Survivor

Survivor is the Silent's starter defensive skill, costing 1 Energy to gain 8 Block while discarding 1 card (11 Block upgraded). The discard is mandatory, but the Silent turns it into an asset: cards with Retain keep themselves from being discarded, cards like Tactician and Reflex trigger powerful effects when discarded, and the overall discard synergy in the Silent's kit makes Survivor feel much more flexible than a simple Block card.

At 8 Block for 1 Energy, Survivor already beats Defend on raw efficiency. The forced discard can clear dead cards from your hand mid-combat or set up discard-synergy plays intentionally. Upgrading to 11 Block pushes it further ahead as a defensive tool. Most Silent runs are happy to keep Survivor throughout the game, especially builds that lean into discard mechanics. Even without discard synergy, it's simply a better Defend.