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Slay the Spire 2 is now available, so it’s time to gather your potions, prepare your cards, and face a variety of intimidating monsters. Like previous versions, there are several characters to choose from, each with their own specific deck types, cards, and ways to play that you’ll need to learn.
One of these characters is The Ironclad, which is probably the simplest hero to use. He can focus on dealing direct damage, hurting himself to boost his damage, or becoming a tough, unstoppable force. There are many ways to build him, but here’s a recommended setup along with the best relics to help you succeed.
The Best Ironclad Build
Before diving into specifics, be aware that The Ironclad has many effective build strategies across different Ascension levels. His ability to both block and damage himself makes him versatile. You shouldn’t worry if you occasionally draw cards supporting these styles.
Additionally, Ironclad has strong potential for infinite combos, thanks to his exhaust support and card draw options that loop damage, draw cards, and generate energy. These are great alternative approaches for playing as Ironclad.
The Archetype
This build emphasizes the Strength mechanic, which increases all damage based on the number of Strength stacks on Ironclad. This can quickly spiral out of control, allowing you to hit enemies with huge damage in a single turn.
Ironclad can apply Strength to himself through multiple cards, especially multi-hit attacks that benefit from higher damage. Since Strength doesn’t usually decrease unless explicitly debuffed or affected by certain cards, it keeps building up as the fight progresses. This makes the Strength archetype especially good against bosses or tough Elite enemies with heavy defenses.
The Best Cards
When constructing a Strength-focused deck, we divide the cards into three categories: core, payoff, and support.
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Core cards are essential spells that form the foundation of your strategy. Examples include:
- Brand: Costs 1 energy, loses 1 HP, exhausts a card, and grants 2 Strength.
- Inflame: Costs 1 energy and gives 2 Strength.
- Rupture: Costs 1 energy; whenever you lose HP, gain 1 Strength.
- Dominate: Costs 1 energy; grants 1 Strength per Vulnerable status on the enemy, then exhausts.
- Setup Strike: Costs 1 energy; deals damage and grants temporary Strength this turn.
- Fight Me!: Costs 2 energy; hits twice, grants 2 Strength, and the enemy gains 1 Strength.
- Demon Form: Costs 3 energy; each turn, you gain 2 Strength automatically.
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Gaining Strength methods involve cards like:
- Inflame (basic)
- Brand (extra Strength at a small health cost)
- Rupture (increases Strength when you lose health)
- Setup Strike (initial burst of Strength)
- Fight Me! (scales with Strength)
- Demon Form (passively boosts damage over time)
- Dominate (powerful if enemies are Vulnerable)
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High-damage spells: Increase the impact of your Strength with powerful attacks such as:
- Whirlwind: X energy, hits all enemies multiple times for significant damage.
- Fiend Fire: Costs 2 energy; exhausts your entire hand and deals major damage based on cards exhausted.
- Twin Strikes: Costs 1 energy; deal multiple hits scaled by Strength.
- Sword Boomerang: Cost 1; hits multiple enemies multiple times, benefiting from Strength buffs.
- Conflagration: Cost 1; deals damage and increases based on Attack cards played this turn.
- Thrash: Cost 1; deals damage twice and exhausts a random Attack card, adding to damage.
Support Spells
Support cards help sustain or improve your deck’s performance:
- Battle Trance: Draw 3 cards; only once per turn.
- Bloodletting: Lose 3 HP; gain 2 Energy.
- Offering: Lose 6 HP; gain 2 Energy, draw 3 cards, then exhaust.
- Taunt: Cost 1; grants block and makes enemies Vulnerable.
- Crimson Mantle: Cost 1; at turn start, lose 1 HP and gain 8 Block.
- Shrug It Off: Cost 1; gain 8 Block and draw 1 card.
- One-Two Punch: Cost 1; next attack is played twice this turn.
- Aggression: Cost 1; puts a random Attack from discard into your hand, upgrading it.
Prioritize support cards like Taunt, Shrug It Off, and Bloodletting, which provide blocking and energy. Battle Trance and Crimson Mantle help with card flow and defense. One-Two Punch boosts your offensive burst, and Aggression maintains relentless pressure by recycling attacks.
The Best Relics
Some relics greatly enhance your Strength and survivability:
- Vajra: Start each fight with 1 Strength.
- Bag of Marbles: Apply Vulnerable to all enemies at the start of combat.
- Beating Remnant: You can’t lose more than 20 HP in a turn.
- Molten Egg: Upgrades each Attack card added to your deck.
- Ruined Helmet: The first time you gain Strength each fight, double it.
- Sling of Courage: Start Elite fights with 2 Strength.
For defense, look for relics like Beating Remnant, which limits big damage turns, and others providing Block or Plating to increase durability. Focus on relics that give you free Strength boosts or improve your survivability to maximize your damage potential in each encounter.
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