Discard Build

Build Overview

The Discard build turns the act of discarding into a resource. Hold Sly cards like Flick Flack (which trigger on discard) in hand, then drop the entire hand with Storm of Steel to fire off a wave of AoE effects. Stack heavy draw with Acrobatics and Craftsmanship before playing Storm of Steel, and a single 1 Energy becomes 5–7 Shivs plus multiple Flick Flack triggers. The cost-to-output is absurd. If you add Speed Star — AoE damage every time you draw — the plan's ceiling grows further. Combining the package with Grand Finale to thin the deck and empty the draw pile unlocks a repeatable 0-cost 60–75 AoE as a full evolution.

Tier: S

Sly is generally regarded as one of the strongest keywords in STS2 right now, and the Discard build maximizes Sly's value. Dumping the hand with Storm of Steel fires multiple Sly triggers off a single 1-Energy card, giving outstanding cost efficiency. Together with Shiv, it is one of Silent's top builds. With Flick Flack and Speed Star set up, AoE output across both hallways and bosses is overwhelming. Evolving further into a Grand Finale variant pushes power even higher.

Key Cards (required)

• Storm of Steel: a skill that converts the hand into Shivs (0-cost upgraded). The engine — dumps the entire hand into Shivs while triggering all discard effects.
• Flick Flack: a Sly AoE (triggers when discarded from hand). Discarding via Storm of Steel fires 7–9 AoE damage for free. Multiple copies are standard.
• Speed Star: deals AoE damage each time you draw. Synergizes perfectly with a heavy-draw-then-discard plan, inflicting large AoE during the draw phase alone.
• Acrobatics: 0-cost, 3–4 draw, discard 1. Expands the hand while letting you discard — and discarding Flick Flack gives free AoE. Uncommon, so early pickups are luck-dependent.
• Craftsmanship: refills the hand to 6–7. Maximize hand size before Storm of Steel to produce more Shivs.

Candidate Cards

• Grand Finale: a 0-cost 60–75 AoE that fires only when the draw pile is empty. Exude-heavy thinning lets you fire it almost every turn.
• Adrenaline: 0-cost, +1–2 Energy, +2 draw, Exude. Exude thins the deck, synergizing with Grand Finale.
• Shadowstep: a skill that discards the hand and doubles attack damage next turn (0-cost upgraded). Discard now for a massive next turn.
• Dagger Throw: an attack that discards 1 card after drawing. Discards Flick Flack to trigger Sly for free.
• Infallible: a Sly Block skill. Discarding via Storm of Steel also generates 6–8 Block, securing defense.
• Well-Laid Plans: Retains 1–2 cards at end of turn. Holds Grand Finale or Storm of Steel for the right moment.
• Setup: an Exude skill that discards the entire hand and redraws the same amount. Thins while refreshing.

Relic Synergies

• Tingsha: deal 3 damage to a random enemy for each card discarded on your turn. Dumping the hand with Storm of Steel adds a flood of damage, layering on top of Flick Flack for explosive output.
• Tough Bandages: gain 3 Block for each card discarded on your turn. Massive discarding automatically builds Block, making offense and defense simultaneous.
• Torii: the first Exude skill each combat returns a copy to hand. Repeats Adrenaline or Setup — more resources and more thinning.
• Backpack: draw 2 extra cards at start of combat. Bigger opening hand means more Shivs from Storm of Steel and a better shot at opening with Flick Flack.
• Gambling Chip: mulligan any number at start of combat. Triggers Flick Flack from turn 1 while digging for Storm of Steel or Speed Star, accelerating the combo.
• Kunai: gain 1 Dexterity every 3 attacks played on the same turn. Storm of Steel's Shiv wave feeds this reliably for extra defense.

Combat Play

Act 1

Get Storm of Steel and Flick Flack early. Two or three Flick Flacks is ideal — one Storm of Steel then triggers that many free AoE attacks. Speed Star adds AoE damage at the draw step and massively speeds up hallway clears. Acrobatics being Uncommon makes multiples hard, but grab every copy you see for draw power. At this stage, prioritize upgrading Storm of Steel to 0-cost to preserve Energy for other plays. Keep the deck small and lean on Exude freely.

Act 2

Grand Finale dramatically raises the build's ceiling. Add more Exude/thinning cards like Adrenaline, Setup, and Acrobatics to empty the draw pile. Shadowstep (0-cost upgraded) deepens the discard synergy further. Decide here whether you are going full "Grand Finale" or "Storm of Steel + Shiv spam" and shape the deck accordingly. Well-Laid Plans locks in key cards every turn for consistency.

Act 3

With a tight deck, Grand Finale becomes a near-every-turn option. Hallways collapse under Flick Flack + Speed Star AoE, while bosses die to Storm of Steel + Finisher big turns. If Shadowstep is online, you can set up one-shot kill turns with double attack damage. Spamming 75 AoE from Grand Finale finishes most bosses in 2–3 turns.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

• Maximizes Sly keyword; cards that would normally be dead weight become resources via discarding.
• Flick Flack + Speed Star provides ceiling hallway AoE from multiple triggers.
• Evolved into a Grand Finale variant, every empty draw pile becomes 75 AoE — a devastating loop.

Weaknesses

• Without specific cards like Flick Flack or Storm of Steel, overall damage wavers.
• The Grand Finale variant demands a thin deck, raising the construction hurdle.