Summary
Balatrohas becomeone of the standout surprises of 2024, offering a simple yet deep deck-building roguelike experience with that irresistible appeal that few games manage to achieve. It strikes an excellent balance of mechanics, consumables, and strategies, ensuring that each run feels fresh, unique, and unexpected. With a plethora of power-ups like Jokers, Planets, Tarot, and Spectral cards, players are free to experiment and combine them creatively to secure victory,keeping the game engaging.
Among the bonuses and power-ups inBalatro,Vouchersstand out as some of the rarest, most limited, and priciest options. However, their permanent effects during a run can dramatically tilt the odds in the player’s favor. While there aren’t as many unique Vouchers as there are Jokers, knowing which Vouchers to prioritize can make all the difference.
10Clearance Sale & Liquidation
All Cards And Packs In Shop Are 25/50% Cheaper
Managing a steady cash flow is one of the trickiest challenges inBalatro, as players often find themselves short on funds during a run. One effective way to ensure more opportunities for improving a run through the Shop is by claiming theClearance Sale (25% off prices)andLiquidation (50% off prices)Vouchers. With prices reduced, it becomes much easier to purchase everything that players might need between Blinds.
The Clearance Sale Voucher is available from the start, while unlocking Liquidation requires players to redeem at least ten Vouchers in a single run. Achieving this typically involvesprogressing to Ante 10 in Endless mode, or getting lucky with additional Voucher tags while skipping Blinds. Alternatively, players might opt for Seed Money and Money Tree Vouchers as another reliable way of getting extra money every round.
9Telescope
Celestial Packs Always Contain The Planet Card For Most-Played Poker Hand
Planet cards are the most common consumables inBalatro, but there’s nothing more frustrating than opening a booster pack only to find Planets for poker hands that players are not using in their current run. This is where the Telescope Voucher shines. Simple and effective, the Telescope ensures that every opened Celestial Pack will contain a Planet card tailored to one’s most-played poker hand. This makes it easier to consistently score big with favorite hands like Flushes or Straights.
What makes the Telescope even better is its accessibility. It’s a base Voucher available in the Shop from the start, requiring no special effort to unlock. Plus, it frequently appears during runs, making it one of the most reliable and valuable upgrades for improving one’s scoring potential.
8Wasteful & Recyclomancy
Permanently Gain Extra Discards Each Round
While not extraordinary, Wasteful and Recyclomancy are excellent Vouchers that makeBalatromore forgiving and flexible. Both permanently increase the number of discards available each round by one. This provides players with additional opportunities to draw bonus cards from their deck or assemble challenging poker hands like Straights, Four of a Kind, and more.
Wasteful is a base Voucher available from the start, while unlocking Recyclomancy requires dedication, as players need to discard a total of 2,500 cards across their playtime. Like other upgraded Vouchers inBalatro, Recyclomancy can only appear in the Shop after the Wasteful Voucher has been claimed during the current run.
7Paint Brush & Palette
Permanently Gain Extra Hand Size Each Round
Not to be confused with the Grabber and Nacho Tong Vouchers, which increase the total number of hands, the Paint Brush and Palette Vouchers permanently increase the handsizeduring each round by one. This means players receive more cards from the deck, making it easier to create stronger combinations.
Paint Brush is a base starting Voucher available from the beginning, while unlocking the Palette Voucher is more challenging. To obtain it, players must reduce their hand size to five cards. This can be achieved by claiming Jokers like Stuntman (-2 hand size) or utilizing Spectral cards such as Ectoplasm or Ouija.
6Hieroglyph & Petroglyph
Reducing Current Ante For One Hand Or Discard Each Round
Hieroglyph is one of the most confusing Vouchers for newcomers inBalatro, as its description isn’t very clear on its potential benefits. The downside of losing one hand per round can seem intimidating. However, what Hieroglyph does is decrease the Ante, effectively giving players extra time to strengthen their decks orrefine their Joker selection. This can be especially useful as players approach higher Ante levels. Think of it as a way to rewind the clock, giving players additional opportunities to take advantage of shop bonuses or reward tags from skipping Blinds when their current setup isn’t strong enough. Sometimes, this can be enough to save a promising yet underwhelming Joker combo.
Petroglyph is a variation of Hieroglyph that also lowers the Ante, but at the cost of one discard per round instead of a hand. This trade-off is easier to manage, so taking Petroglyph is a more appealing option. However, unlocking it poses a significant challenge, as it requires players to reach Ante level 12 — a feat made all the more difficult by the fact that most runs statistically end at Ante 11.
5Grabber & Nacho Tong
Permanently Gain An Extra Hand Each Round
Similar to Wasteful and Recyclomancy for discards, Grabber and Nacho Tong are straightforward Vouchers that increase the number of available Hands played during each round by one. Since Handsare essential for winninginBalatro, these Vouchers are a must-have for players aiming to extend their runs and secure better scoring opportunities. Additionally, these Vouchers can offset penalties from certain consumables like Spectral cards that reduce the number of available Hands.
Grabber is a base Voucher available from the start, making it an accessible and reliable choice. Unlocking Nacho Tong, on the other hand, requires players to play a total of 2,500 cards. This should be a manageable milestone for dedicatedBalatroenthusiasts.
4Hone & Glow Up
Foil, Holographic, And Polychrome Cards Appear More Often
For players aiming to transform their decks into something extraordinary, Hone and Glow Up are must-have Vouchers. These powerful consumables increase the chances of obtaining bonus Edition Jokers or enhanced playing cards from Shops or booster packs.Hone doubles the chances of cards gaining Foil (+50 Chips), Holographic (+10 Mult), and Polychrome (x1.5 Mult)effects. Meanwhile,Glow Up quadruples the odds, or provides an additional 2x boost on top of Hone.
When combined with Magic Trick and Illusion Vouchers, players can accumulate dozens of enhanced cards, dramatically increasing their scoring potential. However, managing such a deck may require strategic use of Death and The Hanged Man Tarot cards to trim excess standard cards and keep the deck focused.
Unlocking the Glow Up Voucher is no small task. Players need to equip at least five enhanced Joker cards with Foil, Holographic, Polychrome, or Negative effects. Achieving this often means investing in consumables like Wheel of Fortune, so be ready to see this dreadful “Nope!” message often.
3Illusion
Playing Cards In The Shop May Have Various Bonuses Applied
Every deck inBalatrois only as strong as the cards it contains, making buying and enhancing additional cards a vital strategy. This is where the Illusion Voucher shines. It provides players the opportunity to purchase Enchanted cards — such as Steel, Lucky, or Glass — as well as cards with Holographic, Foil, or Polychrome editions, and even those with various Seals (typically only obtainable via rare Spectral cards) directly from the Shop. Illusion complements Hone and Glow Up Vouchers, working in tandem to help players build adiverse and powerful deck.
To unlock the Illusion Voucher, players first need to claim the Magic Trick Voucher during their runs and purchase at least 20 playing cards from the Shop. Once unlocked, Illusion requires Magic Trick to be claimed during each run for it to appear in the Shop.
2Antimatter
Grants An Extra Joker Slot
Antimatter is one of the rarest and most challenging Vouchers to unlock inBalatro, but its effect is a game-changing addition for any run or playstyle.With more Jokers at their disposal, players gain access to a wider range of unique scoring opportunities and the ability to capitalize on some of the game’s best synergies.
Unlocking Antimatter requires significant effort and investment. Players must first redeem Blank Vouchers ten times, which means spending $100 for essentially no benefit. This task is made more difficult by the fact that Blank Vouchers are not guaranteed to appear in every run, likely requiring multiple attempts to meet the requirement. Even after unlocking Antimatter, players must redeem a Blank Voucher in each subsequent run before Antimatter becomes available in the Shop. Despite this, the extra Joker slot is widely considered worth the effort.
1Omen Globe
Spectral Cards May Appear In Arcana Packs
The Omen Globe is extremely rare and can only appear after claiming the Crystal Ball Voucher, which grants an additional consumable slot. While the Crystal Ball’s effects aren’t as impactful as many other Vouchers, the Omen Globe is exceptional. Once claimed, it gives players a chance to obtain rare and powerful Spectral cards alongside the usual Tarot cards when opening any Arcana Packs.
Spectral cards are among the best consumables inBalatro, with some being so strong that they can completely change the course of a run. For example, the Soul Spectral card is theonly way to obtain Legendary Jokers, while the Black Hole card upgrades every poker hand simultaneously.
To unlock the Omen Globe Voucher, players must first use a total of 25 Tarot cards from booster packs inBalatro.This task can be completed in just a few runs with any starting deck or difficulty.
