Card Category
Defect Cards
Complete guide to Defect cards in Slay the Spire 2 — all attacks, skills, powers, costs, rarities and synergies.
The Defect is a highly technical character who manipulates Orbs, Lightning, Frost, and Focus to control the battlefield. In Slay the Spire 2, the Defect's card pool offers the most complex and rewarding synergies in the game, demanding careful orb management and power-based scaling.
Orbs are the Defect's signature mechanic. Each orb slot passively generates an effect: Lightning orbs deal damage each turn, Frost orbs generate block, and Plasma orbs generate energy. Dark orbs build up damage that can be unleashed in a single burst. Cards like Zap, Coolheaded, and Doom and Gloom allow the Defect to fill orb slots quickly, while Dualcast and Electrodynamics evoke orbs for immediate effects or chain lightning.
Focus determines orb effectiveness. Higher Focus increases Lightning damage and Frost block per orb. Cards like Defragment, Biased Cognition, and Consume increase Focus, though some come with drawbacks. Loop and Capacitor expand the Defect's orb management capabilities by strengthening individual orbs or adding more orb slots.
The Defect's power suite is among the strongest in the game. Echo Form doubles every other card played, creating enormous value over long fights. Creative AI generates random powers each turn, offering infinite scaling potential. Machine Learning provides consistent card draw, while Thunder Strike — while not a power — scales with Lightning orb damage to deliver massive finishing blows.
Defect attack cards often incorporate orb synergies. Ball Lightning, Cold Snap, and Melter all interact with the orb system while dealing damage. The Defect's block options, including Glacier, Reinforced Body, and Equilibrium, provide excellent protection, often generating Frost orbs simultaneously.
Adaptive Strike
Rare · Attack · Defect
Deal 18 damage. Add a 0 copy of this card into your Discard Pile.
All for One
Rare · Attack · Defect
Deal 10 damage. Put ALL 0 cards from your Discard Pile into your Hand.
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.
Biased Cognition
Ancient · Power · Defect
Gain 4 Focus. At the start of your turn, lose 1 Focus.
Boost Away
Common · Skill · Defect
Gain 6 Block. Add a Dazed into your Discard Pile.
Boot Sequence
Uncommon · Skill · Defect
Gain 10 Block.
Buffer
Rare · Power · Defect
Prevent the next time you would lose HP.
Bulk Up
Uncommon · Power · Defect
Lose 1 Orb Slot. Gain 2 Strength. Gain 2 Dexterity.
Capacitor
Uncommon · Power · Defect
Gain 2 Orb Slots.
Chaos
Uncommon · Skill · Defect
Channel 1 random Orb.
Charge Battery
Common · Skill · Defect
Gain 7 Block. Next turn, gain .
Chill
Uncommon · Skill · Defect
Channel 1 Frost for each enemy.
Claw
Common · Attack · Defect
Deal 3 damage. Increase the damage of ALL Claw cards by 2 this combat.
Cold Snap
Common · Attack · Defect
Deal 6 damage. Channel 1 Frost.
Compact
Uncommon · Skill · Defect
Gain 6 Block. Transform all Status cards in your Hand into Fuel.
Compile Driver
Common · Attack · Defect
Deal 7 damage. Draw 1 card for each unique Orb you have.
Consuming Shadow
Rare · Power · Defect
Channel 2 Dark. At the end of your turn, Evoke your leftmost Orb.
Coolant
Rare · Power · Defect
At the start of your turn, gain 2 Block for each unique Orb you have.
Coolheaded
Common · Skill · Defect
Channel 1 Frost. Draw 1 card.
Creative AI
Rare · Power · Defect
At the start of your turn, add a random Power into your Hand.
Darkness
Uncommon · Skill · Defect
Channel 1 Dark. Trigger the passive ability of all Dark Orbs.
Defend
Basic · Skill · Defect
Gain 5 Block.
Defragment
Rare · Power · Defect
Gain 1 Focus.
Double Energy
Uncommon · Skill · Defect
Double your Energy.
Dualcast
Basic · Skill · Defect
Evoke your rightmost Orb twice.
Echo Form
Rare · Power · Defect
The first card you play each turn is played an extra time.
Energy Surge
Uncommon · Skill · Defect
ALL players gain .
Feral
Uncommon · Power · Defect
The first time you play a 0 Attack each turn, return it to your Hand.
Fight Through
Uncommon · Skill · Defect
Gain 13 Block. Add 2 Wounds into your Discard Pile.
Flak Cannon
Rare · Attack · Defect
Exhaust ALL your Status cards. Deal 8 damage to a random enemy for each card Exhausted.
Focused Strike
Common · Attack · Defect
Deal 9 damage. Gain 1 Focus this turn.
FTL
Uncommon · Attack · Defect
Deal 5 damage. If you have played fewer than 3 cards this turn, draw 1 card.
Fusion
Uncommon · Skill · Defect
Channel 1 Plasma.
Genetic Algorithm
Rare · Skill · Defect
Gain 1 Block. Permanently increase this card's Block by 3.
Glacier
Uncommon · Skill · Defect
Gain 6 Block. Channel 2 Frost.
Glasswork
Uncommon · Skill · Defect
Gain 5 Block. Channel 1 Glass.
Go for the Eyes
Common · Attack · Defect
Deal 3 damage. If the enemy intends to attack, apply 1 Weak.
Gunk Up
Common · Attack · Defect
Deal 4 damage 3 times. Add a Slimed into your Discard Pile.
Hailstorm
Uncommon · Power · Defect
At the end of your turn, if you have Frost, deal 6 damage to ALL enemies.
Helix Drill
Rare · Attack · Defect
Deal 3 damage for each previously spent this turn.
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.
Hyperbeam
Rare · Attack · Defect
Deal 26 damage to ALL enemies. Lose 3 Focus.
Ice Lance
Rare · Attack · Defect
Deal 19 damage. Channel 3 Frost.
Ignition
Rare · Skill · Defect
Another player Channels Plasma.
Iteration
Uncommon · Power · Defect
The first time you draw a Status card each turn, draw 2 cards.
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.
Loop
Uncommon · Power · Defect
At the start of your turn, trigger the passive ability of your rightmost Orb.
Machine Learning
Rare · Power · Defect
At the start of your turn, draw 1 additional card.
Meteor Strike
Rare · Attack · Defect
Deal 24 damage. Channel 3 Plasma.
Modded
Rare · Skill · Defect
Gain 1 Orb Slot. Draw 1 card. Increase this card's cost by 1.
Momentum Strike
Common · Attack · Defect
Deal 10 damage. Reduce this card's cost to 0 .
Multi-Cast
Rare · Skill · Defect
Evoke your rightmost Orb X times.
Null
Uncommon · Attack · Defect
Deal 10 damage. Apply 2 Weak. Channel 1 Dark.
Overclock
Uncommon · Skill · Defect
Draw 2 cards. Add a Burn into your Discard Pile.
Quadcast
Ancient · Skill · Defect
Evoke your rightmost Orb 4 times.
Rainbow
Rare · Skill · Defect
Channel 1 Lightning. Channel 1 Frost. Channel 1 Dark.
Reboot
Rare · Skill · Defect
Shuffle ALL your cards into your Draw Pile. Draw 4 cards.
Refract
Uncommon · Attack · Defect
Deal 9 damage twice. Channel 2 Glass.
Rocket Punch
Uncommon · Attack · Defect
Deal 13 damage. Draw 1 card. When a Status card is created, reduce this card's cost to 0 this turn.
Scavenge
Uncommon · Skill · Defect
Exhaust a card. Next turn, gain .
Scrape
Uncommon · Attack · Defect
Deal 7 damage. Draw 4 cards. Discard all cards drawn this way that do not cost 0 .
Shadow Shield
Uncommon · Skill · Defect
Gain 11 Block. Channel 1 Dark.
Shatter
Rare · Attack · Defect
Deal 11 damage to ALL enemies. Evoke all of your Orbs.
Signal Boost
Rare · Skill · Defect
The next Power you play is played an additional time.
Skim
Uncommon · Skill · Defect
Draw 3 cards.
Smokestack
Uncommon · Power · Defect
Whenever you create a Status, deal 5 damage to ALL enemies.
Spinner
Rare · Power · Defect
At the start of your turn, Channel 1 Glass.
Storm
Uncommon · Power · Defect
Whenever you play a Power, Channel 1 Lightning.
Strike
Basic · Attack · Defect
Deal 6 damage.
Subroutine
Uncommon · Power · Defect
Whenever you play a Power, gain .
Sunder
Uncommon · Attack · Defect
Deal 24 damage. If this kills an enemy, gain .
Supercritical
Rare · Skill · Defect
Gain .
Sweeping Beam
Common · Attack · Defect
Deal 6 damage to ALL enemies. Draw 1 card.
Synchronize
Uncommon · Skill · Defect
Gain 2 Focus this turn for each unique Orb you have.
Synthesis
Uncommon · Attack · Defect
Deal 12 damage. The next Power you play costs 0 .
Tempest
Uncommon · Skill · Defect
Channel X Lightning.
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