Mastering the Sanctum

What is The Sanctum?

If you've played Gods Unchained, you're probably familiar with The Sanctum, the in-game shop where players can spend favor to access a pool of available cards. The cards available in The Sanctum can swing entire games, making it both frustrating and rewarding when certain cards show up. However, it's not all just random chance. You have a degree of control over your fate each time cards are taken from The Sanctum. By the end of this article, you’ll be able to improve your gameplay and your winrate by mastering The Sanctum.

What Cards are in The Sanctum?

The Sanctum is made up of 20 cards, split into 5 different types: Answers, Defenders, Removal, Threats, and Value.

Each category can only have one card in The Sanctum at any time. Check out the complete card list in the diagram below. Be sure to remember this info or have it handy, and keep in mind the GU Team can change the cards at any time. Knowing what cards are in each type will help you predict what could be up next and let you plan your turn to get what you want.

After a card is removed from The Sanctum, a random card from one of the other two missing categories will replace the card that was removed. And after a card is taken from The Sanctum, it is removed from the pool and will not appear in that game again. For example, in the image below, the cards in the current Sanctum pool are Threats, Value, and Defenders. After one of these is removed, a card from the “Answers” or “Removal” category will appear next.

Should I always buy cards from The Sanctum?

The Sanctum provides cards that help you continue to apply pressure, deal with unique game states, and more. But should you always blindly buy cards from The Sanctum when you can afford them? Take a look at the image below and try to determine whether it’s a strong play or misplay to buy from The Sanctum:

In this particular scenario, It is considered a misplay to purchase a card from The Sanctum. Your Necroscepter is a valuable part of your gameplan, and since The Sanctum can expose relic removal cards (Wiccan Trapper and Bronze Servant) via the Answers category, you should avoid purchasing from The Sanctum to reduce the likelihood of relic removal appearing next, which is a 25% chance.

Other common scenarios

Now let’s pretend we’re against an opponent running and oppressive Necroscepter or relic against us. You really need to find the relic removal, but you’re unsure about what the quickest way to find it is in The Sanctum. Look at the image below and determine the quickest path to acquiring relic hate:

Based on the above image, you must first purchase the Rune of Life.

The Rune of Life shares the “Answers” category with Wiccan Trapper and Bronze Servant, therefore relic hate will not appear until Rune of Life is removed from The Sanctum. After Rune of Life is purchased, a card from either the “Threats” or “Value” category will replace it. After the next card is purchased from The Sanctum, there is a 2 out of 7 chance that relic removal will appear.

Another trick that you can use to help increase your odds of getting the card you need is to purchase 2 cards on one turn from The Sanctum. When one card is pulled from The Sanctum, the next card will come from one of the two categories listed at the bottom. You can’t choose which category the card will appear from. If you are looking for a particular card, you have a 12.5% chance of that card appearing. However, If 2 cards are pulled from The Sanctum on the same turn, a card from both categories is guaranteed to appear on the next turn. Thus, increasing your chance to surface that card to 25%.

Mastering The Sanctum is crucial for improving your overall win rate in Gods Unchained. As there is a lot of RNG involved in card games, any advantage you can gain is essential. Hopefully, this article has provided you with the knowledge to make informed decisions when managing The Sanctum in each game!