The Meditative Poker Player

The 2nd most favorited Black Widow deck on this site is the Il Emperatore concoction that can win while staying in alter-ego form all game. That was posted several months ago, and I thought I would give my update.

Why now? The answer is simple - Meditation. An awkward thing about the alter-ego strategy is that you almost never exhaust your identity to use a basic power. Recover is the only one available, but you are never getting attacked. Meditation gives us the busted ability of a 3-resource card attached to an additional cost this deck really doesn't mind paying.

Just like with the original deck, restricting yourself to alter ego all game makes this deck strictly less powerful than a deck that allows yourself to flip, but this game isn't always about doing the most powerful thing. It is a fun achievement to go for, and I think Natasha has about the best chance of doing it!

Some comments on card selection:

• Jack Flag, Quasar, Venom, Wraith: good allies that have come out since the original edition of the deck and are all upgrades from the allies Il Emperatore chose in my opinion. You will lean on allies heavily to deal damage to the villain, since Dance of Death and Black Widow's hero ability are off the table. I am also maximizing Meditation value here with only allies that cost 3 or more.

• Beat Cop: the key to handling problematic minions with big burst damage. A very satisfying card to play with Meditation.

• Spycraft: another key to the deck that will help you proactively answer encounter cards that you might otherwise have to be in hero form to deal with.

I look forward to seeing how tough a scenario this strategy can manage to take down!