resource; the burst note states a stack limit of 5 and that it can be raised. · Meditate, Serenity and Lotus Strike are listed as sources in the dataset/burst note. · Tempest Rush uses banked Chi per the burst note; no other spend is claimed here.
  • EvasivePositive resource; its source and complete timing/stack text are not fully captured in the structured dataset. · Present in the recorded status list; its concrete grant is left unevidenced here. · Concrete spend conditions are not fully captured in the structured dataset.

Upgrades & cards

What changes?

  • Fist Strike
    Level II
    • Damage: 7 damage instead of 6 damage
    • Dice requirement: 4× ✊ Fist instead of 3× ✊ Fist
  • Fist Strike
    Level III
    • Damage: 8 damage instead of 6 damage
    • Dice requirement: 5× ✊ Fist instead of 3× ✊ Fist

Hero-specific cards

Not sufficiently verified

Works well with

  • Seraph

    Seraph adds the healing that Monk lacks.

  • Tactician

    Tactician takes over support and fills the open team role.

  • Gambit

    Gambit adds the healing that Monk lacks.

Good matchups

  • Gunslinger

    Monk keeps Gunslinger tied up with Knockdown, and Gunslinger already needs tight rolls.

  • Pyromancer

    Monk keeps Pyromancer tied up with Knockdown, and Pyromancer already needs tight rolls.

  • Cursed Pirate

    Monk pushes damage through that Cursed Pirate barely stops with Ahoy Matey.

Tough matchups

  • Storm

    Storm pushes damage through that Monk barely stops with Serenity.

  • Druid

    Druid pushes damage through that Monk barely stops with Serenity.

  • Forgemaster

    Monk pushes damage through that Forgemaster barely stops with Masterwork.

Buy now

Dice Throne: Season One – Battle Chest

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