Stratagem Power

Is Stratagem good in Slay the Spire 2?

Stratagem is an uncommon Colorless power in Slay the Spire 2. In combat it resolves as: Whenever you shuffle your Draw Pile, choose a card from it to put into your Hand. It’s a dependable, middle-of-the-pack option, landing at C tier in our rankings.

Across 89 recorded runs, decks running it win 31.8% of the time, comfortably clear of the 13.4% average, by 18.4%. It’s a more selective pick, turning up in just 0.5% of decks that could run it. Offer data backs the pick — taken 3.0% of the time it is shown, with 41.7% for runs that took it against 24.8% for runs that did not, a +11.9% pick lift across 24 decided runs. Regent players keep it in 0.9% 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 Venerate — together they post a +17.1% swing in win rate. It also has strong chemistry with the relic Happy Flower, which moves its win rate by +30.4%. At 1 energy, it’s upgraded in 37.4% of runs and usually joins the deck around floor 21.

Upgraded, it gains -1 EnergyCost, which is why so many decks invest a rest-site upgrade in it. That’s 28 wins, 60 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 6.7% of its appearances. Read on for Stratagem’s complete synergy, class, and threat breakdown to decide whether it earns a slot in your Colorless run.

Pick or Skip: Stratagem

Out of 806 recorded offers Stratagem is taken 3.0% of the time, and taking it is worth +11.9% in pick lift — 41.7% for runs that picked it against 24.8% for runs that skipped, across 24 decided runs.

Taken 24 times out of 806 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 Stratagem

Stratagem is strongest when it joins the deck in Act 3, where runs win 64.3% across 29 runs — one of 3 recorded pickup windows.

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

Best Cards to Pair with Stratagem

Ranked by win-rate lift, Stratagem performs best alongside Venerate (+17.1%), Defend (+15.4%), and Falling Star (+11.7%).

Venerate+17.1%19 runsDefend+15.4%20 runsFalling Star+11.7%18 runsAscender's Bane+4.9%46 runsBackflip+0.9%15 runsPrepared-4.2%16 runs

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

Stratagem Win Rate by Class

Stratagem is played across 5 classes, led by Regent (54.5%), Ironclad (40.0%), and Silent (26.1%) by win rate.

The Regent54.5%22 runsThe Ironclad40.0%10 runsThe Silent26.1%24 runsThe Necrobinder21.7%23 runsThe Defect10.0%10 runs

Best Relics for Stratagem

Stratagem pairs best with the relics Happy Flower (+30.4%), Strawberry (+20.7%), and Centennial Puzzle (+18.9%), ranked by win-rate lift.

Happy Flower+30.4%17 runsStrawberry+20.7%18 runsCentennial Puzzle+18.9%17 runsPotion Belt+16.9%16 runsBag of Preparation+15.4%21 runsDivine Right+15.4%20 runs

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

Stratagem Card Details

Stratagem is an uncommon power costing 1 energy; it’s upgraded in 37.4% of runs and usually picked up by floor 21.

Whenever you shuffle your Draw Pile, choose a card from it to put into your Hand.

Upgrade: -1 EnergyCost

What Ends Runs with Stratagem

Stratagem’s most common run-enders are Aeonglass Boss (6.7%), Queen Boss (6.7%), and The Kin Boss (6.7%).

• Aeonglass Boss6.7% of runs
• Queen Boss6.7% of runs
• The Kin Boss6.7% of runs
• Test Subject Boss5.6% of runs
• Vantom Boss3.4% of runs

See Also

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