Gravedigger (Series 5 + Unreleased Fenris Wolf)

Hello, Snappers!

Today, we’ll discuss Gravedigger, a tech deck that creates value out of creating its own interaction! At the time this is written, Fenris Wolf is a couple months out from release so this deck is mostly conceptual… However, why not try, right?

The curve certainly favors 3 and 4, so it’s worth workshopping a little and experimenting and seeing if we can smooth the curve. 

Update: Wow! This is getting more views than expected following Fenris’ release! Please leave any comments you have about your experience with the deck or if you have any suggested changes!

The Concept

Our gameplan with this deck is to interact with our opponent’s hand and board, gaining dual value from both their loss and our power growth. Use cards like Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Moon Knight to pick off your opponents big threats, gaining power from them with Stature and Fenris Wolf.

The Decklist

• Elektra serves a strange role as a late game play alongside one of your 5-Costs or something like that; picking off a massive Human Torch (in the Human Torch instance, wait to kill him until after a Phoenix Force threat is gone) or a Deadpool (he returns to hand, so you can clear up a lane last turn (beware of Knull!) because he won’t be played back out.) She fits into a small role, but her situational usefulness is second to none!
• Daredevil is VERY useful! An underrated 2-Cost, Daredevil will give you information for placing down Negasonic, Fenris, Gambit, Shang-Chi, Elektra, and Cannonball! Keep in mind that priority will matter for some interactions with these cards! Daredevil serves his role as an enabler beautifully with this set.
• Fenris Wolf is the inspiration for this deck, as he gives you some major value for simply interacting with your opponent, an action that benefits you already in a game. Resurrecting a  destroyed turn 6 Knull or a big Black Panther can provide you a massive power swing while also stealing that power from your opponent. Many other cards in this deck discard threats from your opponent’s hands or destroy them on board, and Fenris Wolf brings them back to help you out!
• Negasonic Teenage Warhead is your most consistent destroyer (even more than Shang-Chi alongside Daredevil). If you play her in a lane you’re already winning, it can sometime force your opponent to forfeit that lane to you. Alternatively, paired with Daredevil, Negasonic can pick off a big threat (monitor priority!) and surprise your opponent.
• Gambit is able to destroy any opponent card at random, which can prove very useful yet also inconsistent. With Ghost Rider and Proxima Midnight, the discard won’t always hurt you. The reason he’s worth running is if he picks off a smaller threat, chances are your Fenris Wolf will resurrect something larger that’s been destroyed (since he specifies which card (highest power) you’ll know what’s coming back most of the time). If he hits something large, that’s even better, as it fuels your Fenris Wolf and picks off a large threat.
• Moon Knight serves a handful of purposes; interacting with your opponent, giving your Ghost Rider consistency, allowing Proxima to jump, and enabling your Stature! If he hits a large threat such as Red Hulk or Magneto, you’ve got a beautiful Fenris Wolf target lined up. As far as personal cards he can hit, the only concern is discarding your own Fenris Wolf. If you’re in a situation where this is a possibility, either hold Moon Knight or prepare a Ghost Rider to bring back Fenris Wolf (make sure you have the space in the location! Ghost Rider‘s trigger followed by Fenris Wolf’s trigger requires a total of three open spots to fully perform).
• Ghost Rider acts as a beautiful safety net for tech  like Moon Knight and Gambit, allowing you to not only save yourself from their downside, but maybe use the element of surprise to your advantage! Adding to that final point, discarding a Death or Cannonball and bringing it back with Ghost Rider can throw your opponent off, bringing back a threat they weren’t expecting. Ghost Rider a powerful and underrated card for this deck!
• Shang-Chi allows for some major control (as he does in all situations…) but if you can destroy a large 6-Cost card on turn 6, the energy lines up where you play Shang and Fenris on the same turn, turning the tides on your opponent!
• Proxima Midnight is a failsafe for your Moon Knight and Gambit, jumping to a location when she’s discarded. Her 7-Power swing is absolutely nothing to sneeze at, and she can play a bit of a mind game on your opponent: If she jumps early (turn 3 at the earliest, most likely) your opponent will focus power into that lane to overcome her large swing. With this, you can read some plays for your Shang/Negasonic! Overall, Proxima is a strong card in any deck that can capitalize on her ability.
• Stature utilizes your Moon Knight, allowing for a cheap power swing late game. It’s worth reviewing the Substitutions section to see if you have another card you’d prefer to include OR another card to solidify Stature’s usefulness. However, any time you can enable Stature, she proves very strong!
• Cannonball has proved his strength as a tech card in the past. In the instance you can pull off his destroy effect, you will most likely have a strong target for Fenris Wolf, and if you’re only to move a card away, you can likely solidify a lane! Cannonball is able to provide a lot of interaction in different ways, messing with your opponent and giving you the upper hand!
• Death has a niche role, but she’s worth it! If all goes well, you’ll be able to destroy at least two cards (making her cost 6, which is at least playable!) but she’s also a strong target for Moon Knight, and she can be brought back by Ghost Rider for a large power swing!

Substitutions

Sometimes, based off changing metas and new cards, you might need to shift around your deck, and that’s alright!! The strongest suggestions I can give are 

• Enchantress/Rogue (Enchantress shuts down Armor and Caiera, two major counters to the game plan, so I prefer her over Rogue)
• Gamora (pairs well with Daredevil for a strong power swing)
• Silver Samurai/Black Bolt (good enablers for Stature, give options for Fenris Wolf)
• Knull (in the instance of destroying some big power cards, Knull can provide some large power! If you go the Knull route, reconsider the discard strategies)

The Conclusion

Despite a steeper curve, this deck has a strong ability to put out a large amount of power near the end of the game, all while messing with your opponent and shutting down their strategy. I’m excited to truly test this list once the time is right, and I hope you all enjoy experimenting with it!