Damage is the name of the game in Slay the Spire. A successful run requires a balance of block, card draw, energy recovery, but none of that will get you the win if you can’t dole out enough damage to kill off enemies. Many enemies scale up during extended fights–especially in the later Acts. You need quick, hard-hitting damage and stop them before they wear you down.

Like most of Slay the Spire, big damage is highly situational. For the sake of this list, I’ve focused just on Attack cards, but the best card for damage will depend on your deck. That’s not to mention all the powerful Skill and Power cards that can boost or deal damage, too. 

Some honorable mentions that didn’t make the list include Perfected Strike, Hemokinesis, Empty Fist, and Carnage.

10. Bludgeon

A classic hard-hitter. Bludgeon is perfect for Ironclad: big damage with no frills.

Bludgeon smacks for 32 damage, or 42 if upgraded. At 3 energy cost, that means you get a rate of about 11 or 14 damage per energy.

Ironclad has loads of ways to apply Vulnerable, too, which increases Bludgeon’s damage even more.

Why Bludgeon is great:

• Big smack
• Satisfying to one-shot enemies
• Pairs well with Ironclad’s many ways to apply Vulnerable

9. Immolate

At a cost of 2 energy, Immolate doles out 10.5 damage per energy (or 14 if upgraded). While that’s not amazing for single-target damage, its wave clear potential in multi-combat rooms is through the roof.

Dealing 28 damage to every enemy in the room is amazing damage. If you can manage to throw down a Thunderclap first, even better.

Immolate does add a Burn to your discard, but it’s usually not a problem. For one, the Burn gets added to your discard so it might be a while before you see it again. For another, Immolate’s damage might help you end the fight before you even have to worry about reshuffling.

Why Immolate is great:

• Powerful wave clear damage
• Burn goes to discard (instead of the draw pile)

8. Ritual Dagger

Even before any upgrades, Ritual Dagger is a good deal at 15 damage for 1 energy. And it gets stronger the higher you climb!

Players can only find this card during an Act 2 event, but that still leaves maybe 15 to 20 chances to upgrade it during fights. If you’re lucky with proc’ing the upgrade or have ways to save a card from Exhaust (such as Strange Spoon or Exhume), this card’s damage can scale incredibly high.

At 5 kills, it hits for 30-40 damage. At 10 kills, it’s up to 45-65 damage. And still just for 1 energy!

Why Ritual Dagger is great:

• Only 1 energy cost 
• Continues to scale over time
• Damage carries over across fights

7. Ragnarok

Ragnarok’s base damage isn’t anything too impressive. At 25 damage for 3 energy, that’s just over 8 damage per energy–hardly more than a strike.

But play it while in Wrath or Divinity and this card HURTS. Its 25 base damage jumps to 50 or 75, depending on your stance. Upgraded, it’s 72 or a whopping 108 damage. If you can pull off an upgraded Ragnarok while in Divinity, that’s a rate of 36 damage per energy. 

It pairs well with Wreath of Flames, Swivel, Omniscience, and bonus Strength. 

The major downside of Ragnarok is the word “random.” Since you can’t focus down a single target, you could end up with an unlucky play during multi-enemy fights.

Why Ragnarok is great:

• Big smack
• Scales with Strength

6. Thunderstrike

Thunderstrike is not great for short hallway fights. In fact, it’s awful. An exorbitant 3 energy to deal maybe 7 or 14 damage–and you can’t even pick the target?

But during drawn-out battles with elites or bosses, Thunderstrike’s damage continues to scale into a late-game powerhouse. It’s not hard to channel a dozen or more Lightning orbs during a boss fight if you’re running an orb deck.

Strike Dummy and Strength bonuses aren’t typically worth much on Defect, but they do buff up Thunderstrike. With Electrodynamics, you can clear multi-combat elites without a problem–as long as you survive long enough to use it.

Why Thunderstrike is great:

• Incredible scaling for long boss battles
• Defect has plenty of ways to channel Lightning orbs

5. Signature Move

At 30 base damage for 2 energy, Signature Move’s 15 damage per energy isn’t bad. As with many of Watcher’s high-damage cards, add in a stance bonus and this card’s single-target damage shoots up to 60 (or 80 if upgraded). 

The card’s extra play condition usually isn’t a problem, either. Since Watcher excels at recovering energy, you can typically play your cards in the right order to pull this card off.

Why Signature move is great:

• Powerful single-target damage

4. Conclude 

Without any added damage, 12 to all enemies is a pretty good deal for only 1 energy. Upgrading Conclude or adding in Wrath or Divinity damage just makes a good card even better.

In rooms with multiple enemies, hitting anywhere between 12 and 32 damage could potentially wipe the board.

Conclude automatically ends your turn, which can add some risk if you played it while in Wrath. But if its damage concludes the battle, then it lived up to its name.

Why Conclude is great:

• Hits all enemies
• Only 1 energy cost

3. Grand Finale

Is Grand Finale easy to play? No. Does it have massive damage? Yes.

If you can manage to play it, Grand Finale deals 50 damage to all enemies. That’s more than upgraded versions of Immolate and Conclude combined.

That said, Grand Finale is incredibly situational. You absolutely need something like Well-Laid Plains, Runic Pyramid, or enough draw/discard potential to consistently play it. Otherwise, for all its big damage, it might as well be an unplayable curse in your hand.

Why Grand Finale is great:

• 0-Cost card (if you can play it)
• Board-wiping AOE damage

2. Fiend Fire

Unsurprisingly, yet another Ironclad card makes the list of top damage attacks. 

With a standard hand draw of 5 cards, Fiend Fire will deal 28 damage for 2 energy. If you can fill your hand to the max of 10 cards, that shoots this card up to 90 damage. It’s a powerful single-target finisher against elites and bosses.

Fiend Fire does come at an additional cost of Exhausting your entire hand. Of course, depending on your build, you may actually prefer that since Ironclad can get so many Exhaust bonuses.

Why Fiend Fire is great:

• Incredible single-target damage
• Pairs well with other Exhaust synergies

1. Body Slam

It’s funny how Ironclad’s lowest damage attack could also be his highest.

Since Body Slam deals damage based on your block, this card can be completely useless in some hands and builds. 

But with Barricade or Calipers, Body Slam’s damage can scale to insane heights. Throw in an Entrench and your block can hit the hundreds in just a few turns. That means hundreds of damage for 0 or 1 cost–before factoring in any Vulnerable or Strength bonuses that Ironclad is known for.

Why Body Slam is great:

• 0 Cost when upgraded
• As a common card, it’s not difficult to find
• Lets you do damage while playing defensively
• Can quickly scale up to 999 damage in the right build

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