Star-Lord is still alive, and Dormamu is making a rise back into the metagame. I have three different answers for the ladder as the season closes.
Dormamu’s Lower-Curve Destruction Plan
Dormamu is making a rise back into the metagame. I spent time exploring lines with Weapon X, Killilmonger, and Morgan Lefay, then settled on a build with the same objective at a lower curve.
Killilmonger remains the cornerstone of that direction while so many players are putting rocks into play. The important choice is keeping enough low-cost cards available after Moira X puts cards back into my hand. Those copies do not come back reduced, so I need cards that I can afford to replay instead of a hand full of expensive returns.
That is why I take Uncle Ben over Bucky Barnes. The cost reduction matters later because Moira X asks me to put more cards down after the return. I wanted the same objective with the lowest curve I could find. An additional Uncle Ben can still be replayed, and Angel can start in my opening hand, be destroyed, and come back to hand. Angel is another important part of that plan. It thins the deck, helps me find Dormamu and Death more reliably, and removes one possible concern from a hand that can already get crowded.
Debris decks were doing very well, but I wanted the best balance for the lowest curve with the same objective.
Rhino takes Debris's place because the lower cost matters later on. Rhino still puts a rock on the board for Killilmonger, Carnage, and Venom to destroy. A Weapon X style build needs attainable destruction. Lower-cost cards let me put more cards on the board.
Bucky Barnes still has a good late-game use when I can destroy the Winter Soldier, but an early Bucky does not feel good. I do not want to bank on getting Bucky Barnes down at a specific time. In this version, I want destruction to be attainable in a Weapon X style build. The lower-cost version is about getting more cards onto the board and letting the numbers stack through repeated destruction and replay. Instead, I rely heavily on what Weapon X can eat and extra big power that can come back repeatedly.
Star-Lord Still Demands an Energy Package
I thought Star-Lord was dead. It is not, and that is why I have to put it on the list. The shell still contains Grandmaster, Absorbing Man, and Star-Lord, but the current version needs a heavier commitment to its energy package.
I first switched Jim Hammond for Sunspot. The ceiling is a little lower, but the consistency is higher. I also took Legion out for Blink. I chose it because it improves consistency for the refined final-turn package. Wave and Luna Snow both let me put Star-Lord down on turn four. They leave different amounts of energy floated. Then I can go into Grandmaster and Absorbing Man depending on the line.
Psylock offers another route into Star-Lord. Luna Snow can leave three energy floated compared with two.
Blink needs a specific final-turn check. I need to know what is left in my deck. If the Blink chance is 50% or 100%, I can use a cheap card I am tossing away, such as a Grandmaster. The result is a ramp-style consistency tool inside a deck that needs its late-game points to arrive on time.
I also value Blink because it lets me pursue that consistency without Crystal. The deck can put points onto the board through Luna Snow, Wave, and Star-Lord, but those points have to be allocated deliberately before the final turn. I think Star-Lord is a deck players need to know about if they are trying to climb in the closing week of the season.
Gambit’s Mobius M. Mobius and Armor Tech Choices
Its core plan is to duplicate cards for multiple copies, including Gambit and Victoria Hand. This variation is courtesy of Cizer, with one change from me. I think this is probably the overall best package of the three because it encompasses a little bit of everything.
The Gambit variation is all-in on Fria, Gambit, Moon Girl, and Valentina.
Reduction is starting to rise. That has brought Pixie decks back. This is a moment where energy control is going to be really important. Mobius M. Mobius is the card I want in that role. I expect energy control to matter as the next season begins as well.
Unless I see somebody play Pixie, I play down Mobius M. Mobius as soon as possible. Turn two has Victoria Hand, Iron Patriot, and Valentina as priority options. On turn three, I prioritize Fria, Gambit, Horseman of Death, and Mobius M. Mobius if needed.
Armor is the more delicate choice. I considered other options for that rotating slot, then chose Armor because destroy elements are present and several of my important cards can need protection. It can feel counterintuitive in a Gambit deck because Armor affects both sides of the field and can interfere with the Gambit plan.
That is exactly why Armor is a defense-exclusive tech card. I am not trying to play it on turn two. The early turns have higher-priority development plays. On turn five, I start asking whether I am committing to the Gambit line, where Armor could hurt me. The answer changes with the game state, so Armor needs to be placed with a clear purpose.
When Mobius M. Mobius is no longer needed, Bastion is the straightforward return option. Until then, I like the Gambit variation because it keeps its proactive duplicate plan while giving me an answer to reduction and a defense-exclusive tech card.
All three can carry into the next season. [Watch the discussion on YouTube](the original episode).
