The Ironclad is your starting class in Slay the Spire—and for good reason. With straightforward mechanics, high sustain, and massive scaling potential, he’s the perfect character to learn the game’s systems. But while Ironclad might feel intuitive at first, he hides a surprising amount of depth. This guide gives you 10 (plus a bonus!) essential tips to turn your Ironclad runs into winning streaks.
1. Rules Exist to Be Broken
No matter how many tips you learn, the golden rule of Slay the Spire is flexibility. Every card, relic, or strategy that sounds good will eventually run into a moment where it shouldn’t be used. Synergies make or break decks. The best Ironclad players look for one “rule” to break every run—because each run is unique. Play what the deck and path demand.
2. Ironclad is Energy Hungry—Feed Him
Many of Ironclad’s strongest cards cost 2 energy or more. Offering, Double Tap, Limit Break, Immolate, and Reaperall shine with more energy. That makes energy generation essential. Prioritize boss relics that provide energy like Coffee Dripper, which is especially good with Ironclad’s natural healing tools. Don’t be afraid of losing rest site healing if you’ve got solid sustain elsewhere (see below).
3. Lean Into That Sustain
Ironclad starts with Burning Blood, which heals 6 HP after every combat. That’s the same as a rest site every four fights. Add in healing cards like Reaper (which scales well with Strength and multi-enemy fights) and Feed (which also heals, despite only stating it increases max HP), and you’re looking at a class that can afford to fight harder, risk more, and take elite fights earlier.
If you pick up the Magic Flower relic, combat healing becomes even more efficient, further enabling you to focus your rest sites on upgrading instead of healing.
4. Upgrades Matter—A Lot
Ironclad has some of the most impactful upgrades in the game. Reducing energy cost, scaling damage, improving block—all of these turn “okay” cards into powerhouses. Bash going to 2 Vulnerable, Shrug It Off drawing more consistently, or Demon Form ticking faster—upgrades translate directly to fight readiness.
Especially if you have combat healing online, you should aim to upgrade first, heal later. Your best defense is ending fights quickly.
5. Take More Elites
Elites offer relics. Relics make decks better. Ironclad is better equipped than any other class to soak hits and dish out damage early, making him a strong contender for taking Act 1 elites aggressively. You’ll get relics, better card choices, and more gold. That power snowballs into smoother Acts 2 and 3. Use your sustain as fuel and lean into the risk.
6. Use HP Like a Resource
You don’t need to block every hit. Ironclad can afford to tank damage when it means winning faster. This is especially true in elite fights where you may trade some health to end the fight sooner. The cost of 12 HP now is often worth saving 30 later. Trust your sustain and play aggressively when it counts.
7. Exhaust is Not Scary—It’s Strong
New players fear the Exhaust mechanic, thinking they might need that card later. But if your fight ends in 3–5 turns (as most hallway fights do), you won’t miss exhausted cards. Use Fiend Fire. Use Offering. Use Power Through. These are tempo plays that give you value now.
Exhaust synergies with Corruption, Feel No Pain, and Dark Embrace are Ironclad staples. Pair them with Dead Branch and you’ve got a looping engine that refuels itself with powerful new cards every time you exhaust.
8. Synergy is King
Ironclad cards can feel weak alone, but become game-breaking when paired with the right tools. Limit Break is a dud without Strength gain. Impervious feels clunky unless you can make it cheaper or recycle it. Build decks where cards boost each other: block generation that triggers draw or strength, exhaust effects that fuel new combos, or powers that layer scaling.
The deeper your synergy web, the stronger your deck becomes. But beware…
9. Don’t Chase Dreams Too Early
It’s tempting to snap up powerful-looking cards early on. But without synergy or support, they’re just dead draws. You need to build into power, not around it. Focus on the needs of your next elite or boss. Once your deck is stable, then start building toward higher-end combos.
Picking up Demon Form in Act 1 might cost you more HP than it’s worth. Take cards you can play now, not cards you wish you could play later.
10. Cut the Fat
Deck thinning is essential. Strikes, Defends, and mismatched synergy cards all clog your draw. Remove cards when you can. Large decks delay your win condition. A 45-card deck might take seven turns to hit the card you’re building around. The smaller the deck, the faster you stabilize.
That includes removing cards that were once useful. If a card was great in Act 1 but now stalls your tempo in Act 3, cut it.
Bonus Tip: Don’t Take Clash
It’s tempting. It’s zero-cost. It deals decent damage. But Clash is fragile. The requirement to have no skills in hand often turns it into a dead draw—especially in the skill-heavy Ironclad decks that rely on block, power, and discard. Most top players avoid it completely. You should too.
Closing Thoughts
Ironclad is simple on the surface, but powerful in the hands of a thoughtful player. Use your HP as fuel. Prioritize synergy over raw card strength. Thin your deck. Upgrade first. And above all—build to win this fight, not some theoretical dream three acts from now.
For more on synergy-heavy builds and creative deck choices, be sure to check out the linked guides. Until then—good luck in the spire, and may your next Limit Break hit for lethal.
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