In this article, we will look at the Destroy archetype in detail. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or just starting, there should be something useful you can get from this write-up to help you hit Infinite with this interesting archetype!
In this guide, we’ll cover one of the common decks, play lines, favorable and unfavorable locations and cards, some alternative builds, and substitutions. Let's get to it.
Destroy is a deck that can produce big numbers, but it also provides flexibility and can interact with many locations in ways other decks can’t. While it may appear simple at first, there is a bit of nuance to the deck, and the decision-making involved in when to use particular cards in combination with the locations can be quite rewarding, like solving a puzzle. It also has just enough randomness to keep it varied without being frustrating.
Two cards in particular have helped to lift Destroy up to a whole other level. The addition of X-23 to the game increased the potential power of the deck, allowing for big turn 5 and 6 plays, while Nico brought utility and extra power and raised the skill ceiling slightly.
The Deck
Jump to the end of the article to see substitutions or replacements if you’re missing certain cards!
How does it work?
Ideally, this deck wants to get Deadpool out early, buff him, destroy him many times while feeding him into Venom, and then finish with Knull and a free Death for a big burst of power on turn 6.
Contrary to most other decks, when playing cards turn 1 or 2, you generally want to play into the revealed locations because you don’t want your cards getting stuck in a location that you can’t interact with.
Sometimes, you’ll want to separate Deadpool from the other cards to guarantee the Hulkbuster merge; other times, a 50/50 is fine and not something to stress about.
Keep in mind that you also have a finite number of destruction effects. So be careful with using them too early. You’ll often want to be able to destroy X-23 on turn 4 to give yourself 6 energy on turn 5 or 7 energy on turn 6.
This deck has a lot of interesting combinations with your buff effects, destroy effects, and ‘regenerator’ cards that don’t die when destroyed. Maximizing your energy use and getting the biggest point totals possible isn’t always obvious!
Deadpool and Friends
Ideally, you want to build up Deadpool, but the secondary targets of Wolverine and even X-23 are still good. If you don’t have Deadpool in hand, don’t feel you need to save and wait for him; use what you’ve got. Nico Minoru has so much flexibility. Because you don’t know which spells were previously cycled or what's next, don’t hold Nico too long, hoping for the ‘best’ spell. Again, use what the cards give you. Destroy and draw 2 is generally the best for this deck. Getting a copy can be very powerful, even if it’s only X-23 or combined with Hulkbuster; you’ll get a copy of the merged card with Hulkbuster’s buff!
Destroy Effects
You have three main destroy effects and a potential fourth from Nico. Either stack your lane for Carnage or separate it for Hulk Buster to hit Deadpool.
Nico Minoru + Hulk Buster
This combination deserves a special mention and opens up some interesting play lines. You can play Hulkbuster onto Nico to get a copy back into your hand. This means another Nico spell, attaching Hulk Buster to Wolverine or x23 for a free destroy proc and draw 2 cards, or even boosting Nico up to 14 power. If you Arnim Zola onto Nico, you can trigger Nico’s spell again. This can be powerful but backfire (like if it was destroy draw 2), so be careful.
Arnim Zola & Knull
So one of the big power plays of this deck is destroying x23 on turn 4 to play a 6 drop on turns 5 and 6. Knull + Zola is one of the most often cited ones. However, sometimes you can’t destroy enough early on to make Knull big enough, and trying to force the combo can sometimes result in less power than another play line. It’s very tempting and easy to fall into the Knull Zola trap! Consider other combinations. Is the effort to set up Knull Zola better than a Deadpool and Zola on the final turn? Another excellent choice for Zola is Wolverine. You’ll get one wolverine regenerated with +2 power, plus 2 original power wolverines. Do this a turn early, and you can drop Venom on multiple Wolverines. Alternatively, Zola into Venom with Wolverine in play has potential too. Zola gives you some options and playlines that can catch your opponent off guard. Sometimes even the ability to move your big venom or Deadpool to another lane can produce a win.
Quantum Realm + Deadpool
This is a small one, but worth pointing out. It doesn’t matter when you play Deadpool to this location, it will adjust his base power, so any previous multipliers still apply, resulting in a much bigger Deadpool after a couple of destructions.
Cloning Locations
Any clone-type effect can be huge for this deck. The important thing to know is that the card is cloned after buffs have been applied. That means a cloned Carnage or Venom can end up much bigger than the original. Playing hulk buster gives you a copy of the merged card with buffs. This means you can get a massive venom and snowball the power to ridiculous levels. On Cloning Vats, try to play everything there early and then Venom repeatedly, weaving in free Deaths for huge numbers. For Sinister London, try to keep venom for later to maximize power and clear space for the final turns. Bar Sinister is kind of crazy. If you drop Carnage there first and then on a later turn Venom, you’ll get a decent-sized Venom, which you can then Zola. Venoms and Zolas will be flying all over the place, and you should end up with a couple of venoms with around 200-300 power at the end!
Destruction Locations
These tend to speak for themselves, but they can often result in an opponent conceding if you snap on the reveal of some of these locations. Free destroy effects are always welcome, and you will generally have more ability to place power in those locations than your opponent. Murderworld, at first glance, seems good, but in practice, it can sometimes be too slow when Nico gives you a destroy spell.
Wakanda, Armor, Cosmo
Ok, so they’re not all locations, but they have a similar effect on how they can shut down the deck and how you should respond. It’s not an automatic concede when one of these shows up to ruin your day! Games can still be won.
If you’re in conquest and know your opponent has these cards, you can attempt to bait the location they play their counter by splitting your destroy cards. Essentially, you sacrifice one card, like Wolverine, to keep your other destroy lines open.
A snap from your opponent can tell that one of these counters is coming down, so evaluate the board state and decide if it’s worth staying.
Shadow King
Destroy has a lot of buffed cards, so it’s particularly susceptible to stat resets. To play around this, you’ll need to spread out your power or rely on Knull, who isn’t affected by Shadow King.
Alternates and Substitutes
Alternate 1
This list, where Zola is replaced with Deathlok, is quite common. It has more consistent destruction and a cheaper Death. Because you have extra destroy effects, it's ok to hit a non-regenerator, such as carnage, because it feeds into Knull. However, it will make your playline obvious to the opponent.
For a lower CL or cheaper version, here are some of the substitutions. Remember that this will reduce your overall win percentage, but at lower CL, can still be effective. At higher CL, without X-23, the deck will struggle, so if you like the archetype, make it a priority to grab this card. For lower CL, without Venom, it would probably be best to look at other decks instead.
