Defect Build Guide: Orb Spam
One of the classic Slay the Spire builds, the Defect's Orb spam strategy has made it to StS2 as well. Here's how the strategy works, what the key pivot points are, and how you can scale it with various cards to win your run – courtesy of Slay the Spire 2 expert Baalorlord.
How Orb builds work with the Defect in Slay the Spire 2
Orbs provide the Defect with passive output every turn, but you get a bigger effect if you Evoke the Orb by Channeling new ones. You can also check out a basic overview of the Defect's Orb mechanic before reading on, and this advanced guide will explore how you can make various builds work in the course of your run.
Entry Points – Key Early Cards for the Orb Spam Build
Start with cards that Channel damage or Block Orbs (except Plasma) and try to get your Orb slots filled in combat as quickly as possible. Once your slots are full, keep Channeling new Orbs to take advantage of each Orb's one-time Evoke effect. If you are not Channeling Frost Orbs, you may need to add additional Block options to the deck, such as Charge Battery or Leap.
Scaling Options – Later Cards That Help You Win Your StS2 Run
Add Powers that increase the output of Orbs you are frequently Channeling. Defragment works with all non-Plasma Orbs, while other Powers give benefits to a specific Orb type. Cards like Coolant and Synchronize work best with a mix of Orbs.
Temporary Focus from Focused Strike or Hotfix is best if applied every turn, so support them with good card draw. Capacitor and Modded give more slots per Orb, which is only useful if you can quickly fill up your slots.
Subtype 1: Pure Lightning
Overwhelm your opponents with electricity! Focus on having your Orb slots provide damage constantly, while the role of Blocking is relegated to other cards. Be sure to include defensive cards for longer fights. Increase the damage of individual Lightning Orbs with Thunder, or simply Channel a ton of them with Storm, Tempest, or Voltaic. This build is of moderate difficulty.
Subtype 2: Wall of Ice
Sit behind an invincible wall of ice and laugh as your opponents try in vain to hurt you! Stack up a bunch of Frost Orbs and Block constantly while slowly but surely chipping away at your foes.
Frost Orbs have a low base output (two), so you'll want to improve their value somehow. Capacitor, Defragment, and Loop allow you to gain more passive Block per turn, buying you more time to execute your plans.
Turn the scaling up to eleven with Creative AI and/or Echo Form to give you the power to outpace boss combats. Hotfix and Focused Strike can significantly improve your Block for a key turn.
This build suffers most in fights where enemies threaten large amounts of damage very quickly. Cards like Barrage, Hailstorm, and Sunder can be useful alongside your Block engine, but almost any decent attack pairs well with this deck. Claw is a surprisingly effective pairing as well because Frost cards tend to be expensive and lead to longer combats. Overall, this is one of the easiest Orb builds to execute.
Subtype 3: Lord of Darkness
Channel almighty Dark Orbs to kill bosses with ease! These Orbs deal excellent single-target damage, but only when you Evoke them. To best utilize their potential, you'll need to stack their damage by using Loop or the secondary effect on Darkness, then Evoke the Dark Orb multiple times with Dualcast or Multi-Cast. If using the latter, look for Energy-generating cards to get a higher multiplier.
You can use Consuming Shadow to create free space for Channeling new Orbs while also growing a Dark Orb in the front slot. Getting your Evoke effects to line up with your Dark Orb can be tricky, so having Hologram to retrieve key cards like Dualcast is very helpful.
Because Dark Orbs always target the enemy with the lowest HP, this build suffers in fights where there are small minions and one big threat. To counter this, splash cards that provide area damage or Glass Orbs.
Baalorlord
A former chemistry instructor, Baalorlord is no stranger to teaching students the basics. He's been streaming on Twitch for more than half a decade, creating a cozy environment where you can learn how to smash games on the hardest difficulties. He also loves coming up with truly awful puns.