Generally speaking, my preferred characters in any game are fast and furious. In the original Slay the Spire, my absolute favorite was The Silent, spreading poison everywhere and hurling endless daggers at my enemies. But in Slay the Spire II, there are some really fascinating new characters. One of which is simply known as The Regent.
The Regent is a glass cannon. At first glance, he looks totally overpowered, with many zero-cost cards that deal massive damage. But as with most things in this genre, there’s a catch. Many of the Regent’s cards feature a different cost than standard energy. They require blue star energy. And while he generates it in the first turn of any battle, you have to generate the rest.
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That said, once you start to get the hang of playing him, The Regent is a blast. The following are some of the absolute best cards you’ll enjoy playing as him.
10
Cosmic Indifference
Regal Ignorance FTW
At first glance, Cosmic Indifference doesn’t look all that great. Sure, generating 6 block is helpful, but generally it’s better to draw new cards from your deck than put one on top from your Discard Pile.
But the reason this is so helpful is that it lets you reuse cards you might need, such as ones that generate more star energy, which tend to be few and far between. Several cards in The Regent’s deck work when they’re placed on top of the deck, which makes Cosmic Indifference a lot more handy.
And honestly, glass cannons need all the damage mitigation they can get. The last reason this is a helpful card is that it only costs regular mana, and it’s incredibly inexpensive.
9
Furnace
Forging a Better Blade
Another unique quirk about the Regent, other than the star energy, is his Sovereign Blade card. Once you play any card with Forge in the text, it’ll appear and start circling about his throne. Better yet, it has Retain, meaning it will stick with you until you’re ready to spend 2 mana to play it.
But here’s why Furnace is so great. Not only does it summon the Sovereign Blade out of thin air, but it strengthens it every turn! This means it turns the sword into a trump card if you can sit on it long enough. Though you’re also free to bring it back with any card that forges it anew.
Without Furnace, the Sovereign Blade is fun, but not fundamentally game-changing. With it, it’s a very powerful card for those who can wait long enough.
8
Knockout Blow
One Punch King
At face value, Knockout Blow seems bad. Any card that costs more than 2 energy usually is the type of card I don’t run many of in my decks. But there’s a reason that it’s actually quite powerful — it’s a tradeoff. Something I learned to value in the original game.
See, many of The Regent’s cards only cost star energy instead of mana. This means that you can KO a foe with the Knockout Blow, generate a bunch of star energy, and then pay that forward for several other attacks.
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Yes, the energy cost is steep regardless. But if you build your deck around it, you’ll find it’s very helpful indeed.
7
Glow
So Shiny
Glow is the perfect bridge between The Regent’s standard, energy-based cards and his star cards. It’s cheap, it gives you a bit more star energy, and it even lets you draw more cards from your deck.
Yes, it’s simple, but as any fan of card games will tell you, drawing and replenishing your energy are often the keys to success. So it’s never good to ignore a card just because it’s not very splashy.
As an added incentive, if you use the upgraded version of Glow, you’ll gain even more star energy, which is when it starts to become a bit overpowered in a fun way.
6
Black Hole
Get Sucked In
Now, since Powers are cards that persist throughout combat, it should be pretty apparent why Black Hole is on this list. It’s an inexpensive way to deal more damage to foes.
But the reason Black Hole is so amazing is that it does extra damage to every enemy, whether you spend or gain star energy. And since so very many of The Regent’s cards do just that, it has quickly become a favorite of mine.
Sure, it’s not doing a ton of damage, but it slowly chips away. This makes it helpful for taking down a swarm of weaker enemies, or just slowly breaking down a more intimidating boss.
5
Particle Wall
The Perfect Shield
As the glass cannon in Slay the Spire II, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that The Regent is somewhat lacking in defensive options. Sure, he has some, but between generating star energy and attacking, it can be hard to really invest in defense.
Particle Wall solves that problem, assuming you’re flush with star energy. So long as you have at least 2, you can play Particle Wall and generate a little defense. If you have a ton of star energy, then you’ll suddenly be unbreakable for a turn, since it keeps recurring until you end your turn.
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Any run that I had Particle Wall in my deck, I got much farther. But it’s not all about defense, and we’re about to cover some incredible offensive cards.
4
Kingly Kick
Royal Rumpus
I’ll admit, when I first saw Kingly Kick, I wasn’t impressed. The cost is huge, almost so steep that I didn’t care how much damage it dealt. But then I noticed one key aspect of it. The cost decreases every time you draw it.
Meaning that if you keep cycling through your deck, eventually Kingly Kick will be totally free to use for the rest of that battle. Combined with cards like Cosmic Indifference, you can guarantee you will keep drawing it turn after turn.
In that context, Kingly Kick becomes one of the most potent weapons in The Regent’s royal arsenal.
3
Bombardment
Wish Upon a Falling Star
Bombardment is an incredible offensive weapon for The Regent. Sure, it’s pricey at first, but then Bombardment keeps falling on my opponent’s head turn after turn for absolutely free. This means that it does pretty significant damage and chips away at their potential defenses.
Much like with Kingly Kick, the cost is only one part of the story. Bombardment is another card I want in my deck every time I try to climb the Spire.
2
Big Bang
Generating Resources
It should be pretty obvious how amazing Big Bang is. It costs zero energy, and in return, it gives you more energy, star energy, draws a card, and even forges the Sovereign Blade.
Literally, the only downside to this amazing card is that Big Bang has Exhaust, meaning it leaves your deck for the duration of battle after you use it.
But combined with cards that bring back Exhausted cards, or just by upgrading Big Bang to be even better, you’ll find this is a really helpful utility card. Just try to get more than one, so you can rely on drawing it regularly in tough battles.
1
Stardust
Endgame Attack
The whole point of a glass cannon-style attacker is that they can deal overwhelming damage, usually at the cost of minimal defense. And for The Regent, Stardust is that card.
It costs zero energy, and then draws on your star energy to do an attack for every unit of it. I’ve had times when I had more than 10 star energy just sitting there, and wiped out every foe on the field.
You have to plan accordingly to really make Stardust shine. But with cards like Glow and Big Bang, you’ll find this is the card that makes even bosses bow to The Regent.
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Two new warriors enter the fray!
- Released
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March 5, 2026
- ESRB
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e
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op
