Silent Card Tier List
Possibly the strongest character in Slay the Spire 2. The discard package is dominant — Acrobatics, Prepared, Calculated Gamble, Reflex, and Tactician enable infinite-style play. Shivs and poison are weaker than in Spire 1; Blade Dance now exhausts, which hurts shiv synergies significantly. Small decks with discard combos win consistently. The Sly keyword (discarded Sly cards play themselves for their cost) is the key mechanic that pushes Silent over the top.
Discard Engine & Core Combo
9 cards
These cards form the backbone of Silent's dominant discard strategy. The core engine revolves around discarding cards to trigger Sly payoffs (Reflex, Tactician, Untouchable) while using Acrobatics and Prepared for draw + discard. Pinpoint is the premier damage payoff that costs less for each skill played.
Draw 3 cards.Discard 1 card.
Lines up all combos and is even better than Spire 1. With more discard payoffs available, Acrobatics is the backbone of every strong Silent deck. Draw cards, discard to trigger Sly, and keep your engine running. Premium discard + draw in one card.
Gain.Draw 2 cards.Exhaust.
Free acceleration — 0 energy, draw 2, gain 1 energy. Not an output solve but if your deck is functioning, the extra card + energy for combos is always welcome. Always a top pick regardless of build state.
Discard your Hand,then draw that many cards.Exhaust.
Now exhausts, so you can't loop it with Reflex like Spire 1. But exhausting your entire deck is easier with smaller decks. Still S tier because it's the most powerful single discard trigger — discard hand and draw that many. Upgrade (retain) less important since you want to play it immediately.
Deal 10 damage.If Fatal, gain an additional card reward.Exhaust.
1 energy deal 10, if Fatal gain extra card reward, exhaust. Double card rewards let you find discard pieces much faster. 10 damage is decent for Act 1 too. S tier for accelerating your deck building.
Deal 15 damage.Costs 1 less for each Skill played this turn.
3 energy deal 17, cost reduced by 1 per skill played this turn. 17 unupgraded damage is absurd. With Acrobatics into block cards, the cost often drops to 0-1 energy. Loops beautifully in endgame — play skills to discount, then slam. Like Eviscerate but it actually works.
Draw 1 card. Discard 1 card.
The bridge card that triggers every Sly payoff. Draw 1 discard 1 (upgrade: draw 2 discard 2) — the upgraded version is disgusting for consistency. Discounts Pinpoint (it's a skill), triggers Reflex and Tactician. Works with literally everything.
Sly.Draw 2 cards.
Sly discard payoff — plays itself when discarded, dealing damage for free. Arguably the strongest Sly card for pure value. Sometimes playable at 3 energy raw. Works with Prepared, Acrobatics, and every discard trigger.
At the start of your turn, draw 1 card and discard 1 card.
Draw consistency power that triggers Sly every turn. Always triggers Reflex and Tactician. Upgrades to 0 energy cost, making it free ongoing value. Smooths every turn of the game.
Sly.Gain 7 Block.
0-cost 9 block with Sly keyword. When discarded, plays itself for free — effectively giving you 'plus one draw' as well since it doesn't cost a card from your hand. Premium defensive Sly card.
Strong Support Cards
9 cards
A-tier cards provide strong value but aren't part of the core discard engine. They offer damage, debuffs, defense, or utility that complements the main strategy. Many are excellent early game picks that remain relevant throughout the run.
Innate.Deal 11 damage.Exhaust.
Strong innate damage for Act 1. The frontloaded damage helps survive the scariest phase of the game. Falls off slightly in endgame as an extra brick, but not as punishing as in Spire 1.
Whenever you draw a card this turn, apply 2 Poison to ALL enemies.
2 energy: whenever you draw this turn, apply 3 poison to all enemies. Into Acrobatics = 9 poison + draw. Boss scaling and early AoE. Can apply 15-20 poison from Acrobatics + Calculated Gamble, which is enough to kill most things.
Remove all Artifact and Block from the enemy.Apply 2 Vulnerable.Exhaust.
0 energy: remove enemy artifacts + block, apply 2 Vulnerable, exhaust. Terror that doesn't need an upgrade. Kill on turn one becomes common with Vulnerable. Extra utility vs block/stun enemies that would otherwise waste your turns.
Gain 2 Dexterity.
Dexterity scaling for block. One copy is often enough — you don't need 50-60 block. Handles Giant Head elite and Act 1 bosses. Stops chip damage from eroding your HP over the run.
Apply 2 Weak.Gain 11 Block.
Block + Weakness application. Unchanged from Spire 1 and still excellent. Weakness is broken for damage prevention. One of the best Weak sources — never take damage in hallway fights.
Enemy loses X Strength. Apply X Weak.Exhaust.
X-cost Weakness + Strength reduction. Worse than Spire 1 since Awakened One, Time Eater, and Heart aren't the threats. Beekeeper multi-hit fights benefit from it. Still solid boss card.
At the start of your turn, apply 2 Poison to ALL enemies.
Passive poison scaling. Power card that provides boss scaling and AoE. Elite with statuses that split — does well. Needs upgrade to be premium. One of the few good poison cards in Silent's pool.
ALL enemies lose 6 Strength this turn.Exhaust.
AoE Strength reduction that blocks massive damage. Multi-hit fights become trivial. Common rarity — should honestly be Uncommon with this power level. Full block every AoE fight.
Sly.Gain.
Sly discard payoff for energy generation. Key combo piece with Prepared. Harder to raw pick than Reflex since Sly cheats energy — you need this less. But when it triggers, the extra energy is massive.
Viable Niche Picks
4 cards
B-tier cards have clear uses but don't fit into every deck. They can shine in specific builds or serve as Act 1 bridges, but you should have a good reason for picking them over S/A tier alternatives.
Deal 5 damage for each Skill in your Hand.
Buffed to 5 damage per skill (7 upgraded). With Acrobatics and Backflip, 1 energy for 15-21 damage is realistic. Much more solid than Spire 1 — converts your skill-heavy deck into real damage.
Sly.Deal 6 damage to ALL enemies.
1 energy deal 7 to all enemies. Usually costs 0 via Sly. Strong early game AoE at Common rarity. Pick frequently when you need AoE answers.
Sly.Deal 3 damage to a random enemy 4 times.
Sly: deal 3x4 to random enemies. Ignore the 2 energy printed cost — it's effectively 0 energy 12 damage when discarded. Discard payoff that scales with enchantments.
When you play a Skill, it gains Sly.
Whenever you play a skill, that skill gains Sly for the rest of combat. Win-more card — if your deck is already functioning, this makes it absurd. Energy cheat in long fights. Bottom of B.
Situational or Weak
20 cards
C-tier cards are generally not worth taking. Many represent archetypes (shivs, poison) that are significantly weaker in Spire 2. Only pick these in desperation or for very specific synergy reasons.
Sly.Gain 1 Dexterity.Gain 4 Thorns.
Discard for free with a minor dexterity breakpoint. Not the most important card — you'd rather see other rares. The dexterity gain is meaningful but not worth a card slot in most builds.
Shivs deal 4 additional damage.
Middle of the pack shiv support. Blade Dance exhausts now, making draw-order reliant. If Blade Dance is in your hand before Accuracy, the shivs are already gone. Shiv synergies are fundamentally worse.
Add 3 Shivs into your Hand.Exhaust.
1 energy deal 12, exhaust. No longer bridges to Accuracy due to draw order. Frontloaded damage is nice. Exhausting is actually good for Acrobatics decks but it's not premium.
Apply 3 Poison to a random enemy 3 times.
Poison isn't a strong archetype. Can kill an elite if you've seen nothing else. Boss damage in desperation. C tier at best.
Gain 6 Block.Add 1 Shiv into your Hand.
6 block and 1 shiv. Serviceable block card but don't pick it expecting to build around Accuracy + shivs. Early block value only.
Deal 4 damage to ALL enemies twice.
Better than Spire 1 since AoE is more important. Desperate AoE answer before first elite. Eels and multi-enemy fights need spread damage. Bottom of B or C.
Deal 9 damage.Draw 1 card.Discard 1 card.
Worse than Spire 1. Discard enabler with 9 damage sometimes not being relevant. The discard payoff is what matters, not the damage.
Gain 10 Block.Deal 10 damage.
Early game chunky block. Doesn't enable any strategy. Big number but less important when you're not worried about Frail.
Draw cards until you have 6 in your Hand.
Better than Spire 1, wants upgrade. Not attached to the discard package directly. Can enable infinite draw in specific configurations.
Deal 6 damage to ALL enemies.If the last card you played this turn was a Skill, apply 1 Weak to ALL enemies.
1 energy deal 6 to all, if last card was a skill: apply 1 Weak to all. Artifact strip or Weakness application. Trivial condition but low damage.
Can only be played if there are no cards in your Draw Pile. Deal 60 damage to ALL enemies.
Easier to play with smaller decks and fewer retain effects. Payoff is worth it when you can reliably empty your draw pile. Enchantments help make it consistent.
At the start of your turn, add 1 Shiv into your Hand.
Works with shivs better than most cards, but it's slow. If you have no other damage, it can chip away at bosses. Mid card overall.
Deal 7 damage.Add 1 Shiv into your Hand.
1 energy deal 11 + 1 shiv. Rather have Dagger Spray for AoE or Dagger Throw for synergy. Just okay damage.
Shivs gain Retain.The first Shiv you play each turn deals 9 additional damage.
1 shiv per turn + 9 damage. Infinite Blades synergy. Once-a-turn Accuracy effect. Fringe value only.
Deal 12 damage.The next Skill you play costs 0.
2 energy deal 12, next skill costs 0. Persists between turns. Usually discounts Defend. Effectively 1 energy for 12 damage.
Whenever you play a card, deal 4 damage to a random enemy.
3 energy: whenever you play a card, deal 4 to random enemy. Speedster archetype is worse. Cost 2 to deploy for marginal damage. Top of C.
Deal 6 damage.
Worse than Spire 1. Sly exists for free damage — having to play a card instead of discarding for value is not as good. Still a Common damage option that works with Acrobatics.
Deal 8 damage.Whenever you play a card this turn, the enemy loses 2 HP.
1 energy deal 8 + lose 2 HP per other card played. Usually around 12 damage. Lose HP through shields. Desperation damage pick.
Deal 8 damage.Apply 1 Weak.
8 damage + Weakness. Buffed from Spire 1. But other Weakness sources exist and Neutralize is in the starter deck already.
Add 3 Shivs into your Hand.Reduce this card's cost by 1.
Card generation with discard synergy. Not reliable enough to build around. Situational value at best.
Generally Avoid
14 cards
D-tier cards are actively bad picks. They either work against the discard strategy, belong to dead archetypes, or provide negligible value. Skipping card rewards is almost always better than picking these.
Poison is triggered 1 additional time.
Polarizing Silent card that doesn't contribute to the discard plan. D tier — skip it.
Gain 5 Block.Draw 2 cards.
1 energy draw 2 block. Rather draw + discard for Sly triggers. Introduces a card to your deck instead of thinning it. When you want to win turn one, this isn't contributing.
You cannot draw additional cards this turn. ALL cards in your Hand are free to play this turn.
Breaks combo pieces. Snecko and Pyramid are less common. Burst + Apparitions and Nightmare + Wraith Form combos are gone. No reason to play this.
This turn, your next Skill is played an extra time.
Burst targets (Apparitions, Blur, Catalyst) are all worse in Spire 2. Less that threatens Silent makes burst less necessary.
Deal 6 damage for each Attack already played this turn.
Less needed with Blade Dance exhausting. Early damage is less desperate. The attacks-played condition is hard to meet reliably.
Discard 2 cards.Add 2 Shivs into your Hand.
0 energy discard 2, add 2 shivs. Read as 'discard 2 cards.' Rather have Prepared which draws first. Need other cards to fill your hand back up.
Play every Shiv in your Exhaust Pile on the enemy.
2 energy play every shiv in your exhaust pile. Draw-order dependent. Blade Dance exhausts — when do you even accumulate shivs? The shiv package is fundamentally broken in Spire 2.
Gain Block equal to Poison on ALL enemies.Exhaust.
Defensive option that doesn't contribute to the discard game plan. Too slow and too low impact.
Deal 1 damage.Deals 1 additional damage for each card drawn this combat.
Deal 1 + 1 per card drawn this turn. Slow scaling that bricks your first cycle. Drawing on your first cycle means this is dead weight. Never want this.
Choose a card.Next turn, add 3 copies of that card into your Hand.Exhaust.
Much worse in Spire 2. What do you Nightmare? Wraith Form is boss-exclusive. Apparitions are rarer. Catalyst is gone. Calculated Gamble exhausts. No good targets.
Double your Block gain this turn.
Double block value. How often is your block above 5? Win-more card. Beat of Death is gone — there's no pressure to over-block.
Discard your Hand.Next turn, Attacks deal double damage.
Discard your hand, next turn attacks deal double. Unload + Phantasmal Killer concept. But you throw away Well-Laid Plans and your entire hand setup.
Deal 8 damage X times.
X-cost shiv damage. Less needed with ChemX and enchantments. Energy is premium. Pinpoint and Flechettes are strictly better damage options.
Discard your Hand.Add 1 Shiv into your Hand for each card discarded.
Discard hand, gain 1 shiv per card discarded. Terrible in Spire 1, even worse now — no shiv synergies to capitalize on. Ruins Well-Laid Plans.
Never Pick
1 cards
F-tier is reserved for cards so bad they deserve their own category. These cards are actively harmful to your deck and should never be picked under any circumstance.
Retain.Apply 7 Poison.
Reserved F tier — the worst card in the entire game. 2 energy for Deadly Poison that retains in your hand. The most unpickable garbage in Slay the Spire 2. The energy cost alone makes it criminal, and retaining means it clogs your hand every single turn.
Silent Card Strategy Notes
- 1Core package: Acrobatics + Prepared + Tactician/Reflex; Pinpoint as main damage payoff. This discard engine is the strongest strategy in the game.
- 2Sly keyword: Discarded Sly cards are played for their cost (counts as card play). This makes discard both draw AND output simultaneously.
- 3Pinpoint is the premier damage card: 3 energy, 17 damage, cost reduced by 1 per skill played. Loops beautifully with Acrobatics — play skills to discount, then slam for massive damage.
- 4Precise Cut: 0 energy deal 13, -2 damage per other card in hand. Works with Prepared, Acrobatics, and Survivor. With an empty hand it deals full damage for free.
- 5Avoid: Overpicking cards — bloating your deck hurts combos significantly. Shiv and poison archetypes are much weaker than Spire 1.
- 6Snakebite is the worst card in the game: 2 energy Deadly Poison that retains. Never pick it under any circumstances.
- 7Removes and transforms are common in Spire 2 — lean into small deck infinite strategies. The Hunt gives extra card rewards on kill to find discard pieces faster.
Silent Guide
Character overview and strategies
Full Tier List
Character and build rankings
All Card Tier Lists
Card rankings for every character
Card Database
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