i wouldn't say people rate it highly...it's 1 energy for 8 damage against single targets. but it's also a common attack that gives aoe, which alone should give it probably a higher rating than op does
like seriously, does anyone think dagger spray is really worse than stuff like infinite blades and distraction?
Yeah that's what I'm saying! Obviously dagger spray isn't an S-tier card or anything, but it's cheap AoE for a character that otherwise has precious few AoE options. Late in the game it's eh (although I love it for the birds or gremlins) but I find myself taking it much more often than a lot of the other cards ranked above it. Basically on this graph I'd have it just below the X-axis I think.
It's consistently great in Act 1, and close to a never pick after that. Filling that niche makes it better than a lot of cards ranked above it on this list.
It can be decent past that, just silent has relatively few ways to scale it. It's still among the best cards to have vs byrds though, and if you do manage to get some form of strength, whether that's shuriken, girya, or something else, it's pretty slick. Also pairs well with envenom, though envenom is usually only good in weird decks.
Dagger spray is a perfectly solid act 1 pick that scales decently with strength. It’s not an awful card even if it’s something that you’d rarely pick past act 1.
I won't pick that Card if I don't have to - the worst thing is that once you pick it you need to sink an upgrade into it too. But yeah, I probably am a little too harsh on that one :)
Pick rate is not low though, but then again - it is most.y out of desperation.
I would expect a higher pick rate for dagger spray. You take it because it's early aoe and that is something silent lacks. But yeah it's a pretty mediocre card otherwise.
Ehh pick rate is throughout the whole game though. Even if you take dagger spray every time its offered to you in act 1, then never again, the pick rate would be ~33% which seems to be about what op is showing
When Baalorlord was doing his mastery challenge I remember him specifically hating having to have 2 Dagger Sprays. Having 1 when you need early damage and AOE is just the not dying to gremlin knob and 5 slimes/ 4 gremlins in act 1, but after that its just so bad. The low base damage and multihit makes it so bad in so many fights, spikers, snake plant, writhing mass, anything with weaken, etc...
There are only a few actually good silent attacks, the rest you only take because you need attacks for some fights.
I think it has to have some other factor/condition. There's no way pick rate on the high end pick rate cards would be as high as almost 100% considering the fact you might have to pick between high pick rate cards.
I think it’s because if it does its job and then becomes useless, that’s ok. It’s essentially taking a curse for a really good act 1, which can be a worthwhile trade off. And while it doesn’t do much in late game, it’s still aoe that scales twice with strength, which has potential to be helpful in late game fights.
Yeah I think having literally anything that does aoe can be the difference between wiping out the gremlins/slime on turn one vs taking 20 hp of damage.
the argument is that "doing it's job" already makes it better than cards like infinite blades which are closer to a curse than a job done.
people are rarely happy to see dagger spray outside of the first half of act 1, but it still gives value there. i think it's less people like it, and moreso they think that a pickable card is better than stuff like infinite blades
Infinite Blades does not need to be upgraded and disappers after I have played it, and altough slow, it has its place in the Silent desperation toolkit.
It's not that people really like it that much, if you said it was in the bottom third of the silent pool for overall value, people would probably agree with you. The thing is, dagger spray helps you win runs more than a lot of the cards you put above it. There's a reason you pick it a lot more than bane and riddle with holes, or even most of the basic attacks. It does it's job well enough.
The reason I fight so much in this section is bc I have the feeling people actually like this card way too much.
It's not even that good against the things it is supposed to solve like Elites and Slime Boss. Later on, flying knee and quick Slash outclass this in utility.
It might be "not that good" but silent is for the most part really bad at AoE. Silent's premium AoE is all tied up in rares, and the other not rare AoE is fumes (slow, uncommon) and all out attack (awkward, only slightly higher damage, uncommon). Dagger spray is ok, decent even with the upgrade, accessible, and pairs well with a decent chunk of the generic damage relics (it's particularly fantastic with Akabeko).
It's definitely going to be better than flechettes the vast majority of the time, and you ranked that similar in pick rate and way higher in value.
The more I play Silent the less I like Dagger Spray. It's so little AoE damage that I'd rather just rather take single target damage cards and hope I run across a Die Die Die or an All Out Attack.
Act 2 has a lot of multi enemy fights though, including birds where multihit matters more. At +4 damage output per enemy on the upgrade, it's a good upgrade target if your other key cards are upgraded and you're looking for more damage
Early Act 2 hallways like Shelled Parasite/Chosen are more dangerous than multi enemies like Byrds, IMHO. If you don't have big enough burst damage for Shelled Parasite, you could be in trouble.
You can use Piercing Wail or weaken cards to neuter multi-hit enemies. Dagger Spray is helpful, but not run-saving.
If I'm playing Ironclad or Defect, I am terrified of Byrds. But on the Silent, I don't mind them. She has really effective cards against multi-attack enemies. It's the only character I smash Philosopher's Stone when offered.
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u/Username69221 Feb 12 '25
i need to know what the twist is before i go crazy for that dagger spray ranking