Throwback

Throwback

Effect

X0.25 Mult for each Blind skipped this run
(Currently X1 Mult)

Rarity

Uncommon

Unlock Requirement

Continue a saved run from the main menu

Stats

Buy Price

6

Sell Price

3

Type

Multiplicative Mult

Activation

Independent

Compatibility

Copyable

✓ Yes

Perishable

✓ Yes

Eternal

✓ Yes

Throwback is an Uncommon scaling Multiplicative Mult Joker that gains X0.25 Mult for each Blind skipped in a run. It starts at X1 Mult. This effect is retroactive, in that Blinds skipped before picking it up count towards its XMult. It is unlocked by going to the Main Menu and continuing an ongoing run.

• Anaglyph Deck ( After defeating each [[Blinds|{{hl|orange|Boss Blind}}]], gain a [[File:Double tag.png|24px]] [[Tags|{{hl|orange|Double Tag}}]] Win a run with any [[Decks|deck]] on the {{Stake|Black}} difficulty or harder Anaglyph Deck.png) is by far the best deck to use Throwback with, as the Double Tags it generates make skipping Blinds much more appealing.
• It also works well with decks that do not necessarily gain much from going to shops or from playing Blinds, like 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) (that already plays fewer hands per Blind, meaning you get less money or Joker effects from it).
• Fragile ( ) can work with Throwback, as this deck encourages the player to preserve many Glass Cards ({{xmult|2}}<br>{{hl|green|1 in 4}} chance to destroy card Glass Card.png) as possible to beat ante 8, which skipping blinds can be useful.

Jokers that have powerful up-front effects generally work great with Throwback, as they allow you to skip blinds and boost Throwback without compromising the other Jokers' scaling. Flat +Mult jokers in particular, such as Half Joker ({{Mult|+20}} if played hand contains {{hl|orange|3}} or fewer cards Common Additive Mult Independent Half Joker.png), Mystic Summit ({{Mult|+15}} when {{hl|orange|0}} discards remaining Common Additive Mult Independent Mystic Summit.png), Jolly Joker ({{Mult|+8}} if played hand contains a {{ph|Pair}} Common Additive Mult Independent Jolly Joker.png), etc., can provide a larger base mult for Throwback, though depending on the hand type, per-card mult boosts may be stronger.

Since Throwback can boost mult to very high values, it can be worth investing in a +Chips joker, like Stuntman ({{Chips|+250}},<br>{{hl|orange|-2}} hand size Earn at least 100 million (100,000,000) Chips in a single hand. Rare Chips Independent Stuntman.png) or Bull ({{Chips|+2}} for each {{$|1}} you have <br> {{currently|{{chips|+0}}}} Uncommon Chips Independent Bull.png), to improve that side of the equation.

Since Throwback prioritizes skipping blinds, consumable Jokers ( Popcorn ({{Mult|+20}} <br> {{Mult|-4}} per round played Common Additive Mult Independent Popcorn.png), Ice Cream ({{Chips|+100}}<br>{{Chips|-5}} for every hand played Common Chips Independent Ice Cream.png), Seltzer (Retrigger all cards played for the next {{hl|orange|10}} hands Uncommon Retrigger On Scored Seltzer.png), and similar) go through fewer hands, allowing them to be useful for more Antes.

Diet Cola (Sell this card to create a free [[Tags|{{hl|orange|Double Tag}}]] Uncommon Effect N/A (Passive) Diet Cola.png) empowers the skips you do, allowing you to double the bonus from a strong tag.

Glass Cards ({{xmult|2}}<br>{{hl|green|1 in 4}} chance to destroy card Glass Card.png) work very well with Throwback, as you can gain X2 Mult, and the risk to losing the cards is reduced because you are playing fewer hands.

• Hieroglyph ({{hl|orange|-1}} Ante, <br> {{hl|blue|-1}} hand each round Base Hieroglyph.png) and Petroglyph ({{hl|orange|-1}} Ante, <br> {{hl|red|-1}} discard each round Reach Ante 12 Upgraded Petroglyph.png) lower the Ante by 1, giving another Small Blind and Big Blind each to skip, and thus, two more opportunities to increase Throwback's multiplier.

• Speed Tag ( Speed tag.png) gives $5 for every skipped blind, which is what Throwback already incentivizes.

Because Throwback needs to skip Blinds to scale, it is very bad with Jokers that require action taken in Blinds or the shop to scale. For example, 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), 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), Supernova (Adds the number of times [[Poker Hands|{{hl|orange|poker hand}}]] has been played this run to Mult Common Additive Mult Independent Supernova.png), Loyalty Card ({{xmult|4}} every {{hl|orange|6}} hands played<br>{{hl|grey|5 remaining}} Uncommon Multiplicative Mult Independent Loyalty Card.png) and especially Madness (When {{hl|orange|Small Blind}} or {{hl|orange|Big Blind}} is selected, gain {{xmult|0.5}} and {{hl|orange|destroy}} a random Joker <br> {{Currently|{{xmult|1}}}} Uncommon Multiplicative Mult Independent Madness.png). It can be decent if a couple of blinds were skipped in the past as a temporary midgame choice, but there are often better alternatives for builds that use these kinds of scaling.

• The name Throwback is possibly a reference to the 80s styling of this Joker, with the arcade carpet detailing in the background lending a retro feel. It may also be a reference to the Vaporwave internet phenomenon.
• It is one of the five Jokers to have a physical card from Balatro: Special Edition. The four other jokers where that is also the case are Joker ({{Mult|+4}} Common Additive Mult Independent Joker.png), Ice Cream ({{Chips|+100}}<br>{{Chips|-5}} for every hand played Common Chips Independent Ice Cream.png), Hack (Retrigger each played {{hl|orange|2}}, {{hl|orange|3}}, {{hl|orange|4}}, or {{hl|orange|5}} Uncommon Retrigger On Scored Hack.png) and Abstract Joker ({{Mult|+3}} for each [[Jokers|{{hl|orange|Joker}}]] card<br>{{Currently|{{mult|+0}}}} Common Additive Mult Independent Abstract Joker.png).
• It is the only Joker that is unlocked by actions performed outside of a run.

This information has been manually compiled. Some updates may not be included yet.