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Welcome back to our new weekly series Cache-ing In! Each week, we break down what cards will be available in the new Spotlight Caches, as well as the Spotlight Variants! The goal is to help you determine if you should “Cache in” for the content, or hoard for a better week.
Spotlight Cache Week of July 16, 2024
This week, the featured cards will be the new Series 5 card Ajax, as well as the return of Series 4 card Darkhawk and Series 5 card Beta Ray Bill!
Please note that Ajax has been buffed to [5/7] after the patch. For more information, read the corresponding news update.
Ajax
Decks with Ajax
It’s already week 2 of this Deadpool themed season, and who better than to headline as the new card than Ajax! This card is a 5-Cost, 7-Power card with the ability “Ongoing: +1 Power for each card in play afflicted with negative Power.” This card was announced as a 5/5, but has had a last minute buff to a [5/7] according to Developers. The text also states he gains power for each card in play, meaning your own negative Power cards will count towards Ajax.
Ajax is a bit hard to predict, but he has some interesting usages. Negative Power decks have all but disappeared from the meta, with only High Evolutionary utilizing the minus Power abilities. The existence of Luke Cage as an already popular card makes Ajax have a difficult time being useful. With that said, I think there could be some interesting applications for him.
Possible Meta Deck for Ajax
CanadianAlfredo
Toxic Sera is an already playable deck, and Ajax gives the deck an alternate way to create a massive card. Typically, the deck relies on 3-Cost cards and Surfer for Power, or using Hazmat and Luke Cage to lower your opponent’s Power. This deck lowers it’s requirement for Surfer and gives a new big card that can be played alongside Hazmat.
Sera allows you to play Hazmat and Ajax on turn 6 for a surprise attack on your opponent’s Power. By saving that combo until the end, you may hide the need for your opponent to play Luke Cage, as well as maximize targets you hit. Even without Sera, Magik‘s extra turn lets you play both cards without a need for discounts.
Low Collection Level Deck
CanadianAlfredo
Ajax is a tricky card to get value from at a low Collection Level. With that said, Spider-Woman and Scorpion both give you enough value to make him work. This deck really shows the importance of planning your play lines for newer players. If you draw your Scorpion and have Ajax, plan on using that combo if you draw Spider-Woman.
If you don’t, pivot the plan and focus on playing your Ongoing cards and win with a Spectrum or Onslaught combo. Since Ajax is an Ongoing card, he also gets the buff from Spectrum or can double his bonus Power with Onslaught!
Fun Ajax Deck
CanadianAlfredo
This High Evolutionary list goes all in on toxicity. Since this deck doesn’t play many cards, you don’t worry about Luke Cage. Instead you embrace the hit Hazmat might give and maximize Ajax‘s Power. That negative Power works perfectly with evolved cards, and can help you lower Abomination‘s Cost. Moon Girl lets you multiple your key cards. This can give you 2 Ajax, as well as an extra She-Hulk and Abomination. If you don’t draw the toxic cards in your deck, you play a classic High Evolutionary list with energy skipping and finish with a big Hulk!
Overall, I think Ajax will be an okay card. My biggest worry for the card is seeing the balance team buffing him last minute. A 2-Power buff is significant, so if he needed that buff days before release, he must have been fairly underwhelming in their tests. Gaining that extra Power does make him more viable, but with Luke Cage being a good, easy to include card, it’s hard to predict how this card will play out.
Check out our strategy guide and more decklists on this new card!
Darkhawk
Decks with Darkhawk
Joining as the second 5-Cost card this week is the return of Darkhawk! Despite a nerf to 5-Cost, Darkhawk has withstood the test of time. Even without his high usage countering Arishem, his decks are very competitive even now. You will often see Darkhawk paired with Korg, Rockslide, and Black Widow to make your opponent’s deck as large as possible.
PulseGlazer
This deck combines the Darkhawk package with the Kitty Pryde package to give you 2 clear lines of play. Ravonna Renslayer also gives you additional flexibility in a number of ways. She helps ensure you can play 2 cards per turn for Thena procs. She also lets you have access to play Mystique and Iron Man on the final turn for massive Power swings! The Darkhawk route in this deck acts as a disruption tool with a payoff card, while the Kitty route focuses on building raw Power.
Developers once commented that Darkhawk is simply a good card, and that statement has held true for well over a year. If you don’t have him in your collection, now is a great time to pick him up. He is only 3k tokens though, making him a viable option for buying outright.
Beta Ray Bill
Decks with Beta Ray Bill
Closing the week out is Beta Ray Bill! This card is more of a fun combo card than anything else. He isn’t particularly bad, he just suffers the necessity of drawing Stormbreaker to have good stats. Even if you draw the hammer, you lose out on another draw you would have had. He pairs great with the Thor and Jane Foster Mighty Thor package, but the combo has difficulties consistently working out.
PulseGlazer
With that said, that combo is still incredibly satisfying to pull off. Especially so when Odin is able to retrigger each of your hammers! This deck focuses on getting maximum value from your Jane Foster, 0-Cost combos. While Pixie won’t adjust the costs of your hammers, she will swap your other cards with Wasp and Yellowjacket. This allows you to pull not only your hammers with Jane Foster Mighty Thor, but also any 0-Cost Pixie shuffled around. This could mean getting a free Odin or Doom to play on the final turn! Like most Beta Ray decks, this list isn’t particularly competitive. It’s more of a fun meme deck that you can use to pull of incredible combos for a good batch of fun.
I don’t find Beta Ray Bill to be particularly worth the 6k tokens he costs. He doesn’t create any new archetypes and his best decks aren’t consistent enough to be meta. With that said, the card still is incredibly fun when he works.
Spotlight Variants
If you already own the cards the Spotlight Cache offers, one of these variants will take its place! If you own none of the cards, the variants will appear after you open all four caches. Spotlight variants are time exclusive to their release week, and will only be available after 1 full year of time has passed.
After the year, they will be available for purchase, though no mention of cost yet. So if any of these Spotlight variants feel like a must have for you, make sure to Cache In if you have enough caches saved to guarantee the pull.
As this month’s featured artist, PANDART STUDIO releases their Ajax variant this week!
While it is no 3x value variant, this Darkhawk variant is by Philip Tan, who has a limited number of highly sought after variants.
Speaking of limited variants, this Beta Ray Bill variant is a one off from artist Chase Conley, making it a more unique collectible.
Should I Cache In?
This week resumes the standard value of two Series 5 cards and one Series 4 card. Darkhawk is the strongest card of the set, holding the championship belt for longest meta relevant card. Beta Ray Bill is a fun card, but definitely not a great card. Ajax has some interesting elements, his strength is a bit hard to predict.
My recommendation this week is to Hoard Your Caches. With your best card at a Series 3, and Ajax a bit unclear on strength, I think this is a safe hoard week. With developers even making last minute buffs to him, it seems like even they are worried he is too weak. With multiple weeks coming up with all Series 5 cards, this week just doesn’t present enough value to use your resources.
Wrap Up
Do you think Ajax will be a good card? Will you be Cache-ing In this week? Let us know in the comments! For the full schedule, check out our guide below:
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