SLAY THE SPIRE / CARDS
Cards
Character-filterable card reference with uses, synergies and pitfalls.
80 entries · Reviewed 2026-10-28
VOLPEDIA ORIGINAL GAME ENCYCLOPEDIA
Cards reference library
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80 of 80 entries · Original Slay the Spire 1
IRONCLAD · REFERENCE
Bash
Applies Vulnerable and deals damage; a starter card that helps convert follow-up attacks into burst.
IRONCLAD · REFERENCE
Strike
Basic attack retained in the starting deck; it is usually weaker than later synergistic attacks.
IRONCLAD · REFERENCE
Defend
Basic Block skill that remains useful in the opening fights but has weak late-game output.
IRONCLAD · REFERENCE
Pommel Strike
Deals damage while drawing cards, enabling efficient attack cycles and broader access to the deck.
IRONCLAD · REFERENCE
Shrug It Off
Offers Block and replaces itself with a card, a versatile bridge between defense and cycling.
IRONCLAD · REFERENCE
Uppercut
Applies Weak and Vulnerable while attacking; both debuffs help stabilize a dangerous enemy.
IRONCLAD · REFERENCE
Whirlwind
Spends available energy to hit all enemies repeatedly, rewarding extra energy and Strength.
IRONCLAD · REFERENCE
Heavy Blade
Scales with Strength and excels once the deck consistently builds Strength.
IRONCLAD · REFERENCE
Inflame
Adds lasting Strength at the cost of a card and energy now for greater damage later.
IRONCLAD · REFERENCE
Limit Break
Amplifies already-earned Strength; its output depends on existing Strength rather than creating it.
IRONCLAD · REFERENCE
Demon Form
Generates Strength over time and offers excellent long-fight damage scaling.
IRONCLAD · REFERENCE
Corruption
Makes Skills free while exhausting them, creating explosive turns and a finite defensive resource.
IRONCLAD · REFERENCE
Feel No Pain
Provides Block whenever cards Exhaust, turning a removal mechanic into defense.
IRONCLAD · REFERENCE
Dark Embrace
Draws when cards Exhaust, sustaining turns built around card consumption.
IRONCLAD · REFERENCE
Barricade
Keeps unspent Block between turns, supporting defensive scaling plans.
IRONCLAD · REFERENCE
Body Slam
Converts current Block into an attack, useful when defense is also your damage plan.
IRONCLAD · REFERENCE
Fiend Fire
Exhausts other cards in hand to deal repeated damage, trading deck resources for burst.
IRONCLAD · REFERENCE
Offering
Trades health for energy and card draw to create a powerful turn.
IRONCLAD · REFERENCE
Reaper
Area attack that can restore HP based on damage actually dealt, particularly with Strength.
IRONCLAD · REFERENCE
Burning Pact
Exhausts a card to draw more, enabling deck thinning and Exhaust payoffs.
SILENT · REFERENCE
Neutralize
A cheap attack that applies Weak, enabling important damage prevention early.
SILENT · REFERENCE
Survivor
Starting Block skill that requires discarding a card and can activate discard synergies.
SILENT · REFERENCE
Backflip
Offers Block and draws cards, enabling flexible defensive cycles.
SILENT · REFERENCE
Footwork
Adds Dexterity to improve future Block from cards, key for many defensive decks.
SILENT · REFERENCE
Noxious Fumes
Applies Poison over time to all enemies, creating slow but persistent scaling.
SILENT · REFERENCE
Deadly Poison
Stacks Poison on a target, bypassing the need for repeated direct attacks.
SILENT · REFERENCE
Catalyst
Multiplies existing Poison, making a committed Poison engine lethal quickly.
SILENT · REFERENCE
Bouncing Flask
Randomly distributes Poison applications across enemies.
SILENT · REFERENCE
Blade Dance
Generates Shivs to play multiple small attacks during one turn.
SILENT · REFERENCE
Accuracy
Boosts Shiv damage and turns a small-hit package into serious offense.
SILENT · REFERENCE
After Image
Gains Block as cards are played, rewarding high-action turns.
SILENT · REFERENCE
Adrenaline
Grants draw and energy without consuming normal energy; excellent for tempo.
SILENT · REFERENCE
Acrobatics
Draws several cards while discarding one, a tool for targeted deck cycling.
SILENT · REFERENCE
Calculated Gamble
Replaces the hand by discarding and drawing, enabling large discard turns.
SILENT · REFERENCE
Tactician
Rewards being discarded with energy, enabling high-tempo cycles.
SILENT · REFERENCE
Reflex
Rewards discard with extra card draw and can enable sustained cycles.
SILENT · REFERENCE
Wraith Form
Grants temporary Intangible, offering extraordinary short-term survival with a drawback later.
SILENT · REFERENCE
Burst
Copies the next Skill played and rewards well-chosen defensive or draw effects.
SILENT · REFERENCE
Corpse Explosion
Applies Poison and causes a defeated target to damage other enemies.
SILENT · REFERENCE
Piercing Wail
Temporarily lowers all enemy Strength, helping against multi-hit or grouped attacks.
DEFECT · REFERENCE
Zap
Channels Lightning and establishes a basic orb-driven damage source.
DEFECT · REFERENCE
Dualcast
Evokes an orb repeatedly, producing a burst effect from the current front orb.
DEFECT · REFERENCE
Ball Lightning
Attack that channels Lightning, adding damage and orb momentum.
DEFECT · REFERENCE
Cold Snap
Attack that channels Frost, blending offense and passive Block.
DEFECT · REFERENCE
Glacier
Provides immediate Block and channels Frost to strengthen subsequent turns.
DEFECT · REFERENCE
Coolheaded
Channels Frost and draws, blending defensive setup with deck cycling.
DEFECT · REFERENCE
Defragment
Raises Focus, increasing the power of orb effects across the fight.
DEFECT · REFERENCE
Capacitor
Adds orb slots so the Defect can maintain more passive effects.
DEFECT · REFERENCE
Electrodynamics
Makes Lightning hit all enemies, providing powerful area control.
DEFECT · REFERENCE
Biased Cognition
Gives strong Focus up front with a future penalty unless negated.
DEFECT · REFERENCE
Consume
Gains Focus at the price of an orb slot, trading width for efficiency.
DEFECT · REFERENCE
Echo Form
Duplicates the first card played each turn, enabling extreme value over long battles.
DEFECT · REFERENCE
Buffer
Negates a future HP-loss instance, useful against large hits.
DEFECT · REFERENCE
Seek
Finds chosen cards from the draw pile to assemble a key answer.
DEFECT · REFERENCE
Meteor Strike
Powerful costly attack that channels Plasma, rewarding dedicated energy engines.
DEFECT · REFERENCE
Darkness
Channels a Dark orb whose stored damage grows over turns.
DEFECT · REFERENCE
Loop
Triggers the passive effect of the front orb additional times.
DEFECT · REFERENCE
Creative AI
Continually creates Powers, potentially scaling huge value in long encounters.
DEFECT · REFERENCE
Claw
A low-cost attack that rewards playing more copies over time.
DEFECT · REFERENCE
Reprogram
Alters the Defect toward ordinary attack/block scaling rather than Focus-based orbs.
WATCHER · REFERENCE
Eruption
Attack that enters Wrath, doubling outgoing and incoming attack damage while active.
WATCHER · REFERENCE
Vigilance
Gains Block and enters Calm, preparing energy generation when leaving the stance.
WATCHER · REFERENCE
Empty Fist
Attacks and exits the current stance, allowing controlled retreats from Wrath.
WATCHER · REFERENCE
Empty Body
Gains Block and exits stance, an important safety tool against huge intents.
WATCHER · REFERENCE
Tantrum
Efficient multi-hit attack that enters Wrath and returns to the draw pile.
WATCHER · REFERENCE
Fear No Evil
Attacks and can enter Calm when targeting an attacking enemy.
WATCHER · REFERENCE
Inner Peace
Enters Calm or draws cards when already Calm.
WATCHER · REFERENCE
Rushdown
Draws cards when entering Wrath, enabling stance-cycle turns.
WATCHER · REFERENCE
Mental Fortress
Rewards each stance switch with Block.
WATCHER · REFERENCE
Talk to the Hand
Applies an effect that grants Block when the marked target is attacked.
WATCHER · REFERENCE
Wallop
Converts damage inflicted into Block, aligning burst damage with defense.
WATCHER · REFERENCE
Blasphemy
Enters Divinity quickly but imposes a severe next-turn penalty.
WATCHER · REFERENCE
Deva Form
Generates increasing energy across turns, supporting long-form scaling.
WATCHER · REFERENCE
Vault
Ends the current turn and grants another turn, enabling tactical redirection.
WATCHER · REFERENCE
Scrawl
Draws toward a full hand, giving a large burst of options.
WATCHER · REFERENCE
Lesson Learned
Can permanently upgrade a card when it defeats an enemy.
WATCHER · REFERENCE
Judgment
Can instantly defeat a low-HP enemy regardless of normal attack scaling.
WATCHER · REFERENCE
Establishment
Reduces costs for retained cards over time.
WATCHER · REFERENCE
Wheel Kick
Delivers meaningful damage and draws additional cards.
WATCHER · REFERENCE
Omniscience
Plays a chosen card from the draw pile repeatedly, a powerful but costly tutor.
Independent Volpedia editorial resource, not affiliated with Mega Crit. Original game (Slay the Spire 1), reviewed 2026-10-28. Slay the Spire 2 has separate rules, cards and characters and is not included here. Category graphics are original conceptual illustrations, not game screenshots or actual card artwork. Detailed numerical card costs, damage, upgrade effects and drop percentages are omitted where not individually checked. Editorial verification records are stored separately from public articles.