Card draw simulator
| Derived from |
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| None. Self-made deck here. |
| Inspiration for |
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| None yet |
Stretch22 · 699
Welcome to the final deck of my Heroic Roulette challenge for the Next Evolution box, where I tune decks to win specific scenarios on heroic difficulty. You can see all other decks here and read more about the stipulations of the challenge in the round 1 deck:
Round 1: Domino 'Pool vs. Morlock Siege
Round 2: Cable Aggression vs. On The Run
Round 3: Deadpool Protection vs. Juggernaut
Round 4: X-23 Leadership vs. Stryfe
Matchup
And now, for the grand finale! In truth, this was the first scenario of the wave I played on Heroic, since you want the most flexibility to deal with the hardest scenarios before heroes and aspects are locked into other scenarios.
Psylocke gets the end boss thanks to her plentiful ways to confuse Stryfe on Main Scheme 1, which helps keep it under control despite the Crisis icon on Stryfe's Grasp. She also starts the game with 2 resource generators in play and is effectively a 3/3/2 hero, giving us great speed right out of the gate. Her low hero hand size matches up well with Stryfe's gimmick of counting cards in hand in an amusing but relevant way.
Gameplan
This is a fun scenario split into two unique halves. In the first (Main Scheme 1), Stryfe is susceptible to stun and confuse, so we can take advantage to set up as long as possible. Once we get to Main Scheme 2, it is very hard to leave hero form due to the two Advances and three Telekinetic Waves (as boost or encounter), and we lose access to Telepathic Suggestion.
Another element of this scenario is all the ways Stryfe has to return your upgrades and supports to hand - mainly Telekinetic Wave but also Thumbelina and Cerebral Erasure. We should be sure to include some low-cost upgrades and not get caught with an expensive upgrade out and nothing else to return.
Lastly, we get Hope Summers for this scenario. She is handicapped while Stryfe's Grasp is in play but becomes really important on Stryfe stage 3 since his retaliate doesn't affect her.
Card Choices
Professor X - A great confuser on Main Scheme 1, but can always ready Hope too since she is an X-Men.
3x Crisis Averted - Useful trick up our sleeve to keep the main scheme at bay while Stryfe's Grasp/Living Bomb is in play with a Crisis icon. Not a card I'm thrilled to play on rate, but it is simply necessary for this scenario.
3x Upside the Head - A skill for Training Regimen and all-around perfect card for Main Scheme 1. It is useless in Main Scheme 2, unfortunately, but still worth including.
Build Support - Easily finished by Psylocke with a single thwart. Great for setup to get Quincarrier.
2x Skilled Investigator - Perhaps an odd card to see 2 of, but it is so valuable when you get hit with Telekinetic Wave that I always want the opportunity to play it on an early turn.
2x Under Surveillance - Another card I usually don't play 2 of, but you want to see the second one fast after you advance from Main Scheme 1 to Main Scheme 2, and it is another strong way to work around the Crisis icon on Stryfe's Grasp/Living Bomb.
Games Review: 3 wins, 1 loss
I was really happy with all my card choices. Between the confuse effects, Under Surveillance and Crisis Averted, I could stay on Main Scheme 1 each game until Stryfe's Grasp/Living Bomb caused it to advance. I liked the strategy of damaging Stryfe and thwarting Stryfe's grasp at about equal speed to not advance to Main Scheme 2 too early. Psylocke has so much flexibility with her Knives and Katanas that you can adapt to any situation...it can be tricky but makes a fun puzzle to solve each turn.
Conclusion
That concludes Heroic Roulette for the Next Evolution expansion. I got all 5/5! This was the easiest of the three boxes I've done so far thanks to three scenarios providing the extremely powerful Hope Summers ally. I also think all heroes in this wave were exceptionally powerful. If you've made it this far in the series, I really appreciate your attention. I love the many different ways people can enjoy this game, and I hope the Heroic Roulette challenge may be one way you enjoy it too...at least vicariously through me :)