Card Category
Common Cards
Complete guide to Common cards in Slay the Spire 2 — the foundational cards that form the basis of every deck.
Common cards in Slay the Spire 2 are the most frequently appearing cards and form the foundation of every deck. While they lack the flashy effects of rarer cards, commons provide the reliable damage, block, and utility that get you through the early game and remain useful throughout a run when properly supported.
Every character starts with basic commons — Strikes and Defends — that define their early game capabilities. These starter cards are deliberately weak to incentivize card rewards and removal events. Act 1 is largely about replacing or supplementing these starter cards with better commons and early uncommons that give your deck direction.
Strong commons like Dagger Spray (Silent AOE), Pommel Strike (Ironclad damage + draw), and Ball Lightning (Defect damage + orb) provide immediate power that can carry you through Act 1 elites. These cards are efficient, straightforward, and require no special synergy to be effective — making them reliable picks in nearly any context.
Common cards also include basic utility options like Deflect (zero-cost block), True Grit (Exhaust + block), and Beam Cell (Vulnerable + damage). These cards provide specific functionality that remains valuable even in late-game decks. Zero-cost commons, in particular, gain value with any card that rewards playing many cards per turn.
Don't underestimate commons when building your deck. A well-chosen common that addresses a specific need — AOE damage, single-target burst, reliable block — can be more valuable than a rare that doesn't fit your strategy. Many winning runs are built on a foundation of strong commons with a few key uncommons and rares providing the scaling.
Acrobatics
Common · Skill · Silent
Draw 3 cards. Discard 1 card.
Afterlife
Common · Skill · Necrobinder
Summon 6.
Anger
Common · Attack · Ironclad
Deal 6 damage. Add a copy of this card into your Discard Pile.
Anticipate
Common · Skill · Silent
Gain 3 Dexterity this turn.
Armaments
Common · Skill · Ironclad
Gain 5 Block. Upgrade a card in your Hand.
Astral Pulse
Common · Attack · Regent
Deal 14 damage to ALL enemies.
Backflip
Common · Skill · Silent
Gain 5 Block. Draw 2 cards.
Ball Lightning
Common · Attack · Defect
Deal 7 damage. Channel 1 Lightning.
Barrage
Common · Attack · Defect
Deal 5 damage for each Channeled Orb.
Beam Cell
Common · Attack · Defect
Deal 3 damage. Apply 1 Vulnerable.
BEGONE!
Common · Attack · Regent
Deal 4 damage. Choose a card in your Hand to Transform into Minion Dive Bomb.
Blade Dance
Common · Skill · Silent
Add 3 Shivs into your Hand.
Blight Strike
Common · Attack · Necrobinder
Deal 8 damage. Apply Doom equal to damage dealt.
Blood Wall
Common · Skill · Ironclad
Lose 2 HP. Gain 16 Block.
Bloodletting
Common · Skill · Ironclad
Lose 3 HP. Gain .
Body Slam
Common · Attack · Ironclad
Deal damage equal to your Block.
Boost Away
Common · Skill · Defect
Gain 6 Block. Add a Dazed into your Discard Pile.
Breakthrough
Common · Attack · Ironclad
Lose 1 HP. Deal 9 damage to ALL enemies.
Celestial Might
Common · Attack · Regent
Deal 6 damage 3 times.
Charge Battery
Common · Skill · Defect
Gain 7 Block. Next turn, gain .
Cinder
Common · Attack · Ironclad
Deal 17 damage. Exhaust the top card of your Draw Pile.
Claw
Common · Attack · Defect
Deal 3 damage. Increase the damage of ALL Claw cards by 2 this combat.
Cloak and Dagger
Common · Skill · Silent
Gain 6 Block. Add 1 Shiv into your Hand.
Cloak of Stars
Common · Skill · Regent
Gain 7 Block.
Cold Snap
Common · Attack · Defect
Deal 6 damage. Channel 1 Frost.
Collision Course
Common · Attack · Regent
Deal 9 damage. Add a Debris into your Hand.
Compile Driver
Common · Attack · Defect
Deal 7 damage. Draw 1 card for each unique Orb you have.
Coolheaded
Common · Skill · Defect
Channel 1 Frost. Draw 1 card.
Cosmic Indifference
Common · Skill · Regent
Gain 6 Block. Put a card from your Discard Pile on top of your Draw Pile.
Crescent Spear
Common · Attack · Regent
Deal 8 damage. Deals 2 additional damage for ALL your cards that have a cost.
Crush Under
Common · Attack · Regent
Deal 7 damage to ALL enemies. All enemies lose 1 Strength this turn.
Dagger Spray
Common · Attack · Silent
Deal 4 damage to ALL enemies twice.
Dagger Throw
Common · Attack · Silent
Deal 9 damage. Draw 1 card. Discard 1 card.
Deadly Poison
Common · Skill · Silent
Apply 5 Poison.
Defile
Common · Attack · Necrobinder
Deal 13 damage.
Deflect
Common · Skill · Silent
Gain 4 Block.
Defy
Common · Skill · Necrobinder
Gain 6 Block. Apply 1 Weak.
Dodge and Roll
Common · Skill · Silent
Gain 4 Block. Next turn, gain 4 Block.
Drain Power
Common · Attack · Necrobinder
Deal 10 damage. Upgrade 2 random cards in your Discard Pile.
Fear
Common · Attack · Necrobinder
Deal 7 damage. Apply 1 Vulnerable.
Flatten
Common · Attack · Necrobinder
Osty deals 12 damage. This card costs 0 if Osty has attacked this turn.
Flick-Flack
Common · Attack · Silent
Deal 7 damage to ALL enemies.
Focused Strike
Common · Attack · Defect
Deal 9 damage. Gain 1 Focus this turn.
Gather Light
Common · Skill · Regent
Gain 7 Block. Gain .
Glitterstream
Common · Skill · Regent
Gain 11 Block. Next turn, gain 4 Block.
Glow
Common · Skill · Regent
Gain . Draw 2 cards.
Go for the Eyes
Common · Attack · Defect
Deal 3 damage. If the enemy intends to attack, apply 1 Weak.
Grave Warden
Common · Skill · Necrobinder
Gain 8 Block. Add a Soul into your Draw Pile.
Graveblast
Common · Attack · Necrobinder
Deal 4 damage. Put a card from your Discard Pile into your Hand.
Guiding Star
Common · Attack · Regent
Deal 12 damage. Next turn, draw 2 cards.
Gunk Up
Common · Attack · Defect
Deal 4 damage 3 times. Add a Slimed into your Discard Pile.
Havoc
Common · Skill · Ironclad
Play the top card of your Draw Pile and Exhaust it.
Headbutt
Common · Attack · Ironclad
Deal 9 damage. Put a card from your Discard Pile on top of your Draw Pile.
Hidden Cache
Common · Skill · Regent
Gain . Next turn, gain .
Hologram
Common · Skill · Defect
Gain 3 Block. Put a card from your Discard Pile into your Hand.
Hotfix
Common · Skill · Defect
Gain 2 Focus this turn.
Invoke
Common · Skill · Necrobinder
Next turn, Summon 2 and gain .
Iron Wave
Common · Attack · Ironclad
Gain 5 Block. Deal 5 damage.
Know Thy Place
Common · Skill · Regent
Apply 1 Weak. Apply 1 Vulnerable.
Leading Strike
Common · Attack · Silent
Deal 7 damage. Add 1 Shiv into your Hand.
Leap
Common · Skill · Defect
Gain 9 Block.
Lightning Rod
Common · Skill · Defect
Gain 4 Block. At the start of the next 2 turns, Channel 1 Lightning.
Molten Fist
Common · Attack · Ironclad
Deal 10 damage. Double the enemy's Vulnerable.
Momentum Strike
Common · Attack · Defect
Deal 10 damage. Reduce this card's cost to 0 .
Negative Pulse
Common · Skill · Necrobinder
Gain 5 Block. Apply 7 Doom to ALL enemies.
Patter
Common · Skill · Regent
Gain 8 Block. Gain 2 Vigor.
Perfected Strike
Common · Attack · Ironclad
Deal 8 damage. Deals 2 additional damage for ALL your cards containing “Strike”.
Photon Cut
Common · Attack · Regent
Deal 10 damage. Draw 1 card. Put 1 card from your Hand on top of your Draw Pile.
Piercing Wail
Common · Skill · Silent
ALL enemies lose 6 Strength this turn.
Poisoned Stab
Common · Attack · Silent
Deal 6 damage. Apply 3 Poison.
Poke
Common · Attack · Necrobinder
Osty deals 6 damage.
Pommel Strike
Common · Attack · Ironclad
Deal 9 damage. Draw 1 card.
Prepared
Common · Skill · Silent
Draw 1 card. Discard 1 card.
Pull Aggro
Common · Skill · Necrobinder
Summon 4. Gain 7 Block.
Reap
Common · Attack · Necrobinder
Deal 27 damage.
Reave
Common · Attack · Necrobinder
Deal 9 damage. Add a Soul into your Draw Pile.
Refine Blade
Common · Skill · Regent
Forge 6. Next turn, gain .
Ricochet
Common · Attack · Silent
Deal 3 damage to a random enemy 4 times.
Scourge
Common · Skill · Necrobinder
Apply 13 Doom. Draw 1 card.
Sculpting Strike
Common · Attack · Necrobinder
Deal 8 damage. Add Ethereal to a card in your Hand.
Setup Strike
Common · Attack · Ironclad
Deal 7 damage. Gain 2 Strength this turn.
Shrug It Off
Common · Skill · Ironclad
Gain 8 Block. Draw 1 card.
Slice
Common · Attack · Silent
Deal 6 damage.
Snakebite
Common · Skill · Silent
Apply 7 Poison.
Snap
Common · Attack · Necrobinder
Osty deals 7 damage. Add Retain to a card in your Hand.
Solar Strike
Common · Attack · Regent
Deal 8 damage. Gain .
Sow
Common · Attack · Necrobinder
Deal 8 damage to ALL enemies.
Spoils of Battle
Common · Skill · Regent
Forge 10.
Sucker Punch
Common · Attack · Silent
Deal 8 damage. Apply 1 Weak.
Sweeping Beam
Common · Attack · Defect
Deal 6 damage to ALL enemies. Draw 1 card.
Sword Boomerang
Common · Attack · Ironclad
Deal 3 damage to a random enemy 3 times.
Thunderclap
Common · Attack · Ironclad
Deal 4 damage and apply 1 Vulnerable to ALL enemies.
Tremble
Common · Skill · Ironclad
Apply 2 Vulnerable.
True Grit
Common · Skill · Ironclad
Gain 7 Block. Exhaust 1 card at random.
TURBO
Common · Skill · Defect
Gain . Add a Void into your Discard Pile.
Twin Strike
Common · Attack · Ironclad
Deal 5 damage twice.
Untouchable
Common · Skill · Silent
Gain 9 Block.
Uproar
Common · Attack · Defect
Deal 5 damage twice. Play a random Attack from your Draw Pile.
Wisp
Common · Skill · Necrobinder
Gain .
Wrought in War
Common · Attack · Regent
Deal 7 damage. Forge 5.