It's really the lack of KO'd pile recursion that keeps UM from being used in MMA. Otherwise, it's a brutal card to attack up the curve with SF Daredevil.

It probably is just a fun card, especially when you consider that the part of the title "Unexpected" keeps it from really being reliable at all.

I don't like the odds of UM. If i get too low a threshold, the pump isn't enough. If i get a high one, it's possibly my 5th - 8th drop, which I probably need in later turns and may not recur in Modern Age.

I think Supernova is a good alternative. You can plan sufficiently with the -DEF and all. The only thing is it's drawback of throwing 2 cards. I also like the fact that I can use it on defense together with rocket racer for reinforcement to reduce break.

But now that we have MK, Crime and Punishment serves all too well in the place of a new Beatdown.

Team up with Underworld and you have your KO pile recursion. The reason card is not played is people are hesitant to run Madame Web. She takes the mystery right out of the card.

But, if you swarm early, and have extra 1 drops to use, Spider Friends have a great attack pump in Tragic Loss. But Again, thats another one people are hesitant to use. that one gets REAL strong if you team up Spider Fiends with X-Statics.

The problem with Tragic Loss is that it only pumps attack when defending, so you can only aim for stun back... I've used it and it can really help but it's not the offensive attack pump that the Spider-Friend lack.

It's good for when they're about to stun your high drop, just Crime and Punishment over your Spider Senses, and you either have a guy with evasion, or someone else who was stunned that you don't plan to recover. Then just use it on the defense. In a more swarm build (read: Wild Pack) you can use it for stun backs, but I usually use it for defense.

But, there is a point that was given. If people went for Spidey Disruption, with things like Fun and Games, Madame Web, and Black Cat, it would make an interesting disruption deck that would work very, well, interestingly. However, without a team up or something, there's no way to support those guys unless you pack a whole bunch of defense. And even then, you need to count on your end game strategy.

However, it might be able to work with Crime Lords, you'd just have to figure out a way to get Black Cat, Madame Web, and Kingpin all on the board at the same time...

Tragic Loss is a good card, but not for attacking (or even the stun back really) the +5 DEF is the best in the game right now, so if you evade with your 2 and ko it then you get a really nice bonus.

UM could work in some decks, but right now those decks just aren't competitive enough.

Teaming up with Underworld won't work. Unless your doing the Mattie/Mephisto thing, because there are two cards that get stuff back from the KO pile; Infernal gateway (which has way too steep a cost) and Evil Awakens (I don't like playing too many hidden guys, and you would have to if you want to play this guy.)

There is also Wake The Dead... which gets another copy of a card already in the KO pile.

True....go post in the modern spider-friends thread if you have an underworld spiders build, I'd like to see it. I'm interested now.