Exhaust frequency
In the Exhaust Ironclad build, Dark Embrace needs cards to Exhaust after it is in play. A deck with Burning Pact, Second Wind and disposable cards can trigger it repeatedly. A deck with one isolated True Grit may spend a draw and two Energy on a Power that barely replaces itself during a short fight.
Burning Pact illustrates the difference between ordinary draw and a working engine. Exhausting its selected card triggers Dark Embrace, then Burning Pact supplies its own draw. With Corruption active, playing the Skill also Exhausts Burning Pact, providing another Exhaust event. The combination can expose more of the deck while leaving Energy for attacks.
Draw restrictions and Energy
More draw helps only while there are useful cards and enough resources to play them. A large Second Wind can remove defensive cards, Status cards and a Power you have not deployed yet. Check the whole hand before clicking it. Drawing afterward does not return those exhausted cards or guarantee that the replacement hand contains defense.
Battle Trance prevents further card draw that turn. Use Dark Embrace’s draws before imposing that restriction when the order is available. Dark Embrace’s upgrade lowers its cost from two to one. Prefer that upgrade when paying for setup repeatedly forces you to omit defense or damage. The sequel makes Dark Embrace Rare; do not plan every Ironclad run around finding it.
