Balatro: Joker Tier List & Build Strategies

Jokers are the heart of Balatro. They appear randomly in shops and provide powerful effects. This guide ranks Jokers by effectiveness and explains optimal build strategies.

S-Tier Jokers (Game-Changing)

Blueprint

• Effect: Copies the effect of the Joker to its right
• Why S-tier: Can duplicate any Joker, including other Blueprint. Infinite scaling potential.
• Best with: Any scaling Joker (Baron, Brainstorm, etc.)

Brainstorm

• Effect: Copies the effect of the most common Poker Hand in your deck
• Why S-tier: Scales with your deck composition. The more you play a hand type, the stronger it gets.
• Best with: Consistent hand type (play one hand type repeatedly)

Baron

• Effect: +2 Mult for each King held in hand
• Why S-tier: Infinite scaling if you keep Kings in hand. Can reach massive Mult values.
• Best with: Steel Cards (Kings become Steel Cards for bonus)

The Duo

• Effect: +4 Mult if played hand contains a Pair
• Why S-tier: Pairs are easy to make. Consistent Mult boost.
• Best with: Pair-focused builds

The Trio

• Effect: +6 Mult if played hand contains a Three of a Kind
• Why S-tier: Three of a Kind is easy to make. Higher Mult than The Duo.
• Best with: Three of a Kind builds

The Family

• Effect: +8 Mult if played hand contains a Four of a Kind
• Why S-tier: Four of a Kind is harder but provides massive Mult.
• Best with: Four of a Kind builds

A-Tier Jokers (Very Strong)

Bull

• Effect: +2 Chips for each $ you have
• Why A-tier: Scales with your economy. The more money you save, the stronger it gets.
• Best with: Economy Jokers (Golden Joker, Rocket, etc.)

Egg

• Effect: +4 Chips for each Joker you own
• Why A-tier: Scales with your Joker count. The more Jokers you buy, the stronger it gets.
• Best with: Builds that buy many Jokers

Cloud 9

• Effect: +1 Mult for each 9 in your full deck
• Why A-tier: Scales with your deck composition. Keep 9s to maximize.
• Best with: Builds that keep 9s in deck

Rocket

• Effect: +1 Mult for each card remaining in deck
• Why A-tier: Scales with your deck size. Larger decks = more Mult.
• Best with: Large deck builds

Golden Joker

• Effect: +4$ at end of round
• Why A-tier: Pure economy. More money = more Jokers = stronger build.
• Best with: Any build (economy is always good)

Lucky Cat

• Effect: +1 Mult for each Lucky Card triggered
• Why A-tier: Scales with Lucky Cards. Lucky Cards provide bonus Chips and Mult.
• Best with: Lucky Card builds

B-Tier Jokers (Good)

Joker

• Effect: +4 Mult
• Why B-tier: Basic Mult boost. Always useful but not special.
• Best with: Any build

Greedy Joker

• Effect: +3 Mult for each Diamond card scored
• Why B-tier: Scales with Diamond cards. Good for Diamond-focused builds.
• Best with: Diamond builds

Lusty Joker

• Effect: +3 Mult for each Heart card scored
• Why B-tier: Scales with Heart cards. Good for Heart-focused builds.
• Best with: Heart builds

Wrathful Joker

• Effect: +3 Mult for each Spade card scored
• Why B-tier: Scales with Spade cards. Good for Spade-focused builds.
• Best with: Spade builds

Gluttonous Joker

• Effect: +3 Mult for each Club card scored
• Why B-tier: Scales with Club cards. Good for Club-focused builds.
• Best with: Club builds

Sly Joker

• Effect: +20 Chips if played hand contains a Pair
• Why B-tier: Chips boost for Pair builds. Good early game.
• Best with: Pair builds

Wily Joker

• Effect: +20 Chips if played hand contains a Three of a Kind
• Why B-tier: Chips boost for Three of a Kind builds.
• Best with: Three of a Kind builds

Clever Joker

• Effect: +20 Chips if played hand contains a Two Pair
• Why B-tier: Chips boost for Two Pair builds.
• Best with: Two Pair builds

Devious Joker

• Effect: +20 Chips if played hand contains a Straight
• Why B-tier: Chips boost for Straight builds.
• Best with: Straight builds

Crafty Joker

• Effect: +20 Chips if played hand contains a Flush
• Why B-tier: Chips boost for Flush builds.
• Best with: Flush builds

C-Tier Jokers (Situational)

Jolly Joker

• Effect: +8 Mult if played hand contains a Two Pair
• Why C-tier: Lower Mult than other suit Jokers. Situational.
• Best with: Two Pair builds

Zany Joker

• Effect: +12 Mult if played hand contains a Three of a Kind
• Why C-tier: Lower Mult than The Trio. Situational.
• Best with: Three of a Kind builds

Mad Joker

• Effect: +10 Mult if played hand contains a Full House
• Why C-tier: Full House is hard to make consistently. Situational.
• Best with: Full House builds

Crazy Joker

• Effect: +12 Mult if played hand contains a Straight
• Why C-tier: Lower Mult than other Jokers. Situational.
• Best with: Straight builds

Droll Joker

• Effect: +10 Mult if played hand contains a Flush
• Why C-tier: Lower Mult than other Jokers. Situational.
• Best with: Flush builds

Build Strategies

Economy Build

1. Golden Joker — +$4 per round
2. Bull — +2 Chips per $
3. Rocket — +1 Mult per card in deck
4. Strategy: Save money, buy economy Jokers, scale with Bull

Scaling Build

1. Blueprint — Copy any scaling Joker
2. Brainstorm — Copy your most played hand
3. Baron — +2 Mult per King in hand
4. Strategy: Buy scaling Jokers, use Blueprint to duplicate them

Hand Type Build

1. The Duo/Trio/Family — Mult for specific hand types
2. Sly/Wily/Crafty Joker — Chips for specific hand types
3. Strategy: Play one hand type consistently, boost it with matching Jokers

Suit Build

1. Greedy/Lusty/Wrathful/Gluttonous Joker — Mult for specific suits
2. Lucky Cat — Mult for Lucky Cards
3. Strategy: Keep cards of your target suit, trigger suit-based Jokers

Advanced Tips

• Blueprint is the best Joker. It can duplicate any other Joker, including itself.
• Brainstorm scales infinitely. Play one hand type repeatedly to maximize it.
• Baron requires keeping Kings in hand. Use Steel Cards to make Kings more valuable.
• Economy Jokers are always good. More money = more Jokers = stronger build.
• Scaling Jokers are better than flat Jokers. They grow stronger over time.
• Planet cards level up your hands. Use them to boost your target hand type.
• Tarot cards enhance specific hands. Use them to improve your best hand type.
• Spectral cards provide unique effects. Some are game-changing, others are risky.
• Save money for rerolls. Rerolling the shop can find better Jokers.
• Don't buy every Joker. Only buy Jokers that fit your build strategy.