Thinking Ahead•Skill

Is Thinking Ahead good in Slay the Spire 2?

Thinking Ahead is an uncommon Colorless skill in Slay the Spire 2. In combat it resolves as: Draw cards. Put 1 card from your Hand on top of your Draw Pile. It’s a dependable, middle-of-the-pack option, landing at C tier in our rankings.

Across 64 recorded runs, decks running it win 32.8% of the time, comfortably clear of the 13.9% average, by 18.8%. It’s a more selective pick, turning up in just 0.6% of decks that could run it. Offer data is close to a wash — 2.4% of offers taken, 25.0% for runs that picked it against 26.8% for runs that skipped, a pick lift of just -1.1% over 16 decided runs. Ironclad players keep it in 0.6% 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 Bash — together they post a +0.3% swing in win rate. It also has strong chemistry with the relic Blood Vial, which moves its win rate by +16.3%. At 0 energy, it’s upgraded in 31.9% of runs and usually joins the deck around floor 17.

That’s 20 wins, 41 deaths, and 3 abandoned runs with it in the deck. The encounter that most often ends a run carrying it is Knights Elite, which closes out 7.8% of its appearances. Read on for Thinking Ahead’s complete synergy, class, and threat breakdown to decide whether it earns a slot in your Colorless run.

Pick or Skip: Thinking Ahead

Out of 702 recorded offers Thinking Ahead is taken 2.4% of the time, and taking it is worth -1.1% in pick lift — 25.0% for runs that picked it against 26.8% for runs that skipped, across 16 decided runs.

Taken 17 times out of 702 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 Thinking Ahead

Thinking Ahead is strongest when it joins the deck in Act 2, where runs win 45.5% across 22 runs — one of 3 recorded pickup windows.

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

Best Cards to Pair with Thinking Ahead

Ranked by win-rate lift, Thinking Ahead performs best alongside Bash (+0.3%), Defend (-0.9%), and Ascender's Bane (-3.5%).

Bash+0.3%15 runsDefend-0.9%16 runsAscender's Bane-3.5%33 runsStrike-5.2%21 runsDefend-6.1%22 runsNeutralize-6.1%22 runs

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

Thinking Ahead Win Rate by Class

Thinking Ahead is played across 3 classes, led by Ironclad (31.3%), Silent (23.8%), and Necrobinder (20.0%) by win rate.

The Ironclad31.3%16 runsThe Silent23.8%23 runsThe Necrobinder20.0%10 runs

Best Relics for Thinking Ahead

Thinking Ahead pairs best with the relics Blood Vial (+16.3%), Lantern (+12.7%), and Burning Blood (+0.3%), ranked by win-rate lift.

Blood Vial+16.3%16 runsLantern+12.7%18 runsBurning Blood+0.3%15 runsRing of the Snake-6.1%23 runs

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

Thinking Ahead Card Details

Thinking Ahead is an uncommon skill costing 0 energy; it’s upgraded in 31.9% of runs and usually picked up by floor 17.

Draw cards. Put 1 card from your Hand on top of your Draw Pile.

What Ends Runs with Thinking Ahead

Thinking Ahead’s most common run-enders are Knights Elite (7.8%), Test Subject Boss (6.3%), and Aeonglass Boss (4.7%).

• Knights Elite7.8% of runs
• Test Subject Boss6.3% of runs
• Aeonglass Boss4.7% of runs
• The Kin Boss3.1% of runs
• Decimillipede Elite3.1% of runs

See Also

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