Dark Embrace Power

Is Dark Embrace good in Slay the Spire 2?

Dark Embrace is a rare Ironclad power in Slay the Spire 2. In combat it resolves as: Whenever a card is Exhausted, draw 1 card. It’s a dependable, middle-of-the-pack option, landing at C tier in our rankings.

Across 182 recorded runs, decks running it win 28.3% of the time, comfortably clear of the 13.8% average, by 14.5%. It’s a more selective pick, turning up in just 0.9% of decks that could run it. Offer data backs the pick — taken 16.9% of the time it is shown, with 33.9% for runs that took it against 29.4% for runs that did not, a +4.1% pick lift across 130 decided runs. Ironclad players keep it in 3.8% 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 Conflagration — together they post a +40.3% swing in win rate. It also has strong chemistry with the relic Anchor, which moves its win rate by +29.5%. At 2 energy, it’s upgraded in 42.6% of runs and usually joins the deck around floor 15.

Upgraded, it gains -1 EnergyCost, which is why so many decks invest a rest-site upgrade in it. That’s 51 wins, 129 deaths, and 2 abandoned runs with it in the deck. The encounter that most often ends a run carrying it is Test Subject Boss, which closes out 5.5% of its appearances. Read on for Dark Embrace’s complete synergy, class, and threat breakdown to decide whether it earns a slot in your Ironclad run.

Pick or Skip: Dark Embrace

Out of 804 recorded offers Dark Embrace is taken 16.9% of the time, and taking it is worth +4.1% in pick lift — 33.9% for runs that picked it against 29.4% for runs that skipped, across 130 decided runs.

Taken 136 times out of 804 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 Dark Embrace

Dark Embrace is strongest when it joins the deck in Act 2, where runs win 40.4% across 47 runs — one of 4 recorded pickup windows.

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

Best Cards to Pair with Dark Embrace

Ranked by win-rate lift, Dark Embrace performs best alongside Conflagration (+40.3%), Not Yet (+27.8%), and Stoke (+23.6%).

Conflagration+40.3%16 runsNot Yet+27.8%20 runsStoke+23.6%32 runsBattle Trance+21.3%31 runsExpect a Fight+21.1%20 runsFeed+19.6%23 runs

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

Dark Embrace Win Rate by Class

Dark Embrace is drafted only by the Ironclad, where it holds a 28.7% win rate across 176 runs.

The Ironcladappears in 3.8% of its runs (176 tracked)

Best Relics for Dark Embrace

Dark Embrace pairs best with the relics Anchor (+29.5%), Bag of Preparation (+27.4%), and Bag of Marbles (+26.5%), ranked by win-rate lift.

Anchor+29.5%26 runsBag of Preparation+27.4%22 runsBag of Marbles+26.5%28 runsFestive Popper+25.5%25 runsNunchaku+24.4%20 runsCentennial Puzzle+24.1%24 runs

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

Dark Embrace Card Details

Dark Embrace is a rare power costing 2 energy; it’s upgraded in 42.6% of runs and usually picked up by floor 15.

Whenever a card is Exhausted, draw 1 card.

Upgrade: -1 EnergyCost

What Ends Runs with Dark Embrace

Dark Embrace’s most common run-enders are Test Subject Boss (5.5%), Queen Boss (4.9%), and Decimillipede Elite (4.4%).

• Test Subject Boss5.5% of runs
• Queen Boss4.9% of runs
• Decimillipede Elite4.4% of runs
• Infested Prisms Elite4.4% of runs
• Knowledge Demon Boss3.3% of runs

See Also

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