OTA Changes June 11 with Decks!

The meta tyrants got hit, but did they get hit hard enough? Mother Askani and Techno-Organic Virus were outliers in need of changes, but do you agree with the way they were changed? Those two cards were nerfed alongside Martyr, while a good chunk of relatively recent releases got buffs! Let's go through all of the changes, look at some potential decks, and talk all about the metagame implications for the latest OTA balance changes!

The Changes

• Mother Askani: 4/4 ⇨ 4/3
• Techno-Organic Virus: 2-Cost, no longer changes cost.
• Martyr: 1/6 ⇨ 1/5
• Zombie Sentry: 3/4 ⇨ 2/1
• Kraglin: 3/4 ⇨ 3/5
• Magus: 2/3 ⇨ 2/4
• Lockheed: 2/1 ⇨ 2/2
• Crystal: 3/4 ⇨ 3/6

Analysis and Deck Ideas

Mother Askani

• [Old] 4/4 - On Reveal: Give the leftmost card in your hand +2 Power and -1 Cost, then copy it.
• [Change] 4/4 ⇨ 4/3

A lot of people wanted a deeper Mother Askani change, but the stats and recent Golden Gauntlet apparently don't support it. The proliferation of Shadow King and omnipresence of Mobius are keeping Mother in check, but I would have like to see a further change or, better yet, a change to Captain Carter or Grandmaster. There's no reason the existing Mother Askani decks should change with this minor nerf, and she's starting to pop up in more and more places in a way that is reminiscent of peak Surge or pre-nerf Mister Fantastic First Steps.

Mother Unchanged

Copy deck code

Techno-Organic Virus

• [Old] 1-Cost - On Reveal: Copy this to your hand with +1 Cost. Infect your other cards here. (replace their text) | Infected cards have "Ongoing: +1 Power for each TechnoOrganic Virus you've played."
• [New] 2-Cost - On Reveal: Infect your other cards here (replace their text). Copy this to your hand. | Infected cards have "Ongoing: +1 Power for each Techno-Organic Virus you've played."

Techno-Organic was the breakout star of the Golden Gauntlet and had been underrated going into the tournament. Simply put, it was one of the strongest cards in the game since its buff and a change was warranted. The initial dream of any kind of synergy with Stryfe is completely dead with this new change, but the card should be a lot healthier. It's a significant nerf, but there is still the change to discount it with Quinjet and decoupling it from Mobius is an important aspect of this change.

Nightmare TOV

Copy deck code

Martyr

• [Old] 1/6 - At the end of the game, move to a location that LOSES you the game. (if possible)
• [Change] 1/6 ⇨ 1/5

Martyr was underrated before her change, and I was shocked when they put her up to 6-Power. She found a home in Techno-Organic decks, but had started to fall out of favor among top players in that deck. For me, she was just a free 1/6 in a wide variety of decks, both serious and fun. 6-Power was just a crazy idea in the first place, but t 5-Power she'll probably return to meme/pet card status.

Ancient Bro

Copy deck code

Zombie Sentry

• [Old] 3/4 - On Reveal: Horde +1 for each of your cards at the right location.
• [Change] 3/4 > 2/1

Zombie Sentry has always been the worst of the Zombie package, but was still good enough to see fringe play anyway. I'm curious how much this change will enhance him. Cheaper is great, but playing down a 1-Cost card is rough in this meta. The primary benefit is that you can play him out alongside a 3-Cost on Turn 5 (or multiple smaller cards), which may be enough to boost his efficacy.

Zombie Venus

Copy deck code

Kraglin

• [Old] 3/4 - On Reveal: Banish the top card of your deck. If it was 4-Cost or more, +2 Energy next turn, otherwise give this +4 Power.
• [Change] 3/4 ⇨ 3/5

Kraglin has developed a small, but devoted group of users, but more for fun than actual effectiveness. Now he can be a 3/9, which could be an important inflection point. The main issue with Kraglin still remains: there aren't many decks that want both effects and the hoops you need to jump through to make the ability reliable aren't worth it. Its crazy to think they launched this card as a 3/3 and it had been datamined as a 3/2.

Kraklen

Copy deck code

Magus

• [Old] 2/3 - Activate: Copy the text of a character in your deck with Cost equal to your unspent Energy. (without using its On Reveal)
• [Change] 2/3 > 2/4

Magus, on the other hand, hasn't found many adherents. Most people lament how he can't work well with On Reveals and Activates, but I think this card is a lot more boring if he does. Do we really need more ways to multiply our Activates and On Reveals? I would argue it would actually be terrible for the game. So the puzzle becomes what numbers need to be on Kraglin at his existing functionality to make him attractive to use with static abilities and Ongoing cards. Is it 2/4? Honestly maybe. But if not, there is a number. Could skipping energy be enough of a cost to justify going to 2/5? What about a 1/3 Magus? Now, that sounds fun!

IW/SK Bro

Copy deck code

Lockheed

• [Old] 2/1 - End of Turn: If you played a 1-Cost card this turn, afflict an enemy card here with -2 Power.
• [Change] 2/1 > 2/2

Lockheed has felt both awkward and weak. No one is using this card with Invisible Woman, which makes me feel like putting him up to 2/3 wouldn't be risky at all. At 2/2 its still hard to justify the expense and deck space needed to play a bunch of 1-Cost with him. Plus, Shadow King and Luke Cage are real obstacles for this card.

Wolf Scratch

Copy deck code

Crystal

• [Old] 3/4 - On Reveal: Each player draws a card.
• [Change] 3/4 ⇨ 3/6

Can we be trusted with draw in a game with small, 12-card decks?! Between Adam Warlock's rise to prominence and this Crystal change, we may be heading for a whole new world of consistency in this game – which is not necessarily a good thing! More consistency in this game generally means more uninteractive mega-combos, so I'm praying this ends up as a harmless change that maybe gives Jubilee Silver Surfer a little juice. Also of note, Crystal has some of the best variants in the game, including one of my favorite pixel variants!

All-in Torch Trib

Copy deck code

Final Thoughts

For more of my thoughts on the OTA, check out today's Snap Judgements video! That's right, I took over that channel in the name of Fourth Location!

This OTA is safe, but is the right shape. Despite the supposedly weak performance of Mother Askani, I think the solitaire-style Maverick/Carter big stack decks are the biggest stain on the current metagame, one which is generally quite healthy, and I hope those get changed eventually to move us away from a metagame where Shadow King and Mobius feel essential and towards one where they just feel useful. The Zombie Sentry change is probably the only one that qualifies as "exciting," and the Crystal change kind of worries me as the type of change with little upside and significant risk. I do hope more people experiment with Kraglin and Magus because they truly are under-explored cards.

Below the line I've tucked a few more fun post-OTA concepts as a treat for subscribers! Thank you for your support!