If you want to take down some of Slay the Spire 2’s toughest bosses, you’ll need to master the five different characters that you can choose. While some are easier to use than others, each of these heroes have unique playstyles and cards that you’ll need to learn.
One of the tougher characters to learn early on is The Regent, who requires you to balance not only your energy, but a new resource called Stars. Here’s a breakdown of this character and some beginner tips so you can bring your cosmic might down upon your enemies.
The Regent Beginner Tips
Understand His Deck Archetypes
The Regent has three core ways you can build his deck, each of which is extremely strong throughout all stages of the game. His first and most obvious is the Star build, which revolves around using his Star resource meter alongside your Energy meter to cast a bunch of very strong spells.
Unlike Energy, you do not restore your Star count at the start of each turn and only receive three Stars when combat begins. Because of this, your deck will be a mix of big payoff cards that use Star as a resource and spells that generate this resource so you can fuel your deck. It’s all about balance, so keep an eye out for cards like Venerate, Crescent Spear, Hidden Cache, Genesis, and Neutron Aegis.
His next main style of play revolves around the Forge mechanic, which creates a colorless spell called the Sovereign Blade. This attack card has Retain and will increase in attack power the more you Forge, which can let you hit enemies for tens, if not hundreds, of damage in a single swing. However, unless you copy the blade itself with something like Heriloom Hammer, you can only have one Sovereign Blade in your deck at a time.
Finally, you can lean into the various Colorless spells available in the game, as The Regent has a nice support package that rewards you for using them. Spectrum Shift, Manifest Authority, and Bundle of Joy can stock your hand full of Colorless spells that are usually extremely strong. However, you are gambling a bit with this playstyle since you’re reliant on pulling Colorless cards that can suit your current situation.
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Here is what you need to know if you’re struggling with The Silent in Slay The Spire 2.
Start With Star If You Can
While you obviously have no control over what cards you get, if possible, I do think the Star archetype is a good way to get a feeling for how The Regent plays. This style of deck is all about managing your Star resources to ensure you have enough to cast your attack and defensive spells.
Tempo is the name of the game, as this deck will do a good job at teaching you when to aim for big explosive turns and how to set up for them. A lot of The Regent is about building to a big moment where all the pieces click, and you can rain fire down on your foes, so knowing how to balance between being defensive and when to pull the trigger is key.
For a good Star build, hunt for cards such as Venerate, Glow, Gather Light, Shining Strike, and Genesis to keep your Star count up. Inversely, Crescent Spear is a comically strong card that only grows in power the more Star cards you acquire. Plus, its cheap casting cost makes it ideal for dealing a ton of burst damage in a single move. Alternatively, cards like Stardust, Decisions, Decisions, and Seven Stars can really help you close out a game.
Tyranny Is A Fantastic Card
The Regent has a handful of cards that either have Exhaust or allow you to give one of your spells Exhaust. Tyranny is the best example of this, since it gives you an extra card each turn at the cost of giving a spell of your choice, Exhaust. On the face of it, this seems like a bad trade, but Exhaust can be extremely powerful for thinning out your library.
Let’s face it, you won’t always get the cards you want, and occasionally, you may pick up some spells that are awkward as hell in your deck. Tyranny allows you to remove some of those problem cards during a battle so you can focus on only drawing spells that advance your core strategy. It works in nearly every single deck and is also a solid option when facing those pesky enemies that dump negative status effect cards into your hand.
GUARDS!!! is another great choice for thinning your deck, as you can temporarily convert useless cards into free Block spells.
The Forge Mechanic Is Very Strong
I might be alone in thinking this, but the Forge mechanic is extremely strong if you can start building towards it early. Unlike Star decks, where you’re managing a separate resource, this deck is all about building to a single moment when you hit them for a silly amount of damage in a single move. It can get out of hand very quickly, and it’s not uncommon to deal anywhere between 70 to 100+ damage in a single move.
This is all because you will be using cards like Furnace, Beat Into Shape, Bulkwark, and Seeking Edge to quickly grow your Sovereign Blade’s damage potential. Even though you only have one Sovereign Blade, a card like Summon Forth can instantly put it into your hand, which allows you to strike down your foe right away. Wrought In War is a great replacement for any Strike card, and Refine Blade allows you to gain additional Energy the next turn, so you can effectively cast your blade.
All that being said, you do want to be careful of enemies who limit the amount of damage they can take each turn. They are the main foes who can directly counter your strategy, so make sure to always read their effect icons under their health bar so you can adjust your strategy accordingly.
Grab Big Bang Every Time
In my opinion, Big Bang is probably the best card in The Regent’s card pool. While it doesn’t defend or damage enemies, it provides a ton of utility for zero energy. You’ll get a new card, a single Star point, a single Energy, and it will Forge 5. This gives Big Bang incredible versatility in any of his three main archetypes, making it a top-tier support card in the entire game.
Pick The Right Potions
Similar to my previous beginner guides, let’s go over some good potion choices for The Regent. In the common slot, Colorless, Energy, and Swift are all good options to have. Colorless Potion, especially, is a great choice if you’re building into either the Colorless or Forge archetype, since these often support these types of spells.
As for uncommon potions, I like Blessing of the Forge, Stable Serum, and Radiant Tincture for The Regent. Again, we’re largely building to single explosive turns, so these can help you either enhance that big moment or push towards it more efficiently. Finally, for the rarer potions, all of them are good, but Droplet of Precognition is great for Forge since you can snag the Sovereign Blade from your deck, and Gigantification Potion makes some of the Star cards like Seven Stars absolutely bonkers.
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