"We all know who's in charge." (Thor Leadership)

Card draw simulator

Odds: 0% – 0% – 0% more
Derived from
None. Self-made deck here.
Inspiration for
Doctor Strange-Why bother Deck Size? you draw 'em all anyway 1 1 0 1.0

Schmendrix · 4203

Who's in charge

"We all know who's in charge."

Star-Lord Leadership is the new hotness. But in classic Asgardians of the Galaxy fashion, Star-Lord's pack has also positioned Thor for Leadership - with a very different approach.

I think it was Andrej at Metropole Grid who introduced me to the idea that deck synergy really shines when multiple cards benefit. This deck is built on that principle. I'll walk through the deck's synergy in three layers - from most specific and intense to the general foundation that enables it. Like a food pyramid, but with card synergies. A synergy pyramid?

Dessert: Air Supremacy

Steven from Team Covenant called Air Supremacy "a cake of conditions". (He also called it a Haymaker, but we can forgive him.) To put it on Hero kit curve - 2:1 damage to resources - you need two Aerial characters and two targets (Villain and minion). Every additional target and Aerial character you add increases the card's value. At 5 Aerial characters and 5 targets, it deals 15 damage for 3 resources, a 5:1 ratio that makes it one of the very most efficient cards in the game. But let's be honest, that's pretty rare even in 4P multiplayer, but not impossible (Drang III waves!). And this deck is designed to enable it when necessary with all plays of Air Supremacy at over 2:1 damage per resource. Okay, so that's dessert. How do we earn our calories?

Protein: Allies and Sky Cycles

Well, we need Aerial characters. So let's put some Avengers on Sky Cycles! Our targets are cheap (Squirrel Girl, Stinger, Ant-Man), benefit from Attachments (Ronin), or synergize with Thor's kit (Hawkeye and his arrows). Mounted on Sky Cycles, these allies are ready to rule the skies. Joining them is Adam Warlock, a fantastic Mystic with native Aerial whose use of Energy and Physical resources can heal Thor or increase his Thwart capacity. We're going to use Thor's big health pool to minimize chump blocking, so heals are handy. The Triskelion enables us to run 4 allies at a time - 5 Aerial characters with Thor wielding Mjolnir.

Carbs: Cheap good stuff

Our meat is resting on a bed of 0-cost potatoes (or maybe a foundation of mixed metaphors). Since we've got allies with ready effects from Sky Cycle, let's make use of them with Strength In Numbers x3, Earth's Mightiest Heroes x2, and United We Stand x2 to keep them healthy for further activations.

I can't overstate how essential Strength in Numbers is in this build - it generates huge value, especially when you can play 2 in one turn, and that's really not all that unlikely once the deck is thin (like a 60% shot of seeing a second if you draw 1 with a thin deck). With your Sky Cycled Avengers, you can play both for 6 cards. We don't need a super wide ally spread. If you don't hit double Strength in Numbers, readies can be used to play both Strength in Numbers and Earth's Mightiest to ready Thor, or can used to swing the allies thanks to United We Stand restoring their health.

Joining these 0-cost imports is Defender of the Nine Realms, which we can use guiltlessly mid- to late-game to boost our economy, giving us more chances to see Strength in Numbers and cheap deletion with Air Supremacy. It's the key to ensuring we have the targets that increase value from Air Supremacy.

Finally, let's just appreciate Mjolnir - the recurrable Aerial-providing god-hammer. Good job, buddy.

Parting thoughts

This deck is super fun, even against the beefier minion scenarios. I've never played much Thor, to be honest, but these Star-Lord Aerial cards really open new doors. This deck makes Air Supremacy a delicious layer cake of conditions that also provide huge draw (Strength in Numbers and Defender of the Nine Realms), Thwarting (Ant-Man and Ronin healing and thwarting), healing for Thor (Adam Warlock), and beaucoup damage beyond Air Supremacy (Hammer Throw, Earth's Mightiest). Give it a shot!

And, to keep my 41-card meta going, there's 40 cards and one for you to cut.

18 comments

May 21, 2021 Pots · 7

Thank you sweet rabbit! This deck was crazy fun!

May 21, 2021 NocturnalAnimal · 16163

This looks simply wonderful, I have to say! I've played a lot of Thor with Aggression and Justice, and had contemplated giving him another whirl with Protection but this looks too much fun to pass. And this coming from someone who rarely, if ever, plays Leadership.

May 21, 2021 neothechosen · 9806

Cooldeck! I could see Falcon in here (aerial already), is there a reason you choose not to include him?

May 21, 2021 InigoMontoya · 4063

OMG! I totally missed that Sky Cycle gives the Aerial trait. Thank you! I'll have to redo my Voltron deck with this in mind.

May 21, 2021 Schmendrix · 4203

@neothechosen I absolutely went back and forth on Falcon. On the one, he doesn't need a Sky Cycle to gain Aerial. On the other, he's pretty pricey. You should try it!

May 21, 2021 Schmendrix · 4203

Thanks @NocturnalAnimal! I've loved and learned from your decks.

May 21, 2021 jamesonT · 8

Out of curiosity, was Beta Ray Bill kept out of this deck mainly because of his cost? He is quite expensive but looks so good.

I had previously joked that I refuse to buy the Star-Lord pack because I haven't forgiven him for Endgame but seeing some of the cards in that pack (Bill in particular) have me reconsidering.

May 21, 2021 Schmendrix · 4203

Yeah, he's very expensive and can't ride a Sky Cycle or proc EMH. I did have him in an earlier version; got him out later in the game when I had like 9 cards a turn. But didn't seem worth it as a closer.

May 21, 2021 OrionJA · 8

Have you considered running Falcon instead of 1x Sky Cycle?

May 21, 2021 jonnielawman · 1

Schmendrix, Thanks for the Thor deck. I have struggled to play him and enjoy him. I played this morning against Rhino and did 2, 15 pt Aerial Supremacies against Rhino, felt very Thor like. Keep up the good work!!!!!!

May 21, 2021 Schmendrix · 4203

@OrionJA I didn't consider that swap but you should try it! Sky Cycle is more than Aerial, though - it allows an Avenger ally to BOTH draw AND ready via EMH on the same turn. That's very powerful, I think.

May 21, 2021 Schmendrix · 4203

@jonnielawman Nice! It's a bummer you can't do more than 3 damage to any one target with Air Supremacy, but still a really fun card to pop off on a full table!

May 21, 2021 jonnielawman · 1

Bah played that wrong, thanks for correcting me, still it is fun. Dern it, haha.

May 21, 2021 Schmendrix · 4203

Yeah ... On the plus side, late game I've definitely had the Resources for double Hammer Throw!

May 22, 2021 Ashcarr · 215

Surprised to see the omission of Beta Ray Bill. He's pricey, especially for Thor, but fantastic statline and ability while being an Asgardian to boot since you already play TBE.

May 22, 2021 Schmendrix · 4203

You could definitely play him! Let me know how it goes. In testing I find him hard to play until late game at which point I could generally rush the Villain. But your experience might be different.

Jun 10, 2021 adsarf · 321

Just to say I have shamelessly stolen your idea about Sky Cycle for a Dr Strange deck (https://marvelcdb.com/decklist/view/10377/ship-s-doctor-1.0). I hadn't begun to understand the power of that card before I read this deck, so thanks!

Jun 10, 2021 Schmendrix · 4203

Nice list! I like it. I agree with you - most outside Thor don't need minion control once you've got allies on Sky Cycles, but it keeps his Dot9Rs turned on.