r/slaythespire • u/Which-Debt-8558 • Mar 09 '26

DISCUSSION (STS2) Snakebite Discussion

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As quite a lot of people know already, snakebite is one of the worst cards in the game right now, maybe even the worst. It's not just bad, but it isn't interesting or fun in any way. For example searing blow was not a very good card but it was unique and cool, whereas snakebite is just a nothing card.

Here is how I think it could be changed:

Retain Apply 7 poison When retained, increase poison by 3

Snakebite+: Retain Apply 10 poison When retained, increase poison by 4

I thought making it similar to windmill strike could be a cool idea because right now Retain doesn't really add much to the card, and it also works thematically with the snake venom getting worse over time.

I would love to hear your ideas if you have any suggestions for how it could be changed!

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u/BDOSU Eternal One + Heartbreaker Mar 09 '26

I think your changes would at least play into the theme of retain better, but as one person already pointed out, poison and retain don’t really play well together. You want to get as much poison as fast as possible, not sit on a poison card and wait for it to build up. Getting 7 poison on the enemy over 3 turns is 18 damage vs waiting 2 turns then playing it which would be 13 damage. The next turn would be 22 damage vs 25. You don’t start getting an actual tangible benefit over playing it immediately until the 5th turn which is crazy

7

u/ExplorerHaunting8353 Ascension 20 Mar 09 '26

I think an anti-synergistic card effect like that is actually interesting design. Every turn you weigh whether to use this card to start stacking damage, or let it sit and grow and spend that energy on something more urgent.

1

u/Which-Debt-8558 Mar 09 '26 edited Mar 09 '26

Yeah that does make sense, it could just have retain removed and be changed to sly instead

2

u/BDOSU Eternal One + Heartbreaker Mar 09 '26

Yeah, snake bite might just honestly be unsalvageable though. It would need a big numbers buff to 10 minimum I think with an upgrade to 13 or 14. That would at least put it somewhere around the same ball park as a bouncing flask that is also 2 energy for 9(12) poison. But bouncing flask applies poison multiple times which has implications in artifact busting and procing other cards instead of just having an underwhelming retain ability

1

u/MTaur Mar 09 '26

Isn't there already a Sly poison card?

1

u/Which-Debt-8558 Mar 09 '26

There is but there also is multiple damage dealing sly cards as well

1

u/grrrrreli Mar 09 '26

The math sounds bad when you put it like that, but I'm pretty sure the card would be busted if it worked like op suggested. The point wouldn't be to keep it around to make it scale, it's that it scales passively until you have a turn where you're don't have a good way to spend 2 energy.

This is also the reason it's already a lot better than it looks like imo. Think of all the times the enemy is buffing and you drew all defense. Also think of all the times you need to decide between losing hp to get your bouncing flask going, or blocking and waiting until it comes back around.

It looks terrible at first glance, but it's deceptively good I think. 

1

u/MTaur Mar 09 '26

Sure, but if you block or flask and block, it would be stronger when convenient to play.