Spider-Woman - Silky Smooth Encounters

"Hi. My name is Silk. You're all, uh... under arrest."

Hello again, friends! I've had this deck idea for over a year now, and I've finally put it together recently and wanted to share it. A few newer cards have enhanced the idea, but the general concept remains the same: Attack the meta in a way that other decks simply can't. Take it a step further. It's time to attack the Encounter deck. It's time to get Silky...

All Silked Up

Before we get comfortable, I want to expand on my intent here. Concepts like protecting heroes, threat control, damage, and minion slaying are easy to come by in many aspects with a wide array of heroes and decks often fulfill more than one of these roles. In fact, allies can achieve all of the above and are found in every aspect. So what does it truly mean to support a team that can already 'do it all' in multiplayer? The answer, I posit, is control. We must attack the Encounter deck itself, so strap in.

Cindy's Silky Sidekicks and Secrets

Leave the AoE minion slaying, the board-wide thwarting, and the bulky villain damage to your teammates. Zero in on that Encounter deck.

1. Silk is an amazing ally. She's 2-cost with the fantastic ability to search the entire encounter deck for any treachery card and discard it. Goodbye Shadow of the Past, Under Fire, or Advance. Yes, that card will cycle back into the deck when the encounter deck empties, but we've got the power to Regroup to keep playing her over and over, each time ripping another treachery out from the deck. Med Lab also offers an alternative way to regularly play her 'from your hand' for when you can't Regroup.

2. But this alone will not create the smooth encounter experience we are looking for. We can do better. So here's Spider-Man Noir who comes on the scene and can slowly absorb up to 3 treacheries that you reveal. Yes, that you means that you can't steal these things from your teammates' activations, but it's still pretty nice. So now when you deal with a treachery you don't want to see again in the early phases of the game, you can keep them tucked safely away so you don't have to deal with them during the game's final push. The more treacheries we trash, the more minions and side schemes are going to come out, and our teammates are well equipped to handle these things.

3. Due to a more recent release, there's even more to unpack for this strategy. Enter Gambit. Our little Thief here can steal any encounter card, not just a treachery. This could be Universal Weapon, Advanced Glider, or Magnetic Mayhem. Yes, it's not easy to control, but you might get lucky. If not, he makes a great blocker and can Regroup back to your hand, or you can see him in the next deck pass.

4. Black Widow also makes an appearance here because she can stop any bad card from coming out at the wrong time and cycle it to get another. This isn't limited to treacheries and isn't limited to your revealed encounter cards. You can turn away side schemes if threat is a problem in favor of a treachery, or trade that brutal untimely attachment for perhaps a more favorable minion. Finesse helps pay her fee too.

5. Let's talk about a pair of 'bad' cards with Eternity and The Gardener. I don't normally use these cards, but they help dilute the encounter deck with potentially useful effects. Since we're dog piling on the Encounter deck, I think they work, even if they are a little unreliable.

6. Rounding out our assault on the encounter deck in an attempt to create a silky smooth encounter experience, we have Spider-Tingle. This is another card limited to your encounter reveals and honestly, it is a complete gamble. It is also anti-synergistic with Silk trashing treacheries. But realistically, there could still be plenty of treacheries coming your way, so in the event you guess right, it's really nice. Worst case, you can play it out and it becomes fodder for Caught Off Guard and is a fairly cheap trigger for Superhuman Agility. You can also target Spider-Man Noir and heal him up with Med Team in a pinch.

7. The outliers of this deck are the likes of Squirrel Girl, Maria Hill and Cyclops. They're great all-around allies that can help you further support your team and even push through the final stage of a villain. They Regroup well too. Depending on your situation and your teammates, which may be Cyclops, Maria Hill, and possibly a future Squirrel Girl hero, feel free to sub them out. Kid Omega and Kaluu are great options.

PSS - Post Silk Script

So that's pretty much it. Bring the fight to the encounter deck in multiplayer and truly support your team in a unique way. At least for now. The future of Justice looks promising on this front, so we'll see how that shakes out.

Please note that is is also important that before piloting this deck, you should do some homework on the Encounter deck. Get familiar with the worst treacheries from each villain and modular set. The more knowledgeable you are, the more time you're going to save at the table when you get to trash those treacheries and create that Silky Smooth Encounter experience.

I hope you can give this deck a shot in multiplayer and if you do, let me know in the comments below how it went. Stay Silky!

Peace.