Castlevania: Circle of the Moon/Cards

The magic system Circle of the Moon (called "Dual Set-up System" or simply DSS) involves pairing magic cards in order to create an effect. Some pairs boost your stats, other modify your weapons, and others are more traditional magic spells. There are two types of cards: Action cards which determine the type of effect, and Attribute cards which determine the element associated with the effect. There are 10 of each type of cards, giving you 100 different effects (though many of them are the same thing, but with a different element).

Cards are randomly dropped by specific enemies as a rare drop. This means that you may have to fight 40 or 50 of the same enemy before you get the card you want. The easiest way to do this is to find a room (generally one of the hidden rooms) near a save point where the only enemy in the room is the one you want. For example, the best place to get the Manticore card is from the Thunder Demon in the hidden room nearest the Iron Golem boss. It's the only enemy in the room so you don't have to fight through hordes of monsters just for your 1-in-40 chance of getting the card, and the room is small so you can exit and re-enter quickly. This makes the rather tedious process go by much quickly.

Action cards are named after Roman gods and goddesses which Attribute cards are named after mythical creatures.

Mercury

 * Effect: Elemental status added to the whip
 * Enemy: Bone Head
 * Best Location: First room you come to after the vertical pit that Dracula throws you into. You can whip their fireballs or just stand behind them and strike.
 * Etymology: Mercury was the Roman messenger god and god of trade. Equivalent to Hermes in Greek mythology.

Somewhat useful, but not really since most enemies aren't particularly affected by elemental attacks. It is generally more effective to use the Venus and Salamander cards to raise your base strength by 25% instead.

Venus

 * Effect: Stat modifiers
 * Enemy: Slime
 * Best Location: After getting the Double you can get out of the underground. Go up the left side and there is a hidden room with a MP Plus. You can also get the card from the room directly under the first save room, however by going into the hidden room you can get the Mandragora card at the same time.
 * Etymology: Venus was the Roman goddess of love and fertility. Equivalent to Aphrodite in Greek mythology.

Very useful as it raising stats without taking into account elements. Six of the cards raise strength or defense - either by raising one by 25%, raising one based on how much of the map is complete, or by trading one for the other. The Venus and Manticore combination doubles the number of hearts received (so 2 for a small, 10 for a large), which is quite useful for replenishing hearts after a boss fight. The Venus and Cockatrice gives you free experience from walking. Sounds good, but since you only gain 1 exp for every five steps or so, it will talk hours to raise your levels, rendering the card combo useless.

Jupiter

 * Effect: Defensive barriers and enhancements
 * Enemy: Heat Shade
 * Best Location: In a hidden room underneath the rooftops (accessible from the room below it), is a HP Plus and Heat Shade. You'll need the Tackle to get to her though. If you aren't having any luck in this room, the Machine Tower is infested with Heat Shades.
 * Etymology: Jupiter was the chief Roman god and patron saint of the Roman state. Equivalent to Zeus in Greek mythology.

Several of these cards produce shields that, while they don't stop attacks, can damage enemies that get close. Others produce shields that block projectiles but not contact with an enemy. Jupiter and Thunderbird cuts all damage by 50%, and Jupiter and Mandragora can heal you (making it possibly the most useful combo in the game given the rarity of healing items).

Mars

 * Effect: Elemental (non-whip) weapons
 * Enemy: Bloody Sword
 * Best Location: In the Chapel, literally everywhere. The easiest area is right at the beginning since you'll be close to a save room if you need to heal.
 * Etymology: Mars was the Roman god of war. Equivalent to Ares in Greek mythology.

Similar to the Salamander card, but it replaces your whip with a different weapon; usually a sword. Notable combos are the Griffin (charge attack), Thunderbird (fast attack), Unicorn (very powerful holy sword), and Black Dog (slow but very powerful gun).

Diana

 * Effect: Projectiles added to whip
 * Enemy: Man Eater
 * Best Location: In the Underground Gallery, in the last long horizontal corridor before the Zombie Dragons. Enter from the left side (so that you're closer to a save room). The trick is to get close enough to it so you can avoid its stream of pods but not so close that the second Killer Bee attacks. In the background is an alcove with a statue. Stand just in front of the left side of the alcove and you should be fine.
 * Etymology: Diana was the Roman goddess of the hunt. Equivalent to Artemis in Greek mythology.

Another elemental damage card, but gives you a long range projectile to throw at the enemy. Useful for enemies that are too far away to hit or bosses that you need to avoid at all costs, but the high MP cost of most of the weapons makes it something only for special situations.

Apollo

 * Effect: Explosives thrown
 * Enemy: Arch Demon
 * Best Location: Unfortunately there are no really good spots to find one. The left room off of the first room in the chapel is your best bet as it is close to a save room and there's only one other enemy in your way. Regardless of where you go, this is the most annoying card to get, and can only be gotten after you get the Heavy Ring.
 * Etymology: Apollo was the Greek and Roman god of medicine.

Objects are chucked at enemies in a similar fashion as the axe, and then explode on impact. The exceptions are the Golem, Cockatrice, and Unicorn combos, which at more like Uranus summon monsters.

Neptune

 * Effect: Full elemental protection
 * Enemy: Ice Armor
 * Best Location: The first large room of the Underground Waterway has numerous Ice Armors and is near a save room. Even though you should wait until after you get the Cleansing by defeating Death, you should first get the card as it will help you survive the numerous Armor enemies along the path to Death.
 * Etymology: Neptune was the Roman god of the sea. Equivalent to Poseidon in Greek mythology.

Absorbs all damage from a certain element, and restores 10% of the damage (so an attack that would normally take 100HP from you will instead restore 10HP to you). Very useful, however note that some enemies have non elemental attacks, and running into an enemy won't necessary count as elemental damage.

Saturn

 * Effect: Familiar spirit
 * Enemy: Fallen Angel
 * Best Location: In the long tower outside the Battle Arena is the only place you can find them. Note that Lilith looks a lot like the Fallen Angel, but does not drop the card.
 * Etymology: Saturn was the Roman god of the harvest. Equivalent to Cronus in Greek mythology.

A elemental based spirit appears and follows you around, firing when you whip. Fun, but not exceptionally useful since you can't control the familiar and most don't move around much. They tend to stay a little above you, meaning that many of their attacks will pass right over an enemy.

Uranus

 * Effect: Summoned monster
 * Enemy: Scary Candle
 * Best Location: After defeating Camilla this fake candle will appear in the Iron Golem's room in the Machine Tower.
 * Etymology: Uranus was a Greek god. Equivalent to Caelus in Roman mythology.

A large creature appears on screen and unleashes an powerful magic attack that hits everything on screen. High MP cost, but still very, very useful against bosses.

Pluto

 * Effect: Misc.
 * Enemy: Trick Candle
 * Best Location: After defeating Camilla this fake candle will appear in Cerberus' room in the Underground.
 * Etymology: Pluto was the Roman god of the Underworld. Equivalent to Hades in Greek mythology.

These are special effects that don't really fall into a category. Some affect stats, others how your sub-weapon works. The most useful ones are Pluto and Mandragora (+20% experience from all monsters, keep this one active when you aren't using anything else and switch to it when a boss is about to die), Pluto and Unicorn (complete invincibility, though you cannot attack - good for when you need to flee to a save room to heal), and Pluto and Black Dog (turns you into a skeleton).

Salamander

 * Element: Fire
 * Enemy: Skeleton Bomber, Imp
 * Best Location: Either the vertical chamber under Dracula's pit or the first room after that. Both are overrun with Skeleton Bombers, so you should have no trouble getting this one.
 * Etymology: Salamanders are a type of amphibian that was often given fantastical, fire-based powers in medieval literature, and has come to have an association with fire and heat.

The most notable use of this card is with Pluto, which lets you use Item Crushes.

Serpent

 * Element: Ice
 * Enemy: Earth Demon, Holy Armor
 * Best Location: The first Earth Demon that you come to, in the room with the Dash Boots. You may want to level up a bit first and get Wrist Bands from other enemies first, as Demon enemies tend to be stronger than average.
 * Etymology: Serpents are common creatures given fantastical powers in various mythologies and folklores.

Generally, this card lets you freeze enemies like the Brain Floats, which is necessary to get certain items early in the game. Aside from that ice weapons are generally useless as most Serpent combinations results in significant strength penalties.

Mandragora

 * Element: Plant/Forest
 * Enemy: Axe Armor, Lizard Man
 * Best Location: Once you get the Double and start climbing out of the underground, head up the left side and there is a hidden room with a MP Plus. You can also get the Venus card here.
 * Etymology: (demon) Mandragoras are a type of demon familiar given to humans by the Devil.

Jupiter and Mandragora can heal you. Get this combination as soon as possible as healing items are rare and save points can be far apart. Pluto and Jupiter gives you a 20% experience bonus for all enemies. When you aren't using another combination, keep this one on at all times.

Golem

 * Element: Earth
 * Enemy: Electric Skeleton, Minotaur
 * Best Location: Either in the long room that connects to the first transporter that you can actually reach (right after the rooftops), or in the room right before the Necromancer.
 * Etymology: The Golem is a creature in Jewish folklore made of inanimate material and brought to life.

The big one is the Jupiter combo which makes your invincibility after getting hit last four times as long. Besides that, the card isn't that great, though Venus and Golem can be useful late in the game.

Cockatrice

 * Element: Stone
 * Enemy: Stone Armor, Death Mantis
 * Best Location: In the Machine Tower (northwest section of the castle), right under the bridge that leads to the drop that takes you back to the castle is a hidden room with a MP Plus. You'll need to get the Kick Boots first.
 * Etymology: A Cockatrice is a cross between a rooster and a serpent in English folklore.

Similar to Serpent combos, most Cockatrice combos results in the enemies being petrified. The big difference is that the combos generally give strength boosts as opposed to penalties. Still, most of the combinations are fairly useless as few enemies are weak against Earth. Pluto and Cockatrice gives boosts your stats based on play time, but unless you are going very slowly through the game, it won't help much more than other defense boosting combos.

Manticore

 * Element: Poison
 * Enemy: Thunder Demon, Succubus
 * Best Location: In the northeast corner of the large room that leads to the Iron Golem is a hidden room with a MP Plus. Thunder Demons are exceptionally powerful, so you should have the Jupiter and Mandragora cards first.
 * Etymology: Manticores are hybrid creatures from Persian mythology that poisoned humans.

The Venus combo doubles the amount of hearts you get, the Jupiter combo produces a gas shield that does a very good job of destroying projectiles and weak flying enemies, Apollo and Manticore produces an effect similar to holy water over a larger area, Neptune protects you from being poisoned, and with Pluto you use MP instead of hearts for sub-weapons. Easily one of the best Attribute cards.

Griffin

 * Element: Wind
 * Enemy: Skeleton Athlete, Siren
 * Best Location: At the far east end of the Outer Wall is a very long room that you need the Kick Boots to enter. The room is filled with Skeleton Athletes, so simply slide-kick your way across the room and back, repeating until you get the Card.
 * Etymology: Griffins were considered to be the king of beasts in European mythology.

Not one of best cards, but the Griffin and Diana combo is by far the best combo of the Diana combos. Also the most costly, so use it sparingly.

Thunderbird

 * Element: Thunder/Lightning
 * Enemy: Were-Panther, Dullahan
 * Best Location: The large room that connects the chapel to Adramelech's room (it's the two floor one with bells). From the lower right door, the first enemy is a Were-Panther. Timing is important when fighting them. When they go to attack (it's obvious), jump up and back a bit so you don't land on them and then swing. Keep a close eye on your HP since you have to go through quite a few enemies to get to the save room, however once you get the timing down you shouldn't get hit at all.
 * Etymology: Thunderbird comes from Native American mythologies.

Another not-great card, however the Uranus and Thunderbird summon is the most powerful summon in the game, making it exceptionally useful for boss fights.

Unicorn

 * Element: Holy
 * Enemy: White Armor
 * Best Location: Room 17 of the Battle Arena
 * Etymology: Unicorns appear in several mythologies, as far back as the ancient Greeks.

Insanely hard to get, it gives you two very useful abilities. Venus and Unicorn lets you trade half your strength for double defense, and Pluto and Unicorn makes you completely invincible (though you cannot damage enemies in this state).

Black Dog

 * Element: Dark
 * Enemy: Devil Armor
 * Best Location: Room 16 of the Battle Arena
 * Etymology: Dog (ghost) Black Dogs are specters in British folklore.

The second most difficult card to get (simply because you have one fewer enemy to defeat before you get it, but some very useful abilities. Venus and Black Dog swaps half your defense for twice your strength, Mars and Black Dog gives you a low cost, powerful projectile attack, and Pluto and Black Dog transforms you into a skeleton.

Combinations

 * For more on the card combinations, see the DSS page.