Slay the Spire 2 Mechanics Keyword Dictionary

Keyword arguments usually start with one missing word

This glossary matters because small wording differences produce large gameplay mistakes. With 7 current keywords and 173 cards using them, the real value is not the count. It is the ability to see the exact rules line, where the keyword is printed, and which real cards carry it.

That keeps the page grounded. A keyword dictionary should reduce confusion, not inflate it with fan-theory wording. If you need a broader combat rule, the site should send you elsewhere instead of pretending one glossary entry can explain the whole game.

The glossary is tied to live keyword entries and linked cards

Each keyword entry comes from the current mechanics dataset, which already maps the rule text, placement on the card, pool breakdown, featured card examples, full card rollup, and upgrade-only cases. The page does not invent alternate wording when the printed rule is already enough.

That is also why the examples matter. Real cards anchor the definition. Instead of pretending the keyword exists in a vacuum, the glossary shows who uses it, whether the keyword appears on base or upgraded frames, and how concentrated it is across the current pools.

• Placement labels separate keywords printed before rules text from keywords printed after it.
• Upgrade-only cases stay explicit so the glossary does not grant rules too early.
• Pool breakdown is descriptive, not a balance judgment.

Exact wording, placement, and upgrade state carry the real value

The most useful question on a keyword page is usually not "what is the theme?" It is "what does the printed line actually say, and when does that line appear on the card?" Placement helps because some keywords are part of the card frame language while others sit after the main rules box and behave differently in practice.

Upgrade state matters just as much. A keyword that only appears after upgrade is not active on the base card, no matter how often players mentally collapse the two versions into one. This page keeps those upgrade-added cases visible because that specific mistake keeps costing real runs.

• Read the literal rule line before you infer anything from card memory.
• Check whether the keyword is base, upgrade, or both before planning around it.
• Use representative cards when the wording is clear but the gameplay picture is still fuzzy.

The page is built to kill sloppy rule compression

The classic trap is collapsing two related mechanics into one because they both feel like "discard" or "temporary." That is how players mix up Ethereal, Exhaust, Retain, or any other nearby concept and then blame the game when the run line breaks.

The second trap is reading a concentrated pool distribution as if the glossary were making a design claim. It is not. The page is only telling you where the keyword currently appears. It is not promising even spread, future support, or hidden variants outside the live set.

• Do not merge nearby keywords just because their play pattern feels similar.
• Do not assume upgrade-added keywords exist on base copies.
• Do not confuse a card-keyword dictionary with a full combat-mechanics encyclopedia.

Open the page that handles the layer above the literal keyword

Once the glossary settles the wording, these pages handle deckbuilding, power-state interaction, and character context. That is a cleaner split than forcing the dictionary to pretend it is also a strategy guide.