head to head
vs
Slay the SpirevsTharsis
Slay the Spire leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos); Tharsis leans Variance (Systems & Chaos).
Slay the SpireTharsis
Axis by axis
Execution0 vs 0
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads1 vs 0
Slay the Spire leans harder on reads: Enemy intents shown; behaviour scripted, not adaptive.
Variance7 vs 8
Tharsis leans harder on variance: Dice rolls and event draws brutally dominate each turn
Optimization9 vs 7
Slay the Spire leans harder on optimization: Deck shaping and combat math are solvable.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.