A6 no longer changes map shape. It changes Merchant card removal pricing. That sounds small until the second and third removals start eating real shop turns.
The live rule is exact: the first removal costs 100 Gold, then every later removal adds 50 more. If you still read A6 like a campfire modifier, you are solving the wrong problem.
Live A6 titleInflationFirst removal100 GoldPrice step+50 Gold5 removals total1,000 Gold
Removal Cost Planner
Pick how many Merchant removals you are planning to buy. The page shows the current click cost, the total spend by that point, and how much extra A6 is charging over the normal ladder.
Normal ladder75 + 25 x previous removalsA6 and above100 + 50 x previous removals
Selected checkpoint
3rd removal
The third cut is the real warning sign. Casual thinning stops being casual here.
Normal click cost125 GoldA6 click cost200 GoldNormal total spend300 GoldA6 total spend450 GoldExtra tax by this point+150 Gold
1st removal
Normal: 75 Gold | A6: 100 Gold
Total by then: 75 Gold | 100 Gold
2nd removal
Normal: 100 Gold | A6: 150 Gold
Total by then: 175 Gold | 250 Gold
3rd removal
Normal: 125 Gold | A6: 200 Gold
Total by then: 300 Gold | 450 Gold
4th removal
Normal: 150 Gold | A6: 250 Gold
Total by then: 450 Gold | 700 Gold
5th removal
Normal: 175 Gold | A6: 300 Gold
Total by then: 625 Gold | 1000 Gold
Fast Judgment
These are the three reads that keep A6 from being misplayed as a cosmetic modifier.
Do not treat the first cut and the third cut like the same click
The first removal can still be right. The third one is a very different decision once A6 turns on.
A6 punishes repeated cleanup more than one necessary cleanup
The modifier is not telling you to never remove cards. It is telling you to stop leaning on lazy chain-removal plans.
If your old note still talks about route shape, throw it away
The live A6 slot is a shop-economy rule. Rest Sites, unknown rooms, and elite spacing are not the issue here.
1. Rule read
What A6 actually changes
The rule is narrow. That is why people keep misreading it.
Inflation only changes Merchant card removal pricing.
It replaces the older A6 slot. It does not reduce Rest Sites, unknown rooms, or elite spacing.
If your route note still describes A6 as a map-shape modifier, that note is stale.
2. Gold pressure
Why the rule hits harder than it looks
A6 lands after the run was already made poorer earlier on the ladder.
A3 already cut combat and chest Gold to 75% of normal.
That means the A6 shop tax arrives on a run with less room for waste.
The second and third removals are where cards, relics, potions, and cleanup start fighting each other.
3. Good removals
When paying the tax is still correct
Good players do not stop removing cards. They stop pretending every removal is equally valuable.
Remove a curse or a truly dead starter when that cut changes draw quality right now.
Pay for one removal if it unlocks the plan your deck already has, not the plan you hope to draft later.
If the same shop offers a fight-saving relic or premium card, the removal has to beat that real alternative.
4. Bad habits
What to stop doing at A6
Most A6 mistakes come from carrying an older mental model into a different rule.
Stop assuming one late Merchant can clean up every weak keep.
Stop buying speculative second and third removals just because the deck feels a little thick.
Stop describing A6 as a routing problem. It is a spending problem.
5. Ladder context
How A6 fits the rest of the climb
Inflation changes the shop read, but the later ladder still lands in the same order.
A7 is still Scarcity, so waiting too long to fix a bad shell does not get easier.
A8 is still the lasting enemy-HP breakpoint.
A9 and A10 keep stacking combat pressure after the shop tax already squeezed your economy.
FAQ
Short answers for the mistakes that still show up when people carry old A6 notes into the live ladder.
What is the exact A6 formula now?
At A6 and above, Merchant card removal costs 100 Gold plus 50 more for each previous Merchant removal in the run.
Does A6 still change Rest Sites or unknown rooms?
No. The live A6 slot does not change map node counts. It only changes Merchant card removal pricing.
Does Inflation change all Merchant prices?
This guide only covers the removal service. The live A6 rule shown here is the removal tax.
Is one removal still worth buying at A6?
Sometimes, yes. The problem is not one necessary cut by itself. The punishment shows up when repeated cleanup starts replacing stronger shop purchases.
Keep Reading
Open the next page that answers the next problem instead of forcing one A6 guide to do four jobs badly.
