Defect After v0.106.0: Shatter Nerf, Fusion Rework, and What Builds Survive

Shatter: damage 11(15) → 7(11). This is the headline nerf — last patch Shatter was buffed to "evoke all Orbs twice"; this patch keeps that effect but cuts the base damage substantially. In Lightning Orb decks the per-Shatter ceiling now drops by roughly 4 damage on the base form, before scaling.

Fusion: Energy cost 2(1) → 1, and the card now Exhausts (loses Exhaust on upgrade). Practically Fusion becomes a one-shot Orb generator at base, and a repeatable one once upgraded. The Energy-cost drop is a clean win for early Orb decks; the Exhaust clause means base-form Fusion can no longer be looped through Recycle / Echo Form tricks.

Synthesis: 12(18) → 14(20). A straightforward buff. Synthesis stays a finisher / midrange attack and now scales slightly better off Lightning and Strength.

Lightning-focused Defect remains the cleanest archetype, especially after v0.105.0's Infused Core / Tesla Coil / Hyperbeam pushes. But Shatter is no longer the single-card nuke it briefly became. Treat Shatter as a finisher rather than a primary scaler — you want it to land after Lightning has already been pinging for several turns, not as an opening swing.

Practical adjustment: be more selective about Shatter pickups in Act 1. Last patch you wanted Shatter near-mandatory in Lightning lists; in v0.106.0 you can pass on it if the rest of your scaling is healthy. Replace the slot with Tesla Coil (still strong), Synthesis (buffed), or another orb generator.

A 1-Energy single-use Orb generator is a great Act 1 pickup for any Orb-focused list. Even though it Exhausts at base, the energy curve is now friendly: you can play it without skipping a real attack, and the upgraded form removes Exhaust entirely, giving you a permanent Orb engine.

Take Fusion more aggressively in Act 1 than you would have last patch. If you can upgrade it at a campfire before Act 2, it transitions from "one-time setup" to a long-term resource. Skip only if your deck is already over-saturated with Orb generation (3+ Channels in deck) or if you do not have a Power-based reliable engine to capitalize on the Orbs.

If you opened a run on the live branch and just inherited a v0.106.0 update mid-run with a deck built around old Shatter, the deck still works — Shatter is weaker, not broken. Adapt by leaning harder on Lightning ticks and prioritizing campfire upgrades on Synthesis (now buffed) and any other scaling cards in deck.

Avoid drafting a second Shatter unless you have an X-cost or scaling source that can push the per-evoke value high enough to matter. With Shatter's base damage cut, the marginal value of a second copy drops sharply.