En Sabah, Nur More

Minimalist Matchups

The goal is to create a series of decks meant to be accessible to players who don't have access to all of the content. It can be tough to find decks that feel strong and work in a limited collection. So this series will be heroes built to take on the toughest villains using only the Core Set, Villain's Campaign Box (if applicable), and Hero Pack (if applicable). This means each deck will only require 2 or 3 packs.

Recommend a Match-up? I'd love recommendations if anyone is struggling or curious about a match up. Fill out this form to send me suggestions. I promise I still keep up with this form. So if you've submitted it, the deck is still coming. Some match-ups are a little more challenging than others (I promise Iron Man Justice against Loki is coming :) )

Minimalist Matchup Decks:

• Spider-Man (Peter) Justice Against Ronan the Accuser
• Captain Marvel Leadership Against Red Skull
• Cyclops Aggression Against Magneto
• Black Panther Leadership Against Loki
• Gambit Aggression Against Ultron
• Spider-Man (Miles) Justice Against Venom Goblin
• Dr. Strange Aggression Against En Sabah Nur

No Bargaining This Time

Someone asked for Dr. Strange to go up against En Sabah Nur. So here we go. This is Dr. Strange matching up against THE Apocolypse. This deck isn't a strict strategy deck but it provides answers for what you'll run into.

The Set Up

Any Dr. Strange is most powerful when he is able to ready and has resources to pay for a card and a couple of invocations.

Mulligan hard for Cloak of Levitation, Bloodgem, and/or The Eye of Agamotto. These will help you play what you need.

Invocate, then Clobber

Friendly reminder that using Dr. Strange's Spell Mastery is not considered playing a card. So you can use your invocations through Spell Mastery and still play Clobber to get it to bounce back. Clobber can also help you deal damage and then bounce it back for you to pay for an invocation.

Dealing with En Sabah Nur

The only safe form is Cyberpathy. Tac Team and Crimson Bands of Cyttorak are not attacks, so they can bypass the retaliate and you can use them while you're stunned. If En Sabah Nur is in Giant form, use your toughs through Seven Rings of Raggadorr to withstand the hits while you wait for him to change so you can status lock him. It's important to keep track of your Master of the Mystic Arts and use those to save the right invocation on top. It's always nice to use Master of the Mystic Arts for Winds of Watoomb, however, sometimes, you may need to plan to stun him a few rounds or remove 8 threat.

Not Always Invocation

The trap with Dr. Strange is to only play your invocations, and they are powerful, but with En Sabah Nur, you need to make sure to keep in mind where the board is at and play your cards accordingly. If Scarab is out, you may need to Clobber twice. Expect Astral Projection to remove 3-4 threat. And Basic Spell gives your malleability (since you never know which way the villain will go).

Another use of Wong and Basic Spell is to heal so you can feel safe using Bloodgem.

Protective Ward

The strongest strategy is to keep En Sabah Nur in the right form. His Superpower cards will try to get him to change forms. Use your Protective Ward as best you can (not all Superpowers are treacheries) to be able to hold him in the form that you need.

Final Damage

As you build your board, play your invocations, keep the villain's board steady, you'll get to the damage phase. Full-Body Charge and Crimson Bands of Cyttorak are ready to be unleashed.