Regent Build
👑 Iron Crown
Stack Strength, suppress the enemy's, swing repeating attacks
Gain 1 Strength. ALL enemies lose 1 Strength.
Upgraded: Gain 2 Strength. ALL enemies lose 1 Strength.
Win condition: Win the Strength war — buff your own with Powers and Vigor while debuffing the enemy's with Resonance, Crush Under, and Dying Star — then convert that Strength into damage through multi-hit attacks that benefit per swing.
- B-Tier
- Tier
- Intermediate
- Difficulty
- 10
- Core cards
- Reliable bruiser
- Power
Deck core
Core cards
The cards this build is built around — prioritize these on every run.
Must-pick
Gain 1 Strength. ALL enemies lose 1 Strength.
Upgraded: Gain 2 Strength. ALL enemies lose 1 Strength.
Deal 7 damage to ALL enemies. All enemies lose 1 Strength this turn.
Upgraded: Deal 8 damage to ALL enemies. All enemies lose 2 Strength this turn.
Ethereal. Deal 9 damage to ALL enemies. ALL enemies lose 9 Strength this turn.
Upgraded: Ethereal. Deal 11 damage to ALL enemies. ALL enemies lose 11 Strength this turn.
Deal 7 damage to ALL enemies 7 times.
Upgraded: Cost changes from 2 to 1
Deal 6 damage 3 times.
Upgraded: Deal 8 damage 3 times.
Whenever you play a Colorless card, gain 1 Strength.
Upgraded: Whenever you play a Colorless card, gain 2 Strength.
Gain 6 Vigor.
Upgraded: Gain 8 Vigor.
Gain 8 Block. Gain 2 Vigor.
Upgraded: Gain 10 Block. Gain 3 Vigor.
Deal 8 damage. Whenever you draw this card, increase its damage by 3 this combat.
Upgraded: Deal 8 damage. Whenever you draw this card, increase its damage by 5 this combat.
Deal 30 damage.
Upgraded: Deal 40 damage.
Flex picks
Gain 1 Strength. Gain 1 Dexterity.
Upgraded: Gain 2 Strength. Gain 2 Dexterity.
Gain 5 Strength this turn.
Upgraded: Gain 7 Strength this turn.
Deal 5 damage to a random enemy X times.
Upgraded: Deal 7 damage to a random enemy X times.
Deal 8 damage X times. Double X if it's 4 or more.
Upgraded: Deal 10 damage X times. Double X if it's 4 or more.
Deal 24 damage. Whenever you draw this card, reduce its cost by 1.
Upgraded: Deal 30 damage. Whenever you draw this card, reduce its cost by 1.
Gain 17 Block. Blocked attack damage is reflected to your attacker this turn.
Upgraded: Gain 21 Block. Blocked attack damage is reflected to your attacker this turn.
Gain 11 Block. Next turn, gain 4 Block.
Upgraded: Gain 13 Block. Next turn, gain 6 Block.
Gain 8 Plating.
Upgraded: Gain 11 Plating.
Synergy
Relic priorities
What to grab from shops, bosses and chests to power the engine.
Sword of JadeCoreStart each combat with 3 Strength — a permanent base that every multi-hit attack multiplies.
VajraStrongFlat +1 Strength at all times; small but always-on and multiplied by multi-hit.
AkabekoStrong8 Vigor at combat start front-loads a big opening attack while you ramp Strength.
Mini RegentSituationalRegent relic granting Strength the first time you spend each turn — free incremental buffs.
Daughter of the WindSituational1 Block per Attack played; a multi-attack Strength deck plays lots of attacks, so it adds up.
GorgetSituational4 Plating each combat covers the slow early turns before your Strength lead takes over.
Game plan
How to play
Step-by-step through the run, from opening hands to the win.
Honest take
Pros & cons
Strengths
- Strength + multi-hit produces huge, reliable single-card damage.
- Enemy Strength-strip is strong defense against the scariest attackers.
- Lower combo requirement than the Stars or Skill decks — just buff and swing.
Weaknesses
- Slower to come online than a pure aggro plan.
- Needs both Strength sources and a multi-hit payoff; half a plan is weak.
Opening
Mulligan & priorities
What to keep, what to ditch in your opening hands.
- Keep Resonance — the cleanest Strength swing in the pool.
- Keep a multi-hit payoff (Seven Stars, Celestial Might) to cash in Strength.
- Keep Crush Under / Dying Star against big single-attack enemies.
- Hold Vigor (Terraforming, Patter) for your largest planned attack.
- Toss 0-impact cards if your Strength sources and a payoff are present.
Map strategy
Pathing
How to route the map to assemble the build and stay healthy.
Draft Strength sources and a multiplier
Prowess, Resonance, and Arsenal supply Strength; Seven Stars and Celestial Might multiply it. You want both halves — Strength with no multi-hit (or vice versa) underperforms.
Pick up enemy-Strength removal for Act 2-3
Crush Under and especially Dying Star scale your survivability against the brutal multi-attack elites and bosses later in the run.
Avoid these
Common mistakes
- Spending Vigor on a small attack — it only boosts the next one, so save it for a multi-hit or Devastate.
- Playing multi-hit attacks before your Strength is built; their value is per-hit.
- Forgetting Dying Star is Ethereal — play it the turn you draw it or it's gone.
- Treating enemy Strength-down as optional; against multi-hit bosses it prevents far more damage than Block.
- Discarding Kingly Punch/Kingly Kick early before their draw-scaling pays off.
Quick answers
FAQ
Common questions about the Iron Crown Regent build.
Is the Iron Crown Strength build good in Slay the Spire 2?
It's a reliable B-tier bruiser with a lower combo requirement than the Stars or Skill decks — you simply buff your Strength and swing. Resonance both adds your Strength and strips the enemy's, so it doubles as defense, but it ramps slowly and needs both Strength sources and a multi-hit payoff to perform.
What are the best cards for the Strength Regent build?
Resonance is the cleanest Strength swing, and Seven Stars (7 hits to ALL) and Celestial Might (3 hits) multiply each point of Strength across every hit. Crush Under and Dying Star strip enemy Strength (Dying Star removes 9-11), and Arsenal layers extra Strength from Colorless plays.
How do Kingly Punch and Kingly Kick fit the deck?
Kingly Punch increases its own damage every time you draw it and Kingly Kick lowers its cost each draw, so they reward longer, grindier fights where your Strength has also climbed. Don't discard them early — draw cycles make them cheaper and harder-hitting.
What relics does Iron Crown want?
Sword of Jade is core: 3 Strength at combat start is a permanent base every multi-hit attack multiplies. Vajra adds always-on Strength, Akabeko front-loads a big opening attack with Vigor, and Mini Regent grants Strength the first time you spend each turn.
Provenance
Sources & video guides
This build's strategy is informed by these community creators.
