STS 2 Slay the Spire 2: Defect Guide and Overview

The Defect returns to Slay the Spire 2 with a complete glow-up. Rebuilt with a bulkier, more advanced chassis, it remains the Spire's master of elemental orbs and tactical programming, but its toolkit has been upgraded to handle the new challenges of the 1,000-year skip.

Its starting Relic is the Cracked Core, which Channels 1 Lightning Orb at the start of combat.

The Defect's gameplay revolves around Channel and Evoke for elemental Orbs, but with new layers of mechanical complexity and deck-thinning capabilities.

The fan favourite Claw decks will also be making their grand return.

A spammy 0 mana attack focused deck that cycles and enhances cheap attacks to devastating effect.

Key Cards

Claw, Scrape, All for One

Spam Claw to win. Cards like Scrape and All for One can find you more Claws alongside other beneficial 0 cost cards such as FTL, Go For The Eyes, Streamline and Beam Cell.

There are ways to tutor out your draw cards, that being Hologram, Seek, and even Rebound.

Unlike many of decks, there are even a few Neutral cards that can be great options - Panache, Violence, and Madness being a few.

Relics

• Nuclear Battery generates extra energy without the downside of messing with your Orb plays as this deck does not utilise any other Orbs.

Tips

• Coming soon!

Cycle orbs for a balanced playstyle and passive benefits.

Key Cards

Defragment, Glacier, Ball Lightning

Frost Orbs are for defense, Lightning Orbs for offense. Focus increases the effectiveness of your Orbs, so cards like Defragment are critical for any orb deck.

Cycling through Orbs by Channeling new ones will Evoke them to unleash their full potential. You do not have to worry about your Orb slots too much in a balanced Orb deck such as this.

If you wish to play more aggressively you can draft more Lightning Channeling cards such as Electrodynamics and Thunder Strike, while reducing your Orb slots to guaranteed Evokes.

If you wish to play more conservatively with a focus on Block, then increase your Orb slots and draft Frost Channeling cards such as Cold Snap and Cool Headed. Barrage will benefit from the increased Orb slots, while Dark Orbs from cards such as Darkness will have time to cook behind your Frost Orbs with the extra Orb slots.

Relics

• Calipers can carry your Frost Orb Block over to subsequent turns.
• Mummified Hand benefits from Defragment spam.
• Torii and/or Tungsten Rod combo incredibly well with Static Discharge

Tips

• Coming soon!