Ashen Strike•Attack

Is Ashen Strike good in Slay the Spire 2?

Ashen Strike is an uncommon Ironclad attack in Slay the Spire 2. In combat it resolves as: Deal 6 damage. Deals 3 additional damage for each card in your Exhaust Pile. It currently underperforms most alternatives, sitting at D tier in our Slay the Spire 2 card rankings.

Across 238 recorded runs, decks running it win 24.4% of the time, comfortably clear of the 14.0% average, by 10.4%. It’s a more selective pick, turning up in just 2.1% of decks that could run it. Offer data backs the pick — taken 19.7% of the time it is shown, with 24.4% for runs that took it against 20.1% for runs that did not, a +4.0% pick lift across 193 decided runs. Ironclad players keep it in 8.7% of their runs, so it’s a familiar sight in those decks. On average it shows up 1.1 times in the decks that take it.

It performs best next to Cascade — together they post a +25.4% swing in win rate. It also has strong chemistry with the relic Oddly Smooth Stone, which moves its win rate by +23.2%. At 1 energy, it’s upgraded in 33.7% of runs and usually joins the deck around floor 16.

Upgraded, it gains +1 ExtraDamage, which is why so many decks invest a rest-site upgrade in it. That’s 58 wins, 180 deaths, and 0 abandoned runs with it in the deck. The encounter that most often ends a run carrying it is Knowledge Demon Boss, which closes out 6.7% of its appearances. Read on for Ashen Strike’s complete synergy, class, and threat breakdown to decide whether it earns a slot in your Ironclad run.

Pick or Skip: Ashen Strike

Out of 1084 recorded offers Ashen Strike is taken 19.7% of the time, and taking it is worth +4.0% in pick lift — 24.4% for runs that picked it against 20.1% for runs that skipped, across 193 decided runs.

Taken 214 times out of 1084 offers.

Pick rate when offered counts offers, not runs: out of every time the game put this in front of a player, how often it was taken. It is not the same number as the share of runs that end up containing it.

Pick lift is the sample-adjusted gap between runs that took the option and runs that passed on it. It is the fair way to rank choices, because raw win rates put the smallest samples on top.

When to Pick Up Ashen Strike

Ashen Strike is strongest when it joins the deck in Act 3, where runs win 50.0% across 34 runs — one of 4 recorded pickup windows.

Win rate of runs by the act Ashen Strike entered the deck. Acts that have not reached the sample floor show their run count only.

Best Cards to Pair with Ashen Strike

Ranked by win-rate lift, Ashen Strike performs best alongside Cascade (+25.4%), Pillage (+21.0%), and Crimson Mantle (+19.7%).

Cascade+25.4%17 runsPillage+21.0%24 runsCrimson Mantle+19.7%25 runsImpervious+18.5%26 runsDrum of Battle+16.5%40 runsAggression+16.5%18 runs

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

Ashen Strike Win Rate by Class

Ashen Strike is drafted only by the Ironclad, where it holds a 24.8% win rate across 234 runs.

The Ironcladappears in 8.7% of its runs (234 tracked)

Best Relics for Ashen Strike

Ashen Strike pairs best with the relics Oddly Smooth Stone (+23.2%), Nunchaku (+21.0%), and Anchor (+20.7%), ranked by win-rate lift.

Oddly Smooth Stone+23.2%33 runsNunchaku+21.0%24 runsAnchor+20.7%42 runsGorget+18.5%47 runsHappy Flower+18.0%43 runsBlood Vial+17.1%32 runs

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

Ashen Strike Card Details

Ashen Strike is an uncommon attack costing 1 energy; it’s upgraded in 33.7% of runs and usually picked up by floor 16.

Deal 6 damage. Deals 3 additional damage for each card in your Exhaust Pile.

Upgrade: +1 ExtraDamage

What Ends Runs with Ashen Strike

Ashen Strike’s most common run-enders are Knowledge Demon Boss (6.7%), Test Subject Boss (5.9%), and Kaiser Crab Boss (5.9%).

• Knowledge Demon Boss6.7% of runs
• Test Subject Boss5.9% of runs
• Kaiser Crab Boss5.9% of runs
• The Insatiable Boss5.0% of runs
• Queen Boss4.6% of runs

See Also

Compare Ashen Strike with the rest of the best Slay the Spire 2 cards, relics, and classes below.