On Oct 29, NoControlTower showed a deck he calls Broken Pumpkin and said he expects a nerf.
Full context
On Oct 29, NoControlTower showed a deck he calls Broken Pumpkin and said he expects a nerf. The deck combines two Variants that came with the Trick or Bleed season: Headless Jack I and Jack-o'-Licks I. In the match on video, the pumpkin passed 1,100 damage. Below is how the combo works from the official text, what the wiki's simulator measured with it, how much healing it needs and how to get the cards.
HOW THE COMBO WORKS
- Headless Jack I: gains +2/4/8 ATK every time your Commander takes damage, and the gain doubles if the damage comes during the Ready phase. With levels, it reaches +7/14/28.
- Jack-o'-Licks I: on Ready, gains ATK and takes 6%/5%/4% of your Commander's max HP. The ability fails if that would kill the Commander.
- The link, a wiki deduction: Jack-o'-Licks I takes HP exactly during the Ready phase, so every Jack-o'-Licks I on the board triggers Headless Jack I's doubled gain. Headless Jack I's text doesn't say Temp., so the gain lasts the whole match and grows round by round.
- By NoControlTower's math, each Jack-o'-Licks I is worth +10 ATK a round on his pumpkin; with 4 on the board, +40 a round.
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY
- According to the creator, regular Headless Jack reaches about 73 to 78 damage with HP almost at zero. With the Variant, it passed 300 to 500 in his tests and 1,100 in the match shown.
- The wiki's simulator already had this combo (150 HP, cards at level 10, pumpkin deck with Boom Shroom). The deck builder score went from 67 with the regular cards to 71 swapping Jack-o'-Licks for Jack-o'-Licks I and 76 with both Variants. With only Headless Jack I, without Jack-o'-Licks I, it dropped to 62.
- Wiki reading: Headless Jack I alone makes the deck worse. It's only worth it with Jack-o'-Licks I, because that's what creates the Ready-phase damage that doubles the gain.
HEALING HOLDS IT ALL TOGETHER
- Wiki math: each Jack-o'-Licks I takes 4% to 6% of max HP a round. With 3 on the board, that's 12% to 18% a round, and the Commander won't last long without healing.
- NoControlTower uses a healing Commander and two Greenkeepers, which heal the Commander every Ready. By his math, that's 22 HP a round, enough to let 3 Jack-o'-Licks hit every round.
- His tip: take every heal offered in gifts and pacts. In this deck, healing becomes damage.
- Pumpkin King fits: it gains ATK based on missing HP, and the next one gets cheaper every time the Commander takes damage.
THE REST OF THE DECK
Details and source
According to the creator: Berrinetta to slow enemies, Bardcore Onion for attack speed, Spudchant to cycle the Shop and Mister Hiss, which is good against Shields, with one catch: his Astral Blessing absorbs 15% of the other Minions' ATK. Tomato Twister doesn't fit this deck, he says. Wiki deduction: Thornmelon also explodes when your Commander takes damage, so Jack-o'-Licks I feeds both (see the Thornmelon guide).
HOW TO GET THE VARIANTS
- Headless Jack I costs 20 Sprouts in the club shop and is on the banner, according to NoControlTower.
- Jack-o'-Licks I comes from the regular Variants.
- Without Jack-o'-Licks I, you can use Boom Shroom to hit your own Commander, but the damage is much lower and it also spends HP.
WIKI ANALYSIS
It's a strong deck with two dependencies: both Variants and plenty of healing. Without either, it loses its edge (the simulator's 62 shows that). The creator himself expects a nerf; if it comes, the part most likely to change is the Ready-phase doubling. Try it in the deck builder, which already has both Variants.
Details and source
Source: NoControlTower's video from Oct 29, 2026 (), the cards' official text and the simulator. Marked math and opinions are mine.
