OTA Review 5/21 with Decks!

The number one card I’ve seen complaints about got changed, but did it get nerfed? I’ve got extensive thoughts about that change. Plus, the twin pillars of classic archetypes, Discard and Destroy, got a couple of buffs each and a long past meta tyrant got buffed a bit. Let’s dive into today's OTA balance changes!

The Changes

• Gambit Horseman of Death: Randomly destroy up to 4 total Cost of enemy cards. (0/6) → Randomly destroy up to 3 total Cost of enemy cards. (0/6) AND 3/3 → 3/5.
• Deathlok: 3/5 → 3/6
• Angel: 2/3 → 2/4 
• Lady Sif: 3/5 → 3/6 
• Hellcow: 4/6 → 4/7 
• Awesome Andy: 2/2 → 2/3
• Ms. Marvel: Your adjacent locations with 2+ cards and no repeated Costs have +5 Power → +6 Power.

• [Old] 3/3 - Objective: Play 6 total Cost of created cards. → Randomly destroy up to 4 total Cost of enemy cards. (0/6)
• [New] 3/5 - Objective: Play 6 total Cost of created cards. → Randomly destroy up to 3 total Cost of enemy cards. (0/6) 

This is one of the most contextually complicated OTA changes we've ever gotten. On its surface it's a sizable nerf. 4-Costs are safe and he'll kill fewer small cards. This is definitely a boon to Surfer decks, which already didn't have an especially hard time against Gambit. But now, Surfer (or really, Askani combo) decks will be able to stay in against Gambit HoD even when they don't have Brood. This is also solid news for 4-Cost cards like Isca. Some Gambit decks as they're currently constructed will change, but this is potentially a buff in most Victoria Hand/Mother Askani/Gambit decks. Decks were rarely playing out a single Gambit. Think of it this way: Gambit HoD WAS essentially a 6/6 that could wipe out some amount of your opponents board. Now he's like a 6/10 that still wipes out any smaller set up cards you've used. With Mother Askani, you’ve got 2/14 that can be buffed by V Hand and kills your opponents small scalers! Seems pretty powerful! The change makes him worse against exactly Silver Surfer, but better against Shadowlands DD/TOV decks and is arguably neutral against bad match-ups like Doom 2099 and War Machine decks since it puts out more Power, but still wipes out a Moondragon or a Chamber. Gambit has been a gatekeeper against a variety of low-curve decks and will remain so.  This is not the nerf you were hoping for. 3/3 or even 3/4 with the targeting change would have been a better first step.

1/9s that Kill!

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The thing about decks like this was that they couldn't output enough points to compete against the decks that they're not especially well-matched against. So, people put in cards like Sasquatch and Majestic Wingbeat and Gambit HoD essentially became a backup plan. Now, with more Power on Gambit, a more all-in Gambit HoD might actually be better than it was before the "nerf." Whether Gambit is still a part of the Sasquatch/Hand deck or if this type of deck is good enough now, Horseman Gambit isn't going to disappear. Askani on Gambit is just so powerful now that we're going to continue to see a lot of that package.

• [Old] 3/5 - On Reveal: Destroy your other cards here.
• [Change] 3/5 → 3/6

Deathlok desperately needed this buff. I’d already begun replacing him with Fastball Special, even in classic Destroy decks. This 1-Power buff alone is enough to push his way back in. 

• [Old] 2/3 - When one of your cards is destroyed, this flies out of your hand or deck to replace it. 
• [Change] 2/3 → 2/4 

Angel really does have a role in Destroy decks. He can thin your deck to help you draw into key pieces and can help a lane snowball early. However, as a 2/3 it was hard to justify using one of your precious 12 card slots on him. Getting a “free” 4 Power on the board is quite strong. I think there is a bit of a bias against this card because of his history as one of the worst cards in the game, so I don’t know if this will actually get more people to try him, but it should.

• [Old] 3/5 - On Reveal: Discard the card that costs the most from your hand. 
• [Change] 3/5 → 3/6 

This is another critical buff like Deathlok. Sif has gradually faded from play over the last few months. This buff is still probably too small to bring Apocalype and/or Khonshu back to a truly competitive level, but I still view it as an important buff. That’s a deck that sees a TON of play from casual and f2p players, and is one of the decks (alongside Deadpool Destroy) that should always be at least viable, though not dominant. 

• [Old] 4/6 - Activate: Discard a card from your hand. 
• [Change] 4/6 → 4/7 

Wait, they wanted to give Discard a little boost and they chose a 1-Power Hellcow buff to do it? What kind of deck actually wants this delayed Discard effect? HELA! That’s not exactly a deck I want to boost, though it’s a lot more harmless in a post-Stardust world. Still, I would have rather seen a little buff somewhere else in the Discard archetype. Is 7-Power enough for Fantomex/Wildchild to pop Hellcow in for a reliable Discard effect?

Fantom Cow

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Swapping in Hellcow for Blade might increase the Power cap of this deck, while still having enough Discard to play both Marrow and Proxima. Blade at 1-Cost is more reliable, but this one is more fun with Jocasta.

• [Old] 2/2 - Activate: Give one of your cards at each other location +2 Power. 
• [Change] 2/2 → 2/3 

This is a great buff. Let me explain: A lot of the 1-Power buffs they make are on cards so far down the power scale that an extra point isn’t going to change much. What they should do is focus on cards closer along that cut line. Awesome Andy was good enough to see a little play in Aurora decks from people who just happened to have a love for Awesome Andy. Now, he should get a more serious look from Aurora enjoyers and some level of experimentation in the power gain strategies that are dominant right now as an early turn play. 

Awesome Aurora

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Andy is Awesome with Drax and Isca and putting in another 2-Cost Activate allows us to swap in Chavez over Spider Ham, who has more synergy with Herbie, Drax, Isca, and Thing.

• [Old] 4/5 - Ongoing: Your adjacent locations with 2+ cards and no repeated Costs have +5 Power. 
• [New] 4/5 - Ongoing: Your adjacent locations with 2+ cards and no repeated Costs have +6 Power.

Ms. Marvel isn’t terrible, but she’s just too fiddly. There are so many more reliable deck cores that are less vulnerable to location variance and opponent interference. With this buff she is a potential 4/17, which is hard not to want to experiment with. This is definitely a change to keep an eye on, whether it penetrates the meta now, or sometime down the road when the meta shifts.

4 Steps Ahead

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Punisher War Machine can let us get to our 4-Costs earlier, while Luna lets us get to our 5 and 6 in the games he doesn't. You are trying to control where your opponent plays with Punisher's target, Widow's Kiss, Rocket & Groot, and Viv, while being unpredictable yourself. Ms. Marvel is great if you can protect her with Prof or as a surprise final Turn play.

Final Thoughts

It’s a decent OTA, but the cloud hanging over it is the question about the Gambit change. Will this change reduce his play rate? There are definitely some clear positives for certain Gambit players with this change, but if his play rate drops due to specific sections of the player base dropping him to move on to new toys, that could still be a desirable enough outcome. But the extra Power they gave him is worrying. Destroy and Discard got important buffs that still won’t leave them feeling oppressive in any way and Ms. Marvel and Awesome Andy are appealing pieces to tinker with for a while. We’ll have to wait and see how his OTA ages over the next week.