Slay the Spire 2 Defect Card Tier List
This Slay the Spire 2 cards tier list ranks all 155 cards by win rate for 2026, sorted from S-tier down to F-tier so you can read the current meta at a glance. The S-tier — the 23 strongest cards right now — features Slice (66.7%), Apotheosis (66.7%), Mayhem (60.0%), Fasten (54.5%), and Machine Learning (51.5%). Slice posts the single highest win rate at 66.7%. For players hunting an edge, Slice is the most underrated pick this patch — S-tier results at only a 0.6% pick rate — while Zap looks overrated, popular at 98.2% but landing in F-tier. Rankings update daily from real ranked matches, so every placement reflects current performance rather than a one-off result. Use the tiers below to pick the best cards for your games.
S Tier - Meta Defining
(23)S-tier is led by Slice, which dominates the meta with a 66.7% win rate on a 0.6% pick rate. They are followed by Apotheosis (66.7%), Mayhem (60.0%), Fasten (54.5%), Machine Learning (51.5%), Omnislice (50.0%), Prolong (50.0%), and Believe in You (50.0%). The remaining 15 cards in this tier average a 45.5% win rate. These cards define the current meta and are the safest, highest-impact picks. In terms of popularity, Compact is the crowd favourite here at a 11.6% pick rate, while Slice is slept on at just 0.6% — a strong S-tier pick flying under the radar.
B Tier - Viable
(23)B-tier is led by Trash to Treasure, which struggles with a 36.8% win rate on a 9.4% pick rate. They are followed by Skim (35.1%), Energy Surge (35.0%), Hailstorm (34.7%), Ultimate Defend (34.6%), Bulk Up (34.5%), Rocket Punch (34.1%), and Defragment (34.1%). The remaining 15 cards in this tier average a 32.9% win rate. These cards are balanced and fully viable with solid execution. In terms of popularity, Smokestack is the crowd favourite here at a 11.3% pick rate, while Know Thy Place is slept on at just 0.6% — a strong B-tier pick flying under the radar.
C Tier - Situational
(31)C-tier is led by Supercritical, which struggles with a 30.9% win rate on a 8.4% pick rate. They are followed by Neow's Fury (30.0%), Hologram (29.5%), FTL (29.5%), Ice Lance (29.4%), TURBO (29.3%), Iteration (29.3%), and Boost Away (28.6%). The remaining 23 cards in this tier average a 26.9% win rate. These cards are situational and need favourable matchups or team comps to shine. Despite the low ranking, Capacitor stays popular at a 28.6% pick rate, meaning players overvalue it relative to its C-tier results, while Toric Toughness (1.8%) is more rightly avoided.
D Tier - Below Average
(39)D-tier is led by Genetic Algorithm, which struggles with a 25.0% win rate on a 9.4% pick rate. They are followed by Regret (25.0%), Dark Shackles (25.0%), Maul (25.0%), Biased Cognition (25.0%), Stratagem (25.0%), Leap (24.8%), and Clumsy (24.4%). The remaining 31 cards in this tier average a 20.0% win rate. These cards underperform against the current meta and take extra effort to win with. Despite the low ranking, Lightning Rod stays popular at a 36.8% pick rate, meaning players overvalue it relative to its D-tier results, while Biased Cognition (0.8%) is more rightly avoided.
F Tier - Weak
(39)F-tier is led by Barrage, which struggles with a 16.4% win rate on a 13.7% pick rate. They are followed by Tesla Coil (15.4%), Multi-Cast (15.4%), Boot Sequence (15.3%), Dualcast (15.2%), Zap (14.8%), Refract (14.7%), and Beam Cell (14.5%). The remaining 31 cards in this tier average a 5.1% win rate. These cards are the weakest options this patch and are best avoided in ranked. Despite the low ranking, Zap stays popular at a 98.2% pick rate, meaning players overvalue it relative to its F-tier results, while Guilty (0.6%) is more rightly avoided.
