X-23 Decks to Try on Day 1 and Strategy Guide: Knock, Knock! X-23 Is Here!

X-23 is the second Series 5 card for the August 2023 season Big In Japan. It is a 1-Cost, 2-Power card that reads “When this is discarded or destroyed, regenerate it at a random location and you get +1 Energy next turn.” Today, we will take a deeper look at the new Series 5 card and, of course, the best decks to try it out in.

Variants

X-23

When this is discarded or destroyed, regenerate it at a random location and you get +1 Energy next turn.

Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

view card details Start a deck Decks with X-23

Strengths and Weaknesses

X-23 is almost here, and this card may be the most hyped one of the season. It seems to provide access to multiple Psylocke-style effects for the Destroy archetype, which could be exploited for an early Nimrod, multiple Deadpools, or even a surprise Galactus? As a Destroy card, could she fall into the same trap as many before her and just be too easy to counter?

Variants

Carnage

On Reveal: Destroy your other cards here. +2 Power for each destroyed.

Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Carnage

Variants

Deadpool

When this is destroyed, return it to your hand with double the Power.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Deadpool

X-23 curves into the rest of the Destroy package really well. X-23 into Carnage or Bucky Barnes fits perfectly, and you can potentially start destroying her as early in the game as Turn 2. The initial investment of one energy can be easily made up by these decks, and you can fill the deck with cards that benefit from being destroyed. The issue comes when you’re searching a reason for all the work. If you don’t have cards in hard to take advantage of the energy, it may end up being a lot of effort for no advantage. The second problem (which is often overlooked) is the way she will fill a spot on the board. This could become an issue if she lands in an unfavorable spot, but it also represents a slot on the board that will usually only be two power.

Variants

Galactus

On Reveal: If you’re winning this location and this is your only card here, destroy all other locations.

Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Galactus

Variants

Nimrod

When this is destroyed, add a copy to each other location.

Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Nimrod

Galactus and Nimrod are two cards you could look to as payoffs for the extra energy. In particular, Nimrod on Turn 4 could be a significant game changer. An extra turn or two to multiply your power could, in theory, be unstoppable. The inclusion of these cards in your deck deals with the issue of having a pay off for your extra energy. Yes, there is an anti-synergy with Galactus since she takes up a board space, but the new Galactus doesn’t allow you to throw priority as easily and therefore isn’t as hurt by this as older versions.

Variants

Colleen Wing

On Reveal: Discard the lowest-cost card from your hand.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Colleen Wing

Variants

Hela

On Reveal: Resurrect all cards you discarded from your hand to random locations.

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Hela

Discard may not be an obvious use case for the card, but it can certainly make interesting use out of it. A discarded X-23 can help you play Dracula or MODOK a turn early, for example, and maybe even get under some cards that can ruin Discard’s day like Sandman and Wave. You can also try to combine the card with Hela. Why? Hela decks can run some higher cost cards that would be able to take advantage of the extra energy. The build may be very different from what we currently see as a Hela deck, but it might be a direction that gets totally overlooked at first. Why do I think it could be very strong? Well, this direction gets under two of X-23‘s main counter cards.

Variants

Cosmo

Ongoing: On Reveal abilities won’t happen at this location.

Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Cosmo

Variants

Armor

Ongoing: Cards at this location can’t be destroyed.

Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Armor

This is your weekly reminder that the Destroy decks have two hard counters that can be included in basically any deck. The strength of these two cards is what could potentially hold X-23 back. As a low powered 1-drop, you could easily lose priority when she is played – and this is great for these two counter cards. Therefore, we need to look at our builds with this in mind. Relying too much on the effect could lead to getting countered often.

Variants

Sera

Ongoing: Cards in your hand cost 1 less. (minimum 1)

Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

view card details Start a deck Decks with Sera

One direction that may be worth exploring with both Destroy and Discard is Sera. Can you use X-23 to put Sera down earlier and allow for even more cards to be played? The small Discard package with Daken can output high power scores already, and X-23 may be able to allow it to do that more consistently.

The Verdict

X-23 looks great on paper. Access to a way to cheat energy while destroying cards (which is what your deck wants to do) is extremely powerful. The cost is that you have to spend the energy in Destroy decks to get the effect, and it might be useless if the decks don’t actually need the extra energy at all. Discard decks look less hopeful, but they could be another way to utilize the effect without spending energy at all. One weakness that I think may be overlooked is that she will always take a spot on your board and provide only two power. This downside cannot be removed, but time will tell how often this lost spot impacts you negatively.

Even with this weakness and the potential hard counters, gaining an extra energy must be respected, and there are plenty of ways to envision this card making an impact. The potential is high here, but some caution is warranted as her fate is linked to the fate of Destroy (and maybe Discard) in the metagame.

Potential Score:

Destroy

X-23 Never Really Dies

Created by SafetyBlade

, updated 1 month ago

3

5x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

2x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

3x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

2x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

3.1

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

4

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

First up, it’s the the generic Destroy direction. Deadpool is your “payoff” for the extra energy X-23 can produce. The new Forge is here due to this, but you can also land Forge on Wolverine, Sabretooth, or X-23 to bank the power. The extra energy may also be the way to make Daken consistent in the Destroy deck, and it has excellent cross synergy with the rest of the Wolverine family.

I Can Stop The Rain

Created by SafetyBlade

, updated 1 month ago

3

4x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

6x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

1x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

2.8

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

3

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Sera may allow for some flexibility in Destroy that we haven’t seen so far. The goal here is to activate X-23 for a Turn 4 Sera, play several cards on Turn 5 (potentially bouncing back some of the Destroy effects), and then do it all again on Turn 6. Carnage is already an underrated bounce target, and Wolverine, X-23, and Deadpool each ensure you always have targets to for Carnage‘s effect.

Nimrod

Don’t Get It Twisted

Created by SafetyBlade

, updated 1 month ago

1

5x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

4x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

1x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

2x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

3.7

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

4.4

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

X-23 can be used to get Nimrod out earlier, and this might be the payoff needed for the effect to feel huge. This version is all in on Nimrod. Forge and Shuri are here as ways to buff Nimrod. Iron Lad is for more chances at your key cards on Turn 4 as well as lots and lots of destroy effects. X-23 is kind of out of place, though, as you may end up with the extra energy when you don’t need it. However, if you can activate her early enough and get Nimrod out on Turn 4, you have the chance to activate more destroy effects on Nimrod before the end of the game.

Forge Gon’ Give It To Ya

Created by SafetyBlade

, updated 1 month ago

1

5x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

3x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

1x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

2x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

3.8

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

5.5

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

The solution to the clunkiness of X-23 in the above build may be to drop Shuri and go for Forge into Nimrod. Then you can still go for ramp into Nimrod, activate lots of destroy effects, and include both Killmonger and Death.

Discard

Killmonger Can’t Hurt Me

Created by SafetyBlade

, updated 1 month ago

1

3x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

3x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

3x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

1x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

2x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

3.3

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

4.1

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Discard may find more use for the card than it first seems. Here you have two ways to activate the card: you can discard her with Colleen Wing and ramp into early plays like Dracula, or you can activate her with Killmonger if you need too. She isn’t the star here, and this may be greedy, but any way to play cards like MODOK a turn earlier to get under cards like Wave and Sandman is definitely something you want to do.

Go All Out

Created by SafetyBlade

, updated 1 month ago

1

3x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

3x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

5x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

2.3

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

2.7

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Sera Discard, with the inclusion of Daken, can already reach some impressive numbers. The inclusion of X-23 may improve the deck in a few key ways. First, its another early-game target for Colleen Wing. This allows her to be played earlier and potentially get Sera down early. Additionally, the deck can use Killmonger on Turn 3 to destroy her for energy, or even just destroy her as part of the final turn with Nova to regenerate on board with extra power. The rest of the game plan is pretty simple: play Sera and empty your hand (a plan that X-23 also synergizes with!).

Formerly Known As Hela

Created by SafetyBlade

, updated 1 month ago

0

2x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

3x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

6x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

1x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

4.1

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

5.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

Hela and Lockjaw may finally have enough tools! My goal here was to include cards that can benefit from the extra energy. This deck can include multiple 6-drops that you can try to ramp to with X-23, and you can cycle with Lockjaw to get more of them. You have a relatively small but powerful Discard package aimed at discarding X-23 or Swarm. If you get X-23 out early, Killmonger can reactivate the effect while potentially helping you clear the other side of the board.

Formerly Known As High Evolutionary

Created by SafetyBlade

, updated 1 month ago

0

2x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

6x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

2x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

1x Starter Card

3.5

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

5.3

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

For those who like High Evolutionary, this version fuses the above package with the High Evolutionary Lockjaw cards. Evolved Hulk and Evolved Wasp synergize perfectly with both the Discard and the Lockjaw packages. Evolved Wasp is a free roll on Lockjaw, and it clears out the cheapest card for Colleen Wing to hit what she needs to. Evolved Hulk is, well, The Hulk.

Thanos Destroy

Remember The Stonemasons

Created by SafetyBlade

, updated 1 month ago

0

4x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

3x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

2x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

2x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

3.6

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

4.2

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

If I was pushed to say what the most consistent way to play X-23 was, I would probably say Thanos. It always ends with Thanos. Why? You are very unlikely to waste any extra energy, which allows you to play her freely and destroy at will. The downside is filling a spot on your board consistently, and, much like Wolverine, you have to be careful not to let her derail your game plan. You have plenty of big cards to play with Knull, Thanos, and Nimrod, and you have room to include Wave if you want to.

Rabbit Out The Hat

Created by SafetyBlade

, updated 1 month ago

4

3x Collection Level 18-214 (Pool 1)

1x Collection Level 222-474 (Pool 2)

2x Collection Level 486+ (Pool 3)

2x Series 4 Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 4)

4x Series 5 Ultra Rare – Collection Level 486+ (Pool 5)

4.1

Cost

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

4.8

Power

0-
1
2
3
4
5+

This leads us to the end of the road. It’s time to do it again and bring the Big Bads together, this time courtesy of a build from den and Glazer. Here we have the Thanos and Destroy packages, which fit neatly together, as well as ways to get Galactus out as early as Turn 4 (if you’re wondering how, it’s X-23 before Turn 3 followed by the Time Stone and Carnage on Turn 3). Board space be damned, as Galactus is not your primary plan of attack; he’s just a complimentary high roll. Your aim should be to destroy cards everywhere, reduce the cost of Death, and play an early Nimrod whenever possible.

Closing Thoughts

X-23 looks to pack a lot of power into a 1-drop. Energy ramp is very strong, and this one seems to have minimal deck building cost for the decks that want her. The downside is real, though. She takes up a spot on your board, and she is easily telegraphed for counter cards. There is also the absolute requirement that you are running Destroy or Discard effects, so her fate will always remain linked to how strong these archetypes are in the meta. While she looks very strong, these strategies can fall flat. I recommend you proceed with some caution. Still, if one of the above strategies appeals to you, then she is likely going to be a great card for you.

Good Luck, Have Fun, and Stay Safe!

Video