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Defect Cards

All 88 Defect cards in Slay the Spire 2 — browse, filter, and find your best picks.

Defect is an automaton that deploys Orbs (Lightning, Frost, Dark, Glass, Plasma) for passive damage and defense through Focus scaling.

88 Total Cards 29 Attacks 39 Skills 20 Powers

Quick Answer

Defect has 88 cards (29 Attacks, 39 Skills, 20 Powers) built around the unique Orb system. Cards channel Lightning (3+Focus passive damage), Frost (2+Focus passive Block), Dark (accumulates 6 damage per turn until Evoked), Glass (AoE damage that diminishes over time), and Plasma (1 Energy per turn). Focus increases all Orb outputs, making Defect a powerful late-game scaler.

Defect Card Archetypes

Focus/Orb
Frost Defense
Lightning Aggro
Zero-cost/Claw

Card Distribution

4 Starter
20 Common
36 Uncommon
26 Rare
2 Ancient
88
Defend
1
Defend
Skill

Gain 5 Block.

Dualcast
1
Dualcast
Skill

Evoke your rightmost Orb twice.

Strike
1
Strike
Attack

Deal 6 damage.

Zap
1
Zap
Skill

Channel 1 Lightning.

Ball Lightning
1
Ball Lightning
Attack

Deal 7 damage.
Channel 1 Lightning.

Barrage
1
Barrage
Attack

Deal 5 damage for each Channeled Orb.

Beam Cell
0
Beam Cell
Attack

Deal 3 damage.
Apply 1 Vulnerable.

Boost Away
0
Boost Away
Skill

Gain 6 Block.
Add a Dazed into your Discard Pile.

Charge Battery
1
Charge Battery
Skill

Gain 7 Block.
Next turn, gain energy.

Claw
0
Claw
Attack

Deal 3 damage.
Increase the damage of ALL Claw cards by 2 this combat.

Cold Snap
1
Cold Snap
Attack

Deal 6 damage.
Channel 1 Frost.

Compile Driver
1
Compile Driver
Attack

Deal 7 damage.
Draw 1 card for each unique Orb you have.

Coolheaded
1
Coolheaded
Skill

Channel 1 Frost.
Draw 1 card.

Focused Strike
1
Focused Strike
Attack

Deal 9 damage.
Gain 1 Focus this turn.

Go for the Eyes
0
Go for the Eyes
Attack

Deal 3 damage.
If the enemy intends to attack, apply 1 Weak.

Gunk Up
1
Gunk Up
Attack

Deal 4 damage 3 times.
Add a Slimed into your Discard Pile.

Hologram
1
Hologram
Skill

Gain 3 Block.
Put a card from your Discard Pile into your Hand.

Hotfix
0
Hotfix
Skill

Gain 2 Focus this turn.

Leap
1
Leap
Skill

Gain 9 Block.

Lightning Rod
1
Lightning Rod
Skill

Gain 4 Block.
At the start of the next 2 turns, Channel 1 Lightning.

Momentum Strike
1
Momentum Strike
Attack

Deal 10 damage.
Reduce this card's cost to 0 energy.

Sweeping Beam
1
Sweeping Beam
Attack

Deal 6 damage to ALL enemies.
Draw 1 card.

TURBO
0
TURBO
Skill

Gain energyenergy.
Add a Void into your Discard Pile.

Uproar
2
Uproar
Attack

Deal 5 damage twice.
Play a random Attack from your Draw Pile.

Boot Sequence
0
Boot Sequence
Skill

Gain 10 Block.

Bulk Up
2
Bulk Up
Power

Lose 1 Orb Slot.
Gain 2 Strength.
Gain 2 Dexterity.

Capacitor
1
Capacitor
Power

Gain 2 Orb Slots.

Chaos
1
Chaos
Skill

Channel 1 random Orb.

Chill
0
Chill
Skill

Channel 1 Frost for each enemy.

Compact
1
Compact
Skill

Gain 6 Block.
Transform all Status cards in your Hand into Fuel.

Defect Card FAQ

What are the best Defect cards in Slay the Spire 2?
Top Defect cards: Focus scaling — Defragment, Biased Cognition, Consume; Frost — Glacier, Coolheaded, Chill; Lightning — Electrodynamics, Ball Lightning, Storm; Zero-cost — Claw, Beam Cell. Defragment (Gain 1 Focus) is widely considered one of the best Defect cards because each point of Focus increases all Orb passive and Evoke effects.
How many Defect cards are in Slay the Spire 2?
Defect has 88 unique cards: 4 Basic/Starter, 20 Common, 36 Uncommon, 26 Rare, and 2 Ancient. By type: 29 Attacks, 39 Skills, and 20 Powers.
What are Orb cards in Slay the Spire 2?
Orb cards are Defect-exclusive cards that channel Orbs into Orb slots. There are 5 Orb types: Lightning (deals 3+Focus damage to a random enemy passively each turn), Frost (generates 2+Focus Block passively each turn), Dark (accumulates 6 damage per turn until Evoked for a massive burst), Glass (deals AoE damage that diminishes over time), and Plasma (generates 1 Energy per turn). When a new Orb overfills your slots, the rightmost Orb is Evoked for a stronger effect. Focus increases all Orb passive and Evoke values.
Is Claw a good card in STS2?
Claw is a 0-cost Attack that deals 3 damage and permanently increases ALL Claw damage by 2 for the rest of combat. In dedicated Claw builds with multiple copies and All for One (returns all 0-cost cards from discard to hand), it becomes extremely powerful. However, it requires build-around commitment.
How do Orb slots and Evoke work in Slay the Spire 2?
Defect starts with 3 Orb slots. Channeling fills slots from left to right. When all slots are full and you Channel a new Orb, the rightmost Orb is automatically Evoked (triggering its stronger active effect) to make room. Capacitor adds +2 Orb slots, increasing passive value every turn. Multi-Cast Evokes your rightmost Orb multiple times — devastating with a fully-charged Dark Orb. More slots improve every Orb strategy.
What is the Glass Orb in Slay the Spire 2?
Glass Orbs are new to Slay the Spire 2. They deal Focus-scaled AoE damage that diminishes each turn, filling a niche for crowd control in multi-enemy encounters. Focus increases Glass Orb damage like other Orb types. However, Glass Orbs are not a primary build path — they're useful as supplementary AoE rather than a core win condition.

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