PC Indy is fast approaching and with it a wide-open field of competitive decks. The highly favored deck of the format is Kree. Teams everywhere are preparing strategies and combos to deal with this team and other’s that are known possibilities, leaving those of us without connections left fumbling in the dark trying to grasp at the meta game and what unknowns will appear.
When World’s Finest was released there were two teams that stood out as possible top tier contenders, Gotham Knight’s and The Outsiders. Gotham Knights are the World’s Finest set. This set could have excluded the other teams. They all somehow related to Gotham Knight’s. Nearly 90% of Birds of Prey were dual affiliated to Gotham Knights and even other teams like Arkham Inmates and the Outsiders saw dual affiliation at key character drops and plot twist synergy. I saw the team, however, and looked at what I was already playing and piloting, Darkseid’s Elite.
For awhile I saw Darkseid’s Elite as the superior team in the modern age, the showing Mike Jiles gave against Kyle Dembinski early this year didn’t do much to dissuade me of my thoughts. I knew the team was solid, but there was just something missing, and then came World’s Finest and with it, Gotham fell prey to Darkseid and became his agents of Apokolips
Characters
4 Alfred Pennyworth, Faithful Servant
4 Hiro Okamura Toyman, Whiz Kid
3 Dark Lantern - Mockery
4 Barbara Gordon Oracle, Hacker Elite
3 Dark Firestorm, Mockery
4 Darkseid, Apokoliptian Oppressor
2 Batman, Twilight Vigilante
2 Darkseid, 8th Century
2 Cassandra Cain, Death’s Daughter
2 Batman, Cape and Cowl
1 Darkseid, The Omega
1 Darkseid, Apokolips Now
1 Barbara Gordon Oracle, Insider Information
1 Darkseid, Nemesis
Plow Twist
4 Bat Got Your Tongue
4 All Hail Darkseid
3 Bat-Signal
2 Created from Hate
2 No Match for Darkseid
2 Omega Effect
1 Ancient Evils
3 Flying Kick
3 Crackshot
Locations
3 Ancient Throne
How does it work and why?
The Decks strategy is very simple, overwhelming hand advantage through card draw. The first question is why Hiro? He is a very nice average 2-drop with a good effect that has very little requirement. There are probably a ton of questions about plot twist choices and so forth, I have 3 different variants that aim to do 3 different things but ultimately the staples of the deck are the 1-4 drops, Ancient Throne and Bat Got Your Tongue.
Alfred does what Alfred does and one of the best 1-drops in the game. He also serves his role in this deck setting up Hiro Okamura on Turn 2 to begin drawing extra cards. Turn 3 is filled with deck cycling and/or card draw. Barbara and Dark Firestorm is a match made, both have substitute and require no activation to reap the benefits of their effects, which means they can be used later to exhaustion effects. Substitute these two in and out as you see fit make sure Dark Firestorm is your last substitution in the later turns. Turn 4 is simple, recruit 4 drop Darkseid. He is a big wall of a 4-drop with very little attack, but a card generating effect. Turn 5 recruit Cassandra Cain or 5-drop Darkseid. You want to ensure you are maintaining board presence. Turn 6 recruit Batman his effect is great. Turn 7 recruit 7-drop Barbara Gordon, draw 3 cards and substitute 7-drop Darkseid. Recruiting Barbara on 7 is the reason you substitute 3-drop Barbara for Dark Firestorm. Turn 8 recruit Darkseid substitute Darkseid’s at their respective cost as needed.
The Resource Row
You want an Ancient Throne with a Bat Got Your Tongue in the resource row. Anyone who has played Magic the Gathering probably remembers Isochron Scepter + Counter Spell = Negation on a stick. It applies here, only thing is it requires your opponent flipping cards in his resource row, if it doesn’t threaten them it should help you. The Hook-Up adds to your deck acceleration, allowing you to cycle through your deck with a discard.
Versus
The deck fares well in the current Meta, where teams like Marvel Defenders and 5-drop Hulk’s Rampage are a consideration. Along with this you have the Spider-Friends and their team-up with HOG and/or GK. The Kree are a definitive factor. You must consider Batman and Superman and the possible Insanity Builds.
Great thing about Marvel Defenders and Insanity Builds are they both key off specific turns, 5 and 6, respectively. Darkseid visible + No Match for Darkseid should aid against these match-ups.
Against stall decks like SF/HOG you should see the benefits as well. Gift Wrapped is less of a worry. You will see this on turns 4 and 7. You more than likely will run into a mirror match 6 drop Batman. Knowing of the impending 8 drop to come I doubt opponents will be so keen on trying to take you into that crucial turn 9 win condition. With All Hail Darkseid and No Match for Darkseid as threats there is no doubt opponents will think twice about how they play effects and declare attacks and that’s what you want them to do, second-guessing. Turn 8 is about control and you should go in gaining the upper hand.
Kree is the match-up that many decks will have problems with. Best thing is to play out the deck as best as you can and gain whatever stun backs without stunning when you can. Negating Lunatic Legion on their winning turn is a good idea.
Deck Considerations
Unravel Reality – You are doing a lot of substituting and you have a lot of substitution characters. It will definitely hurt their resource row and deal with annoying locations and/or plot twist. It was a definite adds for me.
Servants of Darkness – burning opponents for flipping in the row is a good thing and penalizing them as much as possible could never hurt. I like this better though for my Silver Age version.
Soul World could be considered for recurring Barbara and Dark Firestorm for substitution. It’s a 4 endurance loss, but giving Darkseid as little as possible in the end isn’t a bad idea if you run into this match up
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