Mega Crit has released a new beta patch, v0.109.0, for Slay the Spire 2, which has quickly led the community to discover several exploitable interactions due to its unusual balance changes. The patch includes adjustments to Act 3 bosses, new Neow relics, and significant card modifications.
Aeonglass, an Act 3 boss, has received minor damage nerfs, while the Torchhead Amalgam minion in The Queen boss fight now deals more damage on its initial turn. Among the new Neow relics, Neow’s Sacrifice grants the player one Ambergris potion in exchange for adding a Guilty curse to the deck. Ambergris, a new potion, restores 50 percent of maximum HP and allows for an immediate extra turn, potentially simplifying boss encounters.
The Dowsing Rod is another new Neow relic that introduces an unplayable Dowsing card to the player's deck. After five event rooms are entered, Dowsing transforms into Abundance, a 1-cost skill card that offers a choice of three free power cards. While transforming Dowsing early in Act 1 can be challenging, the potential payoff is considered by some to be worthwhile.
Several card changes have also been implemented, including nerfs to Ironclad's Dominate, which has been moved from uncommon to rare status due to its perceived strength. Regent's Pillar of Creation now grants 5 block per turn when a card is created, a change from its previous effect of providing 3 block every time a card was created.
Perhaps the most surprising change is to Silent's Well-Laid Plans. Previously a 0-cost uncommon card allowing retention of up to two cards per turn, it is now a 0-cost rare card that enables the retention of all cards for the remainder of the fight. This change draws comparisons to the Runic Pyramid relic, which offers a similar effect and is considered one of the game's strongest relics, particularly for Silent due to her card synergies.
The most notable and potentially humorous change is to Necromancer's Eidolon. Instead of exhausting the player's hand and granting Intangible, the card now plays all Ethereal cards from the player's Exhaust Pile. This alteration has opened avenues for exploitation. For instance, players have found ways to use Eidolon to infinitely scale The Scythe, which gains 4 permanent damage each time it is played. Additionally, if Sentry Mode is in the deck, Eidolon can replay all previously played Sweeping Gaze cards.
The most absurd interaction involves Eidolon itself. By making a copy of Eidolon ethereal with a card like Sculpting Strike and then playing a second Eidolon, the card in the exhaust pile is triggered. Theoretically, having two ethereal Eidolons in the exhaust pile could lead to them infinitely triggering each other. The developer, Mega Crit, has not indicated whether this particular interaction will be altered.