Wanderland HOS modes

How can I change the "mode" of a HOS to get a specific item? I don't have any gems and refuse to pay for any. All my required items to progress have scenes with things like "mirrored" . And how do I get "potions"? I have "embers", "mirror shards" and "mixed letters" curses - but I need to remove the existing curses, not add curses.