Amplifier — Mechanics and Synergies

Amplifier is the Time building that gives buffs it receives to adjacent plots. Higher levels let it reach more adjacent targets. Its role is to route an existing buff; placing one without a source of growth does not create an independent damage engine.

Map the direction of the effect

Write down three elements: the card or event supplying the buff, the Amplifier receiving it, and the adjacent plot intended to benefit. A diagram that labels all three is more useful than a cluster of Time cards with no trigger direction. If the original support does not affect the Amplifier, the routed relationship has no starting input.

The official card reference says one adjacent target per level. The sources consulted here do not publish a complete ordering or tie-break model for choosing among every possible neighbour. Avoid treating a crowded layout as if you can force a specific recipient by position alone without checking the actual game behaviour.

Keep recipient types explicit

Orbiter copies enchantments from adjacent troops, while Amplifier transfers buffs it receives. Those descriptions name different triggers. A local building's stat bonus, an enchantment placed on a troop and a tome used on a plot are not automatically identical operations.

When testing a chain, use one source and one intended recipient first. Inspect the initial values, apply the source, then inspect the Amplifier and output plot. Only add a second relationship after the first is understood. This avoids attributing a result to the wrong card when several passive effects activate together.

Fit the support to the next battle

A routed buff has value only if the receiving combat plot can use it. Reserve enough space for a defender and a damage source before surrounding the grid with growth buildings. Hourglass also needs time to reach its explosion; a theoretical support chain that loses during the initial enemy push does not solve that timing problem.

A planning tool can highlight candidate adjacency and record a setup, but it should not fabricate the final output of Amplifier chains. The catalogue supplies mechanical descriptions rather than an unverified combat simulator. Save the layout with its version and record the actual in-game modifier if you want to compare experiments later.

Recent fixes are part of the context

Patch 29 included a Mangler/Amplifier interaction fix. Patch 31 fixed a Time interaction involving Wise and Amplifiers that could freeze troops. These fixes establish that old bug demonstrations should not be treated as intended mechanics. They do not supply a mathematical model for every routed buff.

Sources and verification

Identity and the target-per-level relationship come from the official card reference; Patch 31 supplies the current critical fix. Checked through 0.9.8 on 13 October 2026. Compare support cards in the card database, or read the Time build guide for deck-wide decisions.