Table of Contents
Releasing as a parallel to Thor, many players are running Beta Ray Bill as part of a 3 card package with Jane Foster akin to the Darkhawk and Annihilus package.
While Thor and Jane Foster’s combo was used sparingly in certain decks, Beta Ray Bill's introduction added more consistency to the staple, improving Jane's efficiency in rounding out the package. Compared to other packages, the Asgardian package focused less on disrupting the opponent and on raw power.
Despite offering no disruption, the Asgardian package compensates with power and flexibility. The package has two cards that can scale in power, posing a much more significant board presence and threat to the opponent, making it harder for opponents to predict how much power you can put out on the location, and bypassing potential clog and tech cards.
Unlike the Annihilus package, this package is not overly reliant on drawing Jane. In contrast, the Annihilus combo poses the risk of having negative power on your side of the board if you can’t play Annihilus. It is also unlike the Darkhawk package, where its effect is often hard to spot as you can’t reliably predict how many draws you deny with rocks.
Beta Ray Bill looks to be a good investment this week with its role as a package with Jane and Thor.
Beta Ray Bill Decks
Darkhawk Beta Ray Bill
Paired with the Darkhawk package, this is currently the highest-performing Beta Ray Bill deck in the game, boasting an impressive 56% win rate across nearly 2000 games. The deck follows a strategy reminiscent of good cards Darkhawk, leveraging cost-effective cards and securing victories by disrupting draws from the Darkhawk package.
Hammer Bounce
YoWoody's Annihilus deck brought attention to Thor's synergy with Bounce and Werewolf by Night, paving the way for a new archetype that fully embraces the Asgardian package. The hammers naturally complement the deck, providing synergy with Werewolf and serving as viable targets for Valkyrie in the late game.
Lockjaw Beta Ray Bill
Thor used to be a crucial component in Lockjaw-style decks, helping to streamline your curve in the early game and offering a 0-cost token for cycling back into Lockjaw. The introduction of Beta Ray Bill contributed to the consistency of this playstyle, and with Odin's synergy to further boost the duo's strength, it propelled the deck back into the meta. Like many Lockjaw-style decks, its effectiveness relies on RNG, making precise snapping and strategic retreating essential for success with the deck.
Known Interactions
Iron Lad
While Iron Lad copies the abilities of Beta Ray Bill and Thor, since it does not operate as a duplicate of either, he will not receive the benefits from the respective weapons. One thing to note is the wording for Thor and Beta Ray Bill. When their weapon is added to your deck, it shuffles it along with the rest. If Iron Lad copies Beta Ray Bill, the subsequent shuffle caused by Iron Lad will result in drawing something other than Beta Ray Bill on the next turn.
Conclusion
Beta Ray Bill solidifies itself as a package staple with Jane and Thor, filling in as the missing piece to enhance the consistency of this particular playstyle. As players continue to explore diverse strategies involving the card, Beta Ray Bill appears to be a wise investment choice for this week's spotlight cache.
