Entropic Havok: Decks & Tips for the New Card
Entropic Havok is dropping this week as a free card in Team Clash. Usually, I just drop some thoughts and a couple decks about the free LTGM cards in the strategy guide, but I was compelled to write a full preview of this one. Why? Because his design is just so infuriating!
Alternative Design Ideas!
We'll get to a couple of uses and decks for E. Havok later in the article, but first, three Entropic Havok designs I wish they'd made instead!
Scott's Alternative Entropic Havok Designs
2/1, Same Text
The biggest problem with the E-Havok design is that he costs 3. It's too late to have an impact on locations and it works out super awkwardly with his main potential proactive synergy, Luna Snow! If this card cost 2, here are some awesome things you could do!
- Entropic Havok ⇨ Luna ⇨ Galactus
- Entropic Havok ⇨ Luna ⇨ Onslaught
- Entropic Havok ⇨ Luna ⇨ Galactus First Steps
- Entropic Havok + Luna on Turn 5 ⇨ Fastball Special + Knull/Galactus/Zola/etc.
I'm still not sure if this card would be amazing, but he would certainly have a clearer niche! Would Havok into Luna be too irritating? Possibly!
Look, I get the idea. It's cute to have a reverse Havok. Snap's first Havok card greedily absorbs Energy and turns it into Power. They wanted a design that interacts with Energy in a different way. They went with a Havok that consumes your opponent’s Energy, but they should have made Havok consume your Power to produce Energy!
Power Drain
With synergy hooks with hand buff Archetypes, as well as Ramp strategies, this is an interesting card and plays into the idea of a Havok that leaks Power better than the design they went with.
Power Loss
This is another design with divergent synergy hooks. You could make him into a 2-Step Ramp card with something like Shadow King, or you could just grow him and use his secondary ability as insurance.
Self-Affliction
Maybe they really wanted him to cost 3. Someday there is going to be some sort of self-Affliction strategy that pays off. In the meantime, this would be an interesting Ramp card that could be taken in multiple directions or mitigated by a late Luke Cage to be an interesting 2-Card package.
But enough fantasy. Back to the design they actually gave us and how to use him...
Actual Havok Decks!
Here are the best ways to use this card. There is a genuine case for this card with Zombie Galacti, but he's hurt my feelings, so I'm going to boycott him... unless the SnapComplete stats are excellent. ;)
Fin Fang Luna
This deck focuses on the only real use-case for Havok – as a way to greedily get an extra Energy out of Luna.
Magik-less Zombie Galacti
Magik is a fragile card. While there's already plenty of viable Magik-less Galacti strategies, Havok/Luna gives us another one and allows more flexibility and less downside from Luna, who isn't currently in most Galacti lists.
IW Hela
Plopping down a Havok on Turn 6 with a Luna on board, gives us 9 Energy going into Turn 7. What can we do with that? Hela plus a 3-Cost card! That's clearly not the only play line in this classic Hela deck, but it is one! A deck like this is different that the traditional M.O.D.O.K. package that would usually be used with IW in a Hela decks, but this deck has a much more consistent floor. There are plenty of things we could do with 8 Energy on Turn 6 or 9 Energy on Turn 7, this is just one such concept.
Tool Surfer
There have always been ways to build a greedy Surfer list, and this is no exception. We can get 8 Energy to ourselves on Turn 6 by playing Havok after a Luna is already on board, meaning we can play 3-4 cards on the last turn instead of 2. Playing a 3/3 is a real bummer for most decks – one of the reasons I'm down on E. Havok – but this list mitigates that the most. Plus, maaaybe we get occasional offensive use out of Havok.
Be sure to check out our Team Clash guides once the mode launches!
Once enough data has rolled in, check out SnapComplete for the best performing homes for Entropic Havok.
Is He Worth It?
Sure, he's free! At a minimum, getting him from the LTGM keeps him out of your Snap Pack pool. The Luna interaction is going to be pretty fun, but I do not anticipate him being an effective tech or counter card to Energy gain strategies. This isn't an especially friendly meta for this card even aside from his lack of tech use. Remember, he'll only steal 1 Energy, so there's not even any fun wacky shenanigans! He's not even fast enough to be a Hot Location all-star! He should cost 2!
