Slay the Spire 2 Radiate Burst Engine — Star Banking for One-Turn Kills

Published 2026-03-09Updated 2026-09-196 min read

Bank Stars all fight, then cash them in one Radiate: the Regent burst build for Slay the Spire 2 with Genesis income, Glow and Gather Light generation, and Royal Gamble jackpots.

Radiate is the Regent's loudest card: "Deal 3 (4) damage to ALL enemies for each Star gained this turn." Note the wording — not stars held, stars gained this turn. The whole build is a promise to yourself: bank nothing, generate everything, and on the burst turn stack so many Star gains in a single pass that the board simply leaves.

The Regent surrounded by stars in Slay the Spire 2
Ten Stars gained in one turn. Sixty damage to everything. That is the plan.

The burst core

  • Radiate ×2 (Uncommon) — the terminal. Both copies matter: one burst turn per cycle is good, two is a schedule. Upgrade first.
  • Genesis (Rare Power) — gain 2 (3) Stars at the start of each turn. Free interest that every Radiate counts.
  • Royal Gamble (Uncommon) — gain 9 Stars, Exhaust, with a Retain upgrade. The jackpot card: play it on a burst turn and Radiate's multiplier jumps nine in one card.
  • Glow (Common) — gain 1 (2) Stars, draw 1, draw 1 next turn. Generation attached to velocity.
  • Solar Strike (Common) — 9 (10) damage, gain a Star. Damage that funds the multiplier.
  • Gather Light (Common) — 8 (11) Block and a Star. Defense that still counts toward the burst.

The turn-1-of-the-fight setup

  • Black Hole (Uncommon Power) — 3 (4) damage to ALL whenever you spend or gain Stars. Passive AOE that turns every future generation turn into chip damage while you set up.
  • Convergence (Uncommon) — next turn gain energy and Stars, retain your hand. The pre-burst button: it loads tomorrow's Radiate turn with resources today.
  • Walls: Particle Wall (9 (12) Block, returns to hand) is the standing shield between setup and payday.

The burst turn, step by step

  1. Open with Convergence-prepped energy — this turn is funded by yesterday.
  2. Stack generation: Royal Gamble (+9), Glow (+1/2), Gather Light (+1), Solar Strike (+1), Genesis' turn tick (+2/3) — each gain is also Black Hole damage while it lands.
  3. Cast Radiate. Ten Stars gained means 30 (40) base to ALL enemies per copy — before Vulnerable, before Strength, with a second Radiate behind it.
  4. Sweep leftovers with Stardust (X-times random hits) or Astral Pulse (6 (8) to ALL twice).

Deckbuilding and route notes

Keep 20–22 cards, majority star economy: two Radiate, generation commons, one Black Hole, walls, and a thin draw line. Do not chase Forge or Sovereign Blade packages — they are powerful elsewhere and dead weight here. Act 1 is about surviving with commons (Astral Pulse, Crescent Spear — which scales per Star-cost card in your deck) while the engine assembles; by the time Act 2 elites arrive, the first Radiate turn should be online.

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