This Cat's Iconic

Shadowcat is an obvious choice for pool, but I have found the deck needed a fair bit of tuning and testing. I'm finally happy with this version so thought I'd share!

What makes her so good for pool is phased form, allowing you to ignore crisis icons and avoid damage when defending, which mitigates amplify too. This means that you can simply leave icons out while gaining benefits from pool cards. Shadowcat really makes the most of the boosts from Laser Swords and "I Got This".

Pool also gives us Barely a Scratch for an extra defence event, meaning we don't always have to exhaust to defend. Good when you can basic attack for 6!

We have Headpool and Lady Deadpool to get amplify, Kidpool for boost, and Distraction for crisis. We can sometimes use Negasonic Teenage Warhead for a hazard, but I tend not to leave that out too long. Of course, side schemes can also help here! There are many side schemes you can completely ignore.

With a few icons out "I Got This" is great value, especially when you are readying a pool ally. To make the most of Laser Swords we have extra readies from Shadowcat Surprise, Stick-To-Itiveness, and even Ready to Rumble. The X-Jet means you always have a available for Stick-To-Itiveness.

I found that Healing Factor was needed to deal with damage from sources other than villain attacks, in particular from Dreadpool if you get it. It also means you can often leave a minion out for a turn or two while waiting for Distraction. It is a very cheap way to deal with a minion.

I really wanted an excuse to use Da Bomb, it works well here as a finisher. It can easily get over 14 damage, with that and a basic attack or two boosted by Laser Swords you can usually end the game.

You do have to take some care over extra villain activations. Don't worry too much about having to defend with an ally if you need to and sometimes Quick Shift can help here.

Lastly, as you are not taking much damage you make good use of the pool resources. You can quite easily get back to full health thanks to Healing Factor and Kitty's Room (don't forget about Phased and Confused for the occasional confuse).

This deck was built and tested in solo. I think it could work well in 2-player with the right deck pairing. You would want another hero that can take hits (or has plenty of allies), and probably Justice to have Crisis Averted to help keep the main scheme in check. Also, One Way or Another can bring out side schemes to get more icons into play.

It feels that pool should be the cat aspect!