Grail Starter Builds
Named kits for days 1–3. Iconics are optional spice, not the shopping list.
A starter build is a sentence plus a shop order. It is not a 25-card netdeck. If a card is not in the first three shops, skip it and still play the sentence. Pair this page with the run planner and getting started.
Ratagnan — Bleed Chip (default)
Sentence: Cheap hits detonate Toothpick.
Buy: Toothpick, a second cheap attack (keep Jab until something better, then sell Jab), Apple for strip, Stilettos if gold is fat.
Skip: Four-pip rares, cheese traits, canal poison.
Upgrade: Toothpick first, then the attack that actually fired.
Traits: Bleed hooks, attack hooks, a revive if offered.
Fail case: Deck thicker than eight cards and Toothpick never applied. Cut, do not shop. Details: Ratagnan, status effects.
Ratagnan — Canal Poison (second save)
Sentence: Shuffle on purpose, pay them for it.
Buy: Old city canal, a poison applicator, one cheap cycle card. Cheese only if the pair appears.
Skip: Bleed Toothpick, extra heals that delay the shuffle you want.
Upgrade: Canal along 50/75/100/125.
Fail case: Fat deck that never shuffles, or empty discard while you are the poisoned one. Read poison’s extra trigger on empty discard.
Mabel — Cheese Plate
Sentence: Play cheese, poison them, over-heal the rest.
Buy: Cheese card, poison rider, Halter weight or Carrot bites if shown, Apple-plus-food.
Skip: Rapiers, random bleed, 200-trophy regret (you already paid).
Upgrade: The cheese that resolved.
Traits: “When you play cheese…” only.
Fail case: Heals without a poison half. You become a tall corpse. Mabel.
Zappy — Pack and Tax
Sentence: Fill a gadget, tax their energy gain.
Buy: Steam pack, Plier, a shock applicator (Copper wire if offered), one auto-play if you see a Guardbot-style text in-pool.
Skip: Canal, Toothpick, food museums.
Upgrade: The gadget that fired on cycle one.
Fail case: Three unfilled 3-pips. Sell. Zappy, energy and cards.
Optional Iconic forks
If Rapier of the Rat, Carrot roast dinner, or Johanna’s prosthetic drops, freeze the shop around that card. Until it drops, ignore this paragraph. Iconics are S on the card tier list and invisible on the other two heroes.
Day-1 node order (all three kits)
- Opening bonus: health if you died last run, gold if you did not.
- Shop or free commons — seed only.
- Monster or cheap side quest — test pips.
- Sell the card that did not play.
- Player battle — scout, do not sideboard (you cannot).
- Next day, one node that answers the scout. PvP battles.
What not to call a build
“I bought every rare” is not a build. “I went first with 14 cards” is not a build. “I am waiting for an Iconic” is not a build. Name the sentence at the top of this page or open the synergy checklist and start over.
Patches will rename numbers. The sentence structure will not. When Bayonet or food changes, read version 1.0 and later notes, then change one line here, not your entire identity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions.
What is the best starter build in Grail?
Ratagnan bleed chip. It is free, cheap, and teaches pips. Other kits wait on trophies or a second save.
Do I need Iconic cards for these builds?
No. They are optional forks. Play the sentence without them.
Can I mix bleed chip and canal poison?
Not as a starter. They want different deck sizes. Pick one sentence.
When do I switch builds?
After a six-win run, or after a trophy unlock. Not after a single PvP loss.
Where is the shop order written down?
On this page per kit, and as a loop on the run planner tool page.