Slay the Spire 2 Silent Guide – Best Strategy, Cards & Unlocks

The Silent is one of the returning heroes present in Slay the Spire 2. She is just as vicious as before, but she is now armed with brand-new cards, relics, and synergies. If you want a powerful way to climb the floors of the Spire, you have found it with this huntress.

1. Different Deck Builds for the Silent in Slay the Spire 2

The Silent has a lot of fantastic returning cards, but she also has some new ones and a whole new keyword. Once the deck begins to ramp up, you will be able to deal incredible amounts of damage, shredding enemies to ribbons in seconds.

• The Sly/Discard/Draw Deck and variants.
• Poison
• Shivs

2. Discard, Draw Cards, and Sly Deck Synergy: The Most Powerful Deck

The easiest and strongest deck available to the huntress is the Sly deck. This new keyword is a powerful thing that plays the card as it is discarded, so you get all the benefits as the card is dropped into your discard pile.

• Sly is a new keyword exclusive to The Silent.
• This keyword states that “If this card is discarded from your hand before the end of your turn, play it for free.”
• While there are several cards with Sly inherently, there are also cards that add Sly to cards, like Hand Trick.
• Other cards that synergize well with Sly are cards that focus on the number of cards drawn or discarded, like Murder or Memento Mori.

A three-card reward has a Sly card in it.

2.1 All Sly Cards

There are eight total cards that have Sly to begin with. Some of these deal damage and some are power cards, while others are skills that add Block.

There are two total cards that can add Sly to another card. One is a Power, and the other is a Skill.

2.2 Other Cards that Synergize Well With Sly Cards

While none of these cards have Sly themselves, they offer something great that the Sly deck will love. Here is a list of some favorites to keep an eye out for.

2.3 Best Relics for the Sly Deck

Some of the best relics for the Sly Draw and Discard deck.

It’s impossible to aim for specific relics. However, if you find one or two of these early game, they should influence the cards you pick up as rewards.

2.4 Worst Relics for the Sly Deck

There is one relic you need to avoid if you plan to build the Sly deck, and that is the Fiddle. It will prevent you from properly drawing cards.

2.5 Building the Sly, Draw, and Discard Deck

While a lot of getting the Sly deck is going to be about luck, you have a lot of possible cards to grab when you have a reward choice. Of course, look for anything with Sly, but also for Discard cards that cost zero when possible, such as Hidden Daggers and Prepared.

Taking down the Hunter Killer in one turn with the Silent.

2.5.1 Card Draw and Discarding

The Silent Cards:

• Acrobatics: A one-drop skill that draws 3/4 cards and discards one.
• Calculated Gamble: Discard your hand and draw that many with Exhaust.
• Dagger Throw: Not the best, but it does deal damage while drawing one and discarding one.
• Expertise: Draw until you have 6/7 cards.
• Hidden Daggers: Discards 2 cards and adds 2 Shivs or Shivs+ to your hand.
• Prepared: A zero-drop that draws 1/2 then discards 1/2.
• Shadow Step: Discards your whole hand.
• Survivor: Gains you Block and discards one card.

Colorless Cards:

• Finesse: Gain 4/7 Block. Draw 1 card.
• Flash of Steel: Deal 5/8 damage. Draw 1 card.
• Impatience: If you have no Attacks in your Hand, draw 2/3  cards.
• Master of Strategy: Draw 3/4 cards. Exhaust.
• Scrawl: Draw cards until your Hand is full.
• Thinking Ahead: Draw 2 cards. Put 1 card from your Hand on top of your Draw Pile. 

2.5.2 Tips for Building

• You will need to pick up as many discard cards and Sly cards as you can.
• Get rid of your Starting cards.
• You will also want to make sure you have plenty of Block to make sure you can Forge at camp instead of wasting your camp visits on Resting.
• Do not pick up extraneous cards that won’t move you closer to your goal of drawing and discarding as many cards in a turn as you can.
• Avoid picking up Bullet Time as it prevents you drawing cards.
• Also, try to avoid too many Acrobatics since it does cost one of your three precious Energy.

3. The Shiv Deck in Slay the Spire 2: The Most Fun Deck

While the Sly deck is the most powerful, the Shiv deck is one that’s both pretty strong and really fun to play. You need to collect cards and Relics that will give you Shiv cards, an Ethereal Attack zero-drop that deals 4 base damage.

• Shiv was a deck available in Slay the Spire.
• Several new cards have been added that ramp up the potential damage of your shivs.
• There are also a couple of very good Relics that will overpower this deck.
• The amount of synergy Shivs have with other Shiv cards is immense. 

The card art for Leading Art.

3.1 All Shiv Deck Cards

There are a total of 10 cards in Slay the Spire 2 that can give you Shivs or manipulate your Shivs. Each of these are listed below.

3.2 Other Cards that Synergize Well With Shiv Cards

If you are picking up a lot of Shiv cards in your run, you will want some cards that synergize well with them. There are the cards that go well with your Shiv deck and will make it even more powerful.

3.3 Best Relics for the Shiv Deck

There are several relics you can look out for while you are playing the Shiv deck. A few of these are exclusive to the Silent, but most are Colorless.

Playing Slay the Spire 2 as the Silent.

3.5 Building the Shiv Deck

If you want some tips to get the most out of your Shiv deck, you can find them below. This will help you add the right cards and more.

• While you want to pick up as many Shiv cards as you can, there are some that are better than others.
• Best Shiv cards include Hidden Daggers and Infinite Blades.
• The worst is Up My Sleeve. While it can be good in long combats, two energy is a hefty price the first time.
• If you get the option to Enchant your Strikes with Tezcatara’s Ember with the Nutritious Soup relic, you should. It makes all your Strikes into zero-drops.
• Don’t grab any unrelated cards; you will need to run a tight ship to keep this running well.

4. The Poison Deck in Slay the Spire 2: The Hardest Deck to Build

While the Poison Deck was one of the most viable builds in Slay the Spire, it’s a lot harder to build it well in 2. This is due to fewer cards with poison on them.

• There are only a few cards with Poison on them.
• Almost all these Poison cards, however, are very powerful.
• There are also some strong Silent-exclusive Relics.
• You can also build a hybrid poison and Shiv deck to make it easier to build.

3.1 All Poison Deck Cards

The card art for Deadly Poison in Slay the Spire 2.

There are 12 cards with Poison on them, and they are all listed below with the exception of the one Sly Poison card. Of these eleven, there are a several worth picking up while playing.

3.2 Best Relics for the Poison Deck

There are only two relics that will give you access to more poison. These are both Silent exclusive.

3.3 Building the Poison Deck

Since poison is exclusive to The Silent, there won’t be a lot of help from colorless cards. So you will need to focus on picking up card rewards to ramp up your poison counts.

• Try to remove your starter deck cards and keep your deck as lean as possible.
• All the Power cards with Poison are worth grabbing when you see them; they are all worth playing.
• Bouncing Flask and Snakebite are the worst of these cards.
• The easiest way to build for Poison is to mix it with a different deck, mostly because there are so few poison cards.

Three card rewards for The Silent.

5. A List of All Cards for The Silent

The Silent has a 89 cards. You need to play as The Silent in order to unlock most of these, but some have to be unlocked in special events or in multiplayer.

5.1 Best Cards for The Silent

If you want to know which Silent cards are the best, you can find a list of them below. Keep an eye out for these to add to your deck.

5.2 Worst Cards for The Silent

There are a handful of cards that aren’t great for any deck. They are too expensive, don’t do enough, or just don’t fit with any of the decks well.

5.3 Starter Cards

You begin each Silent playthrough with several cards. You have five Defends, five Strikes, one Neutralize, and one Survivor. You can also begin your game with a Curse once you start Assentation modes.

Card	Card Name	Type	Rarity	Cost	Text	Upgraded Text
	Defend	Skill	Starter	1	Gain 5 Block.	Gain 8 Block.
	Neutralize	Attack	Starter	0	Deal 3 damage. Apply 1 Weak.	Deal 4 damage. Apply 2 Weak.
	Strike	Attack	Starter	1	Deal 6 damage.	Deal 9 damage.
	Survivor	Skill	Starter	1	Gain 8 Block. Discard 1 card.	Gain 11 Block. Discard 1 card.

5.4 All Silent Card Rewards

As you progress up the Spire, you will be offered one of three card rewards after fights and special cards for events. These are the possible cards you can get during one of those two times. NOTE: Slay the Spire 2 is currently in Early Access, so these are subject to change without notice.

Card	Card Name	Type	Rarity	Cost	Text	Upgraded Text
	Abrasive	Power	Rare	3	Sly. Gain 1 Dexterity. Gain 4 Thorns.	Sly. Gain 1 Dexterity. Gain 6 Thorns.
	Accelerant	Power	Rare	1	Poison is triggered 1 additional time.	Poison is triggered 2 additional times.
	Accuracy	Power	Uncommon	1	Shivs deal 4 additional damage.	Shivs deal 6 additional damage.
	Acrobatics	Skill	Common	1	Draw 3 cards. Discard 1 card.	Draw 4 cards. Discard 1 card.
	Adrenaline	Skill	Rare	0	Gain one Energy. Draw 2 cards. Exhaust.	Gain two Energy. Draw 2 cards. Exhaust.
	Afterimage	Power	Rare	1	Whenever you play a card, gain 1 Block.	Innate. Whenever you play a card, gain 1 Block.
	Anticipate	Skill	Common	0	Gain 3 Dexterity this turn.	Gain 5 Dexterity this turn.
	Apparition	Skill	Other	1	Ethereal. Gain 1 Intangible. Exhaust.	Gain 1 Intangible. Exhaust.
	Assassinate	Attack	Rare	0	Innate. Deal 10 damage. Apply 1 Vulnerable. Exhaust.	Innate. Deal 13 damage. Apply 2 Vulnerable. Exhaust.
	Backflip	Skill	Common	1	Gain 5 Block. Draw 2 cards.	Gain 8 Block. Draw 2 cards.
	Backstab	Attack	Uncommon	0	Innate. Deal 11 damage. Exhaust.	Innate. Deal 15 damage. Exhaust.
	Blade Dance	Skill	Common	1	Add 3 Shivs into your Hand. Exhaust.	Add 4 Shivs into your Hand. Exhaust.
	Blade of Ink	Skill	Rare	1	This turn, whenever you play an Attack, gain 2 Strength this turn.	This turn, whenever you play an Attack, gain 3 Strength this turn.
	Blur	Skill	Uncommon	1	Gain 5 Block. Block is not removed at the start of your next turn.	Gain 8 Block. Block is not removed at the start of your next turn.
	Bouncing Flask	Skill	Uncommon	2	Apply 3 Poison to a random enemy 3 times.	Apply 3 Poison to a random enemy 4 times.
	Bubble Bubble	Skill	Uncommon	1	If the enemy has Poison, apply 9 Poison.	If the enemy has Poison, apply 12 Poison.
	Bullet Time	Skill	Rare	3	You cannot draw additional cards this turn. ALL cards in your Hand are free to play this turn.	Lowers card cost to 2.
	Burst	Skill	Rare	1	This turn, your next Skill is played an extra time.	This turn, your next 2 Skills are played an extra time.
	Calculated Gamble	Skill	Uncommon	0	Discard your Hand, then draw that many cards. Exhaust.	Retain. Discard your Hand, then draw that many cards. Exhaust.
	Cloak and Dagger	Skill	Common	1	Gain 6 Block. Add 1 Shiv into your Hand.	Gain 6 Block. Add 2 Shivs into your Hand.
	Corrosive Wave	Skill	Rare	1	Whenever you draw a card this turn, apply 3 Poison to ALL enemies.	Whenever you draw a card this turn, apply 4 Poison to ALL enemies.
	Dagger Spray	Attack	Common	1	Deal 4 damage to ALL enemies twice.	Deal 6 damage to ALL enemies twice.
	Dagger Throw	Attack	Common	1	Deal 9 damage. Draw 1 card. Discard 1 card.	Deal 12 damage. Draw 1 card. Discard 1 card.
	Dash	Attack	Uncommon	2	Gain 10 Block. Deal 10 damage.	Gain 13 Block. Deal 13 damage.
	Deadly Poison	Skill	Common	1	Apply 5 Poison.	Apply 7 Poison.
	Deflect	Skill	Common	0	Gain 4 Block.	Gain 7 Block.
	Dodge and Roll	Skill	Common	1	Gain 4 Block. Next turn, gain 4 Block.	Gain 6 Block. Next turn, gain 6 Block.
	Echoing Slash	Attack	Rare	1	Deal 10 damage to ALL enemies. Repeat this effect for each enemy killed.	Deal 13 damage to ALL enemies. Repeat this effect for each enemy killed.
	Envenom	Power	Rare	2	Whenever an Attack deals unblocked damage, apply 1 Poison.	Whenever an Attack deals unblocked damage, apply 2 Poison.
	Escape Plan	Skill	Uncommon	0	Draw 1 card. If you draw a Skill, gain 3 Block.	Draw 1 card. If you draw a Skill, gain 5 Block.
	Expertise	Skill	Uncommon	1	Draw cards until you have 6 in your Hand.	Draw cards until you have 7 in your Hand.
	Expose	Skill	Uncommon	0	Remove all Artifact and Block from the enemy. Apply 2 Vulnerable. Exhaust.	Remove all Artifact and Block from the enemy. Apply 3 Vulnerable. Exhaust.
	Fan of Knives	Power	Rare	2	Shivs now hit ALL enemies. Add 4 Shivs into your Hand.	Shivs now hit ALL enemies. Add 5 Shivs into your Hand.
	Finisher	Attack	Uncommon	1	Deal 6 damage for each Attack already played this turn.	Deal 8 damage for each Attack already played this turn.
	Flanking	Skill	Uncommon	2	The enemy takes double damage from other players this turn.	Lowers card cost to 1.
	Flechettes	Attack	Uncommon	1	Deal 5 damage for each Skill in your Hand.	Deal 7 damage for each Skill in your Hand.
	Flick-Flack	Attack	Common	1	Sly. Deal 7 damage to ALL enemies.	Sly. Deal 9 damage to ALL enemies.
	Follow Through	Attack	Uncommon	1	Deal 6 damage to ALL enemies. If the last card you played this turn was a Skill, apply 1 Weak to ALL enemies.	Deal 8 damage to ALL enemies. If the last card you played this turn was a Skill, apply 2 Weak to ALL enemies.
	Footwork	Power	Uncommon	1	Gain 2 Dexterity.	Gain 3 Dexterity.
	Grand Finale	Attack	Rare	0	Can only be played if there are no cards in your Draw Pile. Deal 50 damage to ALL enemies.	Can only be played if there are no cards in your Draw Pile. Deal 60 damage to ALL enemies.
	Hand Trick	Skill	Uncommon	1	Gain 7 Block. Add Sly to a Skill in your Hand this turn.	Gain 10 Block. Add Sly to a Skill in your Hand this turn.
	Haze	Skill	Uncommon	3	Sly. Apply 4 Poison to ALL enemies.	Sly. Apply 6 Poison to ALL enemies.
	Hidden Daggers	Skill	Uncommon	0	Discard 2 cards. Add 2 Shivs into your Hand.	Discard 2 cards. Add 2 Shivs+ into your Hand.
	Infinite Blades	Power	Uncommon	1	At the start of your turn, add 1 Shiv into your Hand.	Innate. At the start of your turn, add 1 Shiv into your Hand.
	Knife Trap	Skill	Rare	2	Play every Shiv in your Exhaust Pile on the enemy.	Upgrade and play every Shiv in your Exhaust Pile on the enemy.
	Leading Strike	Attack	Common	1	Deal 7 damage. Add 1 Shiv into your Hand.	Deal 10 damage. Add 1 Shiv into your Hand.
	Leg Sweep	Skill	Uncommon	2	Apply 2 Weak. Gain 11 Block.	Apply 3 Weak. Gain 14 Block.
	Malaise	Skill	Rare	X	Enemy loses X Strength. Apply X Weak. Exhaust.	Enemy loses X+1 Strength. Apply X+1 Weak. Exhaust.
	Master Planner	Power	Rare	2	When you play a Skill, it gains Sly.	Lowers card cost to 1.
	Memento Mori	Attack	Uncommon	1	Deal 8 damage. Deals 4 additional damage for each card discarded this turn.	Deal 10 damage. Deals 5 additional damage for each card discarded this turn.
	Mirage	Skill	Uncommon	1	Gain Block equal to Poison on ALL enemies. Exhaust.	Lowers card cost to 0.
	Murder	Attack	Rare	3	Deal 1 damage. Deals 1 additional damage for each card drawn this combat.	Lowers card cost to 2.
	Nightmare	Skill	Rare	3	Choose a card. Next turn, add 3 copies of that card into your Hand. Exhaust.	Lowers card cost to 2.
	Noxious Fumes	Power	Uncommon	1	At the start of your turn, apply 2 Poison to ALL enemies.	At the start of your turn, apply 3 Poison to ALL enemies.
	Outbreak	Power	Uncommon	1	Every 3 times you apply Poison, deal 11 damage to ALL enemies.	Every 3 times you apply Poison, deal 15 damage to ALL enemies.
	Phantom Blades	Power	Uncommon	1	Shivs gain Retain. The first Shiv you play each turn deals 9 additional damage.	Shivs gain Retain. The first Shiv you play each turn deals 12 additional damage.
	Piercing Wail	Skill	Common	1	ALL enemies lose 6 Strength this turn. Exhaust.	ALL enemies lose 8 Strength this turn. Exhaust.
	Pinpoint	Attack	Uncommon	3	Deal 17 damage. Costs 1 less Energy for each Skill played this turn.	Deal 22 damage. Costs 1 less Energy for each Skill played this turn.
	Poisoned Stab	Attack	Common	1	Deal 6 damage. Apply 3 Poison.	Deal 8 damage. Apply 4 Poison.
	Pounce	Attack	Uncommon	2	Deal 12 damage. The next Skill you play costs 0 Energy.	Deal 18 damage. The next Skill you play costs 0 Energy.
	Precise Cut	Attack	Uncommon	0	Deal 13 damage. Deals 2 less damage for each other card in your Hand.	Deal 16 damage. Deals 2 less damage for each other card in your Hand.
	Predator	Attack	Uncommon	2	Deal 15 damage. Next turn, draw 2 cards.	Deal 20 damage. Next turn, draw 2 cards.
	Prepared	Skill	Common	0	Draw 1 card. Discard 1 card.	Draw 2 cards. Discard 2 cards.
	Reflex	Skill	Uncommon	3	Sly. Draw 2 cards.	Sly. Draw 3 cards.
	Ricochet	Attack	Common	2	Sly. Deal 3 damage to a random enemy 4 times.	Sly. Deal 3 damage to a random enemy 5 times.
	Serpent Form	Power	Rare	3	Whenever you play a card, deal 4 damage to a random enemy.	Whenever you play a card, deal 5 damage to a random enemy.
	Shadowmeld	Skill	Rare	1	Double your Block gain this turn.	Lowers card cost to 0.
	Shadow Step	Skill	Rare	1	Discard your Hand. Next turn, Attacks deal double damage.	Lowers card cost to 0.
	Skewer	Attack	Uncommon	X	Deal 7 damage X times.	Deal 10 damage X times.
	Slice	Attack	Common	0	Deal 6 damage.	Deal 9 damage.
	Snakebite	Skill	Common	2	Retain. Apply 7 Poison.	Retain. Apply 10 Poison.
	Sneaky	Power	Rare	2	Sly. Whenever another player attacks an enemy, gain 1 Block.	Sly. Whenever another player attacks an enemy, gain 2 Block.
	Speedster	Power	Uncommon	2	Whenever you draw a card during your turn, deal 2 damage to ALL enemies.	Whenever you draw a card during your turn, deal 3 damage to ALL enemies.
	Storm of Steel	Skill	Rare	1	Discard your Hand. Add 1 Shiv into your Hand for each card discarded.	Discard your Hand. Add 1 Shiv+ into your Hand for each card discarded.
	Strangle	Attack	Uncommon	1	Deal 8 damage. Whenever you play a card this turn, the enemy loses 2 HP.	Deal 10 damage. Whenever you play a card this turn, the enemy loses 3 HP.
	Sucker Punch	Attack	Common	1	Deal 8 damage. Apply 1 Weak.	Deal 10 damage. Apply 2 Weak.
	Suppress	Attack	Other	0	Innate. Deal 11 damage. Apply 3 Weak.	Innate. Deal 17 damage. Apply 5 Weak.
	Tactician	Skill	Uncommon	3	Sly. Gain one Energy.	Sly. Gain two Energy.
	The Hunt	Attack	Rare	1	Deal 10 damage. If Fatal, gain an additional card reward. Exhaust.	Deal 15 damage. If Fatal, gain an additional card reward. Exhaust.
	Tools of the Trade	Power	Rare	1	At the start of your turn, draw 1 card and discard 1 card.	Lowers card cost to 0.
	Tracking	Power	Rare	2	Weak enemies take double damage from Attacks.	Lowers card cost to 1.
	Untouchable	Skill	Common	2	Sly. Gain 9 Block.	Sly. Gain 12 Block.
	Up My Sleeve	Skill	Uncommon	2	Add 3 Shivs into your Hand. Reduce this card’s cost by 1 (for this combat).	Add 4 Shivs into your Hand. Reduce this card’s cost by 1 (for this combat).
	Well-Laid Plans	Power	Uncommon	1	At the end of your turn, Retain up to 1 card.	At the end of your turn, Retain up to 2 cards.
	Wraith Form	Power	Other	3	Gain 2 Intangible. At the start of your turn, lose 1 Dexterity.	Gain 3 Intangible. At the start of your turn, lose 1 Dexterity.

Best Guides for Slay the Spire 2

All Events and Rewards Guide

All Ascension Levels Guide

Best Cards Tier List For All Characters

Best Necrobinder Build

Best The Silent Builds

Best Regent Builds

Relics Tier List

Best Ironclad Builds

7 Ways to Fix Slay the Spire 2 Not Launching on a Windows PC