Tempest Skill

Is Tempest good in Slay the Spire 2?

Tempest is an uncommon Defect skill in Slay the Spire 2. In combat it resolves as: Channel X Lightning. It currently underperforms most alternatives, sitting at D tier in our Slay the Spire 2 card rankings.

Across 376 recorded runs, decks running it win 21.8% of the time, comfortably clear of the 13.8% average, by 8.0%. It’s a more selective pick, turning up in just 1.5% of decks that could run it. Offer data backs the pick — taken 17.2% of the time it is shown, with 23.6% for runs that took it against 18.7% for runs that did not, a +4.8% pick lift across 309 decided runs. Defect players keep it in 6.8% 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 Supercritical — together they post a +27.7% swing in win rate. It also has strong chemistry with the relic Red Mask, which moves its win rate by +25.8%. At X energy, it’s upgraded in 37.6% of runs and usually joins the deck around floor 14.

That’s 81 wins, 291 deaths, and 4 abandoned runs with it in the deck. The encounter that most often ends a run carrying it is Kaiser Crab Boss, which closes out 8.8% of its appearances. Read on for Tempest’s complete synergy, class, and threat breakdown to decide whether it earns a slot in your Defect run.

Pick or Skip: Tempest

Out of 1891 recorded offers Tempest is taken 17.2% of the time, and taking it is worth +4.8% in pick lift — 23.6% for runs that picked it against 18.7% for runs that skipped, across 309 decided runs.

Taken 325 times out of 1891 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 Tempest

Tempest is strongest when it joins the deck in Act 3, where runs win 55.9% across 35 runs — one of 4 recorded pickup windows.

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

Best Cards to Pair with Tempest

Ranked by win-rate lift, Tempest performs best alongside Supercritical (+27.7%), Energy Surge (+19.7%), and Scrape (+19.4%).

Supercritical+27.7%49 runsEnergy Surge+19.7%30 runsScrape+19.4%23 runsDefragment+17.7%65 runsFlak Cannon+17.5%21 runsSmokestack+16.8%32 runs

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

Tempest Win Rate by Class

Tempest is drafted only by the Defect, where it holds a 21.9% win rate across 373 runs.

The Defectappears in 6.8% of its runs (373 tracked)

Best Relics for Tempest

Tempest pairs best with the relics Red Mask (+25.8%), Planisphere (+25.1%), and Pear (+24.1%), ranked by win-rate lift.

Red Mask+25.8%64 runsPlanisphere+25.1%16 runsPear+24.1%34 runsMercury Hourglass+23.7%30 runsHorn Cleat+21.5%32 runsWar Paint+20.3%57 runs

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

Tempest Card Details

Tempest is an uncommon skill costing X energy; it’s upgraded in 37.6% of runs and usually picked up by floor 14.

Channel X Lightning.

What Ends Runs with Tempest

Tempest’s most common run-enders are Kaiser Crab Boss (8.8%), Aeonglass Boss (5.3%), and Knowledge Demon Boss (5.1%).

• Kaiser Crab Boss8.8% of runs
• Aeonglass Boss5.3% of runs
• Knowledge Demon Boss5.1% of runs
• Queen Boss4.8% of runs
• Test Subject Boss4.5% of runs

See Also

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