Deadlock revamps its whole hero pool as new patch introduces over 800 changes

Deadlock, Valve’s worst-kept secret, often receives massive updates that change or alter just about every part of the game. Since it’s a project still in active development, huge pivotal patches are nothing surprising, but this latest one is huge, no matter which way you cut it.

By introducing over 800 changes, Deadlock‘s March 6 patch is certainly one of its biggest, targeting every hero in the game. A few dozen alterations were made to the general systems of the game, such as how much money is earned for destroying towers, how much HP towers have, and so on. Every aspect of regular play has been touched up at least somewhat, but items and heroes were primary targets for this latest patch.

About a hundred or so tweaks were made to the game’s many items. A new item, Golden Goose Egg, was added to the game, while some, like the Backstabber, were renamed for the sake of making them fit with the game’s theme and aesthetic more. That item is now called Stalker, which is a minor change but also one that’ll help make the item stand out more.

Renames were particularly present among heroes, however. Abilities, like Paige’s “Conjure Dragon,” were given more lore- and character-appropriate titles, i.e., “Bookwyrm,” reflecting Paige’s nature as an avid reader of fantasy stories. Likewise, her “Defend and Fight” spell was renamed to “Plot Armor,” again playing into her characteristics. Other heroes received similar changes, but I found these to be the most quirky and interesting of them all.

Valve loves a good wordplay (just open any Dota 2 hero’s voice lines and look at their appearance, and all will be made clear), and its introduction to Deadlock at this level indicates to me that the bulk of the Dota 2 development team has been switched to this title.

The massive update, which not only dealt with superficial changes like names and flair but also fundamentally rebalanced the entire roster, implies that development of Deadlock is slowly but surely picking up pace. The game is still far off in my opinion, and we probably won’t be seeing it before 2027, but the size of this update proves many people are working on it, and man, are they putting in the effort.

It hasn’t even been a few months since Deadlock received its last major overhaul, the one that saw the entire map changed, alongside most of the game’s aesthetics and art style. Valve isn’t playing around when it comes to making this thing and perfecting its formula that stands to revolutionize the world of competitive multiplayer titles.

You can read the entire, exhaustive patch notes here, as there were simply too many tweaks for us to put into the article itself.

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Ironclad is the first character you’ll play Slay the Spire 2 with, and he is surprisingly good if you know how to use him.

As with any character in the game, you’ll have to build a proper deck to stand a chance. This requires you to understand how Ironclad works and what its pros and cons are. This guide will give you brief explainers on what to expect from Slay the Spire 2‘s knight.

How does Ironclad work in Slay the Spire 2

Ironclad’s greatest strength is his ability to scale his damage with Strength. He is the only character who has a heal mechanism. Since he is the first character, he is also the easiest one to understand for beginners.

With Ironclad, you don’t have to focus on any complicated combos like Regent. He auto-heals at the end of every combat, which leaves you with some room to make an error. However, he really struggles once you’re past Act 2 if you don’t have a great deck to counter his limitations. Additionally, Exhaust isn’t the easiest of mechanics to master.

For Ironclad, you can take different approaches. Exhaust is one great choice for a deck archetype, but it’s hard for beginners. I always prefer going with a deck that ramps up his Strength since that’s going to be the easy to master (don’t mistake the ease for weakness).

Best cards for Ironclad in Slay the Spire 2

Going for the best cards for Ironclad can be slightly confusing. The tables below include cards that work well with Strength decks. If you opt for other archetypes, the cards mentioned below won’t be effective.

Early commons and uncommons

To clear Act 1, you’ll be mostly using these cards (based on whether you manage to draft these options).

Card	Reason
Twin Strike	A simple attack card that costs 1 Energy and does 5 damage twice. Scales up once you increase your Strength.
Inflame	A staple of the Strength deck. For 1 Energy, you gain 2 Strength.
Fight Me	A slightly tricky card that gives 1 Strength to enemies. However, you get to 5 damage twice while gaining 2 Strength for 2 Energy.
Rupture	For the cost of 1 Energy, you’ll gain 1 Strength whenever you lose health.
Whirlwind	A blockbuster option that doesn’t have a definite Energy cost. It does 5 damage to all enemies times the amount of energy you have.

Best cards

If you get the chance to draft any of the following cards, you should add them to your deck as a priority.

Card	Reason
Demon Form	While this card is pretty expensive to set up, it generates 2 Strength every turn.
Brand	For no Energy, you get to exhaust cards that you don’t want, while losing just 1 HP and gaining 1 Strength.
Hellraiser	At 2 cost, you set up an auto-firing system. Every Strike card you draw will automatically target a random enemy without the requirement of any Energy.
Thrash	The card, by default, does 4 damage twice for 1 Energy. However, you can exhaust another Attack card in your hand and add its damage.

Best relics for Ironclad in Slay the Spire 2

Here’s a list of relics you’ll want to prioritize on if you’re going for a Strength-focused deck.

• Ruined Strength: Allows you to get double Strength when you get it for the first time during combat.
• Sword of Jade: Grants three Strength for free.
• Relics like Anchor and Horn Cleat are also necessary if you want to set up cards like Hellraiser and Demon Form.

Best Block build for Ironclad in Slay the Spire 2

If you want to play something with more synergy than Strength, you can try out the following Block build. First, here’s a list of cards you will want to add to your deck.

Card	Reason
Body Slam	Shore up your Block and do equal damage to an enemy.
Shrug It Off	For 1 Energy, you get to draw a card and gain 8 Block.
True Grit	You get to thin your deck by exhausting a card (preferably Strike) and gain 7 Block.
Taunt	For 1 Energy, you get 7 Block and apply Vulnerable for 1 turn. It forms perfect synergy with Body Slam.
Store Armor	It helps you gain 4 Block passively every turn.
Juggernaut	Allows you to deal 5 damage whenever you gain Block.
Barricade	Allows you to retain the Block across turns.
Crimson Mantle	For 1 Energy, you get to add 8 Block. Losing the HP isn’t a problem with Ironclad thanks to his relic.

For Relics, you can opt for anything that helps you to gain Block. You can also get Parrying Shield that does 6 damage for every 10 Block that you gain.

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