A surgical stapler end effector assembly comprises a staple cartridge, an anvil, and a buttress assembly. The staple cartridge comprises a plurality of staples and a deck. The staple cartridge is operable to drive the staples through the deck. The anvil is movable from an open position toward the staple cartridge to reach a closed position. The anvil includes an underside having staple forming surface configured to receive staples driven through the deck. The buttress assembly comprises a buttress body, an adhesive material, and a plurality of reinforcement strands. The reinforcement strands are configured to engage one or more staples fired through the buttress body.