Slay the Spire tier list of best cards
A tier list of the best cards for each character in Slay the Spire
There's a natural synergy that goes with roguelike games and card game mechanics. This synergy can be found in the roguelike Slay the Spire. The objective of the game is to climb to the top of a spire and slay the boss enemy waiting there. You'll only have one character to attempt the climb with but there are four to choose between. They are the Ironclad, the Silent, the Defect, and the Watcher. Each one has different stats and behaviors but they all use cards to fight and perform different actions. You'll start off with some basic cards but will be able to get more from battles, events, treasure chests, and shopping.
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Since each of the characters is different, they all have different cards associated with them. They are suited to their stats and abilities which gives them their own strategies. Character cards can be used to deal damage, apply debuffs, give themselves armor, buff their stats, or boost their cards. Cards cost energy to play and once you're out, you'll need to end your turn. While most of them are unique to each character, special Colorless cards are available for any of them to use.
The following are Slay the Spire tier lists outlining the best cards for each character and Colorless as well as the top three picks. They are organized by least to most rare.
Original article by Will Quick, updated by Mihail Katsoris.
1
Best Cards for the Ironclad
The Ironclad is a warrior-type character focused on buffing strength and dealing damage. He starts with the highest HP at 80 and comes with the Burning Blood Relic, which allows him to recover six HP at the end of a battle.
| Card Name | Energy Cost | Card Type | Rarity | Effect Details |
| Anger | 0 | Attack | Common | Deal 6 damage. Add a copy of this card into your discard pile. |
| Feed | 1 | Attack | Rare | Deal 10 damage. If this kills the enemy, gain 3 permanent Max HP. Exhaust.. |
| Immolate | 2 | Skill | Rare | Deal 21 damage to ALL enemies. Shuffle a Burn into your discard pile. |
| Armaments | 1 | Skill | Common | Gain 5 Block. Upgrade a card in your hand for the rest of combat. |
| Iron Wave | 1 | Attack | Common | Gain 5 Block. Deal 5 damage. |
| Thunderclap | 1 | Attack | Common | Deal 4 damage and apply 1 Vulnerable to ALL enemies. |
| Flame Barrier | 2 | Skill | Uncommon | Gain 12 Block. Whenever you are attacked this turn, deal 4 damage back. |
| Inflame | 1 | Power | Uncommon | Gain 2 Strength. |
| Rage | 0 | Skill | Uncommon | Whenever you play an Attack this turn, gain 3 Block. |
| Demon Form | 3 | Power | Rare | At the start of your turn, gain 2 Strength. |
| Juggernaut | 2 | Power | Rare | Whenever you gain Block, deal 5 damage to a random enemy. |
| Double Tap | 1 | Skill | Rare | This turn, your next Attack is played twice. |
| Corruption | 3 | Power | Rare | Whenever you play a Skill, Exhaust it. |
| Offering | 0 | Skill | Rare | Lose 6 HP. Gain 2 Energy. Draw 5 cards. Exhaust. |
| Battle Trance | 0 | Skill | Uncommon | Draw 3 cards. You cannot draw additional cards this turn. |
| Disarm | 1 | Skill | Uncommon | Enemy loses 2 Strength. Exhaust. |
| Reaper | 2 | Attack | Rare | Deal 4 damage to ALL enemies. Heal for unblocked damage. Exhaust. |
Anger is a very useful card to have as it's a free attack. It can be upgraded to do additional damage and is boosted by buffs and debuffs. It also adds a copy so you'll likely draw it again for future attacks.
Flame Barrier is a powerful defensive card. Not only is it cost-effective, but it adds a significant defense boost as well as a counterattack. It can also be upgraded to be even more efficient and deal higher damage.
Demon Form is a power that gives you a recurring buff. As the battle continues, having boosted damage will really start to pay off the longer the fight drags on.
2
Best Cards for the Silent
The Silent is a hunter-type character focused on multiple strikes and poisoning targets. She only starts with 70 HP but has the Ring of the Snake Relic, which allows you to draw two extra cards when you enter battle.
| Card Name | Energy Cost | Card Type | Rarity | Effect Details |
| Bane | 1 | Attack | Common | Deal 7 damage. If the enemy has Poison, deal 7 damage again. |
| Dagger Spray | 1 | Attack | Common | Deal 4 damage to ALL enemies twice. |
| Deadly Poison | 1 | Skill | Common | Apply 5 Poison. |
| Flying Knee | 1 | Attack | Common | Deal 8 damage. Next turn, gain 1 Energy. |
| All-Out Attack | 1 | Attack | Uncommon | Deal 10 damage to ALL enemies. Discard 1 card at random. |
| Choke | 2 | Attack | Uncommon | Deal 12 damage. Whenever you play a card this turn, the enemy loses 3 HP. |
| Noxious Fumes | 1 | Power | Uncommon | At the start of your turn, apply 2 Poison to ALL enemies. |
| Phantasmal Killer | 1 | Skill | Rare | Next turn, your attacks deal double damage. |
| Grand Finale | 0 | Attack | Rare | Can only be played if there are no cards in your draw pile. Deal 50 damage to ALL enemies. |
| Envenom | 2 | Power | Rare | Whenever an Attack deals unblocked damage, apply 1 poison. |
| Adrenaline | 0 | Skill | Rare | Gain 1 Energy. Draw 2 cards. Exhaust. |
| Wraith Form | 3 | Power | Rare | Gain 2 Intangible. At the end of your turn, lose 1 Dexterity. |
| Well-Laid Plans | 1 | Power | Uncommon | At the end of your turn, Retain up to 1 card. |
| After Image | 1 | Power | Rare | Whenever you play a card, gain 1 Block. |
| Backflip | 1 | Skill | Common | Gain 5 Block. Draw 2 cards. |
| Footwork | 1 | Power | Uncommon | Gain 2 Dexterity. |
| Malaise | X | Skill | Rare | Enemy loses X Strength. Apply X Weak. Exhaust. |
| Piercing Wail | 1 | Skill | Common | ALL enemies lose 6 Strength for 1 turn. Exhaust. |
| Terror | 1 | Skill | Uncommon | Apply 99 Vulnerable. Exhaust. |
Deadly Poison is simple and effective. It's cheap and immediately applies recurring damage to an enemy of your choice. It can be upgraded to apply more stacks and is extremely useful for wearing down protected enemies.
Choke is a stacking damage attack that hits hard. When faced with an elite or a boss enemy, this card is perfect for dealing repeated damage. Start your turn with this card to make the most of it and boost any damage sources you have.
Grand Finale is a finishing move that is risky but worth it. It's the most powerful card in the game that can eliminate many enemies and severely injure elites and bosses.
3
Best Cards for the Defect
The Defect is a mage-like character focused on harnessing elements and setting up attacks. It starts out with 75 HP and has the Cracked Core Relic which Channels one Lightning when you enter battle.
| Card Name | Energy Cost | Card Type | Rarity | Effect Details |
| Seek | 0 | Skill | Rare | Choose 1 card from your Draw pile and place them into your hand. Exhaust.. |
| Charge Battery | 1 | Skill | Common | Gain 7 Block. Next turn, gain 1 Energy. |
| Rebound | 1 | Attack | Common | Deal 9 damage. Put the next card you play this turn on top of your draw pile. |
| Streamline | 2 | Attack | Common | Deal 15 damage. Reduce this card's cost by 1 this combat. |
| Sweeping Beam | 1 | Attack | Common | Deal 6 damage to ALL enemies. Draw 1 card. |
| Doom and Gloom | 2 | Attack | Uncommon | Deal 10 damage to all enemies. Channel 1 Dark. |
| Equilibrium | 2 | Skill | Uncommon | Gain 13 Block. Retain your hand this turn. |
| Melter | 1 | Attack | Uncommon | Remove all Block from an enemy. Deal 10 damage. |
| All for One | 2 | Attack | Rare | Deal 10 damage. Put all cost 0 cards from your discard pile into your hand. |
| Echo Form | 3 | Power | Rare | Ethereal. The first card you play each turn is played twice. |
| Electrodynamics | 2 | Power | Rare | Lightning now hits ALL enemies. Channel 2 Lightning. |
| Biased Cognition | 1 | Power | Rare | Gain 4 Focus. At the start of each turn, lose 1 Focus. |
| Self Repair | 1 | Power | Uncommon | At the end of combat, heal 7 HP. |
Charge Battery is a useful card for this kind of strategy. Not only does it apply some protection to give you time to put things in place, but also to set up future plays. Upgrade it to make it even better.
Equilibrium is a great card to have if you don't want to leave anything to chance. If you end up with a good hand, use Equilibrium to keep it and apply some strong protection at the same time.
Echo Form is an interesting power card that changes the character's properties. Namely, it makes your first play each turn twice as effective.
4
Best Cards for the Watcher
The Watcher is a martial arts-like character focusing on stances and fluid combat. She starts out with 72 HP and the Pure Water Relic, which adds a Miracle card to your hand when you enter battle.
| Card Name | Energy Cost | Card Type | Rarity | Effect Details |
| Bowling Bash | 1 | Attack | Common | Deal 7 damage for each enemy in combat. |
| Cut through Fate | 1 | Attack | Common | Deal 7 damage. Scry 2. Draw 1 card. |
| Follow-Up | 1 | Attack | Common | Deal 7 damage. If the last card played this combat was an Attack, gain 1 Energy. |
| Pressure Points | 1 | Skill | Common | Apply 8 Mark. ALL enemies lose HP equal to their Mark. |
| Battle Hymn | 1 | Power | Uncommon | At the start of each turn add a Smite into your hand. |
| Conclude | 1 | Attack | Uncommon | Deal 12 damage to ALL enemies. End your turn. |
| Swivel | 2 | Skill | Uncommon | Gain 8 Block. The next Attack you play costs 0. |
| Blasphemy | 1 | Skill | Rare | Enter Divinity. Die next turn. Exhaust. |
| Deva Form | 3 | Power | Rare | Ethereal. At the start of your turn, gain 1 Energy and increase this gain by 1. |
| Judgment | 1 | Skill | Rare | If the enemy has 30 or less HP, set their HP to 0. |
| Blasphemy | 1 | Skill | Rare | Enter Divinity. Die next turn. Exhaust |
| Spirit Shield | 2 | Skill | Rare | Gain 3 Block for each card in your hand. |
| Lesson Learned | 2 | Attack | Rare | Deal 10 damage. If Fatal, Upgrade a random card in your deck. Exhaust. |
| Foresight | 1 | Power | Uncommon | At the start of your turn, Scry 3. |
| Vault | 3 | Skill | Rare | Take an extra turn after this one. End your turn. Exhaust. |
| Cut Through Fate | 1 | Attack | Common | Deal 7 damage. Scry 2. Draw 1 card. |
| Establishment | 1 | Power | Rare | Whenever a card is Retained, reduce its cost by 1 this combat. |
Pressure Points is an interesting but powerful type of debuff. Somewhat like Poison, it ignores any blocking and is added to targets directly. Keep playing the card to maximize its effect and upgrade when you can.
Conclude is a strong attack card to have in your deck. When it appears in your hand, you should play it last to negate the negative side while also doing good damage. Since it's cheap to use, it's worth upgrading.
Blasphemy is the definition of a Hail Mary move. This is meant as a last resort but that makes it perfect to use against bosses, especially if you're running low on health and armor.
5
Best Colorless Cards
These cards are available for any character to use in a variety of ways. They're the only type that can't be gained at the end of battles and instead have to be found, bought, or added to your deck through the use of other cards.
| Card Name | Energy Cost | Card Type | Rarity | Effect Details |
| Enlightenment | 0 | Skill | Uncommon | Reduce the cost of all cards in your hand to 1 this turn. |
| Impatience | 0 | Skill | Uncommon | If you have no Attacks in your hand, draw 2 cards. |
| Trip | 0 | Skill | Uncommon | Apply 2 Vulnerable |
| Panacea | 0 | Skill | Uncommon | Gain 1 Artifact. Exhaust. |
| Mayhem | 2 | Power | Rare | At the start of your turn, play the top card of your draw pile. |
| Hand of Greed | 2 | Attack | Rare | Deal 20 damage. If Fatal, gain 20 Gold. |
| Panache | 0 | Power | Rare | Every time you play 5 cards in a single turn, deal 10 damage to ALL enemies. |
| Sadistic Nature | 0 | Power | Rare | Whenever you apply a debuff to an enemy, they take 5 damage. |
| The Bomb | 2 | Skill | Rare | At the end of 3 turns, deal 40 damage to ALL enemies. |
| Apotheosis | 2 | Skill | Rare | Upgrade ALL your cards for the rest of combat. Exhaust. |
| Through Violence | 0 | Attack | Special | Retain. Deal 20 damage. Exhaust. |
| Omega | 3 | Power | Special | At the start of your turn deal 50 damage to ALL enemies. |
| Bandage Up | 0 | Skill | Uncommon | Heal 4 HP. Exhaust. |
| Insight | 0 | Skill | Special | Retain. Draw 2 cards. Exhaust. |
| Dramatic Entrance | 0 | Attack | Uncommon | Innate. Deal 6 damage to ALL enemies. Exhaust. |
| Master Of Strategy | 0 | Skill | Rare | Draw 3 cards. Exhaust. |
| Secret Technique | 0 | Skill | Rare | Choose a Skill from your draw pile and place it into your hand. Exhaust. |
| Secret Weapon | 0 | Skill | Rare | Choose an Attack from your draw pile and place it into your hand. Exhaust. |
| Miracle | 0 | Skill | Special | Retain. Gain 1 Energy. Exhaust. |
| Safety | 1 | Skill | Special | Retain. Gain 12 Block. Exhaust. |
Enlightenment is a very handy card that can keep your energy costs low until you find the proper Relics or cards. Since it costs nothing, there's no downside to using it, and should be kept in rotation.
Sadistic Nature is perfect since you're likely to collect a lot of debuff cards. It's easy to stack debuffs on enemies since they ignore blocking. Once that's done, this card proves to be quite powerful.
Apotheosis is a one-time per-battle use card, but it's worth it. It instantly buffs every single one of your cards for the rest of the fight and takes itself out of rotation to make space.
With this, we are closing down Slay the Spire tier list. Note that we will update this tier list with new cards and whenever a rebalance patch is out, so stay tuned.
