Builds: The Archetypes the Data Rewards
The strongest build archetypes for every Slay the Spire 2 character, assembled from the community's highest-rated cards and relics rather than theorycrafting.
A build is just the cards the data already likes, drafted on purpose. Every package below is assembled from the top of each character's community ratings, the same numbers behind the tier lists, so these are the archetypes that win runs, not theorycraft. Character links go to the full tier guides.
Ironclad: pay HP, get everything
His two best packages overlap: HP-as-resource ([[Offering]], [[Crimson Mantle]], [[Tear Asunder]], with [[relic:Red Skull]] rewarding low HP) and exhaust ([[Fiend Fire]], [[Pact's End]], with [[relic:Charon's Ashes]] turning every exhaust into AoE). [[relic:Self-Forming Clay]] converts the self-damage into next-turn Block and glues the two together. Details in the Ironclad tier list.
Silent: discard first, shivs second
Discard is her best engine: [[Tools of the Trade]] and [[Storm of Steel]] feed Sly cards, and [[relic:Tough Bandages]] (the highest-rated relic in the game) plus [[relic:Tingsha]] pay Block and damage per discard. The shiv package ([[Blade of Ink]], [[Fan of Knives]], [[relic:Helical Dart]]) is a close second, and [[Malaise]], her most underrated card, slots into every build. The Silent tier list has the numbers.
Defect: zero-cost tempo over orb greed
The data likes [[All for One]] plus [[relic:Power Cell]] zero-cost tempo more than pure orb scaling, with [[relic:Data Disk]] and [[relic:Gold-Plated Cables]] as the orb backbone when Frost and Plasma do come. [[Echo Form]] is fine, just drafted like it is better than it is. See the Defect tier list.
Necrobinder: Souls into everything
The strongest character has three overlapping engines: Souls and Ethereal ([[Glimpse Beyond]], [[Banshee's Cry]], [[relic:Big Hat]], [[relic:Funerary Mask]]), Osty ([[Reanimate]], [[Necro Mastery]], [[relic:Bone Flute]]), and Doom ([[Neurosurge]], [[Oblivion]], [[relic:Undying Sigil]]). Any two of the three win; the Necrobinder tier list ranks the pieces.
Regent: chain skills until something dies
Everything feeds the skill chain: [[Big Bang]] and [[Decisions, Decisions]] as payoffs, [[Make It So]] recurring through it, [[GUARDS!!!]] converting dead cards, and [[relic:Regalite]] paying Block for every created card while [[relic:Lunar Pastry]] funds the turn. [[Prophesize]], his most skipped good card, is the draw the chain wants. Full rankings in the Regent tier list.
Archetypes drift with every patch; the card metrics page is the live version of this guide, and the win rates update as the community climbs.
Written by Spire Codex·Recommend an edit