Rocket Raccoon - The lone gunman [True True True Solo]

True solo: Only one hero

True true solo: No optional allies

True true true solo: No mandatory allies

I was looking for a viable candidate for TTTS, which meant trying out heroes with no signature ally. Rocket wasn't the first name that leapt out at me from my collection (...though believe me, he's more suited to it than Storm!), but eventually I realised that the Confusion-lock suite made him a viable proposition. For those of you who weren't paying attention, the combination of a couple of Sonic Rifles and Battery Packs means it's very easy to maintain Confusion on any non-Stalwart villain more or less in perpetuity - consistently enough that Upside the Head will more frequently be used as a source of Stun, negating a decent chunk of the villain's remaining activations (and making it better than "Think Fast!"). Plan on flipping down every other turn, and burn your half-used batteries and pistols for cards to keep the engine running.

The deck more or less flowed naturally from there - it was just a matter of dealing with the foreseeable problems in turn:

• You're getting punched by villains and minions every two-and-a-bit rounds, but that's gradual enough that it can be offset by Crew Quarters+Cybernetic Skeleton+Booster Boots.
• With no ambulatory speed-bumps in the deck, you need the quick start that only One Way or Another can provide (to fund a mansion, ideally). And if you're going to pull out extra side schemes, Skilled Investigator comes into its own. Justice Served is a card that doesn't see much play, but combined with I've Got a Plan it lets you scour the board clean of threat fairly consistently as long as you didn't start the turn exhausted. So then...
• Multitasking is a necessary inclusion in case you don't have your basic activation available. I originally ran Making an Entrance in this slot and found out the hard way that being exhausted in the villain phase - either by a treachery or because you were forced to block - is backbreaking. Multitasking gives you an emergency way to scrape the main scheme clean before flipping down to take advantage of a Confusion, and lets you ready off Justice Served. As usual, you could replace it with Clear the Area if you prefer to draw, but I like Multitasking's interaction with One Way or Another better.
• Since Rocket is mostly turning sideways to thwart, your damage sources are going to be the various guns and Turn the Tide. Plinking the villain down gradually isn't too problematic, but tougher minions can be rough, especially if they have some special ability that means they absolutely have to die right now. It helps that this deck is pretty good at giving you Tide triggers, even if you're just basic-thwarting a single point off the main scheme. Ideally you'll have a bloated Beat Cop waiting to crack down on the worst offenders.
• I changed my mind a couple of times, but Float Like a Butterfly just barely made the cut. The main concern being that Particle Cannon is the only gun that triggers it; otherwise, with no allies, it's a barely-conditional Combat Training - not bad, but no longer a serious force multiplier. However, "Murdered You!" means that occasionally - very occasionally - it'll be worth confusing a minion with a Sonic Rifle just so you can get the excess damage trigger with a Turn the Tide or basic attack. If that sounds too arcane, swap it for Endurance to tank heavier hits, Superpower Training so you have a spare spine, or Under Surveillance for villains with tight main schemes (or who you can't afford to allow to flip to scheme 2A).
• No Strength(!). Yeah, this deck has so many 1-cost cards that I found I was wasting doubles surprisingly often. Four doubles is enough to get out Avengers Mansion and Helicarrier. And while you're cycling through the 3-cost guns occasionally, it's much easier on the budget than the usual suite of 6+ 2-4 cost allies.
• Allies are Gud. You can make the deck better by adding allies. It's a gimmick deck, we're here to play the gimmick!

Cards wot I don't own that would make the deck better:

• Specialized Training (replacing Float Like a Butterfly or Beat Cop) so you can draw off your basic thwarts or just have a fatter butt.
• Ingenuity is better than Helicarrier as you're flipping down enough that playing it in alter ego isn't a problem.