DNA

DNA

Effect

If first hand of round has only 1 card, add a permanent copy to deck and draw it to hand

Rarity

Rare

Unlock Requirement

Available from start.

Stats

Buy Price

8

Sell Price

4

Type

Effect

Activation

On Played

Compatibility

Copyable

✓ Yes

Perishable

✓ Yes

Eternal

✓ Yes

DNA is a Rare Effect Joker that adds a copy of a card to the deck (including all of its modifiers and additional chips from Hiker (Every played {{hl|orange|card}} permanently gains {{Chips|+5}} when scored Uncommon Chips On Scored Hiker.png)), given that it is the only card played on the first hand. After scoring, the original card is discarded, and the copy is drawn to hand. On its own, DNA provides minimal benefit and uses up a hand to copy a card. However, when synergized with card duplication strategies, DNA can power a machine that pushes scores way up.

• Blue Deck ( {{hl|blue|+1}} hand every round Discover at least {{hl|orange|20}} items from your [[collection]] Blue Deck.png) gives an additional hand to play, which can be used to trigger DNA with fewer consequences.
• Red Deck ( {{hl|red|+1}} discard every round Unlocked from start Red Deck.png) gives an additional discard, which can help in finding a specific card for DNA to copy.
• Erratic Deck ( All [[Card Ranks|{{hl|orange|Ranks}}]] and [[Suits|{{hl|orange|Suits}}]] in deck are randomized Win a run with any [[Decks|deck]] on the {{Stake|Orange}} difficulty or harder Erratic Deck.png) can provide an easy source of Flush Houses or Flush Fives with the use of DNA copying if you play towards your highest amount of suits in deck.

DNA works best with High Card, since it requires a High Card on the first hand to trigger.

DNA also works especially well with strong hands that use duplicate cards, like Four of a Kind, Five of a Kind, Flush Five, or Flush House.

• Hologram (This Joker gains {{xmult|0.25}} every time a {{hl|orange|playing card}} is added to your deck <br> {{Currently|{{xmult|1}}}} Uncommon Multiplicative Mult Independent Hologram.gif) increases by X0.25 Mult for every card copied by DNA. As a result, DNA can increase Hologram by X0.75 Mult per ante, on top of whatever other cards can be added to your deck.
• Blue Joker ({{Chips|+2}} for each remaining card in {{hl|orange|deck}} <br> {{currently|{{chips|+104}}}} Common Chips Independent Blue Joker.png) adds Chips based on the number of cards in the deck, which can be increased by DNA.
• Blueprint (Copies ability of [[Jokers|{{Hl|orange|Joker}}]] to the right Win a run Rare Effect Blueprint.png) and Brainstorm (Copies the ability of leftmost [[Jokers|{{hl|orange|Joker}}]] Discard a {{ph|Royal Flush}}. Rare Effect Brainstorm.png) can be combined with DNA to duplicate a card twice (or thrice if all three Jokers are used together), allowing the player to quickly fill the deck with high value cards. Additionally, it allows the player to immediately use more copies of the card they played. With all three jokers, playing one card will put three copies in hand, for a net of two extra copies available to use.
• Trading Card (If {{hl|orange|first discard}} of round has only {{hl|orange|1}} card, destroy it and earn {{Money|3}} Uncommon Economy On Discard Trading Card.png) pairs with DNA in deck manipulation, removing unwanted cards from the deck while DNA copies the necessary cards. It also increases the chances, through thinning the deck, of a specific card being drawn for DNA to copy.

In general, DNA synergizes with any Joker that requires specific cards:

• Steel Joker (Gives {{xmult|0.2}} for each [[Steel Cards|{{hl|orange|Steel Card}}]] in your {{hl|orange|full deck}} <br> {{currently|{{xmult|1}}}} Uncommon Multiplicative Mult Independent Steel Joker.png) - Through duplication of Steel Cards.
• Vampire (This Joker gains {{xmult|0.1}} per scoring {{hl|orange|Enhanced card}} played, removes card {{hl|orange|Enhancement}} <br> {{Currently|{{xmult|1}}}} Uncommon Multiplicative Mult Mixed Vampire.png) - Through duplication of cards with enhanced effects, then playing them to power up Vampire.
• Baron (Each {{hl|orange|King}} held in hand gives {{xmult|1.5}} Rare Multiplicative Mult On Held Baron.png) - Through duplication of Kings.
• Stone Joker (Gives {{Chips|+25}} for each [[Stone Card|{{hl|orange|Stone Card}}]] in your {{hl|orange|full deck}} <br> {{Currently|{{Chips|+0}}}} Uncommon Chips Independent Stone Joker.png) - Through duplication of Stone Cards.
• Shoot the Moon (Each {{hl|orange|Queen}} held in hand gives {{mult|+13}} Play every Heart card in your deck in one round. Common Additive Mult On Held Shoot the Moon.png) - Through duplication of Queens.
• Driver's License ({{xmult|3}} if you have at least {{hl|orange|16}} Enhanced cards in your full deck <br> {{Currently|{{hl|orange|0}}}} Enhance 16 cards in your deck Rare Multiplicative Mult Independent Driver's License.png) - Through duplication of cards with enhancements.
• Glass Joker (This Joker gains {{xmult|0.75}} for every [[Glass_Cards|{{hl|orange|Glass Card}}]] that is destroyed <br> {{currently|{{xmult|1}}}} Have at least {{hl|orange|5}} [[Glass_Cards|{{hl|orange|Glass Cards}}]] in your deck Uncommon Multiplicative Mult Independent Glass Joker.png) - Through duplication of glass cards, then playing them to break them.
• Lucky Cat (This Joker gains {{xmult|0.25}} every time a [[Lucky Cards|{{hl|orange|Lucky}}]] card {{hl|green|successfully}} triggers <br> {{Currently|{{xmult|1}}}} Uncommon Multiplicative Mult Mixed Lucky Cat.png) - Through duplication of lucky cards, then playing them to trigger them.
• Sixth Sense (If {{hl|orange|first hand}} of round is a single {{hl|orange|6}}, destroy it and create a [[Spectral Cards|{{hl|sblue|Spectral}}]] card <br> {{room}} Uncommon Effect N/A (Passive) Sixth_Sense.png) - Through duplication of sixes, allowing for infinite spectral cards.

• Grabber (Permanently gain {{hl|blue|+1}} hand per round Base Grabber.png) and Nacho Tong (Permanently gain an additional {{hl|blue|+1}} hand per round Play a total of 2,500 cards Upgraded Nacho Tong.png) both give additional hands to play, which can be used to trigger DNA with fewer consequences.
• Wasteful (Permanently gain {{hl|red|+1}} discard each round Base Wasteful.png) and Recyclomancy (Permanently gain an additional {{hl|red|+1}} discard each round Discard a total of 2500 cards Upgraded Recyclomancy.png) both give additional discards, which can help in finding a specific card for DNA to copy.

Any blind that disables cards in your deck ( The Plant ( Boss The Plant.png), The Club ( Boss The Club.png), etc.) will not prevent DNA from triggering, allowing you to still copy a disabled card for that round.

• This Joker is very easy to locate when playing against Amber Acorn ( Showdown Amber Acorn.png), as it still shakes even when flipped face-down.

• Black Deck ( {{hl|orange|+1}} Joker slot <br> {{hl|blue|-1}} hand every round Discover at least {{hl|orange|100}} items from your [[collection]] Black Deck.png), Blast Off ( ), and Golden Needle ( ) all reduce the number of hands to play, which can discourage using DNA while a player's hands aren't strong enough.

DNA is weakest when building for Straight or Straight Flush, because it is harder to duplicate cards into runs than it is to duplicate cards into sets.

• Erosion ({{Mult|+4}} for each card below {{hl|orange|[the deck's starting size]}} in your full deck <br> {{Currently|{{Mult|+0}}}} Uncommon Additive Mult Independent Erosion.png)'s effect depends on having fewer cards than you started with, and the cards added by DNA make it very difficult to get and stay under that limit.
• DNA will deplete Seltzer (Retrigger all cards played for the next {{hl|orange|10}} hands Uncommon Retrigger On Scored Seltzer.png) quickly, by using up its retriggers on DNA's duplications.

• Telescope ([[Booster Packs|{{hl|orange|Celestial Packs}}]] always contain the [[Planet Cards|{{hl|cyan|Planet}}]] card for your most played [[Poker Hands|{{hl|orange|poker hand}}]] Base Telescope.png) will likely identify High Card as the most-played hand because of all the card duplication being done, making it harder to find Planet Cards for the player's preferred hand—unless that preferred hand is High Card.

• The Needle ( Boss The Needle.png) limits the player to 1 hand which heavily discourages the use of DNA, unless the player can score high enough playing a single card.
• The Mouth ( Boss The Mouth.png) only allows 1 hand type, so unless players build around High Cards, they must play a winning hand type first, missing DNA's effect.
• The Psychic ( Boss The Psychic.png) requires 5 cards to be played, therefore disabling DNA as the illegal hand will not trigger its effect.
• The Pillar ( Boss The Pillar.png) will debuff the copy of the card that DNA copied after playing the first hand, even if the card played isn't debuffed, preventing benefits from modifiers and seals.

• On Blue Stake difficulty or higher, there is a -1 Discard penalty which can make it harder to find the specific card for DNA to copy.

• DNA is one of only three Jokers that add cards to your deck. The others are Marble Joker (Adds one [[Stone Cards|{{hl|orange|Stone}}]] card to the deck when [[Blinds|{{hl|orange|Blind}}]] is selected Uncommon Effect On Blind Select Marble Joker.png) and Certificate (When round begins, add a random {{hl|orange|playing card}} with a random [[Seal|{{hl|orange|seal}}]] to your hand Have a [[Gold_Cards|Gold playing card]] with a [[Gold_Seal|{{hl|orange|Gold Seal}}]] Uncommon Effect N/A (Passive) Certificate.png).
• DNA, short for Deoxyribonucleic acid, is one of the "building blocks" of life, involved in the growth and development of all known organisms and many viruses. The card image is a typical representation of a double-helix, a section of a DNA strand.
  • DNA has billions and billions of copies of itself throughout your entire body. This explains the Joker's ability to copy a scoring card if your hand only has one card.
• DNA is tied with Egg (Gains {{Money|3}} of {{Hl|orange|sell value}} at end of round Common Economy N/A (Passive) Egg.png) for the shortest Joker name in Balatro, containing only 3 letters.