As if we needed another, this week's new card continues the strong tradition of beefy energy-cheating ladies like She-Hulk, Stature, and Mockingbird. Sasquatch gets her (don't worry, we’ll talk about that) discount based on how many cards you played the previous turn. High-stat cards that can be discounted have traditionally been strong, and Sasquatch is no different. We'll dive into synergies to get the most out of her and give you a mountain of strong day one decks with the great beast.
Character Biography and the Future of Snap Variants
If you're an 80s comic book fan, you might know Sasquatch, a.k.a. Walter Langkowski, as the Canadian team Alpha Flight's gamma-irradiated muscle. But this is Exiles season! The version we see on both the base card and the Spotlight variant is actually an alternate universe version of Heather Hudson, who became Sasquatch in her reality after being exposed to gamma rays and opening a portal to the realm of the Great Beasts. Multiversal variants pose an interesting conundrum in a game that uses card variants as a cosmetic feature. Will we get the more familiar brown Sasquatch as his own card, or will we eventually get Walter Langkowski variants? What will happen when they add the rest of Alpha Flight sometime down the line?
Powerful Synergies
Mysterio stands out when looking at cards that synergize with Sasquatch. Because playing him out counts as three cards, Mysterio will be in most Sasquatch lists. Where Mysterio goes, Mockingbird follows, and I see these three as a powerful package going forward.
Any cards that provide discounts or benefit from playing out a high number of cards are going to be under consideration with Sasquatch. The exception is Sera since she is usually played out on turn 5, which would only allow you to play out a 4-Cost Sasquatch when better combos are available elsewhere. Bounce seems like a great home for Sasquatch, as do Ravonna and Pixie shells. Could Sasquatch pull Black Swan into relevance?
Scosco's Day One Sasquatch Decks
Monkeys in the Mist
Hit-Monkey’s role in metagames is evolving. Sage is largely outshining him in Bounce decks. This deck allows a turn-five Monkey with Mysterio to set up an even bigger outburst on turn 6. You can beat Shang Chi by attacking all three lanes. Maria Hill allows us to curve neatly into an extra Mockingbird activator, but she could be swapped for Mirage or Cable. The ultimate goal here is to use Hope to be able to play out Doom alongside a cheap Sasquatch on turn six or, alternately, to play out Doom on five into a cheap Mockingbird and big Hit-Monkey afterward.
Here is an alternate ‘No-Loki’ style list that cuts Hope and Doom to lean into Mockingbird and Sasquatch fully.
Monkeys in the Mist 2
SwanSquatch
If Black Swan has any hope, it would be alongside Sasquatch. The line here is to play very little early (maybe Kitty, Angela, and Bishop), then Black Swan on four to facilitate a free Sasquatch to play alongside Red Hulk on the final turn.
Squatch Bounce
Squatch Bounce feat. Wolf
Bounce is Sasquatch's most promising home. It's just a question of finding the best list. I've opted for Carnage and Hit-Monkey in these, but you can consider Bast if you feel confident you can play around Basting your ‘Squatch. Ravonna and White Widow are also considerations, possibly in place of Hit-Monkey.
Shur-Squatch
Shuri can help us make a 20-powered Sasquatch on the last turn if things align, but we can also aim to Shuri into a big Kitty or Vision as well and play Sasquatch as a discounted 10-power card on turn 6.
Asgardian Sasquatch
This is another list that allows us to take an existing archetype and move its play patterns forward by a turn. If you happen to draw a Hammer early, you don't necessarily need to hold it until the last turn as usual; you can play it out earlier to discount Sasquatch. As mentioned above, you can basically bait a Shang Chi into one lane while spreading tall threats across all three locations.
Squatch Dump
As long as Killmonger remains rare, this Dracula dump list stands a good chance. Dracula, Ghost Rider, Ebony Blade, and Strong Guy are all good follow-ups to Storm. It will take some planning, but ensuring a decent Dracula hit and an empty hand at the end of the game should be possible in most games.
Sasquatch Pix
On Day One, I plan to cook extensively with Sasquatch alongside Pixie and/or Ravonna. I think something will emerge, and I plan on starting here.
Conclusion
Sasquatch is clearly a good card, possibly the best Spotlight card of the month. However, I think she is skippable if you are short on resources because she seems well-balanced. She isn't significantly more powerful than She-Hulk and Mockingbird. She plays a powerful role without forcing those cards and the decks they're used in out of the metagame. Sasquatch is very well-balanced, while good and healthy for the game, which makes it harder to spend resources on her instead of some of the clearly powerful and exciting cards in upcoming weeks. I think Sasquatch is an easy buy if you can easily afford her. If you are missing Ravonna or Havok, the play pattern of her decks particularly appeals to you.
