Kergy’s Korner #29: Spider-Mania – Pt. 2


Last week I looked at the 1- and 2-drop Spider-Man and Sinister Syndicate characters in the new Web of Spiderman set and compared them to garner which team has the edge at each level. This week I’ll continue with the mid-range drops.

To recap: The Syndicate have a definite edge in the 1-drops, but the 2-drops are a dead heat between the teams, With each team having strong 2-drops that can be key to deck strategy.

3-Drops

The Syndicate is all about 3-drop POWER! They have some of the most brutal 3-drops in the game, both in terms of sheer strength, strategic strength and character boosting.

Starting with Alistair Smythe, we have a character who has nice stats and a power that would be absolutely broken if it was repeatable. Being able to prevent plot twist and location play is BRUTAL, and can make or break a game if used properly. Alistair Smythe takes a little strategy to play properly, however, and it may not be best to waste his power on a 3-drop character name. If you know the metagame, and know what to expect from your opponent’s deck, it may be best to save his power for the fourth or fifth round, when you know what drop is likely to come and you force your opponent to find an alternate drop or lose their ability to play plot twists or locations. His 5 DEF makes it easier to keep him around – 5 DEF is the highest in the game for a 3-drop without the recruit restrictions that accompany Logan, Ubu and Mammoth. And a team-up with Spider-Friends for My Hero and Spider Senses – or even worse, with Teen Titans for Heroic Sacrifice – will keep your board control around even longer. Just picture him in an Arsenal Abuse deck where your opponent has to sit and watch as you rip apart his team and s/he can’t even play a card in his/her own defense!

If it’s sheer, brute strength you want, Rhino is your man. He has the highest ATK for a 3-drop outside of Mammoth, and his cost is MUCH less restrictive. At first, it may look as though paying four endurance per turn is a lot, but from playing with Rhino in both draft and constructed situations, I’ve found that it is a small price to pay for a character that remains strong through round five, when you’re likely to KO him anyhow. To be able to use a plot twist or effect to take down a 5-drop with Rhino and then demolish the rest of the field with your own 4- and 5-drops is simply vicious. Rhino will remain a power in any Syndicate Smash deck.

Another strong Syndicate card is Man-Wolf. I still stand by my preference for Syndicate having the odd initiative, and he (along with Rhino) are good proof of the early game odd initiative smackdown.

Man-Wolf gets a +3 ATK boost during your initiative, so that means that he is a potential 6/4 3-drop - just under Rhino’s power – on your initiative. If you play both in a stomp deck, you’re guaranteed some serious power on Turns 3 and 5, which are key for most Syndicate decks. As well, his boost is certainly not a bad one, giving him minimum11/4 stats if you have the initiative when you boost him. Granted, 4 DEF is not too high for a 5-drop, but the 11-ATK more than makes up for it if you’re stuck on Turn Five.

Another great Boost option is Mysterio. He can pull a Hawk and Dove, by boosting to get a second Mysterio from your deck directly into play. His low DEF hinders him somewhat, but Evasion helps to counterbalance it. And having as many characters on the field as you possible can is sometimes the way to go; a swarm deck LOVES Mysterio.

I’d rather have Electro than Boomerang, but both is better. If board control is your thing, you can wipe out your opponent’s board with these two side by side - just use Boomerang’s power to get rid of your opponent’s 2-drop, use Electro to stun the 3-drop, and bada-bing, bada-boom, empty board! What? The 1-drop? Did I mention that Boomerang’s ability doesn’t need him to activate?? You can take out the 1-drop FIRST, then use him to return the 2-drop after the one drop is bleeding on the pavement! As well, unlike Electro - who can only be used on your attack step - Boomerang can be used at any time during the game, so you don’t even have to wait until it’s too late in order to return. You simply need another Syndicate character in play, which shouldn’t be too hard on Turn 3.

Finally, in every drop, there will be a worst card. Lizard takes the trophy in this case. Average stats are fine and dandy, but the cost of his power is simply to prohibitive to make him the 3-drop of choice. While it is indeed nice to keep your character around – and make your opponent waste an attack while doing so – the advantage is simply not enough to warrant the four endurance cost, especially considering that the DEF pump he gets (+2) is just Not That Good. He’s not horrible, but I can’t imagine him being chosen over any other Syndicate 3-drop.

So, that’s the Syndicate – what about the Spider-Friends 3-drops? They also have some unique and interesting choices.

The most popular choice – at least, from what I’ve personally seen so far – is The Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. And with good reason – keeping your attackers un-stunned is never a bad thing; he allows you to take out your opponent’s higher drops in a team attack without sacrificing your own characters. If you play your cards right (-ahem-) this can set you up to take out a high-level character with Finishing Move or The Punisher (more on him later), and keep your board (and nose) clean! He’s best served with a dash of strategy and a good barbecue sauce, but hey, that’s Spidey for ya!

If Spidey’s not your cup o’ tea, I REALLY like the possibilities that Dagger has. I got miss Bowen in my first Spidey Sneak Preview flight, and she is VICIOUS if played well. If you have defensive cards – like the couple of Spider Senses I nabbed – then she can activate to deal a chunk of damage to your opponent, and you can easily protect her in return. She works especially well during your opponent’s initiative, when Dagger’s not likely to do much but sit there (assuming, of course, she’s still around during your attack), and she also works well when you’re not going to stun more than one character. Don’t forget to gauge how much endurance she’ll be doing, however – if your opponent only has one card in his hand, it may be better to swing her into an open drop, rather than waste your attack using her power. And don’t forget that your opponent can dump cards in response to ease the pain – though they won’t often wish to waste their cards on preventing one or two points of endurance loss, you never know…

Cardiac is also a solid choice. The Spider-Friends answer to Electro, his stun is only good for 2-drop characters or less – one drop lower than Electro – but he’s not limited to your attack step. As well, he has flight – which always helps – and he can recover a Spider-Friends character of the same cost. If you want the same board control that the Syndicate offers, a team-up will help, with either Boomerang or Cardiac at 3-drop. If you play them both, you’re almost guaranteed to hit the curve, and either of them team nicely with Electro to wipe out your opponent’s playing field.

If you’d prefer other forms of control, then perhaps Madame Web will tickle your ESP. Not only does she allow you to ruin your opponent’s curve by dumping important cards into their KO’d pile, she also allows you to look at YOUR next two cards, giving you a leg up and potentially eliminating dead weight. The downside is that you can’t choose to keep one and dump the other, they both have to be KO'd. However, she teams up VERY nicely with cards like Base of Operations, Night Vision, Ace Reporter, and Longshot, and an X-Friends deck with Cerebro could also benefit from her. As well, gaining endurance is never a bad thing, and she gives you two endurance every time you use an activated power. While the Spider-Friends aren’t exactly overflowing with activated powers, there are enough of them to make Madame Web a major life-booster – especially in a hybrid deck. Just don’t forget that Madame Web CANNOT combo with Hornet, as Hornet’s power is not activated. She DOES combo nicely with herself, however, which is a nice topping to an already strong power. And then, there’s always Fun and Games…

Next up we have Prodigy. A huge pain in the keister in Limited, Prodigy is an amazing swarm card. He’ll be especially good in a Spider-Syndicate team-up, with cards like Rhino and Man-Wolf getting even bigger, and Mysterio getting a nice extra boost. Remember, however, that Prodigy’s power only works while Defending, but that leaves you able to use Spider-Man to team up and take out the big threats and feel secure when your opponent attacks you back and still loses his higher drops. Cards like Spider Senses only make the pain worse, as you may even be able to keep your character healthy. He has solid stats, and don’t forget that the power works on him as well.

Ricochet is the last of the 3-drops, but definitely not the least. A nice high defense and Evasion makes him a solid defensive card, and he’s a good ‘other half’ of Dusk’s boost. I have a feeling that Evasion decks may start popping up sooner rather than later, and he will be one of the centerpieces. Spider-Friends already has Nice Try!, which essentially has the same effect for all Spider-Friends characters, so adding Ricochet allows you even more protection from those vicious Electro/Boomerang combos I was plugging earlier. Evasion boosts seem to be prevalent in Spider-Friends, and Ricochet is the icing on the cake.

Overall, both teams have some really solid possibilities, and each have attack characters and combo characters. The Syndicate 3-drops are more offensive overall, the Spider-Friends more defensive. But the Syndicate characters rely a little too much on brute strength, and the cost is a little high. The weak-kneed Lizard simply seals the deal.

EDGE: SPIDER-FRIENDS

4-Drops

The Syndicate are all about board control. I know I keep saying it, but it’s so prevalent, it simply cannot be ignored. Just as Doom loves to control what you can and can’t play, Syndicate is all about stopping you once you’ve PLAYED.

This is why Shocker is one of the better 4-drops in the game – although he definitely isn’t the strongest. His stats are mediocre – though Ranged Combat helps – and his power is restricted to your attack step (or it would be *beyond* ba-ROKEN!), but his power is simply, and undeniably, brutal. Especially so in Limited. Being able to exhaust a front and support row character can be extraordinarily hindering – ask anyone who uses Puppet Master just how hindering exhaustion can be – and will force your opponent to think VERY carefully while laying out their formation. It helps to eliminate pesky activated powers, reduces the possibility of reinforcement, reduces the risk of counterattack, and gives you more options offensively. Since the Syndicate likes the odd initiative, Shocker is a strong choice for 4-drop, setting up a potentially devastating Turn Five. And, if you play Green Goblin, then your opponent will almost certainly push everyone into the front row so they only have to exhaust one character and don’t LOSE anyone, which will make your Turn Five attack step a turkey shoot.

If Shocker doesn’t do it for you, then Doc Ock can provide some nasty board control as well. Marginally better stats, he is also a better defensive spur, able to reinforce Syndicate defenders when you don’t have the initiative. As well, he can dish out the exhaustion, as he gets to exhaust a character when he attacks. Granted, the target has to be unprotected – but the mere fact that it’s a target makes this power solid.

If you’re going the swarm route, then you’ll want to play Jackal instead. He’s certainly low on stats – even lower than Shocker – although 6/6 will hold up with a touch of plot twist cavalry. However, if you can somehow keep him healthy until the recovery phase, you will be heavily rewarded with a free character of cost 3 or less. Thinking of him teaming up with the Teen Titans gives me goose pimples, and other teams – like X-Men or Spider-Friends – are also great hybrid possibilities, with their protection and recovery powers. And yes, I know his ability only works with Syndicate characters, that’s what team-ups are for!

The other two 4-drops are Venom and Kraven. Each of these characters work very nicely in a stomp deck. Syndicate Smash really likes Venom, who eliminates dead weight to gain in strength. If you’re going to play even initiative, he’s a solid 4-drop to choose, and you can dump your Rhino to pump Venom with three +1/+1 counters. May seem expensive to pay four extra endurance just to KO Rhino during the recruit phase, but trust me when I say that a 10/10 4-drop is worth the pain!

Kraven isn’t great, but he’s underrated. His DEF is a low 6, but his +4 ATK modifier when he hunts is a vicious one. He’s also a character who best serves the even initiative, although he works nicely on odd as well (how many 5-drops have a DEF higher than 10…? I would have liked to have seen Ranged Combat on him, but his own preference for close combat makes this realistic. Kraven is a solid 4-drop – the low end of a VERY strong collective.

Spider-Friends aren’t too shabby on the 4-drops either. Just like the 3-drops, The Spider-Friends are less about direct offense and brute strength, and more about sneaky tactics and combo-friendly characters.

I'll start with my favourite, Black Cat, and Felicia is definitely underrated. Many have joined me in my support of her, but more have chosen to ignore the pain she can cause. Card advantage is ALWAYS a good thing, and comboing Black Cat with Madame Web means that you can KO at least 3 cards a turn from your opponent’s deck, with a possible addition from their hand. Iceman makes it even worse when Turn 6 comes along. And lord help anyone foolish enough to team attack her… She’s especially brutal in Limited, where the decks are smaller, and I had fun taking out an opponent’s 6- AND 7-drop, in one turn, at the Sneak Preview a week ago.

My new favourite character is Will O’ The Wisp. Equally versatile, he gains a +1/+1 counter EVERY TIME he recovers! Evasion means that you can stun him yourself just to get the counter at the beginning of the recovery phase – which I saw a couple of people do at the Sneak Previews – even if he’s not under attack, or has himself already attacked. Evasion does not need an activation, so this ability is especially juicy. As well, Flight makes him an ideal front row character, with a high enough DEF to make him a strong defender. Now, team him up with the X-Men and see how fast his counters fly…

Julia Carpenter has one of the more interesting powers in this set – although at a VERY heavy cost. Discarding two cards can be very hefty indeed – but so can forcing your opponent’s 8-drop to team attack or not attack at all… Evasion is also a nice bonus, which means that characters like Ricochet and Dusk are nice bookend recruits to Julia.

Speaking of Evasion, I spent ages trying to figure out just what use Puma was – aside for the nice 8 DEF… Evasion while attacking? Why would you possibly want to stun your character while attacking?? Except, perhaps to save his bones for next turn. Then it hit me – it’s not for the Evasion itself, but for all of the Evasion boosters out there – while attacking, he gains +1 DEF from Dusk (making him a fab 7/9), the plot twist/activated power protection from Ricochet, the +1 ATK from Jessica Drew (making him an even more fab 8/9), etc. Puma is not too shabby after all! And if you miss your 7-drop, having a 14/14 Puma on the field with any or all of these Evasion boosts makes for a party…

Then there’s the Punisher. With 5 DEF, he’s at the lower end of the spectrum. However, his ability is tops. Being able to KO characters is ALWAYS a good thing, and he can target ANY stunned character. So, swoop in with the attack and, rather than attacking with Punisher to give your opponent the KO option, simply use his ability to choose FOR them. He is especially powerful in the late game, if you can keep him out long enough. Granted, his low DEF makes him a big target, but if you can protect him, you can control the board nicely.

Of course, rather than losing a Spider-Friends character to KO a stunned opposing character, wouldn’t it be better to simply remove that character from the table before it comes to that? Enter: Cloak. His ability allows you to return any attacking character who he stuns back to its controller’s hand. As well, pop him into a Limited deck as your 8-drop and he returns any or every character of a cost 4 or less back to your opponent's hand. This power won’t come up too often in constructed, but in Limited, when the late drop choices are 'Limited', you will have good use for it. His stats are a touch low, but his ability – even with Loyalty – makes it worthwhile.

Once again, Spidey’s characters don’t rely on the brute strength that the Syndicate characters do, but instead use intelligent tactics to do a variety of interesting things. In certain decks, Syndicate 4-drops may outshine their Spider-Friends counterparts, but on the whole, the Spider-Friends outclass them

EDGE: SPIDER-FRIENDS

NEXT WEEK: The rest of the SF ad SS drops…

Okay, so Lizard ain't great.

But when we get Stegron, watch out!

nice article as always Kergy
but IMO SS 3 and 4 drops r better than the SF ones
they may hav some interesting effects
but the SS guys r bigger and hav some equally good effects
Venom, Shocker, and Doc Ock all hav at least average stats
but easily abused effects

but of course i may be a little biased (SS is SO COOL :p )

Hmmm, an evasion deck...intersting.

I can see giving the 3 drops to SF (Spidey rocks), but the SS' 4 drops beat out the SF's. Venom, Doc Ock, and Shocker are all amazing. Will-O-Wisp seems decent, and Black Cat would be great if you didn't have to get rid of your 2 drop Black Cat (same problem I have with using the Venom's). Puma has nice stats, but is probably best in an evasion themed deck.

Now just speculation....5-drops=SS, 6-drops=SF, 7-drops=SF.

And the Iguana! Can't forget about the Iguana!

I would have expected 3-drops to go to SS, Smythe, Boomerang, Rhino, and Man-Wolf are all really good.

FEAR THE WALRUS!

Don't forget the White Rabbit!

Big Wheel! Razorback! The Hypno-Hustler!

Hey! Don't knock the White Rabbit! She had such a great...um...pocket watch!!

and I love Razorback's costume =)

Small typo Kerry, third paragraph under the Black Cat picture you typed "other 5 drop" when talking about 4 drops.

No biggie.

But I can attest that Puma is AMAZING in limited. Didn't consider an evasion deck, but his stats and boost won me just about every game at the preview a couple weekends ago.

In fact, my last game was amazing, ending with my opponent making the mistake of activating the 7 drop Green Goblin for 13 END loss when my GG attacked his, letting me flip Sucker Punch preventing my guys from being stunned while attacking exhausted characters (great card in an Arkham deck, BTW). A 14/14 Puma and 10/10 Venom were enough to win me the game, negative 20 to negative 32. Puma is my hero after that game.

A TYPO???? NOOOOOO!!!

Thanks =) I will correct it...

And yah, Puma has a meaty DEF and life is good =)