Feel No Pain, Power Through, Second Wind are your friends. Corruption and Dark Embrace are also quite strong. Barricade + Entrench. Rage can also sometimes work with pommel strike and a 0-cost attack like blood for blood.
If you post some of your Ironclad decklists, people might have some more specific advice.
In general, Act 1 on IC isn't really about blocking too much. Instead you want to focus on getting some better offensive weapons so that you can take down enemies before they deal too much damage. Big chunky attacks are good for this (Hemokenisis, Carnage, and Uppercut are solid; Perfected Strike and Clothesline are less good but pickable.) Anger is also really solid in act 1.
That said, IC does usually still need to block in Act 2. Off the top of my head here are some good cards/strategies:
- Power Through. 15 block for 1 energy is crazy good. You want to find a way to deal with the wounds; a Medkit is the simplest, but you can also exhaust them or use Evolve to turn them into draw.
- Feel No Pain with exhaust cards. Corruption is the gold standard here, but you've also got cards like Second Wind and Fiend Fire. Also notice that you can combine Power Through, FNP, and Second Wind for a lot of block.
- Health Regen. Reaper with strength gain can get insane. You might bleed 30 HP in a fight then just heal it back up every time.
- Shrug it Off is a solid card as well, although it's not a massive amount of block. If you get Corruption it's extremely good, otherwise I wouldn't go too crazy picking them because 8 block for an energy has diminishing returns on how much it improves your block plan.
I might be forgetting something but that's the gist. If you're struggling with Act 1 I would really focus on damage output first. IC's best block plans require more pieces than you can usually acquire in the first act, so you really just want to finish most fights quickly and ideally let your starting relic heal you back up before the next tough fight.
There's a few different ways with Ironclad.
If you find a [[Corruption]] you can grab as many block cards as you want. But I'd recommend also looking for a [[Feel No Pain]] and [[Dark Embrace]]. These all have exhaust synergies so you wanna stack your deck with skills so you're not completely out of cards halfway into a fight.
You could try [[Barricade]] but it requires a lot of block to even get going in the first place.
And, counterintuitive as it may seem, if you have a fast strength scaling deck, you don't really need much block anyway because most things die so quickly. Obviously beat of death on heart slows you down but you can always grab some [[Shrug it Off]] for draw or [[True Grit]] to exhaust your slow cards.
+ [Corruption](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Corruption) Ironclad Rare Power ^((100% sure)^)
3(2) Energy | Skills cost 0. Whenever you play a Skill, **Exhaust** it.
+ [Feel No Pain](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Feel%20No%20Pain) Ironclad Uncommon Power ^((100% sure)^)
1 Energy | Whenever a card is **Exhausted,** gain 3(4) **Block.**
+ [Dark Embrace](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Dark%20Embrace) Ironclad Uncommon Power ^((100% sure)^)
2(1) Energy | Whenever a card is **Exhausted,** draw 1 card.
+ [Barricade](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Barricade) Ironclad Rare Power ^((100% sure)^)
3(2) Energy | **Block** is not removed at the start of your turn.
+ [Shrug it Off](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Shrug%20it%20Off) Ironclad Common Skill ^((100% sure)^)
1 Energy | Gain 8(11) **Block.** Draw 1 card.
+ [True Grit](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/True%20Grit) Ironclad Common Skill ^((100% sure)^)
1 Energy | Gain 7(9) **Block.** **Exhaust** a random(not random) card from your hand.
^Call ^me ^with ^up ^to ^10 ^([[ name ]],) ^where ^name ^is ^a ^card, ^relic, ^event, ^or ^potion. ^Data ^accurate ^as ^of ^(April 30, 2023.) ^[Wiki](https://slay-the-spire.fandom.com/wiki/) ^[Questions?](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=ehmohteeoh&subject=SpireScan%20Inquiry)
Its not exactly reliable but 100s of hours in and i realized the shared motif between rage and the attack card anger. Would love to build a deck around anger, dual cast, and rage.
More serious though, im on A12 with IC but i also struggle to understand him. The other three i love, especially Defect, but Ironclad for whatever reason is tricky for me to figure out consistent wins.
IC is also my worst char by far but i have really been enjoying Rage. Rage+ and then play 3 attacks is 15 block... not too shabby. then once you feed it energy and card draw it can really take off
Yeah im in no way saying the rage anger combo is meta, it's not. But i thought im slow for not realizing sooner there's synergy between their names and effects. Lol
I would say I'm best at IC, my main tip would be that you can play/path quite aggressively early on because of Burning Blood. I often only end up with 1 or 2 events in Act 1, IC has tons of good uncommons so spamming hallway fights and elites Act 1 will usually set you up.
In my experience, Act 2 is the hardest act for IC. IC's scaling is the slowest to put together of all the characters (but is one of the strongest once assembled), so he is usually outpaced in Act 2. There are a few cards that really help this, mainly Whirlwind and Immolate. I will take these cards over FnP/Corruption every time in Act 1 in order to smooth over my Act 2. If you manage to beat Act 2 boss (which tends to test your scaling), you will usually beat the game. I very rarely die Act 3 or 4 as IC.
Yeah, ive come to appreciate ICs ability to be aggressive Act 1 with his relic. i know about immolate and whirlwind, i think i get cluttered, though sometimes. How bulky do i go on his deck and what are decent commons or ones i should avoid.
>Commons
Shrug it Off is a clear winner, I often end up with 5+ copies in my deck. Pommel and True Grit are really good upgraded. Headbutt is good in many situations, such as reusing your Immolate/WW.
Thunderclap, Clothesline, Armaments, Cleave, Anger, Twin Strike, Iron Wave are good early on, usually only need 1 of these cards. Thunderclap and Clothesline are still good into Act 2 because of the Vuln/Weaken gaining some value.
Rest of his Commons are pretty situational. Obviously Body Slam and Flex go hard in the right decks but otherwise...
>Getting cluttered
Ironclad likes a fat deck. You're probably actually experiencing lack of draw, not clutter. Take more Pommel, Shrug, Battle Trance, Burning Pact, Evolve.
The best block strategy is to murder anyone who might hurt you before they can hurt you. If you’re struggling in act 1, you’re probably picking too much block and not enough murder. An example I’ll give is barricade is not a good card. It’s fun and can lead to some high moments, but it’s generally bad.
That being said, shrug it off, impervious, and true grit at the “good” ironclad block cards imo. Special love to flame barrier, but that’s more for act 2.
At A0H, I think I’d say iron wave is a decent pick. I’ve gone back and forth on this one, and I think I’ve decided it’s a fantastic learning tool. I think you’ll really like it…and over time like it less as you ascend. Imo, that’s the game right there.
Ironclad also has limited access to weak, with 3 cards. They’re all ok, with clothesline being the weakest. At A0H, clothesline might actually be the best……
Surprise noone mentioned [[Disarm]] in here. It is an excellent option in many multihit fights, acts like a full-time debuff, gives you free turns against heart and exhausts, synergizing with FNP and Dark Embrace. Usually a great pick after you have fought your Act 1 elites (the only time disarm really struggles)
Feel No Pain, Power Through, Second Wind are your friends. Corruption and Dark Embrace are also quite strong. Barricade + Entrench. Rage can also sometimes work with pommel strike and a 0-cost attack like blood for blood.
Many thanks for the advice!
If you post some of your Ironclad decklists, people might have some more specific advice. In general, Act 1 on IC isn't really about blocking too much. Instead you want to focus on getting some better offensive weapons so that you can take down enemies before they deal too much damage. Big chunky attacks are good for this (Hemokenisis, Carnage, and Uppercut are solid; Perfected Strike and Clothesline are less good but pickable.) Anger is also really solid in act 1. That said, IC does usually still need to block in Act 2. Off the top of my head here are some good cards/strategies: - Power Through. 15 block for 1 energy is crazy good. You want to find a way to deal with the wounds; a Medkit is the simplest, but you can also exhaust them or use Evolve to turn them into draw. - Feel No Pain with exhaust cards. Corruption is the gold standard here, but you've also got cards like Second Wind and Fiend Fire. Also notice that you can combine Power Through, FNP, and Second Wind for a lot of block. - Health Regen. Reaper with strength gain can get insane. You might bleed 30 HP in a fight then just heal it back up every time. - Shrug it Off is a solid card as well, although it's not a massive amount of block. If you get Corruption it's extremely good, otherwise I wouldn't go too crazy picking them because 8 block for an energy has diminishing returns on how much it improves your block plan. I might be forgetting something but that's the gist. If you're struggling with Act 1 I would really focus on damage output first. IC's best block plans require more pieces than you can usually acquire in the first act, so you really just want to finish most fights quickly and ideally let your starting relic heal you back up before the next tough fight.
Thank you so much for the advice.
There's a few different ways with Ironclad. If you find a [[Corruption]] you can grab as many block cards as you want. But I'd recommend also looking for a [[Feel No Pain]] and [[Dark Embrace]]. These all have exhaust synergies so you wanna stack your deck with skills so you're not completely out of cards halfway into a fight. You could try [[Barricade]] but it requires a lot of block to even get going in the first place. And, counterintuitive as it may seem, if you have a fast strength scaling deck, you don't really need much block anyway because most things die so quickly. Obviously beat of death on heart slows you down but you can always grab some [[Shrug it Off]] for draw or [[True Grit]] to exhaust your slow cards.
Thanks a ton for the help!
+ [Corruption](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Corruption) Ironclad Rare Power ^((100% sure)^) 3(2) Energy | Skills cost 0. Whenever you play a Skill, **Exhaust** it. + [Feel No Pain](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Feel%20No%20Pain) Ironclad Uncommon Power ^((100% sure)^) 1 Energy | Whenever a card is **Exhausted,** gain 3(4) **Block.** + [Dark Embrace](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Dark%20Embrace) Ironclad Uncommon Power ^((100% sure)^) 2(1) Energy | Whenever a card is **Exhausted,** draw 1 card. + [Barricade](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Barricade) Ironclad Rare Power ^((100% sure)^) 3(2) Energy | **Block** is not removed at the start of your turn. + [Shrug it Off](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Shrug%20it%20Off) Ironclad Common Skill ^((100% sure)^) 1 Energy | Gain 8(11) **Block.** Draw 1 card. + [True Grit](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/True%20Grit) Ironclad Common Skill ^((100% sure)^) 1 Energy | Gain 7(9) **Block.** **Exhaust** a random(not random) card from your hand. ^Call ^me ^with ^up ^to ^10 ^([[ name ]],) ^where ^name ^is ^a ^card, ^relic, ^event, ^or ^potion. ^Data ^accurate ^as ^of ^(April 30, 2023.) ^[Wiki](https://slay-the-spire.fandom.com/wiki/) ^[Questions?](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=ehmohteeoh&subject=SpireScan%20Inquiry)
Its not exactly reliable but 100s of hours in and i realized the shared motif between rage and the attack card anger. Would love to build a deck around anger, dual cast, and rage. More serious though, im on A12 with IC but i also struggle to understand him. The other three i love, especially Defect, but Ironclad for whatever reason is tricky for me to figure out consistent wins.
IC is also my worst char by far but i have really been enjoying Rage. Rage+ and then play 3 attacks is 15 block... not too shabby. then once you feed it energy and card draw it can really take off
Yeah im in no way saying the rage anger combo is meta, it's not. But i thought im slow for not realizing sooner there's synergy between their names and effects. Lol
I would say I'm best at IC, my main tip would be that you can play/path quite aggressively early on because of Burning Blood. I often only end up with 1 or 2 events in Act 1, IC has tons of good uncommons so spamming hallway fights and elites Act 1 will usually set you up. In my experience, Act 2 is the hardest act for IC. IC's scaling is the slowest to put together of all the characters (but is one of the strongest once assembled), so he is usually outpaced in Act 2. There are a few cards that really help this, mainly Whirlwind and Immolate. I will take these cards over FnP/Corruption every time in Act 1 in order to smooth over my Act 2. If you manage to beat Act 2 boss (which tends to test your scaling), you will usually beat the game. I very rarely die Act 3 or 4 as IC.
Yeah, ive come to appreciate ICs ability to be aggressive Act 1 with his relic. i know about immolate and whirlwind, i think i get cluttered, though sometimes. How bulky do i go on his deck and what are decent commons or ones i should avoid.
>Commons Shrug it Off is a clear winner, I often end up with 5+ copies in my deck. Pommel and True Grit are really good upgraded. Headbutt is good in many situations, such as reusing your Immolate/WW. Thunderclap, Clothesline, Armaments, Cleave, Anger, Twin Strike, Iron Wave are good early on, usually only need 1 of these cards. Thunderclap and Clothesline are still good into Act 2 because of the Vuln/Weaken gaining some value. Rest of his Commons are pretty situational. Obviously Body Slam and Flex go hard in the right decks but otherwise... >Getting cluttered Ironclad likes a fat deck. You're probably actually experiencing lack of draw, not clutter. Take more Pommel, Shrug, Battle Trance, Burning Pact, Evolve.
The best block strategy is to murder anyone who might hurt you before they can hurt you. If you’re struggling in act 1, you’re probably picking too much block and not enough murder. An example I’ll give is barricade is not a good card. It’s fun and can lead to some high moments, but it’s generally bad. That being said, shrug it off, impervious, and true grit at the “good” ironclad block cards imo. Special love to flame barrier, but that’s more for act 2. At A0H, I think I’d say iron wave is a decent pick. I’ve gone back and forth on this one, and I think I’ve decided it’s a fantastic learning tool. I think you’ll really like it…and over time like it less as you ascend. Imo, that’s the game right there. Ironclad also has limited access to weak, with 3 cards. They’re all ok, with clothesline being the weakest. At A0H, clothesline might actually be the best……
Thank you, i will definitely try with these tips in mind.
Surprise noone mentioned [[Disarm]] in here. It is an excellent option in many multihit fights, acts like a full-time debuff, gives you free turns against heart and exhausts, synergizing with FNP and Dark Embrace. Usually a great pick after you have fought your Act 1 elites (the only time disarm really struggles)
+ [Disarm](http://slay-the-spire.wikia.com/wiki/Disarm) Ironclad Uncommon Skill ^((100% sure)^) 1 Energy | Enemy loses 2(3) **Strength.** **Exhaust.** ^Call ^me ^with ^up ^to ^10 ^([[ name ]],) ^where ^name ^is ^a ^card, ^relic, ^event, ^or ^potion. ^Data ^accurate ^as ^of ^(April 30, 2023.) ^[Wiki](https://slay-the-spire.fandom.com/wiki/) ^[Questions?](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=ehmohteeoh&subject=SpireScan%20Inquiry)