A1 is usually considered easier than A0 because you get more elites but they aren't very punishing yet. You're possibly bringing baggage from other deck builde

A1 is usually considered easier than A0 because you get more elites but they aren't very punishing yet. You're possibly bringing baggage from other deck builders, mentioning combos and better cards is an example of this. Generally you want to judge cards for what they do for you right now (in the next few fights) to maximise rewards and build long term value. Try not to build into "just in case" combos or synergies or you bleed HP before it shows up. The exception is if you are confident your deck can handle the hallway fights then you might take picks for the boss, and if you can handle that then you can start building for the future. Apart from that, general pickup rules are: Act 1 is front-loaded damage, Act 2 is AOE damage with some damage scaling for the boss, Act 3 is scaling offense and defense (without damaging your other factors too much). You usually want to be plugging holes rather than building on your strengths but there are always exceptions. One example: A single dark orb can be enough to kill Champ on Act 2 as defect. Any more is excessive.