Ironclad Build
💪 Demon Form Juggernaut of War
Stack Strength until every card one-shots
At the start of your turn, gain 2 Strength.
Upgraded: At the start of your turn, gain 3 Strength.
Win condition: Establish a Strength engine early (Demon Form, Inflame, Rupture) so that by mid-fight every attack hits for far more than printed. Multi-hit cards like Twin Strike and Fight Me! convert each stacked Strength point into damage several times per play, snowballing into one-turn kills.
- S-Tier
- Tier
- Intermediate
- Difficulty
- 10
- Core cards
- S-Tier
- Power
Deck core
Core cards
The cards this build is built around — prioritize these on every run.
Must-pick
At the start of your turn, gain 2 Strength.
Upgraded: At the start of your turn, gain 3 Strength.
Gain 2 Strength.
Upgraded: Gain 3 Strength.
Deal 8 damage. Apply 2 Vulnerable.
Upgraded: Deal 10 damage. Apply 3 Vulnerable.
Deal 5 damage twice.
Upgraded: Deal 7 damage twice.
Deal 5 damage twice. Gain 2 Strength. The enemy gains 1 Strength.
Upgraded: Deal 6 damage twice. Gain 3 Strength. The enemy gains 1 Strength.
Deal 5 damage to ALL enemies X times.
Upgraded: Deal 8 damage to ALL enemies X times.
Deal 7 damage. Gain 2 Strength this turn.
Upgraded: Deal 9 damage. Gain 3 Strength this turn.
Deal 15 damage. Enemy loses 10 Strength this turn.
Upgraded: Deal 20 damage. Enemy loses 15 Strength this turn.
Gain 1 Strength for each Vulnerable on the enemy. Exhaust.
Upgraded: Gain 1 Strength for each Vulnerable on the enemy.
Whenever you lose HP on your turn, gain 1 Strength.
Upgraded: Whenever you lose HP on your turn, gain 2 Strength.
Flex picks
Gain 5 Strength this turn.
Upgraded: Gain 7 Strength this turn.
Gain 1 Strength. Gain 1 Dexterity.
Upgraded: Gain 2 Strength. Gain 2 Dexterity.
Gain 5 Block. Deal 5 damage.
Upgraded: Gain 7 Block. Deal 7 damage.
Gain 8 Block. Draw 1 card.
Upgraded: Gain 11 Block. Draw 1 card.
Lose 2 HP. Deal 14 damage.
Upgraded: Lose 2 HP. Deal 19 damage.
Lose 1 HP. Give another player Block equal to your Block. Exhaust.
Upgraded: Lose 1 HP. Give another player Block equal to your Block.
Deal 6 damage. Deals 2 additional damage for ALL your cards containing “Strike”.
Upgraded: Deal 6 damage. Deals 3 additional damage for ALL your cards containing “Strike”.
Enemy loses 9 Strength this turn. Exhaust.
Upgraded: Enemy loses 15 Strength this turn. Exhaust.
Synergy
Relic priorities
What to grab from shops, bosses and chests to power the engine.
Ruined HelmetCoreDoubles your first Strength gain each combat — turns one Inflame into +4 or supercharges Demon Form's opening tick.
VajraStrongFree +1 Strength at the start of every combat; every attack benefits immediately.
Sword of JadeStrongStart each combat with 3 Strength — an enormous head start for a deck that multiplies it.
GiryaStrongLets you bank up to 3 permanent Strength at Rest Sites for nothing, between fights.
Sling of CourageSituationalElite combats start with 2 Strength — great if you're farming elites for relics.
Ember TeaSituational+2 Strength at the start of your next 5 combats; a strong bridge while your powers are still scattered.
BrimstoneSituationalReliable +2 Strength per turn, but the enemy Strength downside means you want Mangle/Dark Shackles or fast kills.
Game plan
How to play
Step-by-step through the run, from opening hands to the win.
Honest take
Pros & cons
Strengths
- Snowballs harder than almost any Ironclad line — long boss fights are a formality.
- Demon Form, Inflame, and Rupture are flexible and easy to slot into many decks.
- Multi-hit payoffs make energy go a very long way once scaled.
Weaknesses
- Slow to come online; the first two turns of a fight can be fragile before powers land.
- Heavily reliant on drawing your power cards early — bad shuffles cost you fights.
- Light on built-in defense, so you must respect burst damage from bosses.
Opening
Mulligan & priorities
What to keep, what to ditch in your opening hands.
- Keep Demon Form or Inflame the moment you see them — playing a power early is the whole point.
- Keep Bash to set up Vulnerable for your attacks and to enable Dominate later.
- Hold a single block card (Iron Wave / Shrug It Off) so the power turn doesn't get you punished.
- Toss extra Strikes if you already have an attack queued for the turn — tempo on powers beats raw chip damage.
Map strategy
Pathing
How to route the map to assemble the build and stay healthy.
Routing
Hit elites once your Strength engine and a Vulnerable enabler are online — elite relics (and Sword of Jade / Sling of Courage for start-of-combat Strength) directly compound this build. Avoid stacking too many tough elites before Demon Form is in the deck.
Scaling timeline
Act 1: secure Inflame + a Strength power. Act 2: add Demon Form / Rupture and Ruined Helmet if offered, plus a multi-hit payoff (Whirlwind, Fight Me!). Act 3: the deck should kill bosses in 3-4 turns as Strength compounds.
Avoid these
Common mistakes
- Holding Demon Form 'until it's safe' — it scales per turn, so a late drop wastes its best ticks.
- Loading up on single-hit attacks; Strength rewards multi-hit cards far more, so favour Twin Strike / Whirlwind over extra Strikes.
- Forgetting Mangle and Dark Shackles exist against Strength-buffing enemies — they neutralise the fight's biggest threat.
- Skipping Vulnerable setup; Bash plus Strength is dramatically more damage than Strength alone, and it powers Dominate.
Quick answers
FAQ
Common questions about the Demon Form Juggernaut of War Ironclad build.
Is the Demon Form Strength build good in Slay the Spire 2?
Yes — it's an S-tier Ironclad archetype and one of the hardest-snowballing lines in the game. Demon Form's +2 Strength per turn makes long boss and elite fights a formality once it lands. The main caveat is that it's slow to come online, so the opening turns can be fragile before your powers stick.
What are the best cards for a Strength Ironclad?
Demon Form and Inflame are your core Strength sources, and multi-hit attacks like Twin Strike, Fight Me!, and Whirlwind convert each Strength point into damage several times per play. Bash sets up Vulnerable to amplify those hits, while Dominate and Mangle let you steal or strip enemy Strength.
What relics does the Strength build want?
Ruined Helmet is the priority pickup because it doubles your first Strength gain each combat — turning one Inflame into +4 or supercharging Demon Form's opening tick. Vajra and Sword of Jade hand you free Strength at combat start, and Girya lets you bank permanent Strength at Rest Sites.
Is the Strength build good for high Ascension or beginners?
It's rated Intermediate. The payoff is enormous at high Ascension because Strength outscales boss HP pools, but you have to respect early burst since the deck is light on built-in defense before powers land. Beginners can pilot it, but a misjudged power turn against a hard hitter can cost the run. Note StS2 is in Early Access, so card and relic numbers may shift between patches.
Provenance
Sources & video guides
This build's strategy is informed by these community creators.
