The Ultimate Guide to the Top 10 Watcher Cards in Slay The Spire!

Summary

The Watcher excels with cards like Windmill Strike for quick damage output.
Talk to the Hand works well for balancing offense and defense, especially against tougher foes.
Foresight enhances deck consistency by allowing players to select the best cards to draw from.

In the game “Slay The Spire,” The Watcher is arguably one of the most intricate character classes, relying on an extensive deck of cards to manage its three robust stances. Unlike other classes, The Watcher operates quite differently, necessitating a deep grasp of Wrath and Calm to be utilized efficiently.

Suitable for those who appreciate strategic gameplay that involves rapid damage followed by a defensive stance, The Watcher performs exceptionally well. Newcomers and experts alike might want to take advantage of its strongest cards to maximize this playstyle, fortifying their deck with potent abilities like Scry and Retain for increased power.

12. Windmill Strike

With Every Turn, Its Damage Grows

Energy Cost: 2.
Upgrade Effect: Increases base damage and retains damage increase.
Synergies: Bottled Flame, block cards, wrath stance.

Windmill Strike serves as a potent win condition within the game Slay The Spire. To utilize it, you need two energy units. While the initial damage it inflicts is modest, its real strength lies in its Retain effect. At the conclusion of each turn, this card remains in your hand, and its damage incrementally escalates. Consequently, within a few turns, it can unleash upwards of 30 damage to eliminate formidable adversaries.

This card performs exceptionally well when used in decks that have numerous blocking options. When Windmill Strike is drawn, players must endure several rounds to accumulate sufficient damage before unleashing Wrath to swiftly eliminate weaker adversaries with a single strike. Windmill Strike maintains its enhanced damage throughout battle, enabling players to inflict that colossal damage again in a short span of turns. Pair this card with the Bottled Flame relic to guarantee it is always drawn during the opening turn.

11. Talk To The Hand

Every Hit Grants Block

Energy Cost: 1.
Upgrade Effect: Increases damage and block gained on hit.
Synergies: Multi-hit attacks like Ragnarok and Tantrum.

This “Watcher” card is versatile, enabling offensive strategies without compromising defense. It performs particularly well in “Wrath” decks due to the requirement for both attack and defense to survive. Furthermore, it synergizes exceptionally with multiple-strike abilities such as “Tantrum” and “Ragnarok”, activating multiple times when used together, making it an ideal choice for “Wrath” deck builds.

This card performs optimally against powerful enemies like elites, bosses, and those with high health, as its impact lasts throughout the entire battle (unless otherwise removed). This enables players to steadily accumulate block while dishing out damage consistently. This card is particularly advantageous when paired with Bottled Flame, enabling it to trigger at the onset of every fight for maximum usage.

10. Foresight

Tailor The Draw Pile

Energy Cost: 1.
Upgrade Effect: Increases number of cards Scryed.
Synergies: Stance switching, Nirvana, and Alpha cards.

As a gamer, I’m always on the lookout for that extra edge in my deck. Scrying is my secret weapon; it allows me to peek at the top cards and shuffle away any that don’t serve my purpose, ensuring I only pull out the cream of the crop. Foresight, my trusted ally, grants me scry 3 (4 when upgraded) at the start of every turn, giving me an unparalleled consistency in my draws, especially when my deck isn’t bulky. It’s like having a crystal ball that always shows the best cards!

Since Foresight gets used often, it complements cards such as Nirvana and Weave that provide unique effects when scrying (offering blocking abilities and returning an attack card free of charge to the player’s hand). Moreover, because Foresight enables players to draw only crucial cards, it becomes almost essential for Alpha decks to activate the Omega effect.

9. Judgment

Instantly Kill Weaker Creature

Energy Cost: 1.
Upgrade Effect: Increases insta-kill maximum to 40HP.
Synergies: Scrying and cards that let players draw more cards.

This economical card, Judgment, offers a massive punch with potential damage ranging from 30 to 40, making it an instant lethal attack against any creature with less than 30 health points. Whether it’s a common minion, elite, or boss, its power cuts through all low-HP enemies with high defense. Many players would find it advantageous to include at least one of these cards in their deck for swiftly handling weaker foes and bothersome boss minions, particularly during the early stages of the game where they can become a significant hassle.

Although this card may not initially seem to align well with other cards, building a deck that emphasizes scrying and drawing cards will provide players with frequent opportunities to utilize the powerful monster-destroying abilities of Judgment.

8. Omniscience

Play A Card Twice

Energy Cost: 4
Upgrade Effect: Reduces energy cost by 1.
Synergies: High-damage cards like Ragnarok and Windmill Strike, and Worship.

A high-priced card, Omniscience, is both tough to use effectively and incredibly potent in a game. When played, the user gets to pick any card from their deck’s reserve and play it not once but twice. With strategic card selection, this ability can be exceptionally strong.

As a gamer, I find myself in awe of the Worship ability that bestows five mantras upon me. With this divine blessing, I can instantly assume the potent Divinity stance without delay. Ragnarok, a formidable weapon, deals an immense amount of damage, and when used strategically, it doubles that damage at no additional cost. To amplify its power even further, having another Omniscience card in hand can double the effects of Ragnarok, allowing me to cast an extra two cards twice over for staggering returns. However, this powerful card comes with a hefty price tag, so possessing an energy relic proves incredibly useful when running it.

7. Establishment

Retained Cards Cost Less

Energy Cost: 1.
Upgrade Effect: Card becomes innate.
Synergies: Any card with Retain, including Windmill Strike and Sands of Time.

The act of Establishment decreases a player’s card costs each time they keep (retain) them. Given that several potent cards of the Watcher possess ‘keep’ and carry high costs, Establishment could essentially cover its own expense within just a few turns in decks primarily constructed with such cards.

Initially, the Foundation stands robustly on its own. However, enhancing it grants it an intrinsic ability. This means that players can activate it at the start of each combat round, making it active for most turns during a single playthrough. Furthermore, this card works exceptionally well with Battle Hymn. Every turn, Battle Hymn generates a Smite card, rapidly creating a powerful and free attack arsenal. Pairing Master Reality or Molten Egg with the Foundation and Battle Hymn upgrades every newly created Smite for additional damage.

6. Ragnarok

A Powerful Multi-hit Attack

Energy Cost: 3.
Upgrade Effect: Increases damage and number of hits.
Synergies: Talk to the Hand and Wreath of Flame

Building a strategy around Ragnarok, a powerful win condition, requires skill due to its high energy cost of 3. Players should be aware that they might not be able to utilize it immediately, but rather, save it for later in the game when they have obtained energy relics and accumulated enough low-cost cards to sustain themselves while Ragnarok wreaks havoc on their opponents.

The force behind Ragnarok lies in its ability to deliver multiple strikes, with each blow amplified by the player’s accumulated Strength levels. Gathering a modest amount of Strength could nearly double its destructive potential. However, its main flaw is its unpredictable target selection, which may cause it to strike an unwanted foe in battles involving multiple enemies. Pair Ragnarok with cards such as Wreath of Flame and Trip for immense damage, or use Talk to the Hand for multiple opportunities to block enemy attacks.

5. Tantrum

Multi-hit And Enter Wrath

Energy Cost: 1.
Upgrade Effect: Increases number of hits.
Synergies: Inner Peace and other calm-inducing cards.

Outburst serves as an affordable method for triggering Wrath and delivers potent, multiple strikes of damage. What’s unique about this card is its ability to return to the deck rather than the discard pile, making it ready for reuse faster compared to many other cards.

Apart from being a significant improvement over the Watcher’s starting Wrath card, Crescendo (Wrath), Tantrum offers even greater strength. Compared to Eruption, it delivers the same or higher damage while requiring less energy. In contrast to Indignation, its effect is more advantageous. Moreover, unlike Crescendo, Tantrum can be played more reliably in a game due to its consistent performance. When paired with Inner Peace and Rushdown, Tantrum can establish an endless loop by switching stances between Calm and Wrath. While Violet Lotus enhances this infinite loop, it is not essential for its functionality.

4. Spirit Shield

Gain Shield Based On Your Hand

Energy Cost: 2.
Upgrade Effect: Increases block gained per card.
Synergies: Cards that draw more cards and the Runic Pyramid relic.

The Spirit Shield comes with a hefty price tag, yet offers an impressive block capacity – 3 blocks (4 when upgraded) for every card you hold. This item synergizes exceptionally well with decks that focus on maintaining resources and drawing cards, as they tend to have a substantial number of cards in hand consistently.

Dancers using Stance decks also prefer to utilize one or two Spirit Shields due to their frequent use of Flurry of Blows cards, which deal additional damage when switching stances. This allows for multiple benefits: not only does it offer more protection with the Spirit Shield, but it also sets up further damage. By employing the Runic Pyramid relic, a player can prevent their hand from being discarded at the end of their turn, ensuring they always have a full hand to optimize blocking every turn.

3. Vault

Gain An Extra Turn

Energy Cost: 3.
Upgrade Effect: Reduces the card cost to 2.
Synergies: Cards that become more powerful when retained.

The Vault card possesses a robust ability: it abruptly concludes the user’s turn and initiates a fresh one, while activating all effects associated with turns at the start of the new round. Initially, this card is expensive, but upon upgrade, it becomes significantly cheaper, requiring merely two energy units to deploy, offering players an exceptionally affordable additional turn. It’s worth noting that this card gets depleted after use, thus its potency is somewhat restricted.

This card suits energetic players exceptionally well, as it allows them to utilize almost all their energy prior to playing Vault, enabling a large number of cards to be played across the subsequent two turns. In terms of compatibility, Vault harmonizes particularly well with decks containing cards that become more potent when held.

2. Lesson Learned

A Fantastic Alternative To Smithing

Energy Cost: 2.
Upgrade Effect: Increases damage dealt.
Synergies: Block cards, chip damage, and the Pen Nib.

The Lesson Learned inflicts reasonable damage and becomes even more potent when enhanced. Notably, it carries a Fatal impact: when it eliminates a non-minion foe, it enhances a random card. If this card is discovered early in your run or served as an initial bonus, it may eliminate the necessity for blacksmithing, thereby making the Fusion Hammer relic significantly more attractive.

To optimize the performance of this card, it benefits from an increased number of skirmishes in hallways. Thus, decks based on it require a degree of shielding. A standout choice for this purpose is Swivel, which offers 8 blocking points and reduces the energy cost of the next attack to zero. When used alongside Lesson Learned, this equates to 8 blocks, making it highly effective against multiple adversaries. However, aligning these cards can be tricky; utilizing the Pen Nib relic can double Lesson Learned’s damage, boosting its likelihood of Fatal activations.

1. Blasphemy

Battle Ending Power At A Deadly Cost

Energy Cost: 1.
Upgrade Effect: Card gains Retain.
Synergies: High-damage cards and cards or items that give the intangible effect.

Blasphemy is a particularly potent tool in the Watcher’s collection, possibly even one of the most powerful cards in the entire game. By playing it, you instantly elevate your status to Divinity, disregarding any Mantra requirements. This boost triples your damage output for that turn, potentially concluding the battle.

Be cautious when using Blasphemy as it carries a significant risk: characters meet an untimely end at the start of their following turn. This is achieved through the application of a debuff, known as Blasphemer, which defensive items such as Artifacts or Orange Pellets cannot alleviate. However, there’s a workaround for Blasphemer – it doesn’t actually kill characters; instead, it inflicts an enormous amount of damage (specifically 10,001). Consequently, protective abilities like Intangible, Buffer, Lizard Tail, and Fairy Bottle can prevent the actual death, enabling players to bypass Blasphemer and enjoy the substantial advantages that Blasphemy offers.

2025-03-27 15:00