Welcome back to another community spotlight! This time we got a fun competitive cook from The Jolly Roger featuring one of this season's most anticipated cards Doom 2099. This deck will surely help you climb up the ranks so let's get to what makes the deck tick with some direct answers from the creator himself!
Domination
Doomination
What is the overall game plan for this deck?
The overall game plan of the deck is to be adaptive to the meta while having enough power to win in multiple ways. Our primary play lines are Doom 2099 spawning Doombots and finishing with Doom supported by other cards or Galacta-infused Broods or Sinisters buffed by Patriot. You can do both as well depending on the draws. Sometimes a single doombot isn’t worth giving up a 15-power brood play with Galacta so use your best judgement but you have to generally commit to one of those strategies primarily by Turn 4 at the latest.
This deck does have an element of unpredictability since Phastos, Zabu, and Iron Lad can all generate unexpected plays. Phastos in particular can give your brood lane an extra 6 power or give you a 2-cost Galacta that can be played along with brood on T5 if you’re Zabu already hit Galacta. I prefer Phastos because it makes it hard for your opponent to predict your power and no one expects Patriot. Try to win 2 lanes by putting your setup cards together if possible like Zabu, Psylocke, Phastos, and Galacta.
Doom 2099 was highly anticipated, was this the first route you took? What did you test to come up with this specific list?
Yes, I’ve been playing a lot of decks that I call small ball - having lower-cost buffed cards like Brood and so it naturally fits into this list. I cut some of those combo-heavy cards, stripped it down, and added Patriot to end up with this.
Card Breakdown
What is the purpose of each card? How do you use them effectively?
Helps us cheat out early 4 cost cards. T1 Zabu with no 4 cost cards in hand is a snap condition. If you have Zabu and the rest of your hand are 4 cost be prepared to retreat unless you top deck a Psylocke.
This is the first of two versatile cards here that pair with both Galacta and Patriot. It can be played early to fill locations and win priority, but it is usually better off being held for later to benefit from Galacta.
Psylocke + Doom 2099 on T2 and T3 is a snap condition (along with a Zabu-reduced Doom 2099 on T3). This is the biggest scam in the deck that lets us cheat out Doom early and roll from there. Unfortunately, Zabu and Psylocke drawn late in the game are dead cards usually so be prepared to retreat if your opponent starts rolling and you have to play honestly and can’t keep up.
Patriot is the real innovation in this deck. I wanted to have an alt-win condition that didn’t feel horrible if we didn’t get Doom 2099 rolling and this felt the best to me. We can completely invest in the Brood/Sinister/Doom + Galacta play lines and empower the already massive bodies with even more power using Patriot. There is also a ton of Super Skrull out there to counter Doom 2099 and aside from 2 Doombots from Doctor Doom, Super Skrull doesn’t benefit any other cards in most Doom decks when it is copying Patriot.
The same as Mister Sinister. With Galacta this card is a lane winner and with Patriot, it can rise to even higher levels of dominance. Just like Mister Sinister, Brood is rarely played on curve and is best held until later when Galacta can buff it.
This is a flex spot, but I’m personally a fan of Phastos because although it is a less reliable cost reduction. The only downside is a potential buff to Brood and Sinister. This deck puts out a lot of points, and I’ve had too many games with a clutch discount or buff that resulted in the win to cut him.
Doom 2099 on T3 is usually a snap condition. This card fuels the primary play line of the deck. One consideration is to play this on a lane with another 2 power card so it’s not the only card susceptible to Red Guardian.
The only tech card in the deck helps us win the mirror. This card should not be played if it can’t benefit us since almost any other play is better.
Galacta is just a great card. Getting her out on T3 is sometimes even better than Doom 2099. Buff up everything and playing one card a turn with the Doom 2099 restriction just allows her to make those one card a turn plays even better.
There isn’t much in this deck we don’t mind hitting with Iron Lad. Pay attention to what is left in your deck as that will determine the probability of him hitting what you want. If you have Phastos and Zabu in your deck on T5 be prepared to hit one of them and it’s a loss vs having Doom, Brood, and Galacta.
As far as 5 cost cards go this one felt the best for me. In the Patriot strategy, we welcome the extra power in each lane and with Doom 2099 it’s another on-curve doombot.
The man himself, this card benefits both strategies in Patriot and Doom 2099 or both. There will be times he isn’t the best T6 play if you can drop Patriot and Brood buffed by Galacta for example so don’t get too invested in him being the finisher all the time.
What are the possible card changes?
This deck is surprisingly tight as a decklist but the good news is the lower series cards are more accessible to the general player base. The cards that are flex spots without compromising the integrity of the deck or the versatility are Phastos and Super Skrull.
The replacement options for these cards are most likely best as tech cards and they should be based on what you are facing in your pocket meta.
Phastos replacements include
- Red Guardian (the best and maybe even better than Phastos)
- Mobius M Mobius (fantastic counter to much of the cost reduction in the meta)
- Cosmo (also a great meta counter)
- Any other 3 cost cards you prefer.
Super Skrull
Honestly this card can be replaced by any of the Phastos replacements as well. I predict that after this first week of Doom 2099’s release, there will be a decline in Super Skrull counters in the meta so he may be replaceable in the future if ongoing decks are less played. As I mentioned before, he is primarily to win the mirror match. Any great 4 cost can be slotted here but it should be one you want to play and that won’t be completely dead in your hand regularly. Possible replacements based on the meta in addition to the aforementioned options include Shang Chi, Gwenpool, and Scarlet Spider.
Blue Marvel
He can also be replaced by a better 5-cost card like Iron Man, Legion, Klaw, Blink, etc.
How to play the Deck
What is a typical play for each turn in the game? Or what would be the absolute best draw?
T1 Zabu
T2 Psylocke
T3 Phastos if you don’t get cost reduction and if you do then Doom 2099 or Galacta.
T4 Doom 2099 or Galacta or Super Skrull only if you have value there. With Galacta down Brood is a great play.
T5 Blue Marvel or Sinister boosted by Galacta plus Patriot.
T6 Doctor Doom or Brood buffed by Galacta with Patriot.
What are the primary Snap conditions you seek early in a game?
Zabu or Psylocke into a T3 Doom 2099 is a snap condition and Galacta can be too. Also, pay attention to how your opponent starts. If they Zabu or Psylocke early as well be a little more patient.
Do you play Conquest differently than Ladder?
Since this deck has multiple win conditions snap when you commit to the second one. For example, if you win with Doom 2099 and go for a Patriot win then snap into that since they haven’t seen Patriot yet. Also, use Super Skrull to steal a win, and don’t play him early and give away that you have him.
What about the various matchups in the meta?
This deck has gone tall enough to compete with top decks in the meta. The biggest threat is decks that go tall in 2 lanes or decks playing US Agent or Man-Thing. In those instances snap and retreat accordingly. This is another instance where Super Skrull is best saved for late in the game after they’ve played Luke Cage to steal a win.
What are some of the tough matchups?
Any deck that goes tall in 2 lanes gets their engine going and plays optimally on curve is the toughest matchup. If we get favorable locations and draws we can win those matchups but it’s not a given. I’ve beat Hela, Discard, Bounce, Wiccan, Scream Move, and many of the current midrange decks consistently but I get into trouble when they have a great start and a strong endgame and I have to play honestly by dropping a 4 cost on 4.
How do you combat decks that go tall in two lanes?
If you get a great draw and the lines play out you can compete with top decks that go tall in two lanes but you have to be disciplined and leave if they get rolling and you don’t.
Are there any locations that are instant snaps? or instant retreats?
None so far that are instant snaps but locations that either produce or buff neutral units (Central Park or Savage Lands) are favorable because we can buff those token cards and they can’t use Patriot.
Future Proof
Given the constantly moving meta game, how future-proof is this deck?
This deck can remain viable if the go-tall decks stay in the range of this deck. This is a go-wide deck so it may need to bring in some tech like Shang Chi to stay relevant going forward.
Conclusion
With Doom 2099 being a highly anticipated card there are a lot of decks out there running him but this list has a slightly more nuanced take than your typical list running around the ladder. If you looking for something a little more interesting than the typical Doom 2099 list and want to climb I would give this list a shot. I ran it in both conquest and high infinite ladder this week with great success.
The list feels a lot more versatile than cheating Doom 2099 out early and playing one card a turn like most typical meta lists. Special thanks to The Jolly Roger for all of the detailed information. Please give him a follow on both X and TikTok and I bet he would be able to answer any other questions you might have about the list. Let us know what you think and if you try it out how it went in the comments!