Now Entering Launch Base Zone (RESTRICTED AREA)

Grapnel Launcher on Rocket is absurd. It synergizes so well with I've Got a Plan it's borderline suspicious.

When you're exhausted as Justice Rocket, it sucks. I've Got a Plan requires a basic thwart to trigger. But if you're already exhausted, say by an encounter card or a rough defensive villain phase, you don't get to use it. Hideous. Monstrous. Ew.

Now let's look at this new Fear No Evil card. --heavy breathing, slight sweating-- Look at the subtle thwart bonus. That tasteful 2-cost. Oh my God, it even lets you ignore crisis icons.

This baby performs a basic thwart even if you're exhausted, allowing you to play your incredible identity thwart, which lets you ready (!!!), and it gives the tiny bump to your THW that will match your plan's bonus, just to keep the numbers easy.

But beware, this deck is a Heavily Restricted Area. You need your Side Holster more than most people; try very hard not to pass it up if you get it in your hand. You use a lot of guns. There are a total of eight restricted cards in this deck. That's 20%. One in five. Nothing to sneeze at, and you've only got three places for them.

All I can say is: be judicious. Standard Rocket Arsenal Strategy stands firm here. You got minion swarms? Boom. Dedicated fire support? Ol' Betsy'll take care of 'em. Your pistols are cheap; better early-game. Be ready to drop your guns at a moment's notice if you find something that better fits your circumstances. Like if you find something shinier, with a full magazine.

Remember that Rocket's identity-specific weapons do not automatically get discarded when they're empty. This is because they can be refilled!! It's when you've got your three Restricted slots filled that you can selectively discard and replace other Restricted cards. Don't be afraid to scrap something with a round left in the chamber for that sick card draw via Rocket's Alter ability; after all, if you really need to, you can get your guns back out of the trash.

A basic rule of thumb: you'll probably always want a sick hookshot stuffed into your holster. This way you can keep your weird little raccoon hands on the big guns.

But hey, this deck is honestly going to be better in multiplayer as the dedicated Thwarter. You might need to forgo some of your guns in the moment. Horrible, I know, but if you've got an Aggression Allied Hero, it might be worth it. This is also why Specialized Training is here: allies benefit immensely as well. Honestly, though? Rocket's thwart can get bonkers very quickly when you've got a few stat boosts to really tighten up that master plan. At his base stats, it's a 2 and 3 pair of basic thwarts. Turn one 5 thwart removal. Not too shabby, and it can rapidly improve.

My bad habit is I always start by fishing hard for Ingenuity and/or Helicarrier. They're just incredibly useful levers for your economy.

From there, your average turn is going to be placing down a stat and/or weapon upgrade, and then putting on and/or using an Overwatch, or maybe getting off a quick Yaw and Roll (after you put your boots on).

Remember that you're not just smart. With some conditioning and a spare skeleton, you'll have some pretty respectable HP to keep yourself in Heroic shape for a good while. When you finally do need to swap back to Alter, just remember to think fast (or at least keep on-hand a good rifle) to dodge a nasty scheme.

The THW stat upgrades here get you to a comfortable six, which is immediately always seven (don't say it) via your Grapnel-Plan combo, with a plucky +1 if you're feeling acrobatic.

...And that's it! This is my first published deck. I may have missed something obvious; let me know in the comments. I do think the basic concept is pretty solid. Just crank up the Sonic 3 music, and let your inner weird little mammal hero mascot go crazy saving the day while your friends beat up whoever is causing problems.