Cyclops GPT

Core Strategy

• Cyclops’s game plan revolves around maximizing his Optic Blast ability and tactical upgrades while swarming the field with X-Men allies. As Cyclops (Scott Summers), he can include X-Men allies from any aspect in his deck, so this list leverages a wide array of mutant allies to handle threats and deal damage.
• The core loop is to attach Cyclops’s tactic upgrades (like Exploit Weakness, Priority Target, etc.) to enemies and then unleash powered-up attacks. Attaching a tactic marks that enemy for bonus effects – for example, Exploit Weakness causes all sources of damage to that enemy to deal +1. Cyclops’s alter-ego ability Constant Training ensures he can always fetch a needed tactic each turn. Once a tactic is on a priority target, Cyclops uses his Optic Blast (fueled by his signature Ruby Quartz Visor) to hit for free damage.
• In fact, the Visor makes his Optic Blast free to use and even adds benefits (like piercing and overkill), enabling combos such as following up with Full Blast for a massive one-shot hit.
• Meanwhile, X-Men allies dogpile the enemy: since Exploit Weakness is in play, every ally attack deals an extra damage, turning even small allies into significant contributors. The tactics are Temporary, so Cyclops’s Field Commander upgrade ensures he always acts first to make use of them before they discard at round’s end.
• Overall, this deck plays as an aggressive swarm – establish key supports for economy, get a tactic on the villain or a tough minion, and then burst them down with boosted attacks from Cyclops and his mutant allies. Utopia serves as the team’s base – it increases your ally limit and readies an X-Men character whenever a new ally enters play, effectively giving Cyclops an extra activation on turns he plays an ally.
• In short, Cyclops “GPT” aims to rapidly deploy a team of X-Men and focus-fire the villain or key minions with enhanced attacks – using tactics to amplify damage and allies to provide steady DPS and block attacks when needed.

Mulligan Priorities

• Your first mulligan priority is Ruby Quartz Visor. The Visor is absolutely essential to Cyclops’s game plan, as it enables free Optic Blasts and unlocks his highest damage combo (Full Blast). In practice, successful Cyclops decks “focus on getting your Ruby Quartz Visor out as soon as possible”, and that holds true here. Dump your opening hand if necessary to dig for the Visor – once it’s in play, every turn you can blast an enemy for 3 damage at no hand cost (or 4 damage if Exploit Weakness is attached).
• After the Visor, mulligan for economy and setup cards.
• Don’t overlook Cyclops’s signature cards in your mulligan considerations either. If you see Exploit Weakness or Priority Target, it can be worth keeping one – playing a Turn 1 tactic on the villain can set up your damage combo immediately. For instance, a first-turn Priority Target on a minion that you plan to defeat will replace itself (or better) with card draw. In general, prioritize draws that enable your big turns: Visor (for free blasts), a useful tactic upgrade, and a resource support or cheap ally to round it out. This will set you up to hit the ground running.

Key Combos

This deck contains several potent synergistic combos that highlight Cyclops’s strengths:

• Optic Blast + Priority Target: One of the most satisfying plays is to attach Priority Target to a beefy minion, then KO that minion with an Optic Blast (fueled by Ruby Quartz Visor). Priority Target’s effect draws two cards when that enemy is defeated, essentially turning Cyclops’s Optic Blast into free card draw in addition to damage. With the Visor, this combo costs virtually nothing – you spend one resource (from the Visor) to blast, kill the minion, and immediately recoup two cards. It’s an efficient way to clear threats and refill your hand for even more plays in the same round.
• “Full Blast” Finisher: Full Blast is Cyclops’s high-octane attack event that piggybacks on his Optic Blast. After using Optic Blast, you play Full Blast to deal 8 additional damage (with overkill). In this deck, you’ll often set this up for a massive burst: attach Exploit Weakness to the villain first, then perform the Full Blast combo. Exploit Weakness adds +1 to each damage instance on that enemy, so the Optic Blast deals 4 and Full Blast adds 8 more – for a total of 12 damage (even more if the villain had a toughness card that Visor pierces). This one-shot combo can delete a villain’s phase or a high-HP minion in a single hero activation. The Visor is what makes it possible (since it provides the resource for Optic Blast and grants piercing), which is why getting the Visor out is so critical.
• Allies + Exploit Weakness Swarm: With Exploit Weakness attached to the main villain, all your allies deal +1 damage on every attack. This turns your X-Men allies into a lethal firing squad. With Boot Camp and Exploit Weakness, even your cheap allies attack for +2 over their base power. Essentially, Cyclops can attach Exploit Weakness to “mark” the villain, then on that turn every ally and hero attack is supercharged for an alpha strike. This combo rewards timing – build up a board of allies, play Exploit Weakness at the right moment, then send in the team for a devastating round. Even if the tactic falls off at round’s end, the burst damage often swings the game. (Notably, Practiced Defense is another tactic that can be used situationally – attaching it to the villain to reduce their attack by 1 helps keep your allies alive longer if you need a more defensive turn.)
• Priority Target + Visor Card Draw: We touched on this in Optic Blast combo, but it’s worth highlighting as its own synergy. With Priority Target on an enemy, any method of defeating that enemy yields 2 card draws, and Cyclops is especially adept at capitalizing on this. Often you will attach Priority Target to a minion, then use an ally or event to finish it off. In this deck, an optimal line is attaching Priority Target and then using Optic Blast (free via Visor) to get the kill, as mentioned. The Visor makes Optic Blast “free” and Priority Target effectively refunds you two cards, so Cyclops can set up this combo and still have a full hand to continue his turn. It’s an elegant way of maintaining momentum, turning every minion kill into an opportunity to reload your hand and press the attack even harder.