Ironclad Overview

Ironclad is a high-damage attacker built around Strength. A returning character from STS1, he shines with a simple but powerful playstyle.

• Unique ability: Recovers HP at the start of each combat (Burning Blood)
• Favored tactics: Stacking Strength for big damage, high-cost high-reward cards
• Weaknesses: Block generation is somewhat limited, so early deck building matters a lot

Recommended Cards

S Tier (highest priority)

• Demon Form: +2 Strength every turn. Overwhelming damage in drawn-out fights. A key card for boss fights.
• Offering: Spend HP for card draw and Energy. Hugely accelerates your tempo.
• Feed: Permanently increase max HP when you kill an enemy. Picking this up in Act 1 makes the later acts much smoother.
• Impervious: Massive Block in one card. Instantly shores up Ironclad's defense.

A Tier (strong)

• Flame Barrier: Block plus reflective damage when attacked. Especially strong against multi-hit enemies.
• Shrug It Off: Block plus draw. A stable card for both defense and deck cycling.
• Spot Weakness: +3 Strength when an enemy intends to attack. Conditional, but the payoff is huge.
• Battle Trance: Draw 3 cards. Makes it much easier to assemble your key pieces.

Deck Building Paths

Strength Build (recommended)

The classic build: stack Strength to pump up every attack.

1. Early: Prioritize Strength cards like Spot Weakness and Inflame
2. Mid: Once you land Demon Form, you're set. Heavy Blade shines here
3. Late: Trim unnecessary cards to slim the deck. Aim for one-shot kills at the top end

Exude Build

A synergy build that Exudes cards to trigger their effects.

1. Key cards: Feel No Pain, Dark Embrace, Havoc
2. Concept: Exude every Skill at 0 cost, then generate draw and Block from the triggers
3. Watch out: Havoc is powerful but risks losing Skills. Always pair it with Feel No Pain

Gameplay Tips

Act 1

• Remove your starter Strikes early
• Add Attack and Defense cards in a balanced 1-2 ratio
• Aggressively kill Elites while managing HP to secure Relics

Act 2

• Without AOE (area attacks) you can get stuck. Consider Whirlwind or Cleave
• For Strength builds, you want Demon Form or Inflame online by this point

Act 3

• Deck compression is critical. Trim filler cards so you consistently draw your key pieces
• Prepare a finisher like Barricade plus Body Slam for the boss fight

Boss Strategy

• Strength build: Stack Strength early and burst with Heavy Blade or Sword Boomerang
• Long fights: Stockpile Block with Barricade, then clear the field with Body Slam
• Potion management: Save Strength and Block Potions for the boss fight