Suicide King (Challenge)

Lazarus

IpecacReplaces tears with explosive and poisoning projectiles fired in an arc from the mouth. Mr. MegaGives Isaac 5 bombs, and makes all dropped bombs larger, which have an increased blast radius and increased damage. My ReflectionGives Isaac's tears a boomerang effect, and increases range and shot speed. 1 random pill

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Suicide KingComplete challenge #7

Defeat Mom's Heart 11 timesSuicide King

Suicide King is Challenge #7. Lazarus is the default character for this challenge, and he starts with IpecacReplaces tears with explosive and poisoning projectiles fired in an arc from the mouth., Mr. MegaGives Isaac 5 bombs, and makes all dropped bombs larger, which have an increased blast radius and increased damage. and My ReflectionGives Isaac's tears a boomerang effect, and increases range and shot speed., as well as a random pill. The goal is to defeat Isaac. This Challenge is unlocked alongside It Lives!.

Difficulty

• Though Ipecac and Mr. Mega would be a powerful build in a normal run, My Reflection causes tears to loop back around towards Lazarus, forcing him to have to avoid not only enemy tears, but his own as well. This also makes aiming tears significantly harder.

Strategy

• The 1 pip and 6 pip dice rooms will not reroll the starting items for this challenge, but will reroll any others.
• Lazarus has one extra life by default, granting him some survivability.
• Because of My Reflection, range is diminished. With a little practice, however, it can be easy to tell how far away the shot will travel. Lining up enemies with that distance will make it easier to score direct hits that won't come back. One way to track this is by the shadow of the Ipecac tear.
• Ipecac's explosive tears can be used to break rocks, mushrooms, and skulls, and open secret rooms.
• Crawl Spaces are very valuable because of the lack of Treasure Rooms, making the destruction of all encountered rocks a viable strategy. Most items that can be acquired this way are useful, but PyromaniacIsaac heals 1 heart instead of taking damage from an explosive source. Adds 5 bombs., Dr. FetusTears are replaced by bombs that benefit from bomb-enhancing effects and slide for a fixed time after being fired. and Host HatA host familiar that sits on Isaac's head and has a random chance to block enemy shots and retaliate with 3 tears. Grants immunity to explosions. are especially noteworthy for their ability to prevent all self-damage inflicted on Lazarus.
  • It is worth noting that Dr. Fetus, unlike Pyromaniac and Host Hat, will not prevent any damage inflicted by bombs, but it will massively increase Lazarus's damage in exchange.
• Familiars such as Cube of MeatOrbiting familiar that blocks enemy shots and deals damage to enemies. If collected while already having one, makes the familiar evolve. Only drops from Horsemen. Similar to Ball of Bandages., Ball of BandagesOrbiting familiar that deals damage to enemies. If collected while already having one, makes the familiar evolve. Only drops from Horsemen. Similar to Cube of Meat., or any friendly fly orbital can help protect Lazarus.
  • If properly aiming the Ipecac shots while simultaneously dodging them proves too challenging, some familiars or orbitals can serve as a consistent means of dealing damage without firing tears.
• Grouping enemies together is an effective way of clearing rooms while minimizing the amount of tears needing to be fired per room.
• Because Ipecac also increases the damage of Blue Flies and Blue Spiders, obtaining an item that spawns them can be extremely useful.
  • Curse Rooms and Devil Rooms can spawn Guppy's HeadSpawns 2-4 blue flies to damage enemies. and Rotten BabyA familiar that spawns blue flies..
• It is possible to hit enemies without having to worry about My Reflection by moving in tandem with the Ipecac tear, making the shot faster. This method only works with a higher Speed stat.
• A higher Shot Speed stat allows the tears to fly further away from Lazarus before returning, allowing enemies to be shot from further away while reducing the risk of being caught in the blast radius.
• The Magic FingersFor 1 coin, damages all enemies in the room. item is a common shop item that is affected by Ipecac's damage increase. This makes it extremely viable as an alternative damage source to Ipecac tears, especially in runs with a large coin count.
• If Envy is encountered, and it drops Shoop Da Whoop!Fires a laser from Isaac's mouth., it is highly advised to pick it up. Due to the item's relatively quick recharge time, and the fact that its damage is greatly increased by Ipecac, it can be used as an ace in the hole to clear challenging rooms easily defeat bosses.
• BrimstoneTears are replaced by a laser beam that pierces through all enemies and obstacles in its path and deals high damage. Can only be fired after a short charge-up period. or Mom's KnifeIsaac's tears are replaced by a knife that pierces enemies, can travel through obstacles, and can hurt enemies while Isaac is holding it. Holding down the fire button before firing increases its range and power. can be purchased from a Devil Room if found with a Red Chest or using Goat HeadA Devil Room / Angel Room Door will always spawn after every boss fight, excluding the first floor and floors after Utero II/Womb II., overriding Ipecac and making the challenge much easier.
• Hook WormTears move shifting left to right forming a path of right angles. +10 to Range (effective range remains about the same). and Whip WormIncreases shot speed by 0.5, increasing effective range. are both useful trinkets and should be collected if possible.
  • Hook Worm allows tears to hit enemies more easily, while also making them easier to avoid by Lazarus.
  • Whip Worm forces tears to fly very fast and low, usually preventing enemies from dodging them. It also makes tears which hit the edge of the screen explode rather than coming back to Lazarus.
  • Ring WormGives Isaac spinning shots. is a somewhat less useful alternative.
• Gnawed LeafAfter standing still and not shooting for a short time, Isaac turns invincible until he moves or shoots. is another useful item from crawl spaces causing Lazarus to turn into a statue just before the Ipecac tears hits him. This is only really useful for destroying objects.
• SuccubusSpawns a flying familiar that bounces around the room with a black aura, dealing rapid damage to any enemies inside it. While standing in the aura, Isaac gains a 1.5x tear damage multiplier. is an incredibly useful familiar, as its damage scales with Lazarus's. Succubus allows the challenge to be cleared without using tears as it only takes a few seconds for it to clear out a regular-sized room autonomously.
• Familiars that mimic Lazarus's tears, such as Fate's RewardA blue head familiar that will follow Isaac and fire tears copying his tear effects and damage., are not recommended for this challenge. While they do increase Lazarus's overall damage output, they are very difficult to avoid, as they are usually fired directly towards Lazarus.

Unlockable Achievements

• 

  Suicide King - Complete challenge #7.

Notes

• The Devil Room at the end of the It Lives boss fight will contain regular Deals with the Devil instead of a trap door, as the challenge requires Lazarus to go to the Cathedral.

• If the player somehow manages to end up going to Sheol instead of The Cathedral (i.e. through a trapdoor in The Womb II), defeating Satan will successfully finish the challenge and erroneously unlock the achievement.