OTA Changes 5/7 with Decks!

Last week we got one of the most impactful OTAs of all time, so this week is toned down in comparison. There are eight +1 buffs to underperforming cards. Can we find some exciting play lines or decks among them? Come with me as we review the latest OTA and what effect it might have on the metagame. 

The Changes

• Ares: 4/6 ⇨ 4/7
• Silver Samurai: 4/5 ⇨ 4/6
• Starhawk: 2/2 ⇨ 2/3 
• Kraglin: 3/3 ⇨ 3/4
• Zombie Captain Marvel: 4/4 ⇨ 4/5
• Spider-Man Noir: 4/4 ⇨ 4/5
• Major Victory: 3/4 ⇨ 3/5
• Agent Coulson: 3/4 ⇨ 3/5 

• [Old] 4/6 - On Reveal: Compare the Power of the top 3 cards of both decks. If your total is higher, +6 Power. 
• [Change] 4/6 ⇨ 4/7 

I don’t believe this buff alone will bring Surtur back, but it could let Ares fight for a place in the Shadowlands DD decks that love to play good Cost/Power ratio cards. Is there space in the metagame for a Daredevil/Surtur hybrid deck with Ares?

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• [Old] 4/5 - On Reveal: Each player discards the lowest-Power card from their hand. 
• [Change] 4/5 ⇨ 4/6

The most important aspect of this change is that it puts the card in line for Shadowlands DD decks. Silver Samurai, Black Bolt, and Stature as package in a Shadowlands decks sounds pretty nasty.

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• [Old] 2/2 - On Reveal: +1 Power to your cards at the left location if it's an odd turn, otherwise give to the right location. 
• [Change] 2/2 ⇨ 2/3 

Starhawk wasn’t quite as bad as people believed. Still, an extra point of Power might not be enough for Starhawk to become a must-include in the various buff decks running around. However, the few enthusiasts of Starhawk and his ability to unexpectedly buff a filled lane will be pretty happy. 

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• [Old] 3/3 - On Reveal: Banish the top card of your deck. If it was 4-Cost or higher, +2 Energy next turn, otherwise give this +4 Power. 
• [Change] 3/3 ⇨ 3/4 

So Kraglin now has a Power ceiling as a 3/8? That’s certainly better than 3/7, but we’re in a world with 3/8 Debrii and 3/9 Wilson Fisk. For Kraglin to see play he would need to be a 3/9 at least, in my opinion. There are enough ways to generate Energy reliably that I have trouble seeing the reason to ever use Kraglin primarily as a ramp card. 

[Old] 4/4 - Activate: Destroy your other cards here to get +3 Power for each. Move to a location you're losing. 

[Change] 4/4 ⇨ 4/5 

I think this is a really cool card with a fun mechanic, so I’m rooting for it. I don’t know what an extra point of power does for it other than get more people to take it for a spin, but maybe that will be enough for someone to find an angle with her. The Power scaling is solid, but a reliable, synergistic play line needs to be found. 

• [Old] 4/4 - On Reveal: Set the top card of your deck's Power to 8. If your other cards in play cost exactly 8 total, add it here. (0/8) 
• [Change] 4/4 ⇨ 4/5 

This gives us an excuse to play with the new Noir Fisk play line! Noir is a fun card to mess around with, certainly. 

Martyr ⇨ Lizard ⇨ Wilson Fisk ⇨ Spiderman Noir

• [Old] 3/4 - On Reveal: Add 2 members of the Guardians crew to your hand. 
• [Change] 3/4 ⇨ 3/5 

This is another buff that won’t be enough. For it to feel worth it to get two random Guardians sent to your hand they would need to remove Mantis from the pool alongside this buff. 

• [Old] 3/4 - On Reveal: Add a random 4-Cost and 5-Cost card to your hand. 
• [Change] 3/4 ⇨ 3/5 

Coulson is an interesting one. He’s been pushed out of any card generator archetype as cheaper and more efficient options have been introduced. He has seen play in the past so there is presumably a number you could attach to him to make him feel worth it, but I don’t believe this is it. The issue is that Victoria Hand decks are always going to prefer the various 2-Cost generators or copiers (Nico, Frigga, Bastion, Mother Askani, Moon Girl). Coulson is about the 18th or so card that a V Hand deck wants. He’s also never going to see play over Nick Fury in Chamber, Arishem, or Eson lists. Coulson is in a rough spot and I’m not sure what would pull him out. The best thing I can think to do with Coulson is play him in a Quinjet/Sera package to make his cards truly cheap.

Grading the OTA

Given how earth-shaking last week’s OTA was, it’s unsurprising this OTA was a safer, all-buffs set of changes. However, none of the 1-point buffs were on cards that were near the line of competitive viability. Several of these could have taken +2 buffs and still not seen dramatic upticks in play. What’s the most exciting change that makes me want to run to my deck editor? Starhawk? Silver Samurai? Maybe some Noir silliness? The developers played it especially safe this OTA in light of what happened last week and the short timing between balance patches. Come join us in the Discord and tell us which change you're most excited for!