Adaptive Strike•Attack

Is Adaptive Strike good in Slay the Spire 2?

In Slay the Spire 2, Adaptive Strike is a rare attack from the Defect card pool. Its effect: Deal 18 damage. Add a 0-cost copy of this card into your Discard Pile. The data flags it as a weaker pick, settling at D tier — usually one to pass on unless your deck specifically wants it.

Over 54 tracked runs its win rate sits at 25.5%, 6.5% ahead of the 18.9% all-deck baseline. It sees niche play, included in only 1.4% of eligible runs. Within Defect runs it’s drafted 9.3% of the time, making it a regular part of that class’s decks. Decks that include it run about 1.1 copies on average.

Its standout pairing so far is Skim, which lifts its win rate by +21.3% when the two share a deck. On the relic side, Lizard Tail is its standout companion, worth a +21.3% win-rate swing alongside it. It costs 2 energy, gets upgraded 23.7% of the time, and tends to be picked up near floor 17.

Upgrading the card adds +5 Damage to its stat line. Of the runs that drafted it, 13 ended in victory against 38 deaths and 3 abandons. Its most common run-ender is Queen Boss, finishing 13.0% of the runs it shows up in. See the synergies, class split, and threats below for the full picture of where Adaptive Strike fits a Defect deck.

Best Cards to Pair with Adaptive Strike

Adaptive Strike’s strongest card pairings so far are Skim (+21.3%), Creative AI (+18.2%), and Scrape (+16.0%), each shown with the win-rate lift it adds.

Skim+21.3%4 runsCreative AI+18.2%5 runsScrape+16.0%13 runsHologram+16.0%15 runsFusion+15.4%6 runsSynchronize+15.4%6 runs

Based on small co-occurring samples — treat these as early signals, not final verdicts.

Adaptive Strike Win Rate by Class

Exclusive to the Defect, Adaptive Strike posts a 25.5% win rate over 54 tracked runs.

The Defectappears in 9.3% of its runs (54 tracked)

Best Relics for Adaptive Strike

The relics that swing Adaptive Strike’s win rate the most are Lizard Tail (+21.3%), Cloak Clasp (+21.3%), and Astrolabe (+17.2%), with each lift shown.

Lizard Tail+21.3%4 runsCloak Clasp+21.3%4 runsAstrolabe+17.2%3 runsJoss Paper+17.2%3 runsBlood Vial+16.4%8 runsInfused Core+15.4%6 runs

Based on small co-occurring samples — treat these as early signals, not final verdicts.

Adaptive Strike Card Details

A 2-energy rare attack, Adaptive Strike is upgraded 23.7% of the time and tends to enter the deck around floor 17.

Deal 18 damage. Add a 0-cost copy of this card into your Discard Pile.

Upgrade: +5 Damage

What Ends Runs with Adaptive Strike

Runs holding Adaptive Strike end most often against Queen Boss (13.0%), The Insatiable Boss (9.3%), and Test Subject Boss (7.4%) — the share of its runs each accounts for is shown.

• Queen Boss13.0% of runs
• The Insatiable Boss9.3% of runs
• Test Subject Boss7.4% of runs
• Decimillipede Elite5.6% of runs
• Knights Elite3.7% of runs

See Also

Keep exploring Slay the Spire 2 tier lists and stats below.