Afflictions are enemy-applied penalties that attack your deck instead of your HP bar. They come in two forms: status cards injected into your draw pile, and debuffs that strip Strength, Dexterity, or prevent actions.
Mega Crit introduced Afflictions in Neowsletter issue 9 (April 15, 2025) as a way for enemies to attack your deck directly. Unlike STS1 curses, Afflictions are combat-scoped most of the time — an enemy applies them mid-fight to force you to play around broken draw order or debuffed attacks.
There are two functional categories. Status-card Afflictions inject dead cards (Lure, Desperate Escape, Slimed, Debris) into your deck for the fight. Stat Afflictions apply Strength/Dexterity debuffs or draw-prevention effects. Both categories ignore HP totals, which is why Affliction-heavy enemies feel different from regular damage fights.
This page enumerates every confirmed Affliction-applying enemy, exactly which Affliction each applies, and the counter-play card pool available to each character.
Verification note
Officially revealed by Mega Crit on April 15, 2025. Enemy-specific Affliction patterns verified against NamuWiki monster data (HP and pattern numbers exact).
Why Afflictions matters
If you are seeing Afflictions for the first time, start with the rule. That is the fastest way to make sense of the fights, cards, and choices built around it.
Once the basic rule clicks, the related links show you where Afflictions starts changing real decisions in a run.
Learn the rule before you worry about ranking or build theory.
Open the related guides if Afflictions changes pathing, card picks, or early-act risk.
Come back after major updates if wording, balance, or examples change.
The first category is the classic STS1 "Slimed" pattern. An enemy adds unplayable or harmful cards (Status cards) into your draw or discard pile, diluting your deck for the rest of the fight. Examples include Soul Fysh's Beckon (Lure), Insatiable's Desperate Escape, and Gunk Up's Slimed.
The second category is a stat-level debuff. Doormaker's Grasp lowers Strength and Dexterity by 1, Lagavulin Matriarch's Soul Siphon reduces Strength and Dexterity by 2, and Hunter Killer's Tenderizing Goop applies Weak. These don't touch your draw pile but they neuter the cards you've already drawn.
The NamuWiki monster index confirms 6 enemies and bosses that apply distinct Afflictions in v0.102.0. Each has a specific pattern window that lets you pre-empt the Affliction with the right counter.
Memorize the pattern order for each — bosses cycle Afflictions on predictable turns, so you can line up Apparitions, Block, or a burst turn against the window.
Status-card Afflictions inject specific unplayable or harmful cards into your deck. Each has its own text and scaling, so 'Status card' isn't one thing — it's a category of 5+ distinct cards enemies can give you.
The Soul Fysh's Lure is the most dangerous because it causes HP loss directly (ignoring Block) when drawn. Every other Status Affliction reduces tempo but can be played around with card draw.
Each character has a specific Affliction counter. Some are better at stat-debuff counterplay (Silent Poison ignores Strength), some are better at Status-card counterplay (Defect Compact, Ironclad Dark Embrace).
If you're on Ascension 15+ and know your run will face Doormaker or Soul Fysh, prioritize the right counter card in Act 2 drafts.
Afflictions are marked visually on the card frame. When an enemy applies an Affliction, the affected card shows a red overlay icon on its border — different from the STS1 curse marker, which was a full red frame.
Stat debuffs show as character-side icons (Strength-minus, Dexterity-minus, Weak). Status-card Afflictions show as new cards added to your hand or draw pile with their own iconography.
Afflictions are not evenly distributed. Act 1 has few Affliction enemies (Ceremonial Beast doesn't apply any). Act 2 is where the density spikes — Hunter Killer, Lagavulin Matriarch, and Soul Fysh all appear in Act 2 elite or boss pools.
Act 3 is the hardest for Affliction-heavy routing because Doormaker and The Insatiable both carry boss-tier Afflictions. If your deck doesn't have answers by the end of Act 2, re-evaluate your route toward the alternate bosses (Queen, Torch Head, Test Subject #C10 — none of which apply Afflictions).
Comparison
Afflictions are one of the easiest sequel mechanics to compare because they change where enemy pressure lands: on your cards themselves.
Slay the Spire 1
Enemy pressure usually landed on HP, player debuffs, statuses, or cards added into the deck.
Slay the Spire 2
Afflictions let enemies place penalties on cards you already own.
Why it matters
The sequel can punish hand quality and deck texture more directly than the first game did.
Slay the Spire 1
Faster scaling or better block often answered most enemy pressure cleanly.
Slay the Spire 2
Consistency tools and clean deck construction rise in value because individual draws can be degraded.
Why it matters
It makes card quality control a more urgent defensive skill.
More mechanics
FAQ
No. Almost all Afflictions are combat-scoped — they end when the fight ends. The exception is Status cards added to your deck mid-combat; those appear in the draw pile for the remainder of that fight only. Unlike STS1 curses, Afflictions don't permanently pollute your deck across acts.
No. Curses are drafted or added as permanent cards. Afflictions are combat-scoped modifiers or Status cards that enemies apply mid-fight. Think of Afflictions as weaponized Weak, Vulnerable, and Slimed combined — they poison your deck's quality temporarily, but the fight-ending cleanup restores normal function.
Retain keyword cards (Sovereign Blade for Regent, Retained Block cards for Defect) bypass the draw ban because they start combat in hand. Second option: play a draw engine before turn 2 so you've already seen the cards you need. Third option: take the alternate Act 3 boss (Queen, Torch Head, Test Subject #C10) and skip Doormaker entirely.
Artifact charges are the cleanest answer — each charge blocks one incoming debuff. Orichalcum and related relics provide Artifact passively. For burst fights, Apparition (ethereal invulnerability) or Piercing Wail (Weak the enemy before they act) cut the window. Character-specific: Silent's Poison damage ignores Strength debuffs entirely, making her the best stat-debuff counter in the cast.
Yes, but not linearly. Hunter Killer's Tenderizing Goop applies Weak; if another enemy in the same fight also applies Weak, the stacks add. Stat debuffs like Strength -2 from Lagavulin Matriarch and Strength -1 from Doormaker would combine in a theoretical multi-boss fight — in practice, these bosses don't appear together, but the stacking rule matters for elite-pair encounters.
Partially. The Intent icon above each enemy shows their next action and previews whether it applies an Affliction, but it doesn't always name the specific Affliction. Hovering the Intent shows full tooltip text. For bosses with fixed patterns (Doormaker, Soul Fysh, Insatiable), memorizing the cycle is the most reliable way to plan ahead — each boss telegraphs the exact Affliction turn.
Sources
Mega Crit early access launch post
OfficialOfficial launch article for the current early access build.
Neowsletter: Afflictions
OfficialOfficial explanation of enemy-applied Afflictions on cards.
Neowsletter: January 2026
OfficialOfficial reminder that many systems and values were still evolving right before early access.
NamuWiki — Slay the Spire 2 / Monsters
CommunityKorean wiki with exact HP values, attack patterns, and Ascension 8/9 scaling for every elite and boss.