Welcome back to Meta Monday! This last week, we had both a card release and a balance change. These can sometimes shake up the meta; even if they don’t, they will typically provide minor changes to some of the underperforming decks in the format. Unfortunately, it has only been a few days since the actual balance changes, so we don’t have the best picture to conclude where the meta will be or where it will go. Things are mostly the same as last week, with minor changes to the midrange Thena decks and the addition of Ajax. Arishem is still at the top of the meta with the same builds as before. The Blob change did not make that big of an impact. However, they have started to lean even heavier into the high-impact 5-cost cards on turn 4 with Leech and Doctor Octopus. This has already caused some public outcry for heavier nerfs sooner since the overall meta hasn’t changed that much, even with an OTA that was trying to accomplish some decent change. However, we might be in a meta-game where people are playing conservatively and using the same strategy as before instead of trying to innovate. It is simple to stay on what works and maximize leech and doc Oct. Just by the nature of those cards, players will win games. It follows the same logic the developers used when making Professor X 2 power so he couldn't come down a turn early with Ravonna Renslayer. On the other hand, the OTA didn’t provide a lot of change to the cards that were at the top of the metagame, so those decks still being there doesn’t take a big leap of reasoning.
So What Does This Mean?
Well, most of the decks from the last meta article are fair game and have kept most of their stats. So, instead of reviewing those decks, let's discuss the ones that got buffed and have started seeing better stats this last week. There are multiple ways to build these decks, but I will discuss one version of each deck.
Black Bolt & Stature
BB Stature Hawk
Black Bolt and Stature have been around for a long time as a simple package that provides low-cost, high-powered stats, and it is something that fits well into most meta games. Also, being able to combine with the Darkhawk package means that it is great in the current Arishem-heavy metagame. With the addition of Silk and other move cards, it also has the tools to combat the heavy amount of clog in the metagame. This current build also employs a few tech cards to handle the threats that can go over the top or, if any deck tries to employ some busted ongoing strategies. Overall, this is a well-rounded deck that has most, if not all, the tools to cover the majority of decks you will run into on the ladder.
Hammer Ramp
Hammer Ramp
With the buff to Lockjaw, people have started to play him a lot more, and naturally, he fits into Asgard hammer-type decks because they offer a lot of cheap or 0-cost cards to throw into Lockjaw at the end of the game. This top-heavy build is centered on ramping out a lockjaw early with Psylocke or bursting out many big bodies on the last turn using the hammers generated and buffing either Thor or Beta Ray Bill in another lane. This is not the only deck that employs Leech in the meta game, as he is a good lockjaw card and helps get rid turn six tech cards, like Shang and Shadow King, which usually ruin this deck day most of the time. Against both Clog and Arishem, this deck does a good job of putting out good numbers while competing well with the disruption those decks use. For example, Doc Oct is not always the best play against this deck because you are likely to pull big threats, which two are shangable. However, this deck is slightly worse against Arishem builds running Leech. Leech can come down early in those instances and screw your turn 5 Jane Foster play, or if the opponent holds leech till turn 5 when you want to play Jane, they can turn off the hammers you just got in your hand. In those instances, paying attention to priority going into turn 5 is best.
Annihilus
Stock Annihilus
With clog running around and Ajax decks also making a good splash into the metagame straight, Annihilus-Sersi decks have taken a resurgence. Also, with the buff to Viper, they have gained another useful tool to help throw over negative power. This deck is the most linear of the new decks to make some headway into the metagame and is pretty easy to read from the opponent on what you will do. However, sometimes that is not a problem. Many decks, and even Arishem decks, usually don't have the tools to deal with minus 8 power on the rightmost location or any of the possible random cards obtained from a Sersi. Mockingbird is still completely viable, and with Mysterio, Demon, the Void, and Sersi, she can easily be a 2-cost or 1-cost, and at 10-power, that is a good deal.
Gwenpool Little Movers
Gwenpool Movers
Several different versions of this deck are trying to overpower the current decks in the format with un-shangable power or by shifting power into whatever lane they want to. This could fit into the Thena pillar I mentioned last week, but it is slightly different because it relies heavily on the move synergies. The combination of Elsa and the move cards, plus a good buff from Gwenpool, help this deck compete on power. Kitty and Hydro Bob are great 1-cost cards that add great power to the board, especially on the last turn when coupled with Shang-Chi to eliminate their big threats.
Ajax
Ajax Thena
Ajax Clog
These are two vastly different Ajax decks. One uses the Thena midrange type shell and includes the 2-card Ajax combo of Hazmat and Ajax. The other uses the clog shell, including the Ajax combo of Hazmat and Ajax. Notice a pattern? These are known strategies, but they have included the new card coupled with its main partner, Hazmat. These additions don't hurt the decks because Ajax himself is a big threat that can solo a lane, especially if the Hazmat is played on the last turn. As essentially two of the pillars of the metagame already exist, these don't need a lot of explanation. They have just gained a new threat in the form of Ajax.
Surfer
Surfer
This one may be a surprise since it isn’t that common and only makes up 1 percent of the metagame. However, It does have some good stats at the moment just because it can get out good power consistently. However, it doesn’t have many tech options as it is slightly vulnerable to the tech itself. However, playing against clog is not the worst thing because most pulled cards can be buffed later. The Hazmat Ajax matchups are sometimes an issue, but if you are smart with priority, you can buff your cards after a Hazmat is played. Against Arishem, this deck puts out consistent numbers but is vulnerable to Leech. I am not sure if I would recommend this as the best contender, but it is possible that you can get some cubes because it is more of a surprise option that hasn’t been seen a lot recently.
Arishem
Pool 2 Arishem
Wait, how is this a newer deck? Well, this is Pool 2 Arishem. It includes pool 2 cards and Arishem only. It is slightly a meme deck, but this is a great option if you are playing on a budget because it still wins games. Just give it a shot. Having one extra energy helps in any situation.
Meta Health
“A healthy meta is something that most players want to experience. The definition of a healthy meta is highly debated and can be an entire host of articles. However, a healthy metagame is one where various strategies, tactics, or card choices are viable and competitive, allowing for diverse gameplay and preventing any single approach from dominating. This balance fosters creativity and strategic depth and keeps the game engaging by ensuring no strategy is overwhelmingly superior, thus maintaining fairness and interest among players. Given that definition, the current metagame is not the healthiest since it revolves around one hyper-popular deck and the possible counters to that deck. Hopefully, we can reach a level of balance next week by adding some new cards and card changes, but for now, we are stuck here until players start to innovate away from the two-sided nature of the metagame.” This was my comment on the metagame a couple of weeks ago. While the meta has slightly improved, Arishem and the decks are still heavily trying to compete with Arishem. The improvement comes from the tools that the decks use to compete with Arishem. Instead of any deck just throwing in a Darkhawk, the meta has gone away from that, so there is much more diversity in threats. However, there are still three main pillars that, while not the same, take up the vast majority of the meta, and there hasn’t been a lot of change in the last few weeks.
Let me know what you think of the current meta. Are you frustrated or excited about its current state?