Is Iron Wave good in Slay the Spire 2?

Iron Wave is a common Ironclad attack in Slay the Spire 2. In combat it resolves as: Gain 5 Block. Deal 5 damage. It currently underperforms most alternatives, sitting at D tier in our Slay the Spire 2 card rankings.

Across 322 recorded runs, decks running it win 21.4% of the time, comfortably clear of the 13.6% average, by 7.9%. It’s a more selective pick, turning up in just 3.8% of decks that could run it. Offer data backs the pick — taken 14.7% of the time it is shown, with 20.4% for runs that took it against 16.6% for runs that did not, a +3.7% pick lift across 269 decided runs. Ironclad players keep it in 16.3% of their runs, so it’s a familiar sight in those decks. On average it shows up 1.3 times in the decks that take it.

It performs best next to Crimson Mantle — together they post a +19.4% swing in win rate. It also has strong chemistry with the relic Bag of Marbles, which moves its win rate by +25.1%. At 1 energy, it’s upgraded in 27.4% of runs and usually joins the deck around floor 12.

Upgraded, it gains +2 Damage, +2 Block, which is why so many decks invest a rest-site upgrade in it. That’s 68 wins, 249 deaths, and 5 abandoned runs with it in the deck. The encounter that most often ends a run carrying it is The Insatiable Boss, which closes out 6.5% of its appearances. Read on for Iron Wave’s complete synergy, class, and threat breakdown to decide whether it earns a slot in your Ironclad run.

Pick or Skip: Iron Wave

Out of 2205 recorded offers Iron Wave is taken 14.7% of the time, and taking it is worth +3.7% in pick lift — 20.4% for runs that picked it against 16.6% for runs that skipped, across 269 decided runs.

Taken 323 times out of 2205 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 Iron Wave

Iron Wave is strongest when it joins the deck in Act 3, where runs win 58.1% across 31 runs — one of 4 recorded pickup windows.

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

Best Cards to Pair with Iron Wave

Ranked by win-rate lift, Iron Wave performs best alongside Crimson Mantle (+19.4%), Tear Asunder (+17.7%), and Rupture (+17.5%).

Crimson Mantle+19.4%32 runsTear Asunder+17.7%22 runsRupture+17.5%70 runsOffering

Iron Wave Win Rate by Class

Iron Wave is drafted only by the Ironclad, where it holds a 21.3% win rate across 315 runs.

The Ironcladappears in 16.3% of its runs (315 tracked)

Best Relics for Iron Wave

Iron Wave pairs best with the relics Bag of Marbles (+25.1%), Strawberry (+22.4%), and War Paint (+22.1%), ranked by win-rate lift.

Bag of Marbles+25.1%44 runsStrawberry+22.4%45 runsWar Paint+22.1%51 runsPen Nib

Iron Wave Card Details

Iron Wave is a common attack costing 1 energy; it’s upgraded in 27.4% of runs and usually picked up by floor 12.

Gain 5 Block. Deal 5 damage.

Upgrade: +2 Damage, +2 Block

What Ends Runs with Iron Wave

Iron Wave’s most common run-enders are The Insatiable Boss (6.5%), Kaiser Crab Boss (6.2%), and Test Subject Boss (5.6%).

• The Insatiable Boss6.5% of runs
• Kaiser Crab Boss6.2% of runs
• Test Subject Boss5.6% of runs
• Queen Boss5.6% of runs
• Decimillipede Elite4.0% of runs

See Also

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