Turn Inputs
Build The Hand
The planner treats Borrowed Time as the pivot. Spend before it if needed, then every target and support card below pays the temporary surcharge.
Necrobinder Turn Planner
Borrowed Time Combo Calculator
Check whether a Borrowed Time turn actually casts the payoff card, or merely turns the rest of the hand into overpriced clutter.
The card is strongest when one expensive follow-up wins the turn. Load the starting energy, choose the payoff, then add the other cards you still expect to play after the tax lands.
Base+4 EnergyUpgrade+6 EnergyCost Tax+1 on later cardsBest UseShort heavy turns
Borrowed Time
Gain 4 Energy. Cards cost an additional 1 Energy this turn.
Other Later Cards
Add The Cost Tax
Count only the cards you still expect to play after Borrowed Time. These are not generic bonuses; they are the surcharge that can wreck the turn.
Result
Target misses
Banshee's Cry needs 10 after the tax, and the turn only has 6.
Energy after Borrowed Time6
Budget for taxed follow-ups.
Target taxed cost10
Banshee's Cry after the +1 surcharge.
Full hand taxed cost12
Target plus 1 other later card.
Energy left-6
This is the shortfall after the target and support plan.
Math Line
3 starting - 0 pre-spend - 1 Borrowed Time cost + 4 gained = 6.
Later cards cost 10 for the target and 2 for support, so the full plan asks for 12.
Target Pool
High-Cost Necrobinder Targets
The list uses current Necrobinder cards with meaningful cost pressure. Pick the card the turn is trying to cast, not the card you merely hope to squeeze in.
Reads
When The Line Is Real
One payoff, no clutter
Borrowed Time into one heavy card is the clean case. The tax hits only once, so the burst keeps most of its value.
Payoff plus two small cards
This is where the card gets honest. Two cheap follow-ups hand back two energy before the target even matters.
Upgrade spike turn
The upgrade is not subtle. It adds two more energy while the tax stays fixed, so longer payoff turns become realistic.
Related Pages
Next Useful Check
FAQ
Borrowed Time Questions
Does the calculator assume Borrowed Time is played first?
Yes. Pre-spend covers anything you do before it. Every selected payoff or support card is treated as a later card and pays the +1 tax.
Why count small cards separately?
Because the tax does not care whether a card was cheap. A 0-cost card still costs 1 after Borrowed Time, and that changes the turn quickly.
What does a target-only clear mean?
It means the payoff card fits, but the rest of the planned hand does not. Trim support cards or use the upgraded version before forcing the full line.