Hello and welcome to The Essentials List. This list, started by ccm00007 back in 2017, serves to discuss cards which are worth looking at from a competitive or semi-competitive point of view. The idea behind this list is to give newer players a guide to get into the competitive game.

We make the list available in three different versions (which we update simultaneously):

• An image gallery, divided by set (see below)
• A searchable, text-based version
• A downloadable document

When using this list, here are a couple of useful links:

• Tag Descriptions: Each card has associated, searchable Tags to specify the role (or function) of the card. You can find instructions on using these tags and a complete description of these tags here.
• The Essentials List Change Log: Any changes to the list are logged here.

Some disclaimers and housekeeping before we begin:

• The following is just our opinion, and that should be taken with a grain of salt or two.  If you disagree with something on this list (or not on this list), please contact us.  Maybe you can sway our decision?
• This list will always be in flux.  A card which is useless today can be part of a game-breaking combo tomorrow.  We will do our best to keep this updated regularly.
• Not every single playable card is in here.  This is a starting point for you to build from. There are lots of fun and janky combos which will not be included here (e.g.  Captain Britain Iron Man is incredibly fun, but he requires such a specific build, and he’s so easy to counter, that he’s hardly worth looking at from a competitive standpoint)

With that said, we hope this is useful to you. Enjoy!

Click On One Of The Sets Below

To See Our Essential Cards List

Avengers vs X-Men     |     Uncanny X-Men

Age of Ultron     |     Amazing Spider-Man

Civil War     |     Doctor Strange    |     Deadpool

Iron Man/War Machine    |     Guardians of the Galaxy

X-Men: First Class    |     Defenders

The Mighty Thor    |     Spider-man: Maximum Carnage

Avengers: Infinity    |     Justice Like Lightning

Kree Invasion    |     X-men: Forever

Dark X-men    |     Uncanny X-Force

Justice League     |     War of Light

World’s Finest

Green Arrow/Flash     |     Superman/Wonder Woman

Batman     |     Harley Quinn

Justice     |     Mystics     |     Doom Patrol

Battle For Faerun     |     Faerun Under Siege

Tomb of Annihilation     |     Trouble in Waterdeep

The Zhentarim     |     Adventures in Waterdeep

Yu-Gi-Oh     |     Organized Play

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles     |     Heroes in a Half Shell

WWE Campaign Box

Bitter Rivals     |     Tag Teams

Battle for Ultramar

Spacewolves     |     Orks Waaagh!