The Heroes flood the board, stack +1/+1 counters and gain life while the Villains connive for cards and swarm in for the kill — a counters-grind midrange against evasive black-red aggression.
⚔ Matchup
Masters of Evil (B) is the aggressor; Avengers Assemble (A) is the grinder. B opens fast — cheap Villains that connive for extra cards (Red Room Recruit, Baron Strucker, Madame Masque), evasive Unliving Legionnaire flyers, and a removal-plus-reach package (Hour of Defeat, Widow's Bite, Lightning Strike, Hire a Crew) to push the last points. A answers by going wide and tall: +1/+1 counter snowballs (Knight of Wundagore, Powerful Broker), repeatable lifegain (Night Nurse, Brave Brawler, Take Up the Shield) and protection (Super Villain Lockup, Spider-Man) to blunt the rush, then takes over the long game with Ka-Zar card advantage and bigger bodies. Slight edge to B (~52/48): if it curves out and flies over before A's lifegain stabilizes, it wins the race — but every game A reaches turn 7–8 alive flips heavily in A's favour. Removal-light A can struggle with B's flyers, while B folds to a stabilized, gaining board. Swingy and fun.
