Best cards ranked for each character. Updated as we discover the Early Access meta. Based on STS1 card data and confirmed STS2 mechanics.
S-Tier
Auto-pick. Take these cards almost every time they appear. Run-defining power.
A-Tier
Strong picks that fit most decks. Usually worth taking unless your deck specifically doesn't need them.
B-Tier
Situational. Good in the right deck, mediocre otherwise. Consider your current build.
Ironclad excels at Strength scaling, exhaust synergies, and raw damage output. Prioritize cards that build Strength or leverage exhaust mechanics.
| Tier | Card | Why It's Good |
|---|---|---|
| S | Demon Form | +2 Strength every turn. Scales infinitely. Win condition by itself. |
| S | Limit Break | Doubles your Strength. Combined with Demon Form, ends runs. |
| S | Bludgeon | 32 damage for 3 energy. Raw power when you need it. |
| A | Combust | Continuous Strength gain at the cost of HP. Feeds into scaling. |
| A | Barricade | Block doesn't expire. Every block card becomes permanent defense. |
| A | Whirlwind | X-cost, hits all enemies. Excellent with Strength and in multi-enemy fights. |
| A | Inflame | +2 Strength permanently. Simple, strong, never dead. |
| B | Headbutt | Recover a card from discard. Enables combo loops with the right deck. |
| B | Seeing Red | +2 energy next turn for 1. Incredible tempo but needs setup. |
| B | Entrench | Doubles block. Insane with Barricade, mediocre without. |
Silent has the most diverse archetypes. Poison builds, shiv spam, and discard synergies all work. Prioritize Catalysts for poison and Adrenaline for tempo.
| Tier | Card | Why It's Good |
|---|---|---|
| S | Catalyst | Doubles poison stacks. With two Catalysts, kills any boss. |
| S | Corpse Explosion | Kills a poisoned enemy and deals massive AoE. Ends act 2 easily. |
| S | Adrenaline | Draw 2, gain 2 energy for 0. Best energy card in the game. |
| A | Noxious Fumes | Passive poison every turn. Low cost, huge value over long fights. |
| A | Nightmare | Triples any card's copies. Broken with the right combo piece. |
| A | Burst | Next Skill plays twice. Enables absurd turns with powerful Skills. |
| A | Infinite Blades | Passive Shiv at turn start. Feeds shiv-synergy cards endlessly. |
| B | Acrobatics | Draw 3 discard 1 for 1 energy. Good in fast decks, mediocre in slow ones. |
| B | Blade Dance | 3 Shivs for 1. Only good if you have shiv synergy. |
| B | Tools of the Trade | Draw 1, discard 1 at turn start. Passive cycling for discard builds. |
Defect's power comes from orb management. Frost blocks, Lightning damages, Dark executes, Plasma generates energy. Focus stacking amplifies everything.
| Tier | Card | Why It's Good |
|---|---|---|
| S | Biased Cognition | +4 Focus, lose 1 per turn. Massive power spike early in fights. |
| S | Hyperbeam | 45 damage for 3 energy. Resets Focus but the burst is worth it. |
| S | Electrodynamics | Lightning hits ALL enemies. Turns Lightning orbs into AoE. |
| A | Loop | Evokes leftmost orb every turn. Passive value engine. |
| A | Defragment | +1 Focus permanently. Every focus point amplifies all orbs. |
| A | Consume | +2 Focus, -1 orb slot. Tradeoff that's usually worth it. |
| A | Glacier | Double channel Frost. Massive block generation for 2 energy. |
| B | Reprogram | Lose Focus, gain Strength and Dex. Pivot card for non-Focus builds. |
| B | Aggregate | Energy based on deck size. Scales into late game nicely. |
| B | All for One | Recover all 0-cost cards from discard. Combo enabler. |
Watcher is the highest ceiling character. The goal is to enter Wrath, dump your hand, return to Calm — dealing double damage while taking none.
| Tier | Card | Why It's Good |
|---|---|---|
| S | Rushdown | Draw 2 whenever you enter Wrath. Infinite hand refill in the right deck. |
| S | Brilliance | Scaling damage based on Mantra. Hits absurd numbers in Wrath. |
| S | Ragnarok | 5 random strikes for 5 damage. 25 total — disgusting in Wrath = 50. |
| A | Mental Fortress | Block when switching stances. Solves Watcher's defensive problem. |
| A | Scrawl | Draw to full hand for 0. Combines with Rushdown for endless value. |
| A | Establishment | Stance cards cost 1 less after the first play. Stance cycling becomes free. |
| A | Master Reality | Created cards are upgraded. Synergizes with cards that create new cards. |
| B | Fasting | +1 Energy, but lose Strength/Dex/Focus. Worth it for energy-hungry builds. |
| B | Pray | Gain Mantra. Only good if you have Mantra-synergy cards. |
| B | Tranquility | Enter Calm, Exhaust. Good for cycling back to Calm defensively. |