Relic Tier List: Which Slay the Spire 2 Relics Are Worth a Detour

The tiers are about frequency and reliability, not rarity. A common relic that works in every combat can beat a rare relic that needs a partner you never find. Every relic is judged on four questions, and a relic that scores well on all four belongs at the top no matter what colour its border is.

Question one: how often does it fire? Once per combat is much better than once per act. Question two: does it help the turn you are weakest on, usually turn one or two? Question three: does it replace a card you would otherwise have to draw, like a block card or a draw card? Question four: does it make an expensive choice cheaper later, such as reducing the cost of powers or giving energy you can bank?

One caution that applies to every tier: the effect has to arrive before the fight is decided. A relic that triggers on turn five is a different relic from one that triggers on turn one, even if the printed number is bigger.

Runic Pyramid is the clearest S-tier relic because it changes what a hand is. Keeping your hand between turns means you can hold a block card for the turn an elite telegraphs, or save a payoff until its partner arrives. The price is that weak cards clog your hand permanently, so it wants a small, clean deck and real removal.

Snecko Eye draws two extra cards and randomises their costs every turn. In decks with several expensive cards it is a massive upgrade; in decks built on playing the same cheap card over and over it can be a downgrade. Check your key plays before you take it.

Ice Cream keeps unspent energy between turns, which turns a quiet setup turn into ammunition for a loud one. Pandora's Box replaces every Strike and Defend with random cards, which is usually the single biggest jump a starter deck gets. Empty Cage removes two cards outright and is the best fix a bloated deck can buy.

Black Star makes every elite drop an extra relic. Its tier depends on your route: if you fight three elites an act, it wins the act outright; if you cannot fight elites yet, it does nothing. That kind of conditional S is still S, because the condition is one you can plan for.

Most A-tier relics improve the first two turns, because that is where decks lose health. Anchor gives 10 Block at the start of combat, Bag of Preparation draws two extra cards, and Lantern gives one extra energy on turn one. None of them look impressive in a list, but together they decide whether your setup turn costs 15 health or nothing.

Timed relics work the same way. Horn Cleat covers turn two, Candelabra gives energy on turn two, and Captain's Wheel covers turn three. These line up with the turn an elite usually shows its first real attack, so they are worth more than their small numbers suggest.

Orichalcum rewards decks that end a turn with little or no Block, which is common when you spend turns on setup. Vajra and Oddly Smooth Stone add one Strength or Dexterity from the start, and both get better the more cards you play that scale with them. Pen Nib doubles every tenth attack, so count it before an elite.

Energy relics that come with a cost also belong here. They are strong enough to plan around, and the drawback is usually survivable. Read the drawback as carefully as the benefit; that is the whole decision.

B-tier relics are not weak, they are specific. Charon's Ashes turns every exhausted card into area damage, which wins Ironclad exhaust runs and does almost nothing elsewhere. Kunai gives Dexterity every time you play three attacks in a turn, so it wants decks that already play many cheap attacks. Tingsha and Tough Bandages want discard effects, which means the Silent discard build is their natural home.

Character relics sit here by default. Data Disk and Gold-Plated Cables are strong in most Defect decks and nearly blank for everyone else. Snecko Skull adds poison, which makes it a Silent relic in practice. When you see one of these, the question is not "is it good" but "am I already building for it".

Relics that cost you something live here too. Sozu gives energy every turn and takes away potions, which is a good trade for decks that do not lean on potions and a bad one for players who survive fights with a bottle. Velvet Choker caps you at six cards a turn, which is fine for a deck of big single plays and painful for anything that wants to loop.

Some relics are worth the floor they came from and little more. Bronze Scales is real damage against multi-hit enemies and almost nothing against one big hit. Mercury Hourglass chips every enemy each turn, which helps clear a group but will not win a boss by itself. Strawberry and Pear raise maximum health, which is honest value rather than a plan.

Duplicates belong here unless the text says the effect stacks. A second copy of a unique relic usually does nothing, which makes it a lower-value drop from a chest you were going to open anyway. That does not make it bad; it just should not decide where you spend gold.

Relics that only work in shops, only after resting, or only on a specific room type live in this tier because they fire so rarely. Judge them by how many times this run will actually show up, not by how big the single trigger looks.

D-tier relics cost more than they give for the way most players climb. Relics that push you into a direction you have no support for, that remove card rewards you need, or that trade health for a small benefit usually qualify. The real cost is not the relic; it is the plan you build around it while ignoring what was actually missing.

Event relics that come with a curse need extra care. A strong effect plus a dead card is a real trade, and it is only good if you can remove the curse or ignore it. Take a relic-for-health event only when the health you spend will not decide the next elite. The event choice guide walks through that decision.

Finally, do not over-rank relics that only work in a perfect deck. A rare relic that needs three pieces you do not own is a D-tier pick in this run, whatever it is in the abstract. Rank what the relic does for you today.

At a merchant, compare the relic with everything else on the screen using the same four questions. A relic that fixes your worst turn is usually worth more than a card you will not play until turn three. If nothing convinces you, save the gold for a removal on a later floor or a potion before an elite.

When a blessing or event offers a choice, pick the relic that answers the boss ahead rather than the one with the longest description. If you are about to face a boss that telegraphs a single huge attack, starting Block and starting draw are worth more than slow scaling. The boss guide lists what each one throws at you.

Keep a short mental list of relics you would accept at any point: removal, opening Block and opening draw. Everything else has to earn its place by what your deck is already doing.