Storm is the premier aggro deck. In fact, I would even go as far as to say it is the only playable aggressive deck in the base set. It was the only aggressive deck to top 8 at Gencon 2015. In this article I will discuss every aspect of storm, and why she is nearly a perfect fit for an aggressive strategy.

In any aggressive strategy, we want to level up your main character (MC) as soon as possible. Any turns I can have at level 2 against an opposing level 1 MC is very helpful for saving cards and getting stuns. Better stats let me create more "pass attacks." I will probably write an entire article on this phrase of mine, but it is when I, as the attacker, can make favorable attacks while passing priority. I don't need to use open fire, a power-up, or anything else to stun the opposing character. This shifts the burden on the defender to protect themselves and reveal what they will use. While not 100% true for every situation, a vast majority of the time it is very valuable to be making such attacks.

Leveling

Level up (3): When you activate a Super Power, Storm gains an XP.

Storm has one of the easiest level up abilities. Using super powers is a natural thing to do in an aggressive deck, and though there is a limit to one per turn per character, it's actually quite easy to level her up as early as turn 2. I would say about 30% of games I level her on turn 2, and 60% on turn 3. Getting level 2 gives Storm a leg up on stats, and can let me dominate the board for a few turns.

In storm, leveling fast has the added benefit of providing great protection for the back row. Having a consistent 5/6 flier as early as turn 2 can give ranged characters in the back much longer lives, which saves cards because they are being used for more than one turn. Leveling fast also is key to surviving other aggro decks, such as the mirror.

When it comes to deckbuilding, Storm's level up power means she wants lots of low drop characters with super powers that use locations. The first part (lots of low drops) is pretty natural for aggro decks, so this isn't terribly restrictive. She also wants plenty of locations, which does tend to probably hurt her relative to other possible aggressive decks. I don't think fewer than 20 is acceptable in any Storm build.

Super Powers

Level 1 Power: Lightning Storm - Main : Put two -1/-1 counters divided as you choose on up to two enemy characters.

Storm's level one ability is very strong. Firstly, -1/-1 counters are hard to remove, so even if I fail an attack, I can be fairly confident they will be around a while.

Spreading them out can be nice, since its possible to pick off 1 defense characters while still putting one counter on the opponent's MC. Two -1/-1 counters are as good on offense as open fire, and lower their attack too. Again, this has the potential to set up "pass attacks", which is what you want to be doing. Late game, the option to keep piling on -1/-1 counters and threaten to stun their MC without even getting to them in combat makes Storm continue to be relevant.

Level 2 Power: Wind Storm - Main: Characters on your side gain flight this turn.

While this is maybe one of the least impactful level two powers on paper, it's actually pretty good in aggressive decks. This means that to protect their MC, the opponent must have flight or grab in their front row. It's not hard to set up multiple flying team attacks, ideally "pass attacks", at their MC with this ability.

Team Affiliations

Storm team attacks with X-men, and they provide decent support for her. Magik offers a team attack turn 1 for 5, Namor offers a team attack for 5 with flight for 2 turns. Choosing to play Gambit adds a big team attack. Squad tactics helps with team attacks and to spread out buffs, to not be blown out by Even the Odds. X-Factor offers an interesting dimension of attack, though I think that it's too situational.

Possible team pairs

Storm won't get too far running mono X-men team. So which team should she be paired with? Each has a few things to offer. Here I highlight the best each team brings to the table:

Avengers:

Hawkeye, Daredevil, Spiderman, Earth's Mightiest Heroes

This is a pretty good collection of cards, especially Daredevil. However, I think that it will be harder to level storm quickly. Spiderman, while having the perfect ability for aggro, is above the usual Storm curve (3 and below). Playing 8 plot twists which provide +2 attack (E.M.H. and Open Fire) is a considerable benefit to Avengers.

Guardians of the Galaxy:

Cosmo, Yondu, Major Victory, Agent Venom, Rocket, Even the Odds

While it's probably worth an article on its own, Even the Odds is by far and away the best card in the game for aggro decks. It trades with any pump, even ones like Find Cover or Supersenses (defenders) which would normally require 2 or more cards to overcome. It also lets you make some combat plays that no other card can, such as:

Attack an MC with a few +1's on him, with enough attack to stun. Pass. They play a find cover or power up. You Even the odds. Now they are worse than they started, and might need to play two more defensive cards. So your Even the Odds traded for 3 defensive cards and multiple counters!

I think that Guardians are almost always the best team for aggressive decks to pair with, as their kit offers so much. Major Victory, Rocket, and Yondu are all great, and all have ranged to hide behind storm while team attacking.

Villians:

Ronan, Mystique, Trickster God, Green Goblin

Villians is the worst pairing, with no 1 drop and situational plot twists, though Trickster God can be very good. As much as I think Ronan in aggro is a cool concept, it's hard to justify Villians over the other two team pairs due to no 1 drops and mystique being mediocre early.

Decklists:

Storm - Gen Con 10K - 2nd Place

Deck Archetype: Storm Aggro
Deck Author: Michael Barnes

Main Characters

• Storm (MC Level 1)
• Storm (MC Level 2)

Supporting Characters (24)

• 4 Yondu
• 4 Agent Venom
• 4 Daredevil
• 3 Namor
• 2 Deadpool
• 4 Rocket
• 3 Storm

Plot Twists (16)

• 4 Even The Odds
• 4 Give 'Em A Lift
• 4 Open Fire
• 4 Squad Tactics

Locations (20)

• 4 Fortress
• 4 Knowhere
• 4 Laboratory
• 4 School For Gifted Youngsters
• 4 Training Ground

This list performed well, and it has a lot going for it. Guardians is the team of choice, and we see a low curve and a focus on leveling storm fast. I think that this is a nice starting point, but not the optimized list for a few reasons. Number one is that it uses agent venom, which can be killed easily with Even the Odds and is a bit of a liability in the front row to being ranged attacked. He also uses fortress, which is not used for many other cards (Deadpool). The focus on counters and "all eggs in one basket" is also a liability in a world with ETO and Dr. Strange.

Here is my list, adapted from my friend Anish who has many, many storm games under his belt.

Guardians Storm

Deck Archetype: Storm Aggro
Deck Author: GameTheoryGuy

Main Characters

• Storm (MC Level 1)
• Storm (MC Level 2)

Supporting Characters (28)

• 3 Cosmo [BANNED]
• 4 Magik
• 4 Yondu
• 3 Cyclops
• 4 Major Victory
• 4 Namor
• 2 Gambit
• 4 Rocket

Plot Twists (12)

• 4 Even The Odds
• 4 Open Fire
• 4 Squad Tactics

Locations (20)

• 4 Academy
• 4 Knowhere
• 4 Laboratory
• 4 School For Gifted Youngsters
• 4 Training Ground

Here I focus more on team attacks. Level Storm fast, and then hang on to as many cards as I can while stunning them. Major Victory is a nice way to get past fliers late game, and Magik can save characters to team attack later, as well as give Storm experience in a pinch.

I include gameplay of myself playing this list on Octgn.

Storm vs Hulk

Storm vs Hulk

Storm vs Loki

Storm vs Gamora