Card draw simulator
| Derived from |
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| None. Self-made deck here. |
| Inspiration for |
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| None yet |
Diomedes1111 · 42
The idea behind this deck is simple: use Shadowcat's phased form to defend against attacks without taking damage, then build up protection upgrades that let us turn those defences into progress toward winning the game. Rather than relying on basic defence and exhausting Shadowcat every time the villain attacks, we use defence events to handle the attacks while keeping our options open. If everything goes to plan, Shadowcat spends the game shrugging off damage while the villain slowly gets worn down.
Phased and Confused
Shadowcat's phased form is the heart of the deck. By defending in the right form, we can take advantage of her ability to avoid damage from attacks. The goal is to stay in phased form as much as possible, using defence events to handle incoming attacks instead of relying on her basic DEF activation.
Defiance is a great example. For zero cost, we can defend against an attack and discard its boost card before it resolves. Most of the time, losing that boost card won't be a big deal, but occasionally we'll prevent a nasty boost effect from causing trouble. Cuts Both Ways and Preemptive Strike give us more ways to defend without exhausting Shadowcat, while Powerful Punch and Counter-Punch can help us manipulate our form as the situation demands.
The important thing is that we're not simply trying to survive the villain phase. We're trying to defend efficiently while keeping Shadowcat ready to do other things on our turn.
Turning Defence Into Progress
The protection upgrades are what turn this defensive plan into a way to win. Hard to Ignore is particularly important, allowing us to keep the main scheme under control as we defend. With three copies in the deck, we have a good chance of establishing a steady source of threat removal.
Flow Like Water is another key piece. Since we're playing so many defence events, it can turn those defensive plays into additional damage. Dauntless adds retaliate damage against the villain, giving us another way to advance the win condition while we're busy defending.
Unflappable is an especially natural fit for Shadowcat. Perfect defences are her speciality, and this upgrade rewards us with card draw when we achieve one. Change of Fortune adds even more card draw when we deal damage during the villain phase, which fits nicely with the retaliate damage and defensive effects in the deck.
Excelsior gives us another source of damage, useful for clearing most minions and chipping away at the villain. Taken together, these upgrades mean that every villain phase can accomplish several things at once: protect Shadowcat, control threat, draw cards, and deal damage.
Keeping the Health Dial at Home
The deck is designed to avoid damage rather than heal through it, but we still have a few safety nets. Polaris can provide a Tough status card to help preserve Shadowcat's health, while Armor gives us a backup source of defence. Med Team can patch up any damage that slips through, and Kitty's Room provides additional support.
The remaining Shadowcat cards help us manage her forms and keep the deck flexible. Shadowcat Surprise, Phased Strike, Airwalk, and Quick Shift give us options for dealing with different board states, while Phased and Confused and the other form-related upgrades help support the overall plan.
The Rest of the Deck
Astonishing X-Men gives us another player side scheme to work with, and Lockheed provides additional ally support. Acute Control, Intangible Interference, and Solid round out the upgrade package, helping us make the most of Shadowcat's unique mechanics.
The deck's biggest strength is that defence doesn