Just Another Meta Monday
Welcome back to Meta Monday! We took last week off because the meta game was relatively unchanged, and we were hoping the new season would usher in a vastly different meta game. We were satisfied. Both cards from last week have found some success at the start of the new season, and with a Patch and OTA happening this week, there is even more room for growth and development within the meta game. But until that happens, let's focus on our current meta game. Unlike previous articles, I am not going to be breaking this into pillars because there are a lot of decks going around, and breaking them into pillars gives a false sense that some decks are more popular than others. Currently, too many decks occupy essentially the same space, so this will be a general statement that these decks are in the format.
Surfer
As both a list that got a new one 3 cost card with the release of Luna Snow, the current Season pass card Galacta plays very well with both Sebastion Shaw and Brood. Surfer decks have become quite popular.
Surfer 1
Surfer 2
Surfer 3
While the first deck is a more stock Surfer, the others are slightly different. Surfer with Luna Snow is more of a midrange-style deck because it has more upper-end-of-the-curve threats and less combo associated with Surfer. While Surfer is a great plan, the main idea for that deck is to make sure Galacta is buffing everything as often as possible. Jeeets PF brood list technically fits within the surfer category, but it is not a deck for the faint of heart. However, Jeeet is in the top 5 of the ladder currently, so this list is bound to show up by other players trying to copy it.
Galacta Midrange
While these decks in this next category are all similar and different, they simply are decks that Galacta has been slotted into and is doing well in. They might still do well even without her, but her versatility and useful effects are great for almost any deck.
Galacta Midrange 1
Galacta Midrange 2
Galacta Midrange 3
Galacta Midrange 4
There are several different variants to these decks, and all have been doing pretty well against most other decks in the format. The Galacta midrange-type decks essentially try to gain the advantage by providing early pressure with low-cost cards and threats and then use either more energy from Wiccan or more power using Galacta and Iron Man to take care of what the opponent is trying to accomplish. While Tech cards are not overly present in these lists, they can still interact with most decks in one way or another in the format. However, because they are not heavily geared towards combo decks, if they don’t get enough early stats down, they can falter in the later stages if combo decks get going.
Negative
Speaking of combo decks, with the release of Gorr a few weeks ago, Negative had a drastic uptick in popularity.
Negative 1
Negative 2
While negative is nothing new, it has gotten some better tools to be more consistent even when you don't get a turn 4 or 3, Mister Negative. However, this deck often relies on Magik, but Legion is a very popular card at the moment, so if you are playing Negative, be aware that Limbo could be turned off at any time. Negative can outpower any deck, and with midrange decks becoming more popular, especially with small to no tech, Mister Negative feels like a nice option. Especially considering this next section.
Hela
Whether you like it or not, Hela is back. The meta game is ripe for her to go ahead and try to outpower everything with a lot of Surfer and other Midrange-type decks unable to keep up with the power output of a solid hela draw.
Denish Hela
This is the list I believe Denish, who is on top of the ladder right now and plays on the NA server, is running. I’ve played them a few times over the last couple of days, and it is definitely a unique list. However, they have been running it consistently for the last few seasons and are doing really well. Either way, it can easily outpower many of the decks in the format.
Hela
If you feel less adventurous, this is a more stock version of Hela.
Bounce or Move Bounce
In a meta game that is all about overpowering your opponent by going over the top of them, Bounce and Move bounce are some of the most consistent ways to do that.
Move Bounce
Bounce
If you are looking for a deck that is doing better than most decks in the format but has an incredibly low play rate, these are the decks for you. These are probably some of the least popular archetypes in the current meta game, but they pack one of the biggest punches, especially if you have the experience and game knowledge to back them up. Also, those climbing to Infinite are good against Bots if you run into them.
Arishem and Thanos
While they don’t always outperform the other decks in the format, their massive utility, due to the Infinity Stones and the extra energy, makes them a hassle for any deck to play against.
Arishem
Thanos
They also have a surprise factor built in because it is much less obvious what they have drawn or what they could possibly have in their hand in the first place. This combination has made them player favorites for a long time, and they haven’t gone anywhere.
Other Decks
There are too many other decks to include in this article because the meta is wide open. In general, Discard, Scream, and even Clog can find success in this meta game. Even Galactus himself has made a way back into the meta game.
Galactus
Meta Health
As of right now, the meta game is overall healthy. No single strategy is taking over, allowing for many different decks to be viable. However, the general trend of the meta game is to go over the top of your opponent, and that can make games feel like whoever draws Galacta and plays her first ends up taking the game. Or if they draw their combo pieces, you are just out of luck. While that is not always bad, it can lead to some big emotional swings because the snapping mechanic gets used more often, even when games feel like they end up in a coin flip. For casual gamers, that is ultimately a fine thing to happen because there is a diverse deck pool to choose from, and with many viable decks, more fun can be had.
For more competitive players, this can cause frustration because games that feel like they come down to a coin flip more often than not can leave a sour taste the more they occur. Either way, I like the meta at the moment, while I know others hate it. What do you think of the current meta game?