Black mode is just all luck and all suck. It just feels like I’m playing an early beta, worse version of Balatro.
It’s just really not fun. No hands remaining means no money, no money means no boosters/consumables/jokers, no boosters/ jokers/consumables means no enhancement, which leads to more antes with no remaining hands and the cycle continues until you get a frustrating boss and lose by 50 chips for the 50th time. It’s like anti-balatro. With no fun cards, or money, or anything exciting at all, it just becomes a lame video poker game. I feel punished for playing. It’s like Video Poker with Bennett Foddy. It’s completely thrown a wet blanket on all the enthusiasm I’ve built up to this point.
Edit:
Tldr: it takes the deck building out of the deck building game, leaving only poker.
I’m not an expert but I think the strategy is to make some aggressive moves early to fill out your jokers. I usually wouldn’t use a skip on Top-up tag but I would early in a black deck run. Just hope for something that generates income. Then if I fail, it will be quick at least.
I’m dying on Black Deck with Green Chips. It’s the least fun deck, for sure.
