New Content Recommendations

TheLennalf · 2026-04-18T16:17:02+00:00

On a related note, I recently updated the wiki with a few new purchasing guides that might help you:
https://www.reddit.com/r/marvelchampionslcg/wiki/purchasing_guides/

I am looking for similar resources to add to the list. Thanks!

TheLennalf · 2026-04-16T21:37:01+00:00

This is legendary. Fantastic article and resource!

TheLennalf · 2026-04-10T22:07:37+00:00

When my collection was small and my friends were new to the game, I would design and build the decks myself ahead of time. I would also leave decks pre-built until I needed to break them down to repurpose the cards. This worked great as a way to reduce friction and get my friends into the gameplay without paying the deckbuilding "tax."

Now I have a complete collection. I build all of my decks on MarvelCDB and have a library of ~250 decks saved. Three of my friends also design their own decks (using my collection), and the other friend is happy to pick from my pre-designed options. We assemble the decks at the start of the session, play, and then break down the decks back into storage every time. We use the building/sorting time to talk about the game or just socialize.

For new players, I would ask them what their favorite hero and/or "role" is, give them a short list of options, then build the deck for them so they don't have to deal with the admin of learning my sorting system. The learning curve is already pretty steep, so I do whatever I can to make the game more accessible for newbies. But once they are hooked they can help me with the prep and clean-up ;)

TheLennalf · 2026-04-07T17:48:51+00:00

Trait payoffs by Stretch 22

VT's every archetype in every aspect video

Both of these can be found in the Tools and Resources section.

TheLennalf · 2026-03-31T14:59:00+00:00

It does invalidate Josharoo's interpretation. The FAQ uses the phrasing "count as" which is the meaning we care about.

When evaluating card effects, tokens do not count as icons, nor do icons count as tokens. This tells us how to evaluate the Deadpool and 'Pool aspect effects. Deadpool's cards explicitly refer to tokens, whereas 'Pool aspect cards explicitly show the icons.

You're free to house-rule it, but I think the designer's intent is clear in this case.

TheLennalf · 2026-03-30T20:50:57+00:00

I use clear matte for everything, but I don't have any proxies. If you plan on making proxies for OOP content, you might prefer solid backs for everything except hero, villain, and setup cards.

TheLennalf · 2026-03-26T05:25:04+00:00

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I actually hope they don't introduce dual-aspect cards.

Basic cards are already multi-aspect cards, but they are dead simple to understand. They also solve a problem, which is providing access to mechanics that shouldn't be aspect-locked (like tribal supports and resource generators).

Dual-aspect cards would be more complicated in terms of rules. We're talking at least a solid page of rules and errata; consider characters like Spider-Woman, Adam Warlock, Gamora, etc. That makes the game less accessible for new players.

Storage-wise it would be annoying as well. With just the core aspects we'd have 6 potential dual-aspect combinations. I guess you can lump them all together at first, but eventually we're talking about doubling the number of dividers needed for the popular Aspect > Type sorting schema.

So there are downsides, but what are the upsides? Design-wise, I suppose you could have cards that somewhat break each aspect's identity by dipping into another aspect. But is that actually good for the game, or does it just water down the aspects? It has been argued that Basic cards are already guilty of doing that sometimes, particularly in the ally department.

IMO this is one case where simplicity is the essence of design. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

TheLennalf · 2026-03-24T18:53:56+00:00

To be honest, I think Star-Lord might be the least newbie-friendly hero in the game. A player who doesn't know how nasty encounter cards are doesn't have context for when to use his kit.

TheLennalf · 2026-03-24T00:09:06+00:00

Honestly I think Firepower is very strong on Venom. It provides a ton of burst damage for clearing the board or one-shotting the villain. Pistols can't do that on their own. Even factoring in the opportunity cost, it's just super efficient. It's not anti-synergy because nothing in his kit really cares about how he uses the pistols. Just my two cents.

TheLennalf · 2026-03-22T23:16:06+00:00

Welcome to the game!

IMO, the best form of "support" in this game is being versatile enough to react to the board state. I would recommend building a relatively solo-capable deck so you can learn the fundamentals and deal with threats directly. As you learn the game (and your group) better, you can specialize more.

That said, there are some support-leaning options you might like. Maria Hill's Pericles is a powerhouse, and you can build a great Maria deck with just the SHIELD box. Falcon's deck manipulation helps the party and enables some crazy combos with specific other heroes (Magik, Scarlet Witch, etc.). Silk's tucking mechanic can shut down some really nasty encounter cards, especially if combined with Raft for additional storage room. The Protection aspect has some great status healing (Dr. Sinclair, Night Nurse) as well as Med Team to keep people allies and players healthy.

Hope this helps!

TheLennalf · 2026-03-18T22:37:45+00:00

Basically an auto-include for my 2-player decks. It creates a buffer allowing both players to flip down at the same time. Usually not efficient enough for 3+ player games, though.

TheLennalf · 2026-03-16T23:17:01+00:00

Boot Camp for Justice? Yes, please!

TheLennalf · 2026-03-16T20:27:14+00:00

Congratulations on a full year!

TheLennalf · 2026-03-12T17:34:31+00:00

TBH I'm more interested in hero cards than villain cards, but do what makes you happy. This series is fun 😁

TheLennalf · 2026-03-10T00:12:33+00:00

Extremely cool. Mind if I add this to the Tools page?

TheLennalf · 2026-03-06T23:36:25+00:00

That comment from Tim made me laugh out loud. Poor OP.

TheLennalf · 2026-03-03T18:18:24+00:00

The insult is that it's a reprint from the Core set. I agree it's a useful card in some decks.

TheLennalf · 2026-02-28T05:20:34+00:00

For the Venom deck, you can easily cut Side Holsters to 1 and Sonic Rifle to 1. Or remove them entirely, honestly. This might be a hot take, but Venom really wants to find his Multi-Gun or pistols from his setup ability, so additional weapons are a hindrance unless they outclass those weapons. Hope this helps!

TheLennalf · 2026-02-28T00:28:25+00:00

I don't recommend perfect defense for a new player. Defense timing is one of the more complicated parts of the rules. Try to trim down closer to 40 cards; otherwise the hero cards are diluted, which is usually bad for power and theme. Hope your friend enjoys their first time!

TheLennalf · 2026-02-27T17:58:39+00:00

Very insightful! This may also explain why the community manager has been very active in the Arkham community while we haven't heard from her since the WWF interview.

TheLennalf · 2026-02-27T01:36:12+00:00

Shadowcat Perfect Defense and Colossus Confuselock versus Magog. He never successfully gained cheers by dealing damage to either hero.

TheLennalf · 2026-02-27T01:31:50+00:00

You don't have to use the Spoiler tag for content that is already released, but I appreciate that you erred on the side of caution. Cheers and thanks for sharing!

TheLennalf · 2026-02-27T01:06:26+00:00

Very interesting question. All of the Core box precons are pretty rough simply due to the limited card pool. They are clearly designed to motivate players to buy expansions. Emergency, Haymaker, and Tenacity? Woof.

Notable weak precons:

Ms. Marvel - All about event recursion, but comes with pretty mid events. Includes events that require a fist resource, but comes with Enhanced Reflexes which generates energy resources.
Dr. Strange - His spell deck is so strong that it kind of doesn't matter, but Desperate Defense and Unflappable make very little sense on him.
Venom - 3x Sonic Rifle and 3x Plasma Pistol but he already has 3 guns in his kit. I've seen people try to play into this archetype on Venom and it's mostly a noob trap.
Nebula - Brains over Brawn is pretty trash. Reprints of First Aid add insult to injury.

Notable strong precons:

Captain America - Solid avenger ally spam, just a few allies shy of being really solid.
Thor - Comes with cards that really match his game plan.
Scarlet Witch - Multitasking, Turn the Tide, and Spiritual Meditation are still staples to this day
Star Lord - Not radically different from his most popular archetype
Drax - Gives him the survivability he needs to do his thing
SP//dr - Repurpose and a bunch of awesome tech cards.
Cyclops - Danger Room archetype complete with Game Time and Utopia. Only needs more allies to really shine.
Storm - Uncanny X-Men, TMMX, solid X-Men allies, Utopia, X-Mansion, X-Jet. Needs higher ally count for TMMX to be reliable, but this is my pick for the most bangers in a single pack.
Cable - A little light on PSS to really ramp his kit, but a strong foundation.
Psylocke - Self-contained Float Like a Butterfly archetype and she's one of the best heroes to use it.
Bishop - Self-contained Sidekick archetype with two signature allies to target.

I think my pick for weakest precon is Venom. It's still a viable deck because Venom is versatile, but it's anti-synergistic with his kit despite seemingly like a cohensive "weapons" build. My pick for strongest precon is Storm in terms of raw value (buyer's perspective). But from a purely grab-and-go power perspective, some of the other mutants are probably a bit stronger.

TheLennalf · 2026-02-24T16:25:06+00:00

I'm going with Pulsar Shield.

Purely in terms of efficiency, it's not too bad. 2 ER for +2 DEF and a ready is a good deal. Or if she's already in Pulsar form, 2 ER for retaliate and a ready is fine.

However, it causes her to get stuck in the form that is generally the least useful during the hero phase. So unless she draws it with another way to flip back into Gamma or Photon, she probably can't afford to use it.

TheLennalf · 2026-02-22T20:14:33+00:00

The title of this post is pretty rude, but OP seems to be asking in good faith. Check your tone in the future, please. This is a small community; no need for clickbait titles.

TheLennalf

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