Mistborn: The Deckbuilding Game Strats

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

I play Mistborn with my dad a lot. We prefer Co-Op, and there are a few strats that I thought would be cool to share, and it would be cool to hear some other strats. Here are some:

1. Specialize. I like to choose a single character (usually Kelsier) and specialize. I only take Iron and Steel cards (sometimes healing, but that's less important) and how I like to play is by choosing the mission cards, so I choose the (hot take) canton of orthodoxy to get rid of (another hot take) all of my funding and training (minus steel training, cause Kelsier) cards. At the end, I have like, 8-9 cards that I use to kill the lord ruler in very few goes.

2. 2 Player. I believe, that at least in co-op, 2 players is the ideal. 1 player is *technically* better, but you can't specialize nearly as much. 3 players is redundant, I feel like that just gets you more time for the lord ruler to attack, and you have one person basically doing nothing. 4 players is the same, but worse (also I only have 2 people that I play this game with (my dad and my friend) and they are never in the same room together and single player is lonely so i might be a bit biased)

3. It's okay to bend the rules a bit. Sometimes, you just don't want to randomize those players, or mission track cards. Sometimes you want to play a game with very specific mission tack cards and characters. And that's perfectly fine. I mean, you shouldn't change any game play (i play insta-kill everyone!) but some minor set-up changes can make it a lot more fun!

What else do people do?

[KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren He/Him]

I have never played co-op yet, just 2 solos, 1 3p multiplayer and a 4p multiplayer.

Specialising is good, but if you specialise too much it's detrimental.

Also every multiplayer game Shan is always killed by Vin. 

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

5 minutes ago, KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren said:

I have never played co-op yet, just 2 solos, 1 3p multiplayer and a 4p multiplayer.

Specialising is good, but if you specialise too much it's detrimental.

Also every multiplayer game Shan is always killed by Vin. 

You play with Shan? *scoffs*

And I was talking about specializing in co-op. Which, I assume, is different than specializing elsewhere.

[KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren He/Him]

11 minutes ago, CoderDrag0n8 said:

You play with Shan? *scoffs*

And I was talking about specializing in co-op. Which, I assume, is different than specializing elsewhere.

That was solo, once

Once, @ShardOfTaynix played Shan and was killed by me, Vin. The other multiplayer game, @BringForthTheBridge played Shan and was killed by @ShardOfTaynix, Vin.

Also you can't heal other players, so healing is something all players need even in co-op.

 

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

6 minutes ago, KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren said:

That was solo, once

Once, @ShardOfTaynix played Shan and was killed by me, Vin. The other multiplayer game, @BringForthTheBridge played Shan and was killed by @ShardOfTaynix, Vin.

Also you can't heal other players, so healing is something all players need even in co-op.

 

You can get other healing items in co-op. But yes, Healing is the only exception to specializing.

And why would anyone in their right mind play Shan in a game with less than 4 people?

[KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren He/Him]

1 hour ago, CoderDrag0n8 said:

You can get other healing items in co-op. But yes, Healing is the only exception to specializing.

And why would anyone in their right mind play Shan in a game with less than 4 people?

Uhh... what's wrong with Shan?

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

7 minutes ago, KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren said:

Uhh... what's wrong with Shan?

She’s the worst one.

[KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren He/Him]

5 minutes ago, CoderDrag0n8 said:

She’s the worst one.

Well yeah I can see that

But I still beat the Lord Ruler with her in solo

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

6 minutes ago, KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren said:

Well yeah I can see that

But I still beat the Lord Ruler with her in solo

How??? She just gets money!

also, co-op is just solo+more people

[KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren He/Him]

4 minutes ago, CoderDrag0n8 said:

How??? She just gets money!

also, co-op is just solo+more people

Yeah I just did with cards like Maelstrom and stuff

Exactly 

Solo is harder

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

13 minutes ago, KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren said:

Yeah I just did with cards like Maelstrom and stuff

Exactly 

Solo is harder

No. You have way more time to prepare your deck. Solo is far easier. That’s why they added a bunch of solo-exclusive domination track stuff. To try and balance it.

[KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren He/Him]

40 minutes ago, CoderDrag0n8 said:

No. You have way more time to prepare your deck. Solo is far easier. That’s why they added a bunch of solo-exclusive domination track stuff. To try and balance it.

Oh right I forgot about that. 

But that does pn't make solo easier than co-op. 

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

8 hours ago, KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren said:

Oh right I forgot about that. 

But that does pn't make solo easier than co-op. 

It... It does. For all the reasons explained above.

[TheUnInvestedCremling he/him....]

On 9/15/2025 at 12:07 PM, KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren said:

That was solo, once

Once, @ShardOfTaynix played Shan and was killed by me, Vin. The other multiplayer game, @BringForthTheBridge played Shan and was killed by @ShardOfTaynix, Vin.

Also you can't heal other players, so healing is something all players need even in co-op.

 

Shan<Vin. Basically

[IcedOutPenguin He/Him]

I've played 16 games of Mistborn deckbuilder. My first game (I already knew how to play from watching my cousins) was at a competitive tournament. I got shan for that game and narrowly lost.

So now we get to the funny part, the second game I played was with Vin, and I won that game by killing everyone.

In the third game, I got Shan again, and in the fourth and fifth was also Shan.

For thirteen consecutive games, I played Shan (choosing randomly)

On 9/14/2025 at 10:00 PM, CoderDrag0n8 said:

She’s the worst one.

NUH-UH

On 9/13/2025 at 10:53 AM, CoderDrag0n8 said:

I play Mistborn with my dad a lot. We prefer Co-Op, and there are a few strats that I thought would be cool to share, and it would be cool to hear some other strats. Here are some:

1. Specialize. I like to choose a single character (usually Kelsier) and specialize. I only take Iron and Steel cards (sometimes healing, but that's less important) and how I like to play is by choosing the mission cards, so I choose the (hot take) canton of orthodoxy to get rid of (another hot take) all of my funding and training (minus steel training, cause Kelsier) cards. At the end, I have like, 8-9 cards that I use to kill the lord ruler in very few goes.

2. 2 Player. I believe, that at least in co-op, 2 players is the ideal. 1 player is *technically* better, but you can't specialize nearly as much. 3 players is redundant, I feel like that just gets you more time for the lord ruler to attack, and you have one person basically doing nothing. 4 players is the same, but worse (also I only have 2 people that I play this game with (my dad and my friend) and they are never in the same room together and single player is lonely so i might be a bit biased)

3. It's okay to bend the rules a bit. Sometimes, you just don't want to randomize those players, or mission track cards. Sometimes you want to play a game with very specific mission tack cards and characters. And that's perfectly fine. I mean, you shouldn't change any game play (i play insta-kill everyone!) but some minor set-up changes can make it a lot more fun!

What else do people do?

I don't play co-op

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

33 minutes ago, IcedOutPenguin said:

I've played 16 games of Mistborn deckbuilder. My first game (I already knew how to play from watching my cousins) was at a competitive tournament. I got shan for that game and narrowly lost.

So now we get to the funny part, the second game I played was with Vin, and I won that game by killing everyone.

In the third game, I got Shan again, and in the fourth and fifth was also Shan.

For thirteen consecutive games, I played Shan (choosing randomly)

NUH-UH

I don't play co-op

Ah.

I see. Agree to dissagree about Shan, though. (I feel like it was weird they had her there... The begining of the book, you dont even think shes a Mistborn, and the same scene it is revealed shes a mistborn is the same one where she dies. However, both Elend and Zane have a signifigantly larger portion of the book in which they reside as a Mistborn)

[IcedOutPenguin He/Him]

2 minutes ago, CoderDrag0n8 said:

I see. Agree to dissagree about Shan, though. (I feel like it was weird they had her there... The begining of the book, you dont even think shes a Mistborn, and the same scene it is revealed shes a mistborn is the same one where she dies. However, both Elend and Zane have a signifigantly larger portion of the book in which they reside as a Mistborn)

But they spoil more than the first book, that's why we have Shan and Marsh and not Zane and Elend 

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

4 minutes ago, IcedOutPenguin said:

But they spoil more than the first book, that's why we have Shan and Marsh and not Zane and Elend 

And yet, have you looked at any of the art? They have spook with a blindfold, tindwil, and more! If they are going to spoil all 3 books, they might as well do it with style. (And dont even get me started on Inquisitor Marsh and Kelsier being alive at the same time)

[IcedOutPenguin He/Him]

53 minutes ago, CoderDrag0n8 said:

And yet, have you looked at any of the art? They have spook with a blindfold, tindwil, and more! If they are going to spoil all 3 books, they might as well do it with style. (And dont even get me started on Inquisitor Marsh and Kelsier being alive at the same time)

I know it's got some things, but none that are major spoilers for any of the other books (other than maybe hyperaware). Its not the same with Elend, that is a major plot spoiler.

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

35 minutes ago, IcedOutPenguin said:

I know it's got some things, but none that are major spoilers for any of the other books (other than maybe hyperaware). Its not the same with Elend, that is a major plot spoiler.

What about Zane? He would be a much more plot relevant replacement, and you only learn who he is when he is revealed to be a mistborn.

[IcedOutPenguin He/Him]

1 hour ago, CoderDrag0n8 said:

What about Zane? He would be a much more plot relevant replacement, and you only learn who he is when he is revealed to be a mistborn.

He's crazy

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

2 minutes ago, IcedOutPenguin said:

He's crazy

Like MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE *crazy mode begins*

[KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren He/Him]

So @Ookla the Dokja

Two days ago, me and @Ookal The Taynix played co-op

And we won

It wasn't that hard

Sure, at one point @Ookal The Taynix was down to 11 health

But we still won, without too much difficulty and no deaths

Maybe it was because we're lucky, or Kelsier and Marsh were the best duo, but yeah.

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

8 hours ago, Ookla the Tachyon said:

So @Ookla the Dokja

Two days ago, me and @Ookal The Taynix played co-op

And we won

It wasn't that hard

Sure, at one point @Ookal The Taynix was down to 11 health

But we still won, without too much difficulty and no deaths

Maybe it was because we're lucky, or Kelsier and Marsh were the best duo, but yeah.

CO-OP MODE IS HARD, I STAND BY THIS

[Zooman009]

Figured I’d share my opinion here. I don’t necessarily think Shan is the best (marsh is my personal favorite) but she’s a surprisingly effective character. If you use her right, you can buy basically any card on the market.

The best strat I’ve found is to use her to buy allies and cards like dominate/house war. Try to survive until then and then sweep the game.

Also aggressively eliminate cards so you’re pulling the same overpowered cards every round.

Buy Atium cards like ruin, preservation, and confrontation so you functionally get an extra burn every time you pull one. Then when you get to tier 3, damage output is insane cause you don’t have to rely on tokens to proc the atium burn benefits.