Expect a Fight Skill

Is Expect a Fight good in Slay the Spire 2?

Expect a Fight is an uncommon Ironclad skill in Slay the Spire 2. In combat it resolves as: Gain -cost for each Attack in your Hand. You cannot gain additional -cost this turn. It currently underperforms most alternatives, sitting at D tier in our Slay the Spire 2 card rankings.

Across 458 recorded runs, decks running it win 21.5% of the time, comfortably clear of the 13.8% average, by 7.7%. It’s a more selective pick, turning up in just 2.2% of decks that could run it. Taken in 21.2% of its offers, it still trails on the pick-versus-skip split: 20.9% for runs that took it against 23.1% for runs that left it, a -2.1% pick lift over 382 decided runs. Ironclad players keep it in 9.7% 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 Dark Embrace — together they post a +25.6% swing in win rate. It also has strong chemistry with the relic Miniature Tent, which moves its win rate by +25.0%. At 2 energy, it’s upgraded in 50.0% of runs and usually joins the deck around floor 18.

Upgraded, it gains -1 EnergyCost, which is why so many decks invest a rest-site upgrade in it. That’s 98 wins, 357 deaths, and 3 abandoned runs with it in the deck. The encounter that most often ends a run carrying it is Queen Boss, which closes out 7.0% of its appearances. Read on for Expect a Fight’s complete synergy, class, and threat breakdown to decide whether it earns a slot in your Ironclad run.

Pick or Skip: Expect a Fight

Out of 1895 recorded offers Expect a Fight is taken 21.2% of the time, and taking it is worth -2.1% in pick lift — 20.9% for runs that picked it against 23.1% for runs that skipped, across 382 decided runs.

Taken 402 times out of 1895 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 Expect a Fight

Expect a Fight is strongest when it joins the deck in Act 3, where runs win 43.3% across 67 runs — one of 4 recorded pickup windows.

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

Best Cards to Pair with Expect a Fight

Ranked by win-rate lift, Expect a Fight performs best alongside Dark Embrace (+25.6%), Stoke (+25.3%), and Prolong (+23.1%).

Dark Embrace+25.6%20 runsStoke+25.3%33 runsProlong+23.1%15 runsTear Asunder+19.2%38 runsPillage+19.0%53 runsColossus+18.1%104 runs

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

Expect a Fight Win Rate by Class

Expect a Fight is drafted only by the Ironclad, where it holds a 21.5% win rate across 449 runs.

The Ironcladappears in 9.7% of its runs (449 tracked)

Best Relics for Expect a Fight

Expect a Fight pairs best with the relics Miniature Tent (+25.0%), Brimstone (+23.1%), and Kusarigama (+22.8%), ranked by win-rate lift.

Miniature Tent+25.0%29 runsBrimstone+23.1%15 runsKusarigama+22.8%40 runsUnsettling Lamp+22.7%22 runsTuning Fork+22.3%36 runsGnarled Hammer+20.4%19 runs

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

Expect a Fight Card Details

Expect a Fight is an uncommon skill costing 2 energy; it’s upgraded in 50.0% of runs and usually picked up by floor 18.

Gain -cost for each Attack in your Hand. You cannot gain additional -cost this turn.

Upgrade: -1 EnergyCost

What Ends Runs with Expect a Fight

Expect a Fight’s most common run-enders are Queen Boss (7.0%), Test Subject Boss (6.8%), and Kaiser Crab Boss (6.6%).

• Queen Boss7.0% of runs
• Test Subject Boss6.8% of runs
• Kaiser Crab Boss6.6% of runs
• Knowledge Demon Boss4.8% of runs
• Decimillipede Elite4.4% of runs

See Also

Compare Expect a Fight with the rest of the best Slay the Spire 2 cards, relics, and classes below.