> Patch note: Slay the Spire 2 is in Early Access, so balance, card values, and encounter details can change. This guide focuses on stable deckbuilding principles and will be updated after major patches.
Summon Build Identity
Summon builds create value by playing minions that persist across turns. Instead of spending cards and energy every turn to deal damage, you spend resources once and the summon continues generating value automatically.
This creates a snowball effect. Turn one, you play a summon. Turn two, the summon attacks and you play another summon. By turn four, you have four summons attacking while you focus on defense or utility.
The summon build rewards patience and board management. You are playing a longer game than direct damage builds. The payoff is massive passive value once the board is established.
Summon Selection
Not all summons are equal. Evaluate summons by three criteria: damage output, survivability, and special effects.
Damage summons are your primary win condition. They need to deal enough damage per turn to kill enemies in a reasonable timeframe. A summon that deals 5 damage per turn kills a 100-health enemy in 20 turns. That is too slow. A summon that deals 15 damage per turn kills the same enemy in 7 turns. That is reasonable.
Tank summons absorb damage or provide block. They protect your damage summons and give you time to build board presence. Some summons may taunt enemies or redirect attacks.
Utility summons provide debuffs, healing, energy, or card draw. These are support pieces that make your other summons and your hand more effective.
| Summon Role | Purpose | Draft Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Damage dealer | Kills enemies over time | High |
| Tank/protector | Absorbs hits, protects board | High |
| Utility support | Debuffs, draw, energy | Medium |
| Sacrifice fodder | Exists to be sacrificed | Situational |
Swarm vs Quality
There are two approaches to summon builds: swarm and quality.
Swarm plays many cheap summons. The goal is board presence. Even weak summons add up when there are six of them. Swarm builds need card draw and energy to play multiple summons quickly.
Quality plays fewer, stronger summons. The goal is individual summon power. A single powerful summon with support may outdamage six weak summons. Quality builds need summon buffs and protection.
Most successful summon decks mix both approaches. A few quality summons provide reliable damage. Cheap swarm summons fill empty slots and create board pressure.
Board Protection
A summon on board that dies immediately generates zero value. Board protection is essential.
Protection comes from several sources. Tank summons absorb enemy attacks. Healing effects restore summon health. Block prevents damage that would otherwise hit summons. Some effects make summons untargetable or immune.
Evaluate enemy patterns to predict which summons will be targeted. Place your most valuable summons in protected positions. Sacrifice cheap summons to preserve expensive ones.
Summon Synergies
Summons become powerful when combined with synergy cards:
- Summon buffs increase damage, health, or attack speed of all summons
- Recursion effects return dead summons to hand or board
- Sacrifice payoffs reward killing your own summons with powerful effects
- Board-wide triggers activate when you have a certain number of summons
Draft synergy cards after establishing a solid summon base. A summon buff with no summons is useless. Three summons with a buff becomes a massive damage increase.
Summon Build Weaknesses
- Board clear: Enemies that deal area damage kill multiple summons at once. Spread out your summon plays or draft resilient summons.
- Fast enemies: Enemies that kill you in three turns do not give summons time to generate value. Keep direct damage as backup.
- Summon limit: Running out of slots forces you to replace summons. This wastes invested resources.
Internal Links
For character-specific summon mechanics, read the Necrobinder guide. For resource management with summon builds, see resource management guide.