How Good is Sever Soul in Slay the Spire?

Intro / What does it do?

Sever Soul is another interesting damage-dealing card for the Ironclad. Truth be told, this Uncommon Attack card is such a strong source of damage that it can turn into a big payday or make you completely bankrupt on how you manage its drawback.

This article will explore how good Sever Soul is in Slay the Spire, and whether it is a good card to include in your deck.

Before we continue, it is good to keep in mind that no build is perfect and you cannot get your desired build each run in Slay the Spire. Card mastery and familiarity will be the key ingredient as you Ascend.

There is a reason why there are three types of cards in the game. You will need a synergy between Attack, Skill, and Power cards for you to climb the Spire efficiently. Being heavy on a card type will not exactly spell doom, but a proper deck balance and build will always be more beneficial.

In relation, Sever Soul takes that thought out the window. As a card that Exhausts all non-Attack cards in your hand for 16 damage at 2 energy cost, I would not blame you if you automatically pass on this one. Retaining everything while bumping the damage to 20 upgraded, there are ways to properly utilize the card if needed.

How good is Sever Soul?

Good enough to be considered in extremely niche builds and bad enough to be left out from the conventional ones.

Sever Soul primarily functions as a deck purging card with damage. You can work around the circumstantial downside by playing all the cards you want to save first before playing Sever Soul.

In the same manner as removing them, you can use this card for curses and burns in your deck by leaving them in your hand as you use Sever Soul. 

As careful as you may be with not getting your key cards Exhausted in your deck, it will be a tough trying task that will require a lot of energy and card draws.

Plays involving this card will revolve around Exhaust-centric strategies that may prove to be unreliable or inconsistent.

Which cards does it work well with?

Sever Soul works pretty well with these cards:

  • Clash (Can only be played if every card in your hand is an Attack. Deal 14 damage.)
  • Dark Embrace (Whenever a card is Exhausted, draw 1 card.)
  • Feel No Pain (Whenever a card is Exhausted, gain 3 Block.)

As stated above, Sever Soul synergizes with Exhaust strategies. With the manner of drawbacks it has, Sever Soul can maximize the potential and value of these cards.

When not to pick Sever Soul?

Do not pick Sever Soul if you want a less complicated deck build. 

Complications are not exactly bad, but picking up this card requires a good amount of foresight. If you want a more linear way to Ascend, take a pass on this card.

Never use Sever Soul as a primary source of damage, unless you want your deck cut in half.

Avoid if you do not have cards or relics that can add or help Sever Soul gain value.

When to Use Sever Soul? 

As mentioned above, the primary use of this card is as a card purger with damage.

If you have some nasty curses and burns in your deck, this is an efficient way to get rid of them. If you plan on using it for damage, make sure you play your important cards first to avoid being Exhausted.

If you happen to draw an all Attack hand, use Sever Soul freely without the thought of the drawback.

Which relics does it work well with?

It may sound weird, but Sever Soul gets the most value from its ability to remove or Exhaust card aside from the damage. Here are some of the best relics that work well with it:

  • Charon’s Ashes (Whenever you Exhaust a card, deal 3 damage to ALL enemies)
  • Dead Branch (Whenever you Exhaust a card, add a random card to your hand.)
  • Cursed Key (Gain 1 Energy at the start of each turn. Whenever you open a non-boss chest, obtain a Curse.)

Which relics does it work poorly with?

Here are some examples of relics that Sever Soul will work poorly:

  • Pocketwatch (Whenever you play 3 or less cards in a turn, draw 3 additional cards at the start of your next turn.)

This may be a recipe for an Exhausted hand or a bigger Exhausted hand which may be good or bad. 

  • Sneako Eye (Draw 2 additional cards each turn. Start each combat Confused.)

Card draw will always be good, but the randomized card costs may easily leave some important cards out to be Exhausted if you cannot use them with using Sever Soul in mind.

  • Runic Pyramid (At the end of your turn, you no longer discard your hand.) 

Same with Pocketwatch. This has the potential to be the biggest disaster with Exhausting your hand with Sever Soul.

Conclusion: Is Sever Soul a good card?

It can be in the right situation.

However, there are a VERY FEW RIGHT situations available to make Sever Soul truly shine.

The real downfall of this card is not its ability, but the inconsistency to pull off things with the card to give any lasting value aside from damage and card removal.

With its cost, you can get a more reliable and consistent Attack like Uppercut (Deal 13 damage. Apply 1 Weak. Apply 1 Vulnerable.) or Clothesline (Deal 12 damage. Apply 2 Weak.)

While curses and burns will definitely give you trouble with your deck build, losing cards via Exhaust with an ill-timed Sever Soul will always be worse.

As a beginner or seasoned Spire climber, stay clear ahead of this card if you would rather build something more textbook or conventional rather than thinking of 5-steps ahead to get value out of this card.

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