Cleave

Cleave is a 1-Energy Ironclad attack that deals 8 damage to all enemies (11 upgraded). It's one of the Ironclad's best tools for multi-enemy encounters — at 1 Energy, it outperforms most AoE options in the game for pure damage efficiency. In three-enemy fights like the Gremlin Gang or Slavers, Cleave can deal 24 total damage in a single play, letting you clear weaker enemies quickly to simplify the encounter.

Cleave also scales well with Strength, applying the bonus to every hit simultaneously. Even in single-enemy fights it deals 8 damage for 1 Energy, which is competitive. It doesn't have conditional requirements or downsides, making it a reliable early pick that remains useful in most runs. A strong common that often gets overlooked.