Friendship is Magik!

How this Deck Plays:

We run through the deck in about 4 turns to find our core engine. Then we swarm the field with allies while setting up one of several secondary combos.

The Core Engine (in order of importance*):

1. Uncanny X-Men
2. Utopia
3. Colossus
4. Limbo

The first three are incredibly powerful and arguably overtuned in the advantage they generate. So obviously were gonna make use of them. The final card is subtler in value but top deck manipulation is really what makes Magik sing. Let's contextualize this deck's core as if they were resource generators.

Uncanny X-Men (4 Effective Resources): This card could have said "Exhaust Uncanny X-Men → generate a resource for an X-Men ally." With the added benefit of +1 hit point for X-Men allies, this would be worth the 3 printed cost, but it doesn't exhaust! Once the core engine is in play, you'll be playing at least one ally every round (and often three allies including Colossus in the Villain Phase). That's multiple resources of advantage each round for one card! This is to say nothing of the advantage gained by the extra activation you get for each ally.

Utopia (3ER): The advantage this card generates varies by many factors. You'll have to decide how valuable your Hero exhaust is and if you'd rather ready an ally for an extra activation right now. The ally has the same amount of activations either way, and this deck swarms with ease. You'll often be at your ally limit with at least 2 hit points on each ally, so playing a new ally is a loss of an activation. This card can fix that with some advanced planning, at the cost of readying Magik herself.

Colossus (4ER): 4ER sounds steep but Colossus is alot easier to play than may seem at first glance. Generally, Colossus is gonna be on top of our deck during the Villain Phase every four rounds, but can be placed there almost any round he's needed. With Uncanny X-Men in play, we can think of him as 1ER. To be forthright, we do lose out on 2ER that might've gone toward playing another card on the Villain phase. However, the only other card we can exploit that way is Magic Barrier, which is also situational. In any case, we lose one resource from our hand/play area to negate a non-piercing, Villain attack, get 1-3 activations from Colossus, and negate a non-overkill Villain attack. That's enormous value!

Limbo (2ER): Alot of this card's advantage is already factored in above. Moving Colossus from the hand to the top of the deck accounts for the reduction of 1ER. We don't need to move Colossus every round though. Whenever Limbo is ready on our turn, it enables us to set up our cards for discounted plays and to trigger powerful kickers while moving cards we don't want to play in that moment to our hand to use as resources.

*Utopia is generally more important to put into play than Colossus or Limbo because the plentiful and cheap Stepping Disc can recur the latter two from the discard. If Utopia is discarded, you will need to complete Build Support or play Forge. This all varies by the current threats and the state of the board though. Your judgement is worth more than any instruction I could write.

Passive Economy:

The Sorcerer Supreme brings our hand size to 6 in Hero form. This is a little more valuable than a resource generator as it mills the deck faster and gives is an extra option of play.

X-Gene pays for Stepping Disc for easy deck manipulation (usually for Colossus followed by Exorcism), but is also useful for applying a stun/confuse with Exorcism or Soul Strike.

Team-Building Exercise has 13 targets, 8 of which are (non-Colossus) allies that can cycle through the deck.

The X-Jet is a bit overkill. We usually won't need it with all the other, more limited options, but it occasionally extends plays. In multiplayer, you can send resources ro other X-Men players (consider adding another Honorary X-Men for non-X-Men identities). In true solo, this is a good target for Forge to pull to the hand and pitch as resource or pull in with Build Support if your core engine is already set up.

Finally we have Magik's ability. I often see it represented that it effectively gives her a 6 card hand size, 7 if you play a card during the Villain Phase. I would argue it is more akin to a 7/9 card hand size (before The Sorcerer Supreme). Here's how I conceptualize it: Suppose Stepping Disc (1-Cost/2ER) is in your hand. Playing it will cost you a resource and the card itself, thus 2ER. If it is played from the top of the deck, you receive the same benefit of using those 2ER while retaining all your other resources. The same is true if we play Magic Barrier in the Villain Phase. This is only not true when a card is only 1ER, most commonly due to a printed cost of 0, like Honorary X-Men. In those cases, you are using an ability worth 2ER for a card worth 1ER. Sometimes this enables plays, or you can't maniuplate the deck. So it can still be worthwhile, but it should be considered carefully.

Proactive Economy

Scrying and Spiritual Meditation each fundamentally move 2 cards from the remaining deck to the discard pile without reducing number of cards in your hand. So if they're drawn early enough, the 40 cards you need to cycle through to find your key cards feel like 32 (1 copy of Scrying, plus 3 copies of Spiritual Meditation). Except these cards replace themselves in your hand, so more like 28 cards. Stepping Disc undoes this somewhat (by adding a card to the deck per copy played) but this is why Magik can set up such a build-heavy combo deck so quickly. (If someone knows the actual maths of how effective these really are when shuffled into a random deck order, I would be very keen to learn)

Pixie and Forge feel like a -1ER play when played from the top of the deck with Uncanny X-Men in play. The net cost is actually 1ER, but the way it feels to play a card for "free" then add a card to hand is incredible (if Magik's ability is worth 2ER per phase, then using that and gaining a card is a net cost of 1ER). Forge can also thin the deck by 1 card.

Cerebro, Danger Room, and Med Lab are lesser-used but can generate value in alter-ego. Cerebro is +1 card is hand if one of our 3 Psionic allies are in play (and has a solid chance without them), Danger Room puts a 2ER card into play, but it's true value is dependant on how much you value the added damage/threat removal, and Med Lab gives you access to an extra card in alter-ego.

No Doubles?:

I guess I should mention what's missing: there are no resource cards in this deck. The double resources, in my opinion, are no longer staples for every Hero. Nowadays, I need a reason to include them. Looking at the doubles in a vacuum, on randomly determined turns you trade a potential option of play in exchange for an extra resource. But I'd argue, Magik doesn't get the full value of resource cards. There are alot of ways to manipulate the top of your deck, but it's still possible to have a resource card stuck there, nullifying the benefit of Magik's ability. The real issue for us, however, is with Uncanny X-Men, Magik's ability, and X-Gene, we will rarely have use for a double resource card.

Secondary Combos:

This is one of the biggest reasons I enjoy piloting this deck. The core engine is enough to win games, but having different modes of play really add to the adaptability and replayability of this deck.

Mirage + Danger Room + Danger Room Training: Most villains have less than 3 SCH, even at stage II. Because Danger Room and Mirage are both Responses to the same timing window, you can buff her THW to 3 before comparing it to the SCH of enemies. In multiplayer, a Justice player with a Mutant identity can add Mission Training to their deck, turning this combo online when either of you are in alter-ego, not just you. Ice-Man is a good candidate as he can also reduce the Villain's SCH with Frostbite Upgrades, as are Gambit and Psylocke who excel in Justice and alter-ego focused decks.

Cerebro + any Psionic ally: There are 3 Psionic allies in this deck, and two of them (Mirage and #Legion) tend to stick around for awhile (especially with Uncanny X-Men and Danger Room Training boosting hit points). You now have access to you entire deck to find an ally in alter-ego.

Med Lab + any ally: I tend to focus on Pixie for a couple reasons. First, she gives you access to your entire discard pile to find an ally which compliments the above combo. Secondly, with the initial exhaust from Med Lab and the extra hit point from Uncanny X-Men, she will usually return to Med Lab 2 turns after being played from it. Utopia readies can shorten this interval, but otherwise she can be played once every 4 turns (every other turn at the shortest). This is faster than any other ally in the deck. A fun play in multiplayer is using Med Lab to play Pixie, who fishes for Mirage or Professor X. Then Cerebro grabs the other. It's costly, but you get 6+ threat removal, a ready, and 3 negated villain activations for 5ER and exhausting Med Lab. Mirage also sticks around for more threat removal and a block later. This can also swarm your field from 0 to 3 allies, setting you up for Beak

Honorary X-Men + alter-ego: Flipping to alter-ego normally turns off Uncanny X-Men. Not only are you losing the discount, but your allies are losing the extra hit point meaning they could be discarded due to damage already sustained or sit there unused for a turn and slowing your momentum. Honorary X-Men fixes this. If you're heavily damaged, you can also recover, use Utopia to ready, then recover a second time in one turn.

Magik's Upgrades:

Magik's identity-specific Upgrades are so cool. They also add to the complexity of structuring your turn and manipulating the deck (a bonus for me but not everyone). Unfortunately in this deck, they're not a priority. Magik's Crown is often the most valuable for the Steady, and there are so many printed mental resources in this deck it's easy to get the extra THW. Soulsword is also nice for on-demand piercing, but neither are truly necessary for this deck's playstyle. Nor is Mystical Armor. Colossus defends for Magik so often that her the armor doesn't get used except to thin the deck.

The Roster:

Angel: Cheap and increases Ally density in deck. Beak: Burst thwarting once the field is swarmed. Colossus: Primary source of survivability. Forge: Extends plays, finds combo pieces. Legion: Cycles deck, impactiful basic powers. Mirage: Good THW, reliable Stun combo. Pixie: Recycles useful allies. Professor X: 3 threat removal, reliable Confuse. Triage: Versatile healing (especially in multiplayer).

Side Deck:

There are definitely some sub-optimal picks in this deck that can be swapped out. If I were to remove anything, it would probably be the Basic Spells and/or Build Support. I like the versatility of Basic Spell but it is by far the least played card in the deck. Giving yourself or another player 3 hit points during a turn that you, or they, can't flip down is tremendous. The 3 threat removal for a Basic event isn't terrible either. It also isn't a thwart action, so you can use it unrestricted while confused and engaged with a Patrol minion. It's even a Spell to synergize with your alter-ego ability. But since so much of your survivability and thwarting occur by ally activations, and you have easy access to Steady, it is just spare utility.

While Build Support can tutor 3 of the 4 engine pieces (among other useful cards), Magik can dig through her deck so fast it doesn't matter much. In true solo, you probably spend more resources playing and defeating this card than just digging for what you need. In a multiplayer setting, somebody else probably has space for this card in their deck. It is a nice plan B against effects that might discard/mill your engine pieces though.

On a similar note, Angel is just there to keep the engine running. If other low cost X-Men allies come out, he is likely to be the next card swapped out. Especially if another player brings Angel or Psylocke to the table.

Also consider what other players may need. If somebody brings a Psionic character to the table, Cerebro might be better in their deck. If someone is playing an X-Men ally heavy deck in another Aspect, offer Utopia so they gain the increased ally limit. Then coordinate with them to trigger it. Also consider dropping Forge if you only have 1 or 2 X-Men supports in your deck.

Potential cards to swap in, or just add, include:

Honorary X-Men: In multiplayer, extra copies of Honorary X-Men can be shared with other players to share the resource The X-Jet generates. You can even use Utopia to ready them. Should your turn fall after theirs and you are in Hero form, use a called action for Team-Building Exercise to play an ally and trigger Utopia on the other player's turn. Remember the X-Men trait applies in alter-ego for them too, so you can give them an extra ready to recover.

Lead from the Front: This card is the inverse of Basic Spell, useless early game; powerful late game. With 4 allies and an extra ready, this is an added 6 damage/threat removal for 3ER. For comparaison, this is baseline for attack events and above average for thwart events. By the numbers, this card is already worthwhile but it's also very flexible; it allows you to split the effectiveness as the board state calls.

Mission Leader: I probably wouldn't add this in true solo. We don't need the situational draw power. However, supporting the table creates a lot of goodwill. The uplift of player morale and camaraderie in those moments is one of the things I love about this game.

Moira MacTaggert: Moira is The Sorcerer Supreme for alter ego, but you can usually choose the card you draw. In his fantastic write-up for Devil May Scry, journeyman2 has already explained Moira's synergy with Magik's alter-ego ability, but I'll summarize my take here. The sequence when changing to Hero form is 1) choose a spell in your discard pile and pit it on top of your deck; 2) flip to Hero side; 3) draw the chosen card. Generally, Limbo will be ready when you start a turn in alter-ego, allowing you to hit the kicker if you chose Soul Strike or Exorcism. Stepping Disc is another option to line up the cards just right.

Ready for Action: If you're concerned about overkill, this is an option to bolster your survivability. After you're set up though, it's pretty easy to keep your hit points topped off with frequent flipping.

Symbiote Suit: A personal favorite for re-readying decks. You ready enough to get value out of this card. The positives outweigh the negatives in my opinion, but not so much as to be missed. There is a psychological element to this card in multiplayer however, so talk it out with your table first.

The Triskelion: A solid choice in any player count. The ally limit really factors into optimizing plays in this deck. Raising that limit gives a lot of room to play and also raises the ceiling of Beak's enter play ability. If you give another player Utopia, this is a valuable replacement.

Uncanny X-Men: Having an extra copy isn't a bad option in any player count to find it faster, but it can become a dead card in true solo that we don't want sitting on top of our deck. In multiplayer, it can be played to another player's area. At worst, this can shield them from cards that might discard other important supports (and often upgrades) in play. If they're playing X-Men allies, this can become even more valuable.

X-Mansion: The 1 hit point drip feed could be worthwhile in multiplayer or with The Triskelion, but your allies are replenished so rapidly and you have plenty of ways to heal that it's not necessary. Also, if you're running Forge, consider adding this to your deck if another player is running cards like Mutant Education.

Personal Note

I must confess to you, dear reader, that Leadership has historically been my least favorite Aspect. Allies are a very powerful card type, in no small part due to their ability to absorb damage for you. However, I gravitate toward allies that can last indefinitely or can easily be cycled like Groot and Starhawk. Thus, I rarely add more than 3 to a deck. Protection being my favorite aspect, I like to build for the long game. I've tried some Voltron builds in the past and had fun, but they were slow and swingy. So this is my first real foray into loving Leadership. I hope everyone enjoying this wonderful game never writes off any Aspect or Hero for all of time. As a Living Card Game, every expansion is a new opportunity to enjoy something you didn't before.

If you've read this all the way through, thank you for your time. I know I can be rather verbose.