“I only need 1HP to kick your ass!”

Couldn't decide which version I liked more, so... I published both! :)

This is the stand-alone version of my "1HP Cap" concept.
Looking for the safer 2-or-more-player version? Check out the Protection Cap + Leadership Winter Soldier version!

Don't forget to drop a like/fav for both versions, it's always appreciated :)

"I only need 1HP to kick your ass!"

— Captain America, hurt, but clearly on his way to kick your ass.

Overview:

• Play Style: Righteous Purpose...but for your hero!
• Fun: High (play the mini-game of staying alive at 1HP).
• Difficulty: Medium-High (prioritize the right cards, or get KO'd).
• Power level: Medium-Strong (Weak for a Leadership Cap deck :p ).
• Recommended Player Count: 1-4.
  ==> I also published a much safer duo version of the concept here.
• Number of cards: 41 (including 5 PSS, and big draw power).

This deck won against multiple Expert villains, including very bad match-ups like Taskmaster (damage when you flip, his Shield, and Reflexes) + allies-hate, and Citizen V + Black Widow (retaliate 1 + Handsprings).
Watch out for Retaliate-like effects: at 1HP, even 1 damage can kill you :)

Concept:
Use enemy attacks, Clarity of Purpose, and Deathcry to get Captain America down to exactly 1HP asap!

THIS is a super fun mini-game in itself, with a nice payoff:
At 1HP, Righteous Purpose turns Cap into a 4 THW / 4 ATK hero, while "I Can Do This All Day!" lets him ready every turn.

To avoid losing our last HP we use a big pile of expendable allies, Shield Block, Heroic Strike's stun status, and...wait for it...Captain America's Helmet!
This is our most important card here, a safety net that is never removed from the game like other "don't die at 0HP" cards! I usually skip this card entirely when playing Captain America, so it's nice to see it have some use! Yellow Jacket can find it, and Second Chance can reshuffle it!

Finally, use surviving allies to their last HP for big chunks of threat removal and/or damage. Especially with Iron Lad out there.

It's tempting to invest more cards in allies or readying, but we want draw power above all else. This allows us to dig Captain America's Helmet back out if needed. The same applies to Cap's powerful events.

This is NOT the strongest way to play Leadership Captain America, but it's fun, and really satisfying! If you want a safer (and arguably stronger) version of this combo, don't forget there is a 2p, safer, team-up version with Cap + Winter Soldier

How to play this deck / combos:
1. Early game

• Mulligan for resource generators (Clarity of Purpose is a priority, but Avengers Mansion, Avengers Tower, Super-Soldier Serum, Mission Leader, Steve's Apartment, and most PSSs are all great).

• Righteous Purpose and Captain America's Helmet are what we're looking for, but we don't need them on turn 1. Build Support and Superpower Training can help, and we draw a lot.

• Obviously, play your Captain America's Shield asap.

• Call for Backup finds Deathcry early game, or Falcon (see below).

• Evaluate Threat can find Avengers Mansion, Avengers Tower, or any ally.

• Superpower Training usually finds Super-Soldier Serum early game, but is very handy for Captain America's Helmet too!

2. Getting to 1HP

• Take the first villain hit(s) on your hero's chin until it's not safe to do so anymore (around X+4 HP left, where X is the villain's ATK value).
• Take damage with Clarity of Purpose and Deathcry until you reach 1HP, and stay there.
• You can use Steve's Apartment to go back to 2HP, and immediately lose it with Clarity of Purpose or Deathcry.

3. Surviving at 1HP
This is the order in which you should consider your defensive options:

• Stun: with Heroic Strike, it prevents boost cards altogether.
• Full block: with Shield Block, or an ally, depending on whether you need the card in hand, or fear a boost with direct damage (which Shield Block can cancel).
• Basic defense: 3 DEF + retaliate 1 with Captain America's Shield.
• Back to 1HP: with Captain America's Helmet. This is your last resort; don't use it unless you HAVE to (or know the encounter deck very well).
   
• Play allies to chump block (always anticipate extra villain attacks!!!).
• Falcon can scry the encounter deck a bit, and anticipate direct damage from encounter/boost cards.
• You really want to stun the villain whenever you can with Heroic Strike.
• Watch out for Retaliate-like effects: at 1HP, even 1 damage can kill you :)
• Shield Block can cancel any source of damage, even retaliate.

4. Gameplay + combos

• Draw A LOT (Avengers Mansion, Steve's Apartment, Mission Leader + 5 PSS, "Avenge Me!", Kaluu, White Tiger, Yellow Jacket, and Fearless Determination).
• This helps you find your Helmet very quickly if you ever lose it.
• Yellow Jacket fetches you your key upgrades at the beginning, or "Avenge Me!" later on. He's great to get your Helmet back sooner if you discard it
• Iron Lad + any other ally with 1HP left is awesome! (bonus point if he has 1HP left as well)

5. End the game!

• Keep 1-3 allies at 1HP while the villain is stunned.
• Keep 1-2 Heroic Strike in hand.
• Then, unleash two basic attacks for a total of 8 damage, 3-15 damage from your allies, and 12 damage from your events. That should delete most villains in solo.

Customize the deck:
As a reminder, for a MUCH safer game plan, check out the "Safe, team-up version" of this deck, teaming up with Winter Soldier.

This deck should stay at around 40-41 cards in order to reach our key defensive upgrades/events faster, and not to dilute our allies too much.

However, these events can add even more fun to the deck:

• Unified Strike can help against Retaliate X. The rest of the time, it keeps your allies at 1HP longer.
• Avengers Assemble! seems like a no brainer. But I really didn't need it... It can lead to even bigger numbers during the last turn though.
• Earth's Mightiest Heroes also seems like a no-brainer. It can ready your 4 THW/ATK hero while keeping allies at 1HP, or let your allies get faster to 1HP if you can't basic-attack that Retaliate minion... But it wasn't useful often enough to deserve 1-3 extra cards in the deck, sadly...

Other picks:

• Different allies: Ronin works well with Avenge Me, Thor can summon a minion to lose HP faster, and be a great target for Iron Lad.
• Honorary Avenger can ease the "Avenge Me!" restriction...

Anyway, enjoy, have fun,
and don't forget to drop a like/fav, it's always appreciated :)