Should I upgrade Defile in Slay the Spire 2?

Compare the upgraded text: Ethereal. Deal 17 damage.. If the upgrade lowers cost, adds damage/block, or enables a combo piece, it is usually high priority.

What builds use Defile?

Defile appears in 2 tracked builds: Banshee's Veil (B-tier, core card), The Gallows Doubler (B-tier, flex pick).

What character uses Defile?

Defile is tagged as a Necrobinder card. See the Necrobinder build hub for archetypes that care about it.

Updated for Data 2026-03-17Early Access — numbers may shift with patches.

Defile

Necrobinder · Attack · Common · 1 cost

Base

Upgraded

Card text

Ethereal. Deal 13 damage.

Defile+

Ethereal. Deal 17 damage.

Builds that use Defile

Archetypes that draft this card in real runs, with the role it plays.

Keywords

Ethereal

Build context

See the Necrobinder build hub for archetypes that feature this card in real runs.

Related cards

Defile FAQ

Should I upgrade Defile in Slay the Spire 2?: Compare the upgraded text: Ethereal. Deal 17 damage.. If the upgrade lowers cost, adds damage/block, or enables a combo piece, it is usually high priority.
What builds use Defile?: Defile appears in 2 tracked builds: Banshee's Veil (B-tier, core card), The Gallows Doubler (B-tier, flex pick).
What character uses Defile?: Defile is tagged as a Necrobinder card. See the Necrobinder build hub for archetypes that care about it.

Patch history

SpireForge snapshots card text from Untapped exports dated 2026-03-17. When Mega Crit ships a balance patch, we re-run the scraper and refresh every affected URL—see /patches for the editorial log.