The Hunt — Slay the Spire 2
The Hunt is a rare attack card that scales with hand size. The more cards you hold, the more damage it deals. Excellent in Shiv builds and draw-heavy decks.
Card Stats
• 8 cards in hand = 24 damage (32 upgraded)
• 10 cards in hand = 30 damage (40 upgraded)
Why The Hunt is Strong
Scales With Hand Size
In Shiv builds with 10 cards in hand, The Hunt deals 30-40 damage for 2 energy. That's excellent value.
No Setup Required
Unlike poison or Shiv generation, The Hunt deals immediate damage based on your current hand. No ramp time needed.
Single Target Burst
Excellent for killing elites and bosses quickly. Concentrates all damage on one target.
Rare But Powerful
Being Rare means you won't see it often, but when you do and your deck supports it, it's a game-changer.
Best Synergy Cards
Backstab
Deals extra damage from hand. Synergizes with The Hunt's hand-based damage
Blade Dance
Adds Shivs to hand. More cards in hand = more Hunt damage
Acrobatics
Draw 3 cards. Increases hand size for The Hunt
Prepared
Draw and discard. Helps cycle to The Hunt
Calculated Gamble
Refresh hand. Can set up big Hunt turns
Best Synergy Relics
Bag of Marbles
Enemies start with Vulnerable. Increases The Hunt damage
Ninja Scroll
Start with 3 Shivs. More cards in hand
Tingsha
Discard synergy. Works with hand cycling
When to Pick The Hunt
✓ Pick The Hunt When:
- • You're building a Shiv deck (large hands)
- • You have draw cards (Acrobatics, Prepared)
- • You need single-target burst damage
- • Your hand size is consistently 7+ cards
- • You're facing elites/bosses soon
✗ Skip The Hunt When:
- • You're building a Poison deck (small hands)
- • You're building a Sly discard deck
- • Your hand size is small (5 or fewer cards)
- • You need AoE damage, not single-target
- • You already have enough damage
Pro Tips
▸ Play The Hunt AFTER drawing cards, not before
▸ In Shiv builds, play Blade Dance first to maximize hand size
▸ Upgrade The Hunt for +33% damage (3x → 4x multiplier)
▸ The Hunt counts itself, so minimum damage is 3 (or 4 upgraded)
▸ Combine with Vulnerable for massive burst damage
Frequently Asked Questions
What does The Hunt do in Slay the Spire 2?
The Hunt is a Rare Attack card for Silent that costs 2 energy. It deals damage based on the number of cards in your hand. The more cards you hold, the more damage it deals.
Is The Hunt good?
Yes, in decks with large hand sizes. It's excellent in Shiv builds (many 0-cost cards) and draw-heavy decks. Skip it in small, efficient decks.
Should I upgrade The Hunt?
Yes. The upgrade increases the damage multiplier per card in hand, making it significantly stronger in the same deck.
Does The Hunt work with Shiv builds?
Yes, very well. Shiv builds naturally have large hands (10+ cards), making The Hunt deal massive damage.