Identifying a few key Defect builds

The goal of this guide is to identify a few starting points for various Defect decks, rather than to go into detail on every possible deck. The focus is on how to identify "signals" that might lead to toward these decks.

Introduction

This guide is broken down into "early picks," "signals," and sections for the payoff cards for each build. The idea is that you'll pick up some generically good common/uncommon cards early while figuring out what build is available and move in on a particular deck somewhere in the first third of the run.

This terminology is styled after a Magic: the Gathering draft where you try to figure out what people around you are doing to see what is available for you to do. In a game of Slay the Spire everything is more or less set in advance, so rather than reading your opponents you're trying to determine what deck you can build from the cards you start to see as you progress through the game.

Each of these builds relies on a combination of uncommon cards, but each can work without a specific rare card (though certain rares are obviously nice to have). Each also prefers to remove starting cards (Dualcast especially, then Zap and Strikes) as often as possible. Unless you're hoping for a certain artifact, avoid bosses and prioritize question marks (which frequently remove cards), shops (to remove more cards), and rest areas. In the first act (especially the first half) the Defect can plow through basically anything so it's also resonable to prioritize monsters early to get more shots at new cards.

Rather than rate every card, I've highlighted cards to keep an eye out for. Once you have identified the core strategy of your deck it is easier to evaluate new cards based on whether they fit with that strategy or not.

The guide is a work in progress, and ideally I'll continue to add more strategies and more in-depth signals.

Based in part on Nerd Commando's Defect guide.

Early Picks

These cards are good in basically any deck, and in the early stage of the game they're good to pick up. Some of them will lead to certain signals, discussed below, but they're all worth having in any deck.

For most Defect strategies, the starting deck has a ton of junk in it. It's worth emphasizing that you want to remove as much of it as possible.


TURBO is a great way to accelerate a single turn, and the downside doesn't really matter. They're good in any strategy but lead toward the Storm deck.


Boot Sequence is another good defensive card, in all decks.


Defense is the name of the game early, but you don't usually need more than one Steam Barrier.


Coolheaded is a good defensive card. Upgraded it's even better.


I've started taking Charge Battery more often and found it to be useful in just about any situation. It's better if you can remove lots of your starting cards.


Particularly early, Sweeping Beam helps plow through combats that can be more difficult for the Defect. It's not as good later but drawing a card prevents it from ever being too terrible.


Self-Repair is usally pretty good, and helps recoup unlucky battles. Gets better in the Power deck. More than one starts to clog up your draws.

Signals

These cards should make you consider moving in on a certain archetype. Some of them are conditional (in that they require you to already have certain cards) but most work on their own.


If you get a high enough density of good defensive cards and remove most of the junk in your deck, the Defect can create a powerful turtle strategy, winning with whatever random stuff you happen to pick up along the way. The defense deck is the safest deck, but can lack power if you don't get synergy cards.


Scrape is a signal for the Zero-cost deck. If your deck has a high density of cards that cost zero (of which the Defect has a large number) this card will hit quite often and frequently chain together turns with massive amounts of damage. All For One is also a signal, though as a rare card it's less likely to show up (either card on its own is enough to support the deck). Unlike some of the other signals, picking up a Scrape doesn't require you to have already invested in cards for this deck. It obviously won't do anything right away but many of the powerful zero-cost cards for the deck are common and can be found easily. Claw is the best zero-cost card to have with Scrape and it's a common so you're likely to see several over the course of a game.


Double Energy is a signal for the Storm deck but only if you already have some number of TURBOs (the more the better). The idea here is to chain together a number of energy-producing cards for a huge Tempest turn. Tempest itself can be a signal, but without a way to increase energy it's fairly ineffective.


One of the Defect's class themes is powers with synergies related to playing more powers. A deck built around those cards can't really come together because you're limited by how many you can play in a turn. Mummified Hand changes all of that and allows you to unlock the Power deck.

Defense deck

After you have a high density of good defensive cards you can win with just about anything. Any powerful Defect card will fit the bill, and there are some artifacts and colorless cards that are worth looking out for as well. Free sources of damage are best. Panache is great in this deck, as is Echo Form, since the deck can usually afford to spend time spinning its wheels. The defensive deck can work as a shell for some of the other strategies listed below, but it's best with those that don't require your deck to have a high density of certain effects.

You want most turns to involve gaining lots of block, lots of frost orbs, drawing cards, and maybe playing a few free or cheap attacks. Charge Battery is good here so you can build up energy for big turns.



Nilry's Codex is hard to find but is insane in most decks, especially this one.

Zero-cost deck

This is one of the most fun Defect decks in my opinion.

Scrape and Claw are the core of this deck. Claw builds up an incredible amount of damage over the course of a game, and the more you have the more your damage output goes through the roof. Pick up as many Claws as you can. While Claw is insane in this deck it can also be good in other strategies that cycle through your deck quickly. Scrape is a high-priority upgrade, Claw is not.

In adition to the "engine" cards above, nearly every zero-cost card is a good selection for this deck. Cards that draw cards are high picks.

Also note that while having a high density of zero-cost cards is important, you do still get to pay for some cards each turn so you can pick some good defensive cards or powerful cards that have drawbacks this deck doesn't care about (e.g. Hyperbeam). Just keep a high density of zero-cost cards so Scrape can reliably hit.


All for One is one of the payoffs for this deck. In addition to letting you rebuy all your zero cost cards, in combination with card-drawing cards like Overclock and energy-producing cards like TURBO you can loop All for One a potentially infinite number of times. As noted above it can also power the deck without any Scrapes.


Yes you can beat Time Eater with this deck.

Storm deck

Powering out a high-X Tempest is the core of this deck. Double Energy is pretty bad unless you have other ways to get more energy (like TURBO or an artifact), and you need them all at the same time. So drawing cards is helpful.


Following up a Tempest with a high-X Multi-Cast (or vice versa) will end most combats.

Once you've settled on this deck, cards that improve orbs get better. Increasing focus, increasing orb slots, and other cards that channel orbs efficiently can help the deck make better use of its lightning orbs. Since you'll be building up energy, other X cards shine here as well.

While Double Energy allows for the most explosive Tempest turns, even combining TURBO with a card like Conserve Battery to store the energy for next turn can be an effective strategy (though more questionable for difficult fights). The Ice Cream artifact is obviously insane here.

Power deck

The Power deck uses Creative AI to "power" out a huge number of powers. Once you have Mummified Hand pick up every power you see and particularly prioritize Creative AI. Even without Creative AI, a large number of powers can win on their own. There isn't really much to say about this deck -- once you have Mummified Hand it plays itself.

[Harpie]

Thanks man, the toughest character for me to climb the ladder with

[Troff]

WOW. I tried the zero-cost deck for the FIRST time and got through finally to the level 3 end boss with nearly full health left. Awesome and still relevant today. Only thing was that I couldn't find the Master of Strategy card but the rest were still there (perhaps I haven't unlocked it yet)

[Troff]

Thank you for this guide.Just got the game and learnt quite a few new things from it. Thanks also for the warning it's slightly out of date but it's still useful to people like me.

[Fexghadi]

Folks, this guide is 6 years old. Check the date before you comment perhaps. Some of the recommended cards like conserve battery aren't even in the game anymore...

[LHGreen]

Wow, this guide is... HORRIBLY misinformed, in several ways. Has this guy played A20?

[Zarylo]

What? Coolheaded is a great card in any deck that does not sacrifice focus.
To all you guys saying it's meh: you obviously don't need a guide.
It does supply other players with new insights and ideas about strategies, you have to play the game yourself. Many of my defect plays aren't in here, but why should they be? they are my design.

[andreasnesje]

coolheaded is a horrible early pick. You don't have the energy to make full use of it.
this guide is meh.

[Nyu]

sorry but this guide is meh.

[🤗]

no offense, but this guide is really bad. you shouldn't lean into 'archetypes'. It depends on what cards you are offered and the relics you gain from them. The cards you pick early game are often vastly different than lategame cards.

[Petunia Pissy Pants]

no dark deck mentions