You come across the Tinker Time event in Act 3: Glory in Slay the Spire 2. This custom card event lets you craft your own colorless Mad Science card that only costs 1 Energy. Remember that all upgraded Mad Science cards receive the Innate keyword, so they always appear in your opening hand. With that being said, let’s see how to create custom cards in STS2.
What you will read
What Is Tinker Time Event in Slay the Spire 2?
Unlike other events like Battleworn Dummy or Abyssal Baths that can have severe consequences, the Tinker Time event is completely risk-free. When you enter the event, you randomly get offered two of the following three base card types:
- Weapon (Attack): Deals 12 base damage.
- Protector (Skill): Grants 8 Block.
- Gadget (Power): Provides a lasting passive buff for the rest of combat.
Once you’ve chosen your base card, the game randomly offers two out of three specific rider effects to attach to your custom card:
Attack Riders:
- Sapping: Applies 2 Weak and 2 Vulnerable.
- Violence: Deals 2 additional damage and hits 3 times in total.
- Choking: Makes the enemy lose 6 HP for every card you play this turn, notably bypassing enemy shields.
Skill Riders:
- Energized: Grants 2 Energy.
- Wisdom: Draws 3 cards.
- Chaos: Adds a random card to your hand that is completely free to play this turn.
Power Riders:
- Expertise: Grants 2 Strength and 2 Dexterity.
- Curious: Reduces the energy cost of all Power cards by 1.
- Improvement: Upgrades a random card in your deck at the end of combat.
Every Mad Science card automatically receives the Innate keyword upon upgrading. This guarantees that it appears in your opening hand.
Additionally, if you have a power-heavy deck, especially on the Defect, the Curious Power effect is incredibly strong. It reduces Power card costs significantly, which is a big plus for any Defect player.
Tinker Time Event Tips
Insane Silent Synergy: If you choose the Improvement Power, which upgrades a random card after combat, you can use the Silent’s Nightmare card on it. This allows you to play multiple copies and get up to four free card upgrades per combat. I’d say this literally eliminates the need to ever use Rest Sites for upgrading.
Defect Infinite Combos: The Curious Power, which reduces Power costs by 1, with Defect cards like Subroutine and Creative AI can create loops where you generate energy and draw through your entire deck on turn one.
