Introduction
Probably the most played deck archetype of Pool 2 as there are a lot of new cards which increase its power level.
Game plan
I'm sure that at this point most players are familiar with the basic core strategy of a Devil Dino deck, but just to recap from the Pool 1 guide:
- Dump a few low cost cards on turn 1-3.
- Play Moon Girl on 4 to double Devil Dinosaur and 2 other cards.
- Finally play Dino on both turn 5 and 6.
- Profit!
Other than that, with the addition of new Pool 2 cards, such as Bucky Barnes, we can make additional power swings in the early game or in the late game if things don't pan out with the Dino.
Decklist
Let's go over the card list:
- Nova, a new addition to the deck and the herald of the destruction package from Pool 1. You can play him on turn 1 if you really have to, however that enables counters from the opponent who can either pop him early or block him with Armor. So I really recommend playing him later on, usually on turn 3-4 when it can buff at least 3-4 cards.
Extra tip: play him after Bucky Barnes came into play to get that power on Winter Soldier who replaces him. Benefits from Death's Domain, where you can drop him on turn 6 and watch those numbers go up. - Agent 13, consistent card generation for Devil Dinosaur. Can be played on turn 1 but she'll always have an energy available if played with Dino on turn 6.
- Bucky Barnes, the man of the hour, provides a huge power swing at a target location. Pop him on turn 3-4 (or 6 if the primary win condition eludes you) with either Carnage or Deathlok for 10/11 power respectively - and that's just the worst case scenario.
Extra tip: the card really benefits from locations such as Death's Domain (6 power for free what usually also wins the location) and Washington D.C. (as Winter Soldier is a vanilla card).. - Carnage, the first of the destruction enablers. Can also serve as a tech to clean up Raptors (Savage Land), Ninja (Shadowland), Hobgoblin (in a lot of Pool 2 Control decks), freeing some space and converting them into power.
- Wolverine, the recent buff finally made him a viable destruction payoff even if he's destroyed only once.
- Scarlet Witch, get rid of unfavorable locations such as Isle of Silence, Attilan, Mindscape, etc. You can also swing locations such as Bar With No Name, Luke's Bar on the final turn with minimal investment or cut the game short/extend the game by removing either Limbo or TVA. My favorite tech card if I were to pick one. I don't recommend playing her for tempo or ever if you're favored with the locations as she can also screw you over.
Extra tip: I also like to play her after Storm on a Flooding location because in my experience the Control decks tend to flood it with 1-2 energy garbage afterwards, leaving a full location with 8-12 power which can be easily beaten by a single Dino later on. Can also decide not to contest it if they go Jubilee into something big such as The Infinaut. - Sentinel, a curve filler which doesn't lose you a card.
- Killmonger as an additional way to activate Nova, remove an unprotected Sunspot or just ruin a Zoo deck.
- Deathlok, comes with the same use as Carnage. Additionally, you can play him for tempo on turn 3 on an empty location if you haven't drawn any destruction payoff. 5 power for 3 energy is nothing to scoff at.
- Moon Girl, a key card for the deck's primary win condition. If your hand doesn't support the strategy play some other combination of cards on turn 4. At times you'll just find yourself playing her on turn 6 to buff the Dino from the previous turn.
- Devil Dinosaur, the main payoff of the deck, try to play him on curve and maximize his power along with The Collector's on turn 6.
- America Chavez, your big finisher if you ended up not drawing Devil Dino. Her main purpose in the deck is to slightly increase the chance you draw your key cards as you'll not draw her sooner than turn 6.
Snapping
The Snap is an interesting mechanic which makes your matches similar to games of Poker. Meaning, knowing when to fold (retreat) or double down by snapping will heavily impact the amount of cubes you'll be gaining. It also means that while I'm in love with the game, I wouldn't recommend playing it if you're struggling with gambling addiction.
Snap in the midgame if you look at your hand, can already see your endgame and you like it - depending on the matchup - is the short answer on when to snap.
I'll go over some general rules I try to stick to which may help out players maximize cube gains and minimize losses, as I see a lot of them using this mechanic in questionable ways.
- Never snap before all the locations are revealed is probably the first one I adhere to. Therefore, turn 3 should be the first moment when you ought to consider snapping as you never know whether that final location will turn out to be Ego, Worldship or a location which supercharges the opponent's archetype and the whole game plan just flies out of the window. Not to mention, the opponent also has agency and will use it by playing Storm, Scarlet Witch, Aero, Magneto, etc. That also brings me to the second rule.
- I don't recommend snapping until you've figured out what archetype the opponent's playing. This can delay your decision to do so by a turn or two. You could have the best hand in the game, but a disruptive deck doesn't care about that. This leads us to the next point.
- Watch the game, take note of what and where the opponent's setting up their plays. To be honest, this is probably the most complicated one as it requires a broader knowledge of the archetypes and it will take some time to gain enough experience. If you've considered all the options and are feeling comfortable, go ahead and snap before locking in your play on turn 5 at latest - the reason to do so is related to the next rule. The same goes for when you're feeling behind and the opponent snaps on turn 5, there's always the option to retreat. Also, if you've accepted a snap earlier or have snapped yourself, it is not wrong to retreat if you see an unfavorable outcome. No need to feel obligated to commit just because there's more than 1 cube on the line, losing 1 or 2 cubes doesn't matter in the long run as they can be replaced easily by winning just a single match.
- Never snap on the final turn. This is probably the most common thing I see when playing. The math is mostly on the table on the final turn, be it a close game or they're ahead, the opponent snaps. Best case scenario; it may occasionally cheat out 4 cubes from a less experienced player. What it usually ends up achieving is a retreat in a close game where the other party would stay in for those 2 cubes (because now they know that they've managed to draw their finisher and people are very rarely bluffing on the final turn), making a loss of 1 cube. Worst case scenario; the finisher's been anticipated, countered and you make a loss of 4 or more cubes.
- I'll dub this one 'Avoid bad snaps', it's about snapping before making a play of small significance. One of my favorite examples is snapping when playing Armor on Nova or The Hood. Remember that the opponent has 11 more cards in their deck, was also just informed about the 'big counter' and will likely adjust accordingly.
Final thoughts
Now, always be aware of the existence of Enchantress and Shang-Chi, so if the opponent is snapping after seeing a Moon Girl on turn 4 or an exposed Dino you can always consider retreating based on the board state.
Also watch out for Armor/Cosmo on the locations where you plan to destroy Bucky/Nova.
Have fun!