Bulk Up Power

Is Bulk Up good in Slay the Spire 2?

Bulk Up is an uncommon Defect power in Slay the Spire 2. In combat it resolves as: Lose Orb Slots. Gain 2 Strength. Gain 2 Dexterity. It’s a dependable, middle-of-the-pack option, landing at C tier in our rankings.

Across 316 recorded runs, decks running it win 26.0% of the time, comfortably clear of the 13.8% average, by 12.2%. It’s a more selective pick, turning up in just 1.5% of decks that could run it. Offer data backs the pick — taken 14.2% of the time it is shown, with 27.7% for runs that took it against 16.7% for runs that did not, a +10.6% pick lift across 249 decided runs. Defect players keep it in 6.4% of their runs, so it’s a familiar sight in those decks. On average it shows up 1.2 times in the decks that take it.

It performs best next to Supercritical — together they post a +25.1% swing in win rate. It also has strong chemistry with the relic Letter Opener, which moves its win rate by +29.0%. At 2 energy, it’s upgraded in 46.3% of runs and usually joins the deck around floor 16.

Upgraded, it gains +1 Strength, +1 Dexterity, which is why so many decks invest a rest-site upgrade in it. That’s 82 wins, 233 deaths, and 1 abandoned runs with it in the deck. The encounter that most often ends a run carrying it is Aeonglass Boss, which closes out 6.6% of its appearances. Read on for Bulk Up’s complete synergy, class, and threat breakdown to decide whether it earns a slot in your Defect run.

Pick or Skip: Bulk Up

Out of 1936 recorded offers Bulk Up is taken 14.2% of the time, and taking it is worth +10.6% in pick lift — 27.7% for runs that picked it against 16.7% for runs that skipped, across 249 decided runs.

Taken 275 times out of 1936 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 Bulk Up

Bulk Up is strongest when it joins the deck in Act 3, where runs win 54.5% across 44 runs — one of 4 recorded pickup windows.

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

Best Cards to Pair with Bulk Up

Ranked by win-rate lift, Bulk Up performs best alongside Supercritical (+25.1%), Echo Form (+22.6%), and Iteration (+21.7%).

Supercritical+25.1%42 runsEcho Form+22.6%55 runsIteration+21.7%52 runsIce Lance+21.1%21 runsFlak Cannon+20.5%30 runsMad Science+20.1%26 runs

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

Bulk Up Win Rate by Class

Bulk Up is drafted only by the Defect, where it holds a 26.0% win rate across 293 runs.

The Defectappears in 6.4% of its runs (293 tracked)

Best Relics for Bulk Up

Bulk Up pairs best with the relics Letter Opener (+29.0%), Bag of Preparation (+28.3%), and Red Mask (+26.1%), ranked by win-rate lift.

Letter Opener+29.0%22 runsBag of Preparation+28.3%50 runsRed Mask+26.1%43 runsCandelabra+25.4%33 runsHappy Flower+24.9%52 runsTiny Mailbox+24.3%23 runs

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

Bulk Up Card Details

Bulk Up is an uncommon power costing 2 energy; it’s upgraded in 46.3% of runs and usually picked up by floor 16.

Lose Orb Slots. Gain 2 Strength. Gain 2 Dexterity.

Upgrade: +1 Strength, +1 Dexterity

What Ends Runs with Bulk Up

Bulk Up’s most common run-enders are Aeonglass Boss (6.6%), The Insatiable Boss (5.1%), and Queen Boss (4.7%).

• Aeonglass Boss6.6% of runs
• The Insatiable Boss5.1% of runs
• Queen Boss4.7% of runs
• Entomancer Elite3.8% of runs
• Test Subject Boss3.5% of runs

See Also

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