STS2 Companion
Home/Characters/Defect

Defect

Channeling elemental power through Orbs

The Defect is a malfunctioning combat robot that fights by channeling elemental Orbs — Lightning for damage, Frost for Block, Dark for scaling finishers, and Plasma for extra energy. With the right Focus investment, each Orb becomes exponentially more powerful, turning the Defect into an unstoppable machine.

View Tier ListFilter Cards
88
Total Cards
39
Skills
29
Attacks
20
Powers
36
Uncommon
26
Rare

Playstyle

Defect decks are all about Orb management and Focus scaling. Channeling the right mix of Orbs and boosting them with Focus creates a passive engine that generates value every single turn. Lightning Orb builds deal consistent AoE damage, Frost Orb builds create impenetrable shields, and hybrid builds do both at once.

Key Strengths

Orb-based passive damage and Block
Focus scaling for exponential growth
Energy generation through Plasma Orbs
Strong AoE with Lightning Orbs

Key Keywords

OrbsFocusLightningFrostChannel

Defect Build Guides

Proven archetypes with core cards, synergy chains, and boss matchup tips

Dark Orb Scaling

Advanced

Dark Orbs grow in damage every turn they sit in your Orb slots. Evoke them at the right moment for devastating single-target damage.

Dark OrbRecursionLoopEcho Form

Frost Wall

Beginner

Channel Frost Orbs for massive passive Block generation. With Focus, each Frost Orb generates more Block than most dedicated Block cards.

CoolheadedGlacierCold SnapCharge Battery

Lightning Storm

Intermediate

Channel Lightning Orbs for constant passive damage to all enemies. Storm generates Lightning every time you play a Power, creating a self-fueling engine.

Ball LightningStormStatic DischargeThunderstrike

Try the Draft Assistant

Build a Defect deck and get real-time synergy recommendations — no other tool does this.

Start Drafting

Top Synergy Cards

Chill

Chill

Skill · Uncommon

65 synergies

Channel 1 Frost for each enemy.

SynchronizeRainbowVoltaic+62 more
Boot Sequence

Boot Sequence

Skill · Uncommon

55 synergies

Gain 10 Block.

Genetic AlgorithmHologramMimic+52 more
Beam Cell

Beam Cell

Attack · Common

52 synergies

Deal 3 damage. Apply 1 Vulnerable.

Adaptive StrikeAll for OneBall Lightning+49 more

All Defect Cards

88 cards in the Defect card pool

Adaptive Strike — Rare Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Adaptive Strike

2
Attack·Rare
18
All for One — Rare Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

All for One

2
Attack·Rare
10
Ball Lightning — Common Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Ball Lightning

1
Attack·Common
7
Barrage — Common Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Barrage

1
Attack·Common
5
Beam Cell — Common Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Beam Cell

0
Attack·Common
3
Biased Cognition — Ancient Power card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Biased Cognition

1
Power·Ancient
Boost Away — Common Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Boost Away

0
Skill·Common
6
Boot Sequence — Uncommon Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Boot Sequence

0
Skill·Uncommon
10
Buffer — Rare Power card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Buffer

2
Power·Rare
Bulk Up — Uncommon Power card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Bulk Up

2
Power·Uncommon
Capacitor — Uncommon Power card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Capacitor

1
Power·Uncommon
Chaos — Uncommon Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Chaos

1
Skill·Uncommon
Charge Battery — Common Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Charge Battery

1
Skill·Common
7
Chill — Uncommon Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Chill

0
Skill·Uncommon
Claw — Common Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Claw

0
Attack·Common
3
Cold Snap — Common Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Cold Snap

1
Attack·Common
6
Compact — Uncommon Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Compact

1
Skill·Uncommon
6
Compile Driver — Common Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Compile Driver

1
Attack·Common
7
Consuming Shadow — Rare Power card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Consuming Shadow

2
Power·Rare
Coolant — Rare Power card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Coolant

1
Power·Rare
Coolheaded — Common Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Coolheaded

1
Skill·Common
Creative AI — Rare Power card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Creative AI

3
Power·Rare
Darkness — Uncommon Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Darkness

1
Skill·Uncommon
Defend — Basic Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Defend

1
Skill·Basic
5
Defragment — Rare Power card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Defragment

1
Power·Rare
Double Energy — Uncommon Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Double Energy

1
Skill·Uncommon
Dualcast — Basic Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Dualcast

1
Skill·Basic
Echo Form — Rare Power card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Echo Form

3
Power·Rare
Energy Surge — Uncommon Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Energy Surge

1
Skill·Uncommon
Feral — Uncommon Power card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Feral

2
Power·Uncommon
Fight Through — Uncommon Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Fight Through

1
Skill·Uncommon
13
Flak Cannon — Rare Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Flak Cannon

2
Attack·Rare
8
Focused Strike — Common Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Focused Strike

1
Attack·Common
9
FTL — Uncommon Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

FTL

0
Attack·Uncommon
5
Fusion — Uncommon Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Fusion

2
Skill·Uncommon
Genetic Algorithm — Rare Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Genetic Algorithm

1
Skill·Rare
1
Glacier — Uncommon Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Glacier

2
Skill·Uncommon
6
Glasswork — Uncommon Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Glasswork

1
Skill·Uncommon
5
Go for the Eyes — Common Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Go for the Eyes

0
Attack·Common
3
Gunk Up — Common Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Gunk Up

1
Attack·Common
4
Hailstorm — Uncommon Power card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Hailstorm

1
Power·Uncommon
Helix Drill — Rare Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Helix Drill

0
Attack·Rare
3
Hologram — Common Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Hologram

1
Skill·Common
3
Hotfix — Common Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Hotfix

0
Skill·Common
Hyperbeam — Rare Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Hyperbeam

2
Attack·Rare
26
Ice Lance — Rare Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Ice Lance

3
Attack·Rare
19
Ignition — Rare Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Ignition

1
Skill·Rare
Iteration — Uncommon Power card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Iteration

1
Power·Uncommon
Leap — Common Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Leap

1
Skill·Common
9
Lightning Rod — Common Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Lightning Rod

1
Skill·Common
4
Loop — Uncommon Power card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Loop

1
Power·Uncommon
Machine Learning — Rare Power card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Machine Learning

1
Power·Rare
Meteor Strike — Rare Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Meteor Strike

5
Attack·Rare
24
Modded — Rare Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Modded

0
Skill·Rare
Momentum Strike — Common Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Momentum Strike

1
Attack·Common
10
Multi-Cast — Rare Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Multi-Cast

0
Skill·Rare
Null — Uncommon Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Null

2
Attack·Uncommon
10
Overclock — Uncommon Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Overclock

0
Skill·Uncommon
Quadcast — Ancient Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Quadcast

1
Skill·Ancient
Rainbow — Rare Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Rainbow

2
Skill·Rare
Reboot — Rare Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Reboot

0
Skill·Rare
Refract — Uncommon Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Refract

3
Attack·Uncommon
9
Rocket Punch — Uncommon Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Rocket Punch

2
Attack·Uncommon
13
Scavenge — Uncommon Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Scavenge

1
Skill·Uncommon
Scrape — Uncommon Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Scrape

1
Attack·Uncommon
7
Shadow Shield — Uncommon Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Shadow Shield

2
Skill·Uncommon
11
Shatter — Rare Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Shatter

1
Attack·Rare
11
Signal Boost — Rare Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Signal Boost

1
Skill·Rare
Skim — Uncommon Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Skim

1
Skill·Uncommon
Smokestack — Uncommon Power card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Smokestack

1
Power·Uncommon
Spinner — Rare Power card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Spinner

1
Power·Rare
Storm — Uncommon Power card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Storm

1
Power·Uncommon
Strike — Basic Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Strike

1
Attack·Basic
6
Subroutine — Uncommon Power card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Subroutine

1
Power·Uncommon
Sunder — Uncommon Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Sunder

3
Attack·Uncommon
24
Supercritical — Rare Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Supercritical

0
Skill·Rare
Sweeping Beam — Common Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Sweeping Beam

1
Attack·Common
6
Synchronize — Uncommon Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Synchronize

1
Skill·Uncommon
0
Synthesis — Uncommon Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Synthesis

2
Attack·Uncommon
12
Tempest — Uncommon Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Tempest

0
Skill·Uncommon
Tesla Coil — Uncommon Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Tesla Coil

0
Attack·Uncommon
3
Thunder — Uncommon Power card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Thunder

1
Power·Uncommon
Trash to Treasure — Rare Power card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Trash to Treasure

1
Power·Rare
TURBO — Common Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

TURBO

0
Skill·Common
Uproar — Common Attack card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Uproar

2
Attack·Common
5
Voltaic — Rare Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Voltaic

2
Skill·Rare
0
White Noise — Uncommon Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

White Noise

1
Skill·Uncommon
Zap — Basic Skill card for Defect in Slay the Spire 2

Zap

1
Skill·Basic

Defect updates, straight to your inbox

Get notified when tier lists change, new synergies are discovered, or patches drop.

No spam, ever. Unsubscribe anytime. By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy.

Defect Tier List

See which Defect cards are must-picks and which to skip — ranked from S-tier to D-tier.

SMust-pick cards
Ball Lightning
Ball Lightning
Coolheaded
Coolheaded
Hyperbeam
Hyperbeam
Storm
Storm
All for One
All for One
AExcellent picks
Zap
Zap
Cold Snap
Cold Snap
Echo Form
Echo Form
Loop
Loop
Charge Battery
Charge Battery
View Full Tier List →