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Event · Main branch; single-player onlyFake Merchant
How the Fake Merchant event works in Slay the Spire 2, which knockoff relics he sells, and what happens when you throw a Foul Potion.
Quick answer
The Fake Merchant, named The Merchant??? in the game data, appears in Acts 2 and 3 in single-player. He offers 6 randomly selected knockoff relics for roughly 43–57 Gold each. If you have a Foul Potion, you can throw it at him to start a fight; winning gives 300 Gold, access to all 6 offered relics, and The Merchant's Rug???.
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| In-game name | The Merchant??? |
|---|---|
| Acts | The Hive and The Glory |
| Shop | 6 of 9 knockoff relics |
| Price range | 43–57 Gold each |
| Combat trigger | Throw a Foul Potion |
When can the event appear?
The Fake Merchant can replace a normal-looking shop encounter in Acts 2 and 3. It is restricted to single-player and requires either at least 100 Gold or a Foul Potion in your potion slots. That means a low-Gold run can still qualify if it carried the potion forward from an earlier event.
The knockoff shop contains only relics. Six are selected from a pool of nine, and their names end in question marks. Normal Merchant relic interactions generally do not apply here; this is a separate event rather than an ordinary shop with discounted stock.
What are the knockoff relics?
The pool contains weaker imitations of Anchor, Blood Vial, Happy Flower, Lee's Waffle, Mango, Orichalcum, Snecko Eye, Strike Dummy, and Venerable Tea Set. Their effects resemble the real relics but use reduced numbers or a drawback, so read each offered tooltip instead of assuming the original effect.
Because the six offers are random and each purchase spends Gold, evaluate them against the next real Merchant and any planned card removal. A cheap effect can still be a poor buy when the same Gold is needed to remove a Curse or complete a core card purchase.
What happens if you throw a Foul Potion?
Throwing a Foul Potion exposes the merchant and begins an event combat. Winning awards 300 Gold, lets you take the six relics that were on sale, and gives The Merchant's Rug???, a joke relic with no effect. You may skip an offered relic if its downside would make the run worse.
This is a high-upside route, not a free payout. Check current HP, the enemy's opening damage, your potion opportunity cost, and the remaining path before choosing combat. A run that cannot survive the fight receives none of the future value.
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