Wraith Form is one of the most powerful defensive powers in Slay the Spire, allowing players to reduce all incoming damage to 1 for two turns. This card can single-handedly win battles.
Let’s dive into more about this amazing card:
Slay the Spire: Wraith Form
Overview
Wraith Form is a very strong power card in Slay the Spire. It is available to the Silent class and costs 3 energy to play. When activated, the card grants you 2 turns of Intangible status, which means they only take 1 damage from enemy attacks. After the 2 turns are up, you lose the Intangible status and proceed to lose 1 Dexterity at the end of every turn, which reduces the amount of block gained by 1.
Benefits
Wraith Form is highly effective in short hallway fights where players don’t expect to fight for an extended period. However, when playing against bosses, it’s recommended that players hold off on playing the card until they know there are roughly 2 to 3 turns of combat left. While it’s impossible to know precisely when the boss fight will end, players who understand the phases well enough can make an educated guess on how long each fight will take.
If players play Wraith Form too early or too infrequently, their defense becomes useless, rendering the rest of their blocks ineffective, and leaving the Silent vulnerable to attacks. On the other hand, if you have multiple Wraith Forms, they can remain intangible, making blocks irrelevant. A well-timed Nightmare can add more Wraith Forms to the deck, ensuring players can stay intangible for more extended periods.
Drawbacks
The obvious downside to Wraith Form is that it reduces players’ Dexterity by 1 at the end of every turn, which translates to a reduction in the amount of block gained by 1. You can negate this effect by using artifacts that ignore Dexterity or by using orange pellets that cleanse the Dexterity down over time and remove any negative stacks.
It’s important to note that even when intangible, players will still take chip damage, which can add up over time. For this reason, some kind of plated armor effect like Thread and Needle can help players stay healthy during prolonged fights.
Upgraded (Wraith Form+)
When upgraded, Wraith Form’s Intangible gain is increased to 3 from 2.
This is an excellent upgrade and should be pursued ASAP.
There are essentially 2 upgrades for this; you get an extra turn of invulnerability, AND you delay your dexterity loss by another turn. It’s a massive upgrade.
Synergies
Here are a couple of options that pair very well with Wraith Form:
After Image
After Image is a powerful card in Slay the Spire that provides players with one Block every time they play a card. This pairs extremely well with a “Shiv” build.
This card can synergize well with Wraith Form, as it allows players to stack Block even while taking the Dexterity penalty. Remember, Dexterity doesn’t affect the block gained from Powers and Artifacts, giving you some opportunity to counteract the negative effect of Wraith Form.
Cards / Relics / Potions that add Artifacts
Believe it or not, you can counter the negative effect of Wraith Form with an Artifact. This means you can play Wraith Form with no penalty whatsoever.
This is not a consistent feat you will be able to pull off every time, but feels great when you do!
Best Builds
Shiv Build
One popular build is the “Shiv” build, which utilizes cards like Cloak and Dagger, Blade Dance, and Accuracy to generate large numbers of Shivs that can be used to deal damage while players are intangible. This build can be further enhanced with Kunai or Shuriken relics that reward players for playing multiple attacks in a turn.
Poison Build
Another powerful build that synergizes with Wraith Form is the “Poison” build, which utilizes cards like Noxious Fumes, Crippling Cloud, and Corpse Explosion to apply large amounts of Poison to enemies. Players can then use Wraith Form to remain intangible while the Poison chips away at the enemy’s health.
Summary
Overall, Wraith Form is a game-changing card that can turn the tide of battles in Slay the Spire. However, players must use it strategically and carefully to avoid its downsides and maximize its benefits.
For more on Slay the Spire, check out our guide for the Ironclad character.