The Watcher Beginner’s Guide: Strategies & Deck Archetypes

Translated from Japanese using AI assistance and human editing.

For more detailed and up-to-date content, please visit the original Japanese version of this blog here.

Slay the Spire’s playable character “The Watcher” strategy tips and a list of standard decks.

This article simply summarizes the absolute basics you should know when playing Slay the Spire.

It’s a beginner-friendly article for those who want to understand the overall playstyle.

Who Is the Watcher?

A blind ascetic monk who came to “judge” the Spire.

She masters stances granted from the heavens.

The ribbon on her back is cute.

Tips for Playing the Watcher

The Watcher is…

— an attack-heavy character who truly embodies “kill them before they kill you!”

Because she can thin her deck and generate energy through cards, bad hands are relatively rare.

On the other hand, she struggles to stack Block, so the key is how quickly you can finish off enemies.

If you’re new to the Watcher, building a Mantra deck makes it much easier to get a feel for her playstyle.

Standard Deck List

Recommended for Beginners

Mantra Deck

A deck built around Divinity stance, which triples attack damage.

To enter Divinity stance, you need to accumulate 10 Mantra. If you pick up Mantra-generating cards in Act 1, consider committing to a Mantra deck.

Reference: Cards that generate Mantra ▼

Once in Divinity stance, even a basic Strike deals 18 damage. It feels amazing.

Highly recommended for Watcher beginners.

Omega (Alpha) Deck

A deck centered around Omega, which deals 50 AoE damage every turn.

You need enough Block to stall while activating Omega as quickly as possible.

If you can pick up Alpha by mid Act 2, aim for this deck.

Even in late Act 3, this deck can coexist with others if you have excess energy.

At lower Ascension levels, you can often win just by picking Omega and Block cards. Recommended for Watcher beginners.

For Players Getting Comfortable with the Watcher

Stance Dance Deck (Wrath / Calm)

A deck that rapidly switches between Wrath for high damage and Calm for energy generation, allowing you to play many cards.

Reference: Synergistic cards ▼

This is the Watcher’s fundamental deck archetype and essential in Ascension mode.

However, it requires familiarity, such as learning enemy attack patterns, before you can clear consistently.

Because deck strength varies greatly depending on card picks, this archetype is recommended for players who are already comfortable with the Watcher.

Once you can pilot this deck, clearing Ascension is within reach.

For reference, here’s the ratio of “stance-changing cards” in my own runs.

Retain Deck

A deck that reduces retained cards to 0 cost using Establishment, balancing offense and defense.

Reference: Establishment ▼

Reference: Retain card examples ▼

If you obtain Establishment early in Act 2, this deck is often worth pursuing.

You carefully manage which cards to keep in hand, control incoming damage, and once you have enough 0-cost cards, you burst enemies down.

Damage control during setup can be tricky at first, but since bad hands are rare and attack timing is clear, it’s relatively easy to play.

Recommended for players getting comfortable with the Watcher.

Pressure Points Deck

A deck centered around the common card “Pressure Points.”

Each time you apply Pressure Points to an enemy, the damage stacks.

The playstyle is similar to Silent’s Poison deck (see: Beginner’s Guide to the Silent).

If you pick up Pressure Points and Block cards early in Act 1, aim for this deck.

After applying Pressure Points to one enemy, then applying it to another:

This effectively acts as pseudo-AoE damage. Very convenient.

Using draw and Scry effectively, the key is how quickly you can stack Pressure Points.

Unless you’re going infinite, you need at least two upgraded copies (five makes it stable). Even though it’s a common card, it’s luck-dependent.

Adding too many draw and Scry cards can slow deck activation and cause losses.

Because card balance is crucial, this deck is recommended for experienced Watcher players.

When playing this deck, you can almost hear “ATATATATA!” in your head.

Update: I’ve written an article covering every card pick leading to a Pressure Points deck ▼

Watcher | Explaining All Picks Across 50 Floors

Technical Deck List

These decks have strict requirements or are difficult to pilot.

Conjure Blade Deck

A deck built around Conjure Blade ▼

Consider this deck if you’ve picked up Chemical X, or if your deck direction isn’t decided after the Act 1 boss.

Reference: Chemical X ▼

With energy generation like Deva Form or Deus Ex Machina, this deck becomes absurdly strong.

Without energy support, however, it ends up being a worse Ragnarok.

It can be nerve-wracking until you’re able to play Expunger, but once it clicks, it feels incredible—highly recommended.

Omniscience Deck

A deck that uses Omniscience to cast powerful cards twice and wipe out enemies.

Casting Omega or Ragnarok with Omniscience results in insane damage.

Reference: Ragnarok ▼

As mentioned in the “Watcher Infinite Combo Card List,” combining this with Divinity stance can even one-shot bosses.

Example: Blasphemy → Crush Joints+ → Omniscience (choose Ragnarok+) → 354 damage

Using Omniscience on Wish is also fun ▼

With two copies of Omniscience, you can play two different cards twice.

Even upgraded, it costs 3 energy, so careful energy management is required—but when it works, it feels amazing.

Highly recommended.

Wrath Deck

A deck that stays in Wrath stance as long as possible and kills enemies in very few turns.

At low Ascension levels, you can often kill enemies outright, but at higher Ascensions, a single bad hand can cost you a huge chunk of HP.

It requires many Wrath-related cards, making it a deck for lucky players.

The end.

Beginner-Friendly Watcher Card Tier List (All Cards), Compiled by the World’s #1 PlayerTranslated from Japanese using AI assistance and human editing. For...

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