7 March 2026

Best Ironclad Card Combos in Slay the Spire 2

By newsgame


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Marc Santos is a Guides Staff Writer from the Philippines with a BA in Communication Arts and over six years of experience in writing gaming news and guides. He plays just about everything, from turn-based RPGs to life sims, 4X, horror, and more. Marc has spent over 2,200 hours on Destiny 2, all while leaving his Steam game backlog to grow ever bigger.

The Ironclad is the stereotypical warrior class in Slay the Spire 2. He has plenty of cards that revolve around martial combat, and if you’re looking for a character who can deal and absorb tons of punishment, then the Ironclad might just be your guy, but with the sheer amount of cards available, getting a good build going might be a bit troublesome at first.

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Best Ironclad Cards in Slay the Spire 2

StS 2 Ironclad Card Selection Screen
Slay the Spire 2 Ironclad Card Selection Screen
Image via GameRant; Source: Mega Crit

Card

Cost/Type

Effect

Pommel Strike

Attack – 1

Deal 9 Damage. Draw 1 Card.

Pillage

Attack – 1

Deal 6 Damage. Draw cards until you draw a non-Attack card.

Battle Trance

Skill – 0

Draw 3 cards. You cannot draw additional cards this turn.

Setup Strike

Attack – 1

Deal 7 Damage. Gain 2 Strength this turn.

Shrug It Off

Skill – 1

Gain 8 Block. Draw 1 card.

Hellraiser

Power – 2

When you draw a card containing “Strike,” play that card against a random enemy.

Anger

Attack – 0

Deal 6 Damage. Add a copy of this card to your Discard Pile

Headbutt

Attack – 1

Deal 9 Damage. Put a card from your Discard Pile to the top of your Draw Pile.

Armaments

Skill – 1

Gain 5 Block. Upgrade a card in your hand.

Body Slam

Attack – 1

Deal damage based on your Block.

Rage

Skill – 0

Whenever you play an Attack card this turn, gain 3 Block.

Juggernaut

Power – 2

Whenever you gain Block, deal 5 Damage to a random enemy.

Taunt

Skill – 1

Gain 7 Block. Apply 1 Vulnerable.

Flexibility is just as important as getting the perfect hand in Slay the Spire 2. Try not to pigeon hole yourself into getting cards from only one archetype.

Search Cards and Hellraiser

StS 2 Hellraiser card
Slay the Spire 2 Hellraiser card
Image via GameRant; Source: Mega Crit

The Hellraiser power card plays any Strike cards that you draw. Combine this with a deck full of Pommel Strikes, and you’ll be pelting your enemies with tons of free damage. You can go on even longer attack chains if you get lucky with Pillage or Battle Trance.

Generally speaking, cards that draw other cards are very useful for searching for your more powerful options in Slay the Spire 2. Any combination of the search cards mentioned above will fit well in any build. Hellraiser juices up search cards by making Strike cards free to use.

Anger and Headbutt

StS 2 Anger card
Slay the Spire 2 Anger card
Image via GameRant; Source: Mega Crit

Anger is a free, self-replicating card that can open opportunities for some very lengthy turns. Since it creates a duplicate of itself when used, cards like Headbutt can maximize Anger’s efficiency by letting you cast multiple Anger cards in quick succession. Combine this combo with a search card like Pommel Strike to maximize the number of Anger cards you can cast with your limited amount of Energy per turn. Naturally, this pairs well with other zero-cost cards, like the one provided by Byrdonis Egg.

Block Cards and Juggernaut

StS 2 Juggernaut card
Slay the Spire 2 Juggernaut card
Image via GameRant; Source: Mega Crit

Juggernaut is a Power card that deals damage to enemies every time you gain Block. If you’re a fan of the original Slay the Spire, you can use this together with a classic Body Slam build, which will allow you to take zero damage while absolutely demolishing your enemy.

Having a build that revolves around Block and Juggernaut can make even high Ascension runs a walk in the park. You’ll take next to no damage, and you’ll be crushing everything in your way without relying on complicated card combos. Just stack as much Block as you can and watch the numbers flow.