Babysitting Havok

Note: This deck has only been tested in 1 player count on standard difficulty, but adjusting the modulars so that there are plenty of encounter cards with 2+ boost icons. This ups the difficulty a bit since the villain is going to be hitting like a truck.

I think Havok is a interesting ally with a lot of potential if you build around him. That said, his ability can feel pretty hit-or-miss, which is why he’s not super popular with the community. It can feel unreliable but it has its perks. Sometimes it’s like damage prevention if the villain ends up attacking you for less than what you discarded, and other times it just clears out a nasty boost effect you didn’t want to see.

I’ve been trying to make Havok work outside the "To Me, My X-Men" decks. The idea of this one is to keep him in play as much as possible by using tough statuses, ready effects, and ways to bring him back when needed.

Cyclops is the perfect hero for this. He has easy access to tactic cards that allow Havok to be around for longer, and he can provide support with out-of-aspect allies. Plus, it makes the deck feel super thematic.

The whole thing ends up feeling a bit like playing Scarlet Witch. There’s an element of randomness and control, making it fun when things line up.

Quick Tips:

• It could vary per scenario but you should try to mulligan for Utopia, X-Jet and Med Lab. Everything else has multiple copies or can be grabbed from the deck or discard pile.
• If you don't get anything good on your opening hand, grab a copy of Rapid Response from your deck.
• Since Havok's damage can be unpredictable it’s usually safer to attack the villain unless you’re confident about what he’ll hit for. For the most part, let Cyclops and the other allies deal with minions.
• Both Rapid Response and Med Lab trigger Utopia's response. When using Med Lab, the ally getting put into play can ready itself with Utopia if it's an X-Men.

Key Strategies

1. Keeping Havok Alive

• Use Ready for Action to give Havok a tough status card, allowing him to ignore any consequential damage.
• Utilize Rapid Response and Med Lab as fallback options to bring Havok back into play when he defeats himself.
• Polaris provides additional tough status cards when entering play, further supporting Havok's survivability (and theme).
• Rockslide, Armor, and Triage should help with Cyclop's survivability. Rockslide is also a good target for toughs if Havok is not in play.

2. Maximizing Havok’s Attacks

• Command Team and Utopia enable multiple activations of Havok in a single turn.
• Blindfold allows you to manipulate the encounter deck, ensuring Havok’s attacks are safe or well-timed for maximum impact.
• Make the Call allows you to recur Blindfold and Polaris as needed.

Shoutout to these other decks that use Havok a bit differently (I haven't played them yet but both look really fun and interesting):

• Uncle Alex - (NeXt/w7) by Brian-V
• Spider-Woman Encounter Force by Theberg123