Introduction

Groot is a hero that revolves around tempo and preparation rather than immediate power. The most consistent way for him to generate growth counters is while being in alter-ego form, which naturally implies that threat will accumulate during those turns. Because of this, the deck is designed to provide enough support to manage threat effectively while Groot is preparing himself.

The core idea of the deck is to alternate deliberately between alter-ego and hero form, using each identity for a specific purpose. Alter-ego turns are mainly used to generate growth counters and execute alter-ego actions, while hero turns are used to act and absorb early pressure from the villain. In both identities there will be cards that contribute to building the board, so Groot doesn’t need to stay in one specific form to keep preparing his setup.

These growth counters are not meant to be hoarded, but to enable safe transitions into hero form. Once flipped, Groot can withstand early attacks long enough to start performing meaningful hero actions without being immediately overwhelmed, without the need to exhaust himself defending.

The goal is neither to remain in alter ego for extended periods nor to rush into hero form unprepared. Instead, the deck encourages a steady rhythm: refuel in alter ego, act in hero form. Patience is important, but not passivity; Groot only needs enough preparation to survive the early turns while his board comes together. From there, he can gradually take control and shift into a more aggressive role to finish the game.

Core cards and why

The core of this deck is built to support Groot’s alternating playstyle between alter-ego and hero form, ensuring that preparation turns are productive and that hero turns are sustainable.

Meditation and Beat Cop are the foundation of the deck. Meditation makes alter-ego turns productive, letting Groot play expensive cards like Beat Cop instead of simply waiting to grow. Beat Cop balances this by keeping threat under control while Groot prepares, working reliably in either form; though not its main purpose, it can also finish off tough minions when needed. Together, they ensure that every turn—hero or alter-ego—contributes to progress.

Under Surveillance further reinforces this threat-management plan, extending the margin of error during identity switches and allowing Groot to alternate forms more freely. This card is especially valuable in scenarios where a single poorly timed flip could otherwise end the game.

To support the deck’s economy, Deft Focus and Helicarrier are included as flexible cost-reduction tools (the former is a must have as most of Groot's cards are superpowers). Groot relies heavily on events and repeated activations, and reducing the cost of key plays helps smooth out turns where resources would otherwise be tight.

Finally, the three double-resource cards (Energy, Genius, and Strength) are a must-have in (almost) every deck.

In summary, the core cards of the deck are focused on three goals: making alter-ego turns efficient, controlling threat while preparing, and ensuring smooth resource management. Meditation and Beat Cop define how the deck functions, while the remaining core cards exist to support and stabilize that game plan:

• 3 x Meditation
• 3 x Beat Cop
• 1 x Deft Focus
• 1 x Helicarrier
• 1 x Under Surveillance
• 1 x Genius
• 1 x Energy
• 1 x Strength

A total amount of 12 (these ones) + 15 (Groot's) = 27.

Rest of the deck and why

Regarding allies, since the deck does not include Justice-specific double-resource cards, expensive Justice allies are generally avoided. Basic allies are usually preferred, as they are easier to play without straining the deck’s economy.

Guardian allies such as Rocket Raccoon and Gamora have excellent synergy with Groot. Rocket Raccoon pairs especially well with Groot to deal with high-health minions (at least 6 damage), and even in scenarios with few minions their combined attack can take down the arch-nemesis Furnax, while Gamora provides valuable access to key events. However, they come with an important drawback: they cannot be played while Groot is in alter ego (as in alter ego he is not considered to be a Guardian of the Galaxy), and Meditation can only be used in that form.

Quake is an excellent inclusion, especially for turns spent in alter ego. She provides efficient and immediate threat control without requiring Groot to be in hero form, making her a natural fit for the deck’s rhythm.

Nick Fury needs little explanation. The sheer amount of value he provides makes him worth including, especially considering that he can be paid using Meditation. Ideally, he should be played on a turn when an attack is expected, allowing him to absorb a heavy hit before leaving play.

Mockingbird provides control at critical moments, helping protect Groot’s growth counters during vulnerable turns. However, if the villain is resistant to Stun or Confusion, replacing her with another ally—such as Spider-Man—is often a better option.

For threat removal, Lay Down the Law is the default choice, as it fits naturally with Groot’s frequent identity changes.

"Think Fast!" deserves special mention. Although this deck is not meant to be a pure control deck, this card fits Groot particularly well. Groot can often afford the cost without sacrificing tempo, and Confusion effects greatly facilitate identity switching while protecting growth counters. That said, the same mentioned with Mockingbird also applies here: if the villain has any kind of immunity or resistance to Confusion, this card should be the first one to be cut.

Disguise also matches perfectly with how this deck works. It allows you to remove even more threat than Groot can normally handle, and it does so even while in alter ego.

Finally, Plan B fills the role of a flexible, low-impact support card. It is particularly useful in turns where hand management becomes awkward, or when a card needs to be discarded without much consequence. It also serves as a safe sacrifice if an upgrade must be discarded by an encounter effect, making it more useful than it may initially appear.

Overall, these cards provide adaptability without straying from the deck’s main philosophy: efficient preparation, controlled identity switching, and steady progression toward closing out the game.

Useful cards

This section highlights several cards that are not part of the default configuration of the deck, but can be valuable replacements depending on the scenario, the villain, or the desired playstyle.

The threat-removal slot occupied by Lay Down the Law is intentionally flexible. While it fits naturally with Groot’s frequent identity switching, it can easily be replaced by other Justice alternatives such as For Justice!, Multitasking, or Clear the Area. The choice largely depends on personal preference and on how much burst threat removal or card draw is needed in a particular scenario.

If the intention is to adopt a more aggressive approach and focus on defeating the villain as quickly as possible, Drax can be a solid alternative ally. In this case, he usually replaces more control-oriented options such as Mockingbird (or Spider-Man). But remember that you can only play him while in hero form.

On the other hand, in scenarios where you expect a steady flow of side schemes, Jessica Jones is an excellent alternative ally. Once again, Mockingbird (or Spider-Man) is usually the best candidate to replace her.

Similarly, if the villain has any kind of immunity or resistance to Confusion, the three copies of "Think Fast!" lose much of their value and should be removed from the deck. When following a more aggressive game plan in these situations, those slots can be effectively replaced by damage-focused events such as Pulse Grenade (which can also be paid with Meditation if needed), allowing Groot to convert tempo into direct pressure on the villain instead of control.

These substitutions do not change the core philosophy of the deck, but they allow it to be tuned toward either greater control or greater aggression depending on the demands of the scenario.

Gameplay

Initial hand & mulligan strategy

There is no fixed must-have card in the opening hand, as mulligan decisions depend heavily on the scenario. For example, if the villain starts with a minion in play, looking for a Root Stomp can be an efficient way to remove it immediately. Likewise, if the scenario begins with threat already on the main scheme, prioritizing Lay Down the Law can prevent an early loss of control.

When in doubt, looking for Fertile Ground, Meditation together with Beat Cop, or Helicarrier is never a bad choice. These cards help establish your economy and start building the board from the very first turns. Unless the scenario explicitly demands it, upgrades that increase Groot’s basic stats (Entangling Vines, Lashing Vines, Vine Shield, Vine Spikes) are not an early priority and can safely be delayed until the board is more stable.

Early game

Alter-ego turns are used to generate growth counters and set up the board, while hero turns are used to absorb early attacks and prevent the game from spiraling out of control.

Growth counters are especially important at this stage. They allow Groot to remain in hero form without exhausting to defend, letting him perform actions while still being protected. The goal is not to stockpile counters, but to have enough to survive the first attacks while the board is coming together.

Some threat accumulation during this phase is expected. The deck is built to tolerate this initial pressure while preparations are underway.

Mid game

Once a basic setup is established—typically when the three Beat Cops are in play—the deck enters its most stable phase.

This is where the alternating rhythm becomes most important. Switching identities should feel natural rather than forced. If Groot needs resources or growth counters, alter ego is the correct choice. If pressure needs to be applied or the board needs to be stabilized, hero form takes priority.

 Late game

In the late game, Groot should have enough resources and upgrades in play to wait for the right moment to finish the villain. This is where "I. AM. GROOT!". Combined with low-cost Root Stomp (thanks to Helicarrier and Deft Focus) and Groot’s ability to deal up to 6 damage on his own (Vine Spikes plus Lashing Vines), he can deliver a decisive burst of damage. And do not underestimate your allies at this point!

Whenever possible, avoid using attack upgrades before playing "I. AM. GROOT!", as preserving them maximizes its impact. With proper timing, this sequence is often enough to take down even the toughest enemies.

Final notes

Do not rush upgrades or actions that do not immediately contribute to stability. It is often better to delay certain plays until they can be made safely and efficiently.

And don’t forget that, when needed, just as "I. AM. GROOT!" can hit hard, "I am Groot" can also clear a significant amount of threat in a single action, giving you another way to regain control of the board when things get tense.

Above all, remember that this deck rewards measured decisions. Groot does not need explosive turns to win; he needs consistent ones. As long as each turn contributes to either preparation or control, the deck will naturally transition from defense to offense and eventually overwhelm the villain.

Strategy in specific scenarios

While the deck is designed to be flexible, certain scenarios require specific adjustments and a clear plan from the very beginning. Below are some notes on how to approach a few common villains with Groot Justice in expert mode.

Drang

Against Drang, Groot performs very well. Thanks to growth counters, Drang's Spear is usually not a major problem, as Groot can absorb his attacks without exhausting. The main thing to watch out for is timing: make sure you have enough growth counters ready when the Badoon Ship is about to fire, as you may need to tank both the ship’s damage and Drang’s attack in the same round.

This is a matchup where you can play more aggressively than usual. Drang himself is relatively fragile, and most of his minions are not especially threatening. In true solo, threat is easier to manage thanks to the Milano.

Since Drang with his spear resists Confusion and Stun effects, this is a good matchup to optimize the deck. If desired, the three copies of "Think Fast!" can be replaced with more aggressive options such as Pulse Grenade, and Mockingbird can be swapped for Spider-Man. That said, even with these cards left in the deck, Groot can handle the scenario without major issues.

Be especially careful when advancing to stage 2 of the main scheme, as it starts at 50% of its threshold. If Drang is already in his final stage and Groot flips to alter ego at the wrong moment, the game can be lost very quickly.

Escape the museum

This scenario fits this deck extremely well. This is a scenario where removing threat is the real objective, while dealing damage to the villain is largely secondary. Although many encounter cards can confuse you, this is very manageable thanks to the Beat Cop, which helps keep threat under control even when Groot is disabled.

In the openin hand look for a way to remove the initial threat: Lay Down the Law, Entangling Vines, Nick Fury, Under Surveillance.

Although it may be tempting to advance quickly from stage 1, it is important to have at least a minimal board set up beforehand. In stage 2, the main scheme starts only 4 threat away from defeat, and the villain already contributes 4 threat by default. Because of this, you should only advance if, before ending your turn, you have enough tools available to reduce threat immediately. Both in phase 1 and 2, unless strictly necessary, avoid using the environment’s threat-removal ability.

Once in stage 2, the scenario becomes more comfortable. You gain access to the Milano’s extra resource without having to deal with its associated encounter cards.

Advance to stage 3 only when you are capable of removing 8 threat in that same round, which is the amount present at the start of that phase. If, at the moment of advancing, there are 5 or fewer threat, do not hesitate to remove it with the environment’s threat-removal ability in exchange for an encounter card—you will never have to suffer its effects anyway. From this point on, it is often a good strategy to hold a copy of "I am Groot" between rounds and use it once you have accumulated a solid amount of growth counters (just make sure that, combined with your ready allies, the available Beat Cop, and/or your thwarting capability, you will be able to remove those 8 points of threat).

Despite all of the above, it is still important to play Vine Spikes as soon as possible, in order to deal efficiently with minions as they appear.

Attacking the villain should generally be a low priority, and only done when Groot has no more meaningful actions available.

Infiltrate the museum

For this scenario, it is strongly recommended to remove as many cards as possible that are discarded from play (allies, upgrades with counters, etc.). Sacrificing cards too freely is heavily punished. The only ally that fits reasonably well is Mockingbird, exclusively because of her stun effect.

Even with an ad-hoc deck, the win rate for this scenario can be quite low, at least when playing Groot.

Among the encounter cards in this scenario, there are several that, if drawn at the wrong moment—especially far from the final stages of the game—can almost guarantee a loss. This is mainly because they require paying with specific resources you may not have, or because they force you to exhaust your identity, preventing you from dealing with other urgent problems such as cleaning the Collection, removing Confuse in order to thwart with a card, or dealing with a dangerous minion. Particularly problematic cards include:

• Shadow of the Past: introduces two new threats at once that you do not want to keep in play for long, and when defeated they go directly to the Collection.
• Vandarian Power Stone: receiving two encounter cards per round for several turns can be devastating in this scenario.
• Monarch Starstalker: dealing with an additional villain-like enemy while already under heavy pressure is extremely taxing; minions with Infamous are always a serious problem here.
• The Poison: although Groot can endure it for a couple of rounds, sooner or later it must be removed, which requires paying valuable resources and sending it to the Collection.
• Cloak of Hercules: similar to The Poison; Groot can survive it briefly, but removing it requires specific resources and sends yet another card to the Collection.

Taking all this into account, the main strategy is to play more aggressively than usual while heavily prioritizing cards that can Confuse and/or Stun the villain. With this in mind, a deck specifically tailored for this scenario has been built from scratch:

• Threat management
  3xClear the Area, 3xMultitasking & 1xUnder Surveillance. In this scenario Psionic Ghost can confuse you, which makes Lay Down the Law unreliable; it is entirely possible to be in alter ego, ready to use it, but unable to do so because you must first deal with Confuse.
• Stun and lock
  3xUpside the Head, 3xConcussive Blow, 3x"Think Fast!" & 1xMockingbird. The goal is to maximize the chances of disabling the villain. Keep in mind that Upside the Head requires your hero to be ready and able to attack the villain, so watch out for Servant Bot.
• Damage
  3xScare Tactic & Float Like a Butterfly. The former synergizes perfectly with keeping the villain confused, while the second one provides extra value whenever the villain is attacked, either with an event or a basic attack.
• Utility
  1xCrew Quarters. Many actions in this scenario require exhausting your hero, so healing is not always something you want to spend an activation on. This upgrade guarantees at least 2 points of healing across identity switches.

Keep in mind that, although ideally the Collection should be kept as low as possible, priorities can—and often will—change every round.

During setup, Groot can safely take the 3 initial damage instead of placing an additional card in the Collection. For the opening hand, look for ways to deal with the initial threat (Multitasking, Clear the Area, Entangling Vines); if possible, look also for a double resource, and/or Vine Spikes. If Fruition appears in your initial hand, do not underestimate its value in protecting you from the villain’s initial attack.

The general plan is to pay Collection costs with double resources whenever possible. If that is not an option, you will need to use Groot activation or pay with 2 cards, but using Groot's activation means you will need thread removal cards instead of Entangling Vines.

Regarding minions, especially during the first stage of the villain, it may be acceptable to ignore a single one for a round, but they should be removed as soon as possible. Allowing multiple minions to remain in play quickly becomes overwhelming, particularly because defeating them sends additional cards to the Collection. If at any point you are forced to defeat two minions in the same round, that already means two more cards going to the Collection—three if any of them has an attached upgrade. In the final stage of the villain, it may be correct to evaluate whether a finishing push is possible while leaving minions in play.

• Servant Bot: a mandatory target, as it prevents you from interacting with both the villain and the main scheme.
• Psionic Ghost: extremely annoying in both hero and alter ego form. Two of them in play can add 5 threat per round even if the villain is confused (4 from them, plus 1 added at the beginnin of the villain phase), which can easily result in an automatic loss. The good news is that they can be removed with a single Root Stomp or a basic attack boosted by Vine Spikes.
• Starshark: generally the least problematic minion, as long as you can absorb its 3 damage. In alter ego, it is usually manageable.

After the initial rounds, the Lashing Vines upgrade becomes especially valuable, as it allows Groot to remove a card from the Collection and still perform another meaningful action. When advancing to the final stage of the villain, try to do so with the Collection as empty as possible.

Klaw

Against Klaw, the main objective in the early turns is to remove a key problem immediately. This usually means:

• clearing one of the side schemes, or
• eliminating the initial minion if it is poweful (such as any Master of Evil).

 Nebula

In this scenario, Groot starts at a clear disadvantage. Heroes with a base attack of 3 (or a consistent way to reach it) shine here, as they can either take the Power Stone from Nebula or defeat a Pirate Lackey in a single action (this scenario contains only five minions, four of which have 3 hit points). Although Groot can upgrade his basic attack to 4, doing so requires growth counters, and in this scenario you will not be able to switch to alter ego frequently enough to refill them safely. This makes allies especially important for absorbing attacks and keeping those tokens safe.

Resource pressure is the second major drawback. Except for round 1, you should assume that almost every round the Milano will be used, together with 1–2 valuable resources to remove evasion counters from Nebula's Ship. Failing to do so quickly results in overwhelming tempo loss. Because of this, resource management becomes one of the highest priorities in the matchup, and cards that generate resources or save you resources gain even more importance than usual. In addition, there is one particularly dangerous card in this scenario: Rogue Vessel; this environment forces you to use the Milano and two resources to remove it, which is both extremely costly and very difficult to time correctly. If it appears at the wrong moment, it can easily disrupt your entire game plan.

The third major problem is how fast the encounter deck can empty. Not only does this scenario include multiple surge effects, but it also contains several treacheries and side schemes that force you to discard encounter cards until a certain condition is met. In some cases, these effects can chain into additional surges, which may then trigger even more encounter discards. As a result, you should expect the encounter deck to cycle extremely quickly, accelerating the scenario and leaving little room for slow, methodical setup. This is not a matchup where you can afford to play patiently and build your board at a relaxed pace.

Taking all of this into account, a scenario-specific configuration is strongly recommended:

• Resource management becomes paramount, making Helicarrier, Deft Focus, Enhanced Awareness (as mental resource synergizes with several of your threat-removal cards), Enhanced Physique (which can also enable additional Blade activations) particularly valuable.
• Lock effects are also crucial, as Stun and Confuse often create the only safe windows to flip to alter ego and regenerate growth counters, 3x "Think Fast!" and Mockingbird are therefore extremely valuable.
• For threat removal, the most efficient tools are 2x Clear the Area, which provides card draw, a very valuable resource in this scenario, and 3xMultitasking, since many of Nebula’s side schemes enter play with only 2 threat, allowing you to clear them and still remove threat from the main scheme. Under Surveillance can also be useful, as it sometimes creates rare opportunities to switch forms safely when both threat and evasion counters are low.
• Cheap allies such as Wiccan, Eros, Quake, Blade, Cypher, Ironheart and Cosmo, along with Nick Fury, are essential for chump blocking and early tempo stabilization
• The three double-resource cards remain mandatory.

Regarding the opening hand, the main objective is to steal the Power Stone as quickly as possible and retain it by using cheap allies to absorb Nebula’s attacks. Ideally, you should look for Vine Spikes or Root Stomp, together with at least one ally. A resource generator is also an excellent bonus, as it accelerates your economy in a scenario where resources are constantly under pressure.

During gameplay, flipping to alter ego while Nebula is active is extremely risky, especially if she is holding the Power Stone or if evasion counters are already present on her ship. As a result, identity switching should almost exclusively occur while Nebula is confused. Even then, timing is critical: ideally, she should be confused on the same turn that you flip, as one of her technique upgrades grants her Stalwart, which can immediately remove Confuse and punish your tempo loss. Because of the constant resource drain, assembling a full board is significantly harder than usual, so Enhanced Awareness and Enhanced Physique should be prioritized as early plays whenever possible.

Throughout the game, your priorities remain consistent: chump block with allies to protect your growth counters (while still using them efficiently before the sacrifice), remove evasion counters from Nebula’s ship every round, keep threat under control, and apply steady damage pressure. In this scenario, aggression is often the safest path to victory. Especially during Nebula’s final stage, you should constantly evaluate whether it is correct to ignore minions and absorb their damage in order to push for lethal. Do not forget that even when Nebula appears close to defeat, she still has access to upgrades that mitigate or prevent damage, so careful sequencing remains essential.

There is, however, one important upside for Groot in this matchup. Thanks to his growth counters, he can absorb Pirate Lackey and Pirate Commander attacks without losing cards. As long as you soak this damage with counters, your deck/hand remains intact, giving you valuable breathing room while you work toward stabilization and eventual victory.

Ultron

When facing Ultron, Plasma Pistol is one of the strongest cards available in the game. Adding Beat 'Em Up makes the matchup even easier. These two cards will be your primary tools for dealing with drones, and this recommendation does not apply only to this deck—it is solid advice for anyone playing against this villain.

To include the three copies of Plasma Pistol (keeping in mind that only two of them can be in play at the same time), replace the three copies of "Think Fast!". If you also include the three copies of Beat 'Em Up, remove Rocket Raccoon, Avengers Mansion, Plan B to make room.

You should assume that most of the game will be played during stage 2 of the main scheme. Until your board is fully set up, it is usually better to place a drone instead of adding two threat when given the choice—especially if Beat 'Em Up. Once Groot is able to control threat without needing to play additional cards, you should start choosing to add threat instead of drones at the beginning of the villain phase.

Since Ultron does not begin the game with significant threat beyond the initial drone, early priorities include Quake, Plasma Pistol, or Beat Cop. Any of these cards helps stabilize the board while you start building your setup.

In this scenario, the Vine Spikes upgrade becomes especially valuable, as it allows Groot to easily take down Advanced Ultron Drone. Before advancing Ultron to stage 3, and in addition to having all three Beat Cop:

• Entangling Vines
• Vine Spikes
• Lashing Vines, which will be essential for performing two actions per activation (killing two drones, or killing one drone and removing threat)
• Enough growth counters for being able to use the prevous three upgrades.
• If possible, also Quake, to help deal with the basic drones once they are upgraded to 2 hit points

While in stage 3, both Plasma Pistol and Beat 'Em Up lose some of their effectiveness, as drones will now have more than 1 hit point.

Zola

The early game against Zola is the most dangerous phase of the scenario, and your primary objective during the first rounds is simply to survive and stabilize. Mulligan aggressively to deal with the initial board state: ideally, you want a way to immediately remove either the starting Ultimate Bio-Servant (usually via a basic attack to remove its though status, followed by a Root Stomp) or the Test Subjects side scheme. Nick Fury is also an excellent opening option: Groot removes the tough status, after which Nick can efficiently deal the needed 4 damage and still thwart to clear the side scheme. This makes him one of the strongest plays in the opening round (but make sure to remove the side scheme before flipping Groot to hero form, as explained later).

Rocket Raccoon is your best ally in this scenario, especially for dealing with the Ultimate Bio-Servant. Thanks to his increased attack, he can deal with them efficiently. Do not worry too much about Berserk Mutate when using him, as the extra damage from Overkill simply translates into additional retaliate damage from Zola. On the other hand, Quake is an excellent answer to this mutated minion.

Until your board is properly set up, dealing damage to Zola himself should be a very low priority.

Finally, whenever possible, try to be in alter ego when minions are about to enter play via the main scheme. This protects you from quickstrike effects, particularly from Berserk Mutate, and allows you to control the tempo of those activations more safely.

Summary of cards

If your intention is to have ready this deck, in addition to the 40 cards indicated in the left side, the following ones are needed:

Ally:

• Drax
• Spider-Man
• Cosmo
• Ironheart
• Cypher
• Blade
• Eros
• Wiccan

Event

• 3xFor Justice!
• 3xMultitasking
• 3xClear the Area
• 3xBeat 'Em Up
• 3x Upside the Head
• 3xConcussive Blow
• Scare Tactic

Support

• Crew Quarters

Upgrade

• 3xPlasma Pistol
• 3xPulse Grenade
• Float Like a Butterfly
• Enhanced Physique
• Enhanced Awareness