Ghost-Spider - Perfect Defense Evergreen

Perfect Defense Archetype for Ghost-Spider. Flip to hero and stay there. Take on any villain and scenario. Sideboard to swap in cards for when you want a slightly different play style.

Perfect Defense

An archetype where you can defend with beefed up defense stat or prevent damage so that the villain does not deal damage to the hero. You can get powerful effects from successfully taking no damage. Not Today! will remove 2 threat, Riposte will deal 3 damage, Never Back Down will stun the enemy and Unflappable will draw a card. Best offense is a good defense.

Gwen fits into the perfect defense play style nicely. She has 3 DEF base state and readies once per phase after she resolves an interrupt/response. She consistently hits 5 DEF and readies after playing the defense cards in the deck. She can defend multiple times in the villain phase or be ready for the player phase to get more value from attacking and thwarting.

Armored Vest and Defense Specialist boost your base defense to 5. Specialized Training is a wonderful side scheme for her in solo because one Phantom Flip clears the PSS. Electrostatic Armor and Flow Like Water help end the game through backlash damage.

Mulligan

Web-Bracelet. Her best resource generator. She wants resources in the form of card draw. Plays into what she wants to do which is cycle through the deck quickly and draw into more of her events. Play one as soon as possible.

Unflappable and Specialized Training. Alternative to Bracelet. Cheap 1 cost cards that generate a card draw.

George Stacy is a great resource generator. He stores cards until you need them. Playing it early is risky because your obligation can take him out and waste every card attached to him.

Upgrades

Specialized Training.Choose Defense Specialist as this is Armored Vest and Unflappable in one. Combat Specialist is the better option against the less aggressive scenarios as you'll be able to get attack twice during the player phase. Phantom Flip clears this scheme easily.

Electrostatic Armor and [Flow Like Water](/card/26016 are the late game upgrades. At the end of the game, you will be melting the villain with pseudo retaliate damage.

Ticket to the Multiverse. This upgrade I use mostly as a double resource early and put it back in the deck with the alter ego ability. Best to use towards the end of the first deck cycle to avoid an encounter card from running out of cards, and get an extra turn.

Defense

+2 DEF cards like Never Back Down, Not Today!, and Riposte all increase DEF and you get additional effects if you don’t take damage. Ghost-Spider's has base 3 DEF stat and can increase it by 2 with Armored Vest and Defense Specialist. Early on, play multiple of the defense cards to make sure you don't take damage. Late game, you have flexibility on which and how many of these cards you can play. Flow Like Water will deal a point of damage for each defense event you play.

Damage

Ghost Kick deals 6 damage and triggers Dizzying Reflexes. Use during the player phase to get 2 attacks for a 10 damage combo. For simpler scenarios, prioritize Riposte during the villain phase to deal 3 damage, then Ghost-Kick during the player phase to burst the villain down. One cycle of the deck will be 39 damage between all 3 Riposte and Ghost Kicks. Can deal more damage if you choose the Combat Specialist upgrade.

Unconventional Damage.

Pirouette and Punch can be used with any encounter card to "when revealed" effects; even on side schemes and minions. Deals damage based on boost icons regardless of whether a "when revealed" effect is canceled. Can use on 3 boost icon cards for 4 damage; not best use but an option to keep in mind. Web Binding deals 4 damage to minions when you cancel their activation. Use Web Binding to knock out minions.

Allies

The ally package is for harder scenarios where you need the extra activations or utility.

SP//dr. You can loop SP//dr by having her thwart and attack. Web of Life and Destiny helps to pay for her every turn. Use her in scenarios that require heavy thwarting. SP//dr loop is also a pseduo resource generator. SP//dr bounce to hand and card draw from Web of LnD means +2 effective resources in hand. Can use to play an upgrade or other ally if needed.

Silk. Great ally to play to snipe the especially nasty encounter cards. Under Fire and Exhaustion are the best targets. Surge can't be canceled, so removing these cards is great value. They have high boost values so taking them out also helps with our defense. Exhaustion is especially hurtful for Ghost-Spider because she needs to use a basic action to make use of Ghost Kick and Phantom Flip. Shadow of the Past is not a problem; Ghost-Spider's nemesis set is relatively tame.

Spider-UK is a fun ally. He can help take out minions if needed. His interrupt deals damage to minions before the minions deal damage. He can deal up to 5 damage with each defense; deal 1 damage per web-warrior card - Ghost-Spider, Spider-UK, SP//dr, Silk and Web of Life and Destiny. He can take out the majority of minions before they deal damage to him.

Thwarting

Phantom Flip is a great thwarting event. Can always play this card after a defense for major thwarting from a side scheme or the main. You do not flip to AE with this deck so the main generally only increases by one each turn. Phantom Flip can undo several turns of acceleration. For those scenarios where you may need to flip to AE, Phantom Flip will likely remove all threat from the main allowing for as safe flip to AE.

Not Today! is a great threat removal option. 2 threat removal from any scheme keeps the main under control since you won't have to flip to AE and can make progress on side schemes. Not Today is a defense event so it bypasses Patrol keyword. Allies can also be primarily for thwarting if needed.

Healing

First Aid and "Come Get Me, Bub!" are in the deck to undo any damage that may accumulate from additional attacks from Assault or Gang-Up, or from minion swarms or indirect damage sources.

The Night Nurse. Mainly used to knock off stun and confuse. Stuns and confuse hamper Ghost-Spider because she cannot play her Ghost Kick and Phantom Flip when her basic action is canceled.

Sideboard

Fun part of the deck is alterability. Can swap in cards to adjust to different scenarios.

Change of Fortune. For minion heavy scenarios. Easy way to knock out minions during the villain phase and draw a card. Ghost Kick and Web Binding are inherent ways of taking out minions, but you can also use some of the other sideboard cards to take them out.

Desperate Defense. For stalwart scenarios instead of Never Back Down. May need the readies to protect instead of using stun.

Side Step and Subdue. Protects yourself without exhausting. Subdue and Sidestep better than Never Back Down in stalwart scenarios.

Preservation. Fun resource to add for scenarios where the villains have higher attack stat or additional activations. The villains can chip you down, so a heal for spending Preservation goes a long way to keep you safe.

Return the Favor. Decent card for damage. Combo with Spider-Tingle or Pirouette and Punch to cancel the treachery.

Spider-Tingle. For scenarios with especially nasty encounters. Need to balance with healing to manage HP. Can combo with Return the Favor.

Thwip Thwip!. For the thematic web-warrior trait. Best for steady villain scenarios.

Hard to Ignore. For the scenarios with low or funky main scheme thresholds. Thanos and Loki can go long so the main will accumulate acceleration tokens or can place threat on the main through card effects. Passive threat removal helps with tempo and avoids losses due to villain scheming.

Bait and Switch. For games when you may need more thwarting similar to Hard to Ignore. Better with weak attack villains.

Containment Strategy. For side scheme heavy scenarios. You can help to thwart by defending and taking no damage. This card feels great and burns through side schemes.

Ready for a Fight and Astonishing X-Men Use as a loss mitigation against an untimely Advance.

Gwenom. Symbiote Suit and Counter-Punch to hit more damage. Choose Combat Specialist to hit higher attack stat. Focus on being ready to make sure you can Ghost Kick combo.