Regent Build

⚔️ The King's Smith

Name: The Ultimate Regent Guide in Slay the Spire 2 – Best Build, Cards, and Tips
Channel: SiNKiLLeR

Forge a single Sovereign Blade into a finishing weapon

Updated for Early Access patch 0.104.0· Updated 2026-06-06

SIntermediate

forgesingle-targetscalingweapon

Win condition: Pour every Forge trigger into Sovereign Blade so the single Retain attack grows turn over turn, then upgrade how it hits (extra strikes, AoE, double damage) until it deletes the biggest health bar in the fight.

S-Tier
Tier: Intermediate
Difficulty: 12
Core cards: Carries the run once online
Power

Reviewed by SpireForge Editorial

Updated 2026-06-06

Strategy informed by Caleb Gannon Gaming, SiNKiLLeR

Deck core

Core cards

The cards this build is built around — prioritize these on every run.

Must-pick

Flex picks

Cosmic Indifference

Synergy

Relic priorities

What to grab from shops, bosses and chests to power the engine.

Fencing ManualCore
Regent relic: Forge 10 at the start of each combat — a free head start on the Blade every fight.
VambraceStrong
Doubles the first Block from a card; pairs cleanly with Bulwark on defensive turns.
AkabekoStrong
8 Vigor up front front-loads your early-combat attacks while the Blade is still small.
Captain's WheelSituational
18 Block on turn 3 buys time to Forge against slow bosses.
Sword of JadeSituational
Flat 3 Strength helps every attack, including the Blade's multiple hits once Sword Sage is online.
GorgetSituational
4 Plating each combat is durable defense that frees card slots for Forge.

Game plan

How to play

Step-by-step through the run, from opening hands to the win.

Get the Blade in hand
Sovereign Blade is a Token — you don't draft it, you generate it. Summon Forth pulls it from anywhere while Forging 8. Once it's in hand it Retains, so you only need to fetch it once per combat. If you took Sword Sage early, play it before the Blade is huge so the cost bump (and bonus hit) is baked in.
Forge every turn, attack with the cheap stuff
Lead each turn by dumping Forge: Spoils of Battle, Refine Blade, The Smith, plus Beat into Shape and Wrought in War which Forge AND deal damage. Furnace and Fencing Manual (relic) add free Forge so you never waste a card slot purely on setup.
Decide the kill turn
Watch the Blade's current damage number. When it exceeds the enemy's remaining HP (or you can finish with one Conqueror double-up), spend your Energy on the Blade. Conqueror right before swinging is your burst button against elites and bosses.
Pivot to AoE when you need it
Seeking Edge permanently makes Sovereign Blade hit ALL enemies. Against a board of adds (or Act-pattern multi-enemy fights) play Seeking Edge early so your over-Forged Blade wipes the whole screen instead of one target.
Stay alive while you ramp
Bulwark gives 13 Block AND Forge 10, the perfect tempo card on a turn you must defend. Parry turns every Blade swing into 6 Block, so once you're swinging every turn your offense doubles as defense.

Honest take

Pros & cons

Strengths

Scales to numbers no single normal attack in the pool can match.
Forge cards double as defense (Bulwark) and tempo, so setup is rarely dead.
Very Energy-efficient — most Forge costs 1 and one swing ends fights.

Weaknesses

Bricks if you never draw/tutor the Blade; over-reliant on Summon Forth.
Naturally single-target until you find Seeking Edge.

Opening

Mulligan & priorities

What to keep, what to ditch in your opening hands.

Keep Summon Forth — it both tutors the Blade and Forges; it's the single most important card in the deck.
Keep cheap Forge (Spoils of Battle, Refine Blade) to start ramping turn one.
Keep Bulwark against hard-hitting openers for Block-plus-Forge.
Toss raw Strikes/Defends — they don't Forge and don't advance the plan.
Hold Conqueror until the Blade is large enough that doubling it actually kills something.

Map strategy

Pathing

How to route the map to assemble the build and stay healthy.

Prioritize Forge density early

In Act 1, draft every Forge card you see (Wrought in War, Spoils of Battle, Refine Blade) plus one tutor (Summon Forth). You want the engine assembled before the first elite.

Hunt the multiplier rares

Sword Sage, Seeking Edge, Conqueror, and Hammer Time are the payoff layer. Push toward elites and shops to find them; one of each is enough to make the Blade a boss-killer.

Avoid these

Common mistakes

Swinging the Blade every turn for chip damage instead of Forging up and committing to one lethal swing — it's a Retain card, you lose nothing by waiting.
Playing Conqueror too early; doubling a small Blade wastes the effect (it only doubles for that turn).
Forgetting Sword Sage raises the Blade's cost — make sure you have the Energy to actually cast it on your kill turn.
Skipping Summon Forth and then never drawing the Blade in long fights.
Drafting wide attack support; this deck wants Forge and survival cards, not a second damage plan.

Quick answers

FAQ

Common questions about the The King's Smith Regent build.

Is The King's Smith a good Regent build in Slay the Spire 2?

Yes — it's an S-tier plan because Sovereign Blade has Retain, so every point of Forge from Spoils of Battle, The Smith, Refine Blade and Furnace compounds onto one card that never leaves your hand. Once the Blade clears an elite's health bar in a single swing it carries the whole run.

What are the best cards for the Forge Regent build?

Summon Forth is the most important card since it tutors Sovereign Blade and Forges 8. Beyond that you want cheap Forge generators (Spoils of Battle, Refine Blade, The Smith) plus the multiplier rares Sword Sage, Seeking Edge and Conqueror that turn a fat Blade into a board wipe or a doubled one-shot.

What relics does the Sovereign Blade build want?

Fencing Manual is the standout — Forge 10 at the start of every combat gives the Blade a free head start. Akabeko front-loads early Vigor while the Blade is small, and Vambrace pairs with Bulwark's Block on defensive turns.

How do you deal with multi-enemy fights as Forge Regent?

Play Seeking Edge to permanently make Sovereign Blade hit ALL enemies, so your over-Forged single-target weapon becomes a screen wipe. Until you find it, lean on Beat into Shape and Wrought in War which deal damage while they Forge.

Provenance

Sources & video guides

This build's strategy is informed by these community creators.

The Ultimate Regent Guide in Slay the Spire 2 – Best Build, Cards, and Tips
SiNKiLLeR·76K·34:18