diff --git a/ebos/eclproblem.hh b/ebos/eclproblem.hh
index e1448a510..52cf2bc89 100644
--- a/ebos/eclproblem.hh
+++ b/ebos/eclproblem.hh
@@ -677,6 +677,10 @@ public:
             drift_.resize(numDof);
             drift_ = 0.0;
         }
+
+        if (enableExperiments)
+            checkDeckCompatibility_();
+
     }
 
     void prefetch(const Element& elem) const
@@ -1678,6 +1682,55 @@ public:
 
 
 private:
+    void checkDeckCompatibility_() const
+    {
+        const auto& deck = this->simulator().vanguard().deck();
+
+        if (enableSolvent && !deck.hasKeyword("SOLVENT"))
+            throw std::runtime_error("The simulator requires the solvent option to be enabled, but the deck does not.");
+        else if (!enableSolvent && deck.hasKeyword("SOLVENT"))
+            throw std::runtime_error("The deck enables the solvent option, but the simulator is compiled without it.");
+
+        if (enablePolymer && !deck.hasKeyword("POLYMER"))
+            throw std::runtime_error("The simulator requires the polymer option to be enabled, but the deck does not.");
+        else if (!enablePolymer && deck.hasKeyword("POLYMER"))
+            throw std::runtime_error("The deck enables the polymer option, but the simulator is compiled without it.");
+
+        if (deck.hasKeyword("TEMP") && deck.hasKeyword("THERMAL"))
+            throw std::runtime_error("The deck enables both, the TEMP and the THERMAL options, but they are mutually exclusive.");
+
+        bool deckEnergyEnabled = (deck.hasKeyword("TEMP") || deck.hasKeyword("THERMAL"));
+        if (enableEnergy && !deckEnergyEnabled)
+            throw std::runtime_error("The simulator requires the TEMP or the THERMAL option to be enabled, but the deck activates neither.");
+        else if (!enableEnergy && deckEnergyEnabled)
+            throw std::runtime_error("The deck enables the TEMP or the THERMAL option, but the simulator is not compiled to support either.");
+
+        if (deckEnergyEnabled && deck.hasKeyword("TEMP"))
+            std::cout << "WARNING: The deck requests the TEMP option, i.e., treating energy "
+                      << "conservation as a post processing step. This is currently unsupported, "
+                      << "i.e., energy conservation is always handled fully implicitly.";
+
+        int numDeckPhases = FluidSystem::numActivePhases();
+        if (numDeckPhases < Indices::numPhases)
+            std::cout << "WARNING: The number of active phases specified by the deck ("
+                      << numDeckPhases << ") is smaller than the number of compiled-in phases ("
+                      << Indices::numPhases << "). This usually results in a significant "
+                      << "performance degradation compared to using a specialized simulator.";
+        else if (numDeckPhases < Indices::numPhases)
+            throw std::runtime_error("The deck enables "+std::to_string(numDeckPhases)+" phases "
+                                     "while this simulator can only handle "+
+                                     std::to_string(Indices::numPhases)+".");
+
+        // make sure that the correct phases are active
+        if (FluidSystem::phaseIsActive(oilPhaseIdx) && !Indices::oilEnabled)
+            throw std::runtime_error("The deck enables oil, but this simulator cannot handle it.");
+        if (FluidSystem::phaseIsActive(gasPhaseIdx) && !Indices::gasEnabled)
+            throw std::runtime_error("The deck enables gas, but this simulator cannot handle it.");
+        if (FluidSystem::phaseIsActive(waterPhaseIdx) && !Indices::waterEnabled)
+            throw std::runtime_error("The deck enables water, but this simulator cannot handle it.");
+        // the opposite cases should be fine (albeit a bit slower than possible)
+    }
+
     bool drsdtActive_() const
     {
         int epsiodeIdx = std::max(this->simulator().episodeIndex(), 0);