Defect · Slay the Spire 2
Defect Builds
Ranked Defect archetypes for Slay the Spire 2 — each with core cards, relic priorities, mulligan plans, and how to pilot them. Tiers are editorial judgment from the current Early Access card pool.
- 6
- Builds
- S
- Top tier
- 2026-06-06
- Updated
- Defect
- Class
At a glance
Defect builds compared
Every archetype side by side — tier, difficulty, and win condition. Jump to any guide for the full plan.
| Build | Tier | Difficulty | Win condition | Archetype |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ⚡ Storm Conductor | S | Intermediate | Build a Lightning orb engine (Storm, Tempest, Cracked/Infused Core) and pump Focus until each orb's passive tick alone out-damages enemy HP pools. Late-game turns end the fight before you ever take a hit. | lightning |
| ❄️ Permafrost Bastion | A | Beginner | Out-defend everything. Frost orbs and Focus give you more Block than enemies can punch through, while Hailstorm and end-of-turn Frost evokes slowly but surely close out the fight. | frost |
| 🌑 Umbral Engine | A | Advanced | Charge a Dark orb to enormous size by repeatedly triggering its passive (Loop, Darkness, Gold-Plated Cables), then Evoke it through Dualcast, Multi-Cast, or Consuming Shadow for a single overwhelming hit. | dark-orbs |
| 💥 Overcharge Detonation | A | Advanced | Maximize the number of orbs Channeled, then convert them all at once: Barrage scales damage by orb count, Shatter Evokes everything, and Quadcast/Multi-Cast empty your rightmost orb repeatedly for one giant burst turn. | channel |
| 🦾 Claw Machine | A | Advanced | Permanently buff Claw by playing it over and over in a single fight, then use Feral, All for One, and empty-hand draw to keep cheap attacks flowing until one Claw-heavy turn deletes the room. | claw |
| 🧠 Machine Mind | B | Expert | Build a self-sustaining Power engine where Subroutine refunds energy, Creative AI keeps drawing more Powers, and Echo Form doubles everything, then close with cheap recurring attacks like Claw or a 0-cost Adaptive Strike loop. | powers |
Gain 6 Block. Channel 2 Frost.
Upgraded: Gain 9 Block. Channel 2 Frost.
Permafrost Bastion
Channel Frost every turn for scaling Block, layer Coolant and Hailstorm on top, and let Hailstorm plus orb evokes whittle the room down while you take zero damage.
Key cards
Gain 6 Block. Channel 2 Frost.
Upgraded: Gain 9 Block. Channel 2 Frost.
Deal 6 damage. Channel 1 Frost.
Upgraded: Deal 9 damage. Channel 1 Frost.
Channel 1 Frost. Draw 1 card.
Upgraded: Channel 1 Frost. Draw 2 cards.
Channel 1 Frost for each enemy. Exhaust.
Upgraded: Channel 1 Frost for each enemy.
Channel 2 Dark. At the end of your turn, Evoke your leftmost Orb.
Upgraded: Channel 3 Dark. At the end of your turn, Evoke your leftmost Orb.
Umbral Engine
Channel Dark orbs that silently charge up every turn, then trigger their passives repeatedly with Loop and Darkness before unloading one massive Evoke through Consuming Shadow or Dualcast.
Key cards
Channel 2 Dark. At the end of your turn, Evoke your leftmost Orb.
Upgraded: Channel 3 Dark. At the end of your turn, Evoke your leftmost Orb.
Channel 1 Dark. Trigger the passive ability of all Dark Orbs.
Upgraded: Channel 1 Dark. Trigger the passive ability of all Dark twice.
Deal 10 damage. Apply 2 Weak. Channel 1 Dark.
Upgraded: Deal 13 damage. Apply 3 Weak. Channel 1 Dark.
Gain 11 Block. Channel 1 Dark.
Upgraded: Gain 15 Block. Channel 1 Dark.
Deal 11 damage to ALL enemies. Evoke all of your Orbs.
Upgraded: Deal 15 damage to ALL enemies. Evoke all of your Orbs.
Overcharge Detonation
Cram your slots with orbs as fast as possible, then trigger a single explosive turn with Quadcast, Multi-Cast, Barrage, and Shatter to convert the entire board into one devastating hit.
Key cards
Deal 5 damage for each Channeled Orb.
Upgraded: Deal 7 damage for each Channeled Orb.
Deal 11 damage to ALL enemies. Evoke all of your Orbs.
Upgraded: Deal 15 damage to ALL enemies. Evoke all of your Orbs.
Evoke your rightmost Orb 4 times.
Upgraded: Cost changes from 1 to 0
Evoke your rightmost Orb X times.
Upgraded: Evoke your rightmost Orb X+1 times.
Deal 3 damage. Increase the damage of ALL Claw cards by 2 this combat.
Upgraded: Deal 4 damage. Increase the damage of ALL Claw cards by 3 this combat.
Claw Machine
Every Claw you play makes all future Claws hit harder, so chain them with Feral, All for One, and Scrape to refill your hand and unleash a snowballing zero-cost turn that ends fights in one wave.
Key cards
Deal 3 damage. Increase the damage of ALL Claw cards by 2 this combat.
Upgraded: Deal 4 damage. Increase the damage of ALL Claw cards by 3 this combat.
The first time you play a 0 Energy Attack each turn, return it to your Hand.
Upgraded: Cost changes from 2 to 1
Deal 10 damage. Put ALL 0 Energy cards from your Discard Pile into your Hand.
Upgraded: Deal 14 damage. Put ALL 0 Energy cards from your Discard Pile into your Hand.
Deal 7 damage. Draw 4 cards. Discard all cards drawn this way that do not cost 0 Energy.
Upgraded: Deal 10 damage. Draw 5 cards. Discard all cards drawn this way that do not cost 0 Energy.
At the start of your turn, add a random Power into your Hand.
Upgraded: Cost changes from 3 to 2
Machine Mind
Chain Powers that generate energy and orbs (Subroutine, Storm, Creative AI), use Signal Boost and Echo Form to play them twice, and turn the snowball into cheap, repeating zero-cost attacks.
Key cards
Whenever you play a Power, gain 1 Energy.
Upgraded: Cost changes from 1 to 0
Whenever you play a Power, Channel 1 Lightning.
Upgraded: Whenever you play a Power, Channel 2 Lightning.
At the start of your turn, add a random Power into your Hand.
Upgraded: Cost changes from 3 to 2
The next Power you play is played an additional time. Exhaust.
Upgraded: Cost changes from 1 to 0
