This is an ally that needs a little more building around than the others in Cable's precon, but the upside is tremendous. Even without a minion in play, dealing 2 to the villain on entry makes up for only having 2 hp, putting this on-rate with other 3-cost allies, and when built around you should have no problem getting 3 damage. With one minion in play, Sunspot becomes a Valkyrie, and with two minions engaged with the same player, Sunspot can do 11 damage in one turn and be ready to block immediately in the villain phase...simply insane. If you want to play a -theme deck, be sure to include Captain Marvel as well. I look forward to playing an Iron Man deck with Sunspot, since his Repulsor Blast also encourages building with energy resources. Thor is another good choice, who makes lots of with God of Thunder and uses it to power Lightning Strike.

Do note that while you can always overpay for cards in Champions, you can't count them towards an ability like Sunspot's above the card's printed cost. See hallofheroeslcg.com for the relevant ruling on Moon Girl, which uses the same language as Sunspot.

Caliban is a solid ally with a Call for Aid-style response upon entry. This can be used in a few different ways - it can find a specific ally your deck is built around like Fantomex if that's the only target, it can load up your graveyard to increase the versatility of Make the Call, or it can activate Digging Deep/White Fox, which is a very strong use. Even without a combo, it's above rate for a 3-cost ally due to drawing a card when it comes in. The psionic trait also makes Caliban premium for psionic-theme decks. A very nice card!

This side scheme can be punishing in solo play, even more so on Expert, and yet even more so during the campaign. After a bad encounter phase, if your hero is exhausted, or you have a poor hand of cards, you can easily go from no threat on the main scheme (Sinister Synchonization or Sinister Beatdown) to popping it at the beginning of the next villain phase. This is due to a number of factors that all reflect poor design for true solo play and can combine to produce a near-instant loss:

• the low threat thresholds on the main schemes;
• the Life-Size Decoy that starts in play with Tough during the solo campaign (at 9 or higher on the reputation track) and prevents thwarting of side schemes;
• the two villains that come into play with Frequent Flyers, High Fashion, and Robotic Enhancements along with incite 1 on each card;
• the Expert-mode surge on Surprise!; and
• the extra encounter cards due to Venom, the Expert-level Public Outcry, and the 2nd side of Light at the End. These extra encounter cards are much more punishing during true solo games than multi-player games.

All in all, a poorly designed card and one of a number of things that can make the Sinister Motives box frustrating for true solo play. Those who like to use home rules may consider capping the amount of acceleration icons that can be gained,

If I'm playing Starlord with Guardians of the Galaxy in play and then I play Deathlok, do I draw a card after Deathlok gets his attached upgrade? Or the card only triggers if the upgrade was played from hand?

This card is so remarkably on brand for Cable. You toss out an upgrade that literally prevents you from failing, shunting enemy resources away in order to throw a "Hail-Mary" pass. But it costs you, by removing a resource that enhances Cable's events. What a perfectly designed card.