Regent Build
⭐ Constellation Engine
Spin the Stars resource into damage and Block
Whenever you spend or gain 1 Stars, deal 3 damage to ALL enemies.
Upgraded: Whenever you spend or gain 1 Stars, deal 4 damage to ALL enemies.
Win condition: Build a deck that gains Stars constantly, then turn each gain (and each spend) into free AoE via Black Hole and a once-per-turn nuke via Radiate, defending with the Block Child of the Stars hands you for spending.
- A-Tier
- Tier
- Advanced
- Difficulty
- 12
- Core cards
- Strong, swingy engine
- Power
Deck core
Core cards
The cards this build is built around — prioritize these on every run.
Must-pick
Whenever you spend or gain 1 Stars, deal 3 damage to ALL enemies.
Upgraded: Whenever you spend or gain 1 Stars, deal 4 damage to ALL enemies.
At the start of your turn, gain 2 Stars.
Upgraded: At the start of your turn, gain 3 Stars.
Whenever you play a card, gain 1 Stars.
Upgraded: Innate. Whenever you play a card, gain 1 Stars.
Deal 3 damage to ALL enemies for each 1 Stars gained this turn.
Upgraded: Deal 4 damage to ALL enemies for each 1 Stars gained this turn.
Whenever you spend 1 Stars, gain 2 Block for each 1 Stars spent.
Upgraded: Whenever you spend 1 Stars, gain 3 Block for each 1 Stars spent.
Deal 8 damage. Gain 1 Stars.
Upgraded: Deal 9 damage. Gain 2 Stars.
Deal 8 damage. Gain 2 Stars. Put this card on top of your Draw Pile.
Upgraded: Deal 11 damage. Gain 2 Stars. Put this card on top of your Draw Pile.
Gain 7 Block. Gain 1 Stars.
Upgraded: Gain 10 Block. Gain 1 Stars.
Gain 1 Stars. Draw 2 cards.
Upgraded: Gain 2 Stars. Draw 2 cards.
Gain 2 Stars.
Upgraded: Gain 3 Stars.
Gain 9 Stars. Exhaust.
Upgraded: Retain. Gain 9 Stars. Exhaust.
Gain 1 Stars. Next turn, gain 3 Stars.
Upgraded: Gain 1 Stars. Next turn, gain 4 Stars.
Flex picks
Deal 30 damage. If this kills an enemy, gain 5 Stars.
Upgraded: Deal 38 damage. If this kills an enemy, gain 5 Stars.
Next turn, gain 1 Energy and 1 Stars. Retain your Hand this turn.
Upgraded: Next turn, gain 1 Energy and 2 Stars. Retain your Hand this turn.
Deal 6 damage. Deals 2 additional damage for ALL your cards that have a 1 Stars cost.
Upgraded: Deal 6 damage. Deals 3 additional damage for ALL your cards that have a 1 Stars cost.
Deal 7 damage to ALL enemies 7 times.
Upgraded: Cost changes from 2 to 1
Gain 7 Block.
Upgraded: Gain 10 Block.
Draw 1 card. Gain 1 Energy. Gain 1 Stars. Forge 5. Exhaust.
Upgraded: Innate. Draw 1 card. Gain 1 Energy. Gain 1 Stars. Forge 5. Exhaust.
Deal 12 damage. Next turn, draw 2 cards.
Upgraded: Deal 13 damage. Next turn, draw 3 cards.
Gain 7 Block. Add 1 random Colorless card into your Hand.
Upgraded: Gain 8 Block. Add 1 random Upgraded Colorless card into your Hand.
Synergy
Relic priorities
What to grab from shops, bosses and chests to power the engine.
Divine RightCoreRegent relic that grants a resource at combat start — an instant Black Hole trigger and a head start on Radiate turns.
Divine DestinyStrongCompanion Regent combat-start resource relic; more early Stars means more early Black Hole pings.
Lunar PastryStrongRegent relic granting a resource at the end of your turn, feeding the Star economy every round.
Galactic DustSituational10 Block per 10 resource spent — turns a high-spend Stars deck into durable defense.
Mini RegentSituationalStrength the first time you spend each turn; small permanent buff that helps your gain-attacks hit harder.
Philosopher's StoneSituationalPer-turn resource gain (downside: all enemies start with 1 Strength) keeps the engine ticking on slow boards.
Game plan
How to play
Step-by-step through the run, from opening hands to the win.
Honest take
Pros & cons
Strengths
- Black Hole turns the whole deck into repeatable, scaling AoE.
- Excellent against multi-enemy fights and elites with adds.
- Self-defends through Child of the Stars and Block-attached Star cards.
Weaknesses
- Dead weight without a Stars payoff in the deck.
- Slower starts; vulnerable to burst before the engine is online.
Opening
Mulligan & priorities
What to keep, what to ditch in your opening hands.
- Keep Genesis or The Sealed Throne — your passive Star engines.
- Keep Black Hole; it's the payoff that makes every gain matter.
- Keep two cheap gainers (Solar Strike, Glow) to start ticking immediately.
- Hold Radiate until you can stack several gains in one turn.
- Toss cards that neither gain Stars nor defend if the engine pieces are present.
Map strategy
Pathing
How to route the map to assemble the build and stay healthy.
Find a payoff before going wide
Black Hole, Radiate, and Child of the Stars are the reasons to gain Stars. Without at least one, Stars do little — prioritize them in Act 1 rewards and shops.
Add raw gainers in Act 2
Once a payoff is secured, every Solar Strike, Shining Strike, Venerate, and Hidden Cache you add directly increases throughput. Royal Gamble (9 Stars, Retain when upgraded) is a huge single spike.
Avoid these
Common mistakes
- Drafting Star-gainers with no Black Hole / Radiate / Child of the Stars payoff — the Stars then do almost nothing on their own.
- Lumping all gains before Radiate is in hand; Radiate only counts gains made the same turn it's played.
- Ignoring Black Hole's 'spend' trigger — cards that consume Stars also ping it, so spending isn't purely defensive.
- Playing Genesis/The Sealed Throne late; their value is per-turn, so every turn they're not down is wasted.
- Treating it as a fast deck — it ramps, so secure early defense (Cloak of Stars, Gather Light).
Quick answers
FAQ
Common questions about the Constellation Engine Regent build.
Is the Constellation Engine good in Slay the Spire 2?
It's a strong A-tier engine because Black Hole turns every Star you spend or gain into 3 damage to ALL enemies, so a deck packed with gainers becomes repeatable board-wide damage. It's swingy — without a payoff like Black Hole or Radiate the Stars do almost nothing — but online it crushes multi-enemy fights.
What are the best Stars cards for the Constellation Engine Regent?
Genesis (2 Stars each turn) and The Sealed Throne (1 Star per card played) are the passive backbone, and Black Hole plus Radiate are the payoffs. Cheap gainers like Solar Strike, Shining Strike, Glow, Venerate and the 9-Star burst of Royal Gamble keep the triggers flowing.
How does Radiate work in this build?
Radiate deals 3 (4 upgraded) damage to ALL enemies for each Star GAINED that same turn, so you front-load every gainer — Royal Gamble's 9, Gather Light, Glow, Hidden Cache — and fire Radiate last for a massive one-card board wipe.
What relics support the Stars Regent engine?
Divine Right and Divine Destiny grant the Stars resource at combat start for an instant Black Hole ping, Lunar Pastry feeds Stars at end of turn, and Galactic Dust converts a high-spend Stars deck into 10 Block per 10 resource spent.
Provenance
Sources & video guides
This build's strategy is informed by these community creators.
