A viewer asked whether there was a replacement for Wolverine Horseman of War in the deck I had most recently played. My answer so far is that the problem is bigger than one slot. I would be looking for a different card, because Wolverine Horseman of War has felt bad across every deck I tried.
I am calling it garbage, even though I do not think the idea behind it is the problem. I like the concept of building up Wolverine and then spreading that reward around. To me, the execution feels like it takes too much work for not enough payoff.
The payoff is spread too thin
Wolverine Horseman of War is supposed to matter because of the extra power in other lanes. Its own lane is included too, which makes the total reward spread out instead of focused where I played the card. That means I need to care about more than the body in front of me. I need the cross-lane payoff to justify the setup.
That is where the card falls short. If I am committing to a card whose job is to reward me in other lanes, the reward needs to compete with the other choices available at four cost. Mr. Fantastic is a useful comparison because its effect can be scaled. Wolverine does not give me that same feeling, even when I can make its condition happen.
Even in decks where someone might say it works statistically, I am telling you it really doesn’t.
Testing did not create a reason to play it
I broke down four decks, and the ones that did not perform well still gave me a few takeaways.
I had many chances to play it and repeatedly chose not to.
That is the part I cannot ignore. Wolverine kept becoming the card I passed over.
In a deck that included Strife, Strife made more sense there than Wolverine did. I think the deck gets better if I cut Wolverine for Absorbing Man.
I also tried proactive merging as a route to make Wolverine work. It is kind of one of the easiest ways to make it happen. The power still did not feel sufficient. The route was available, but it did not convert into a reason to spend the card slot.
The Spider-Man Noir Surfer line exposed the timing problem
The Spider-Man Noir Surfer version made the tension even clearer. Wolverine could be one of the turn-five choices, but it was the last option. Even in games where it was available at the right point on the curve, playing it did not make sense.
That is also a timing problem. The later I got into a game and needed the objective to come together, the less I wanted to play Wolverine. Earlier access gave it more of a purpose.
I looked at proactive merging and reactive approaches involving Captain Carter and Maverick, trying to see where Wolverine could fit in each style. The timing of its buffs did not make sense to me, and it seemed to be a pattern in the decks I built first.
Wolverine wants a different cost slot
I do not think Wolverine Horseman of War is doomed forever. I think it can find a home in the future. The problem is that its home does not feel like the four-cost slot.
To me, it desperately wants to be a three-cost card. That creates its own balance concern because it could become a strong Surfer option with widespread power. If that happens, the condition would have to change. That would be a buff and a nerf: it could make Wolverine a great Surfer card with extra widespread power, while its condition would have to change.
If it stays at four cost, it needs a different direction with a much stronger payoff. Four cost is too competitive for a card that asks me to build toward it and then gives me a reward I am still willing to leave in hand.
Good idea, garbage execution
I like the mechanic. I like the idea of buffing Wolverine and having that buff spread to everyone. I just do not like how it has been executed. The numbers feel off, and the card's timing keeps working against it.
So I cannot call Wolverine Horseman of War good. Right now, I have to call it garbage. The card wants to be good. It just needs a version that can justify its place in a four-cost turn, or a better home somewhere else.
I would not expect Wolverine Horseman of War in the April 16 OTAA. I would expect it in a future OTAA, maybe at the end of the season.
Watch the discussion: the original episode.
