Once Marvel Champions players have mastered all the heroes included in the Core Set, they are likely going to start exploring the expansion Hero Pack content. So far only Captain America and Ms Marvel are available in that category, but Thor, Black Widow, Doctor Strange, and Hulk are also on the way. In terms of the currently available Hero Packs, one is proving a lot easier to master than the other for many players.
The Marvel Champions Captain America Hero Pack is very popular not only because of the character’s iconic pop culture status, but also because of how powerful the deck feels. Players have built some very fun and powerful Captain America stunlock and Avengers-themed decks and, although it takes skill to master them, the average player can still pick those up and started winning games on Normal difficulty. That may not be the case for Ms Marvel decks unfortunately…
Ms Marvel/Kamala Khan (who will be a playable hero in Marvel’s Avengers this fall) is a popular character thanks to her solo comic and her team book, Champions, so her deck is selling well, but taking full advantage of Ms. Marvel’s unique strengths takes a bit of practice. If you are feeling discouraged after your first few games playing as Ms. Marvel, don’t lose hope. We’ve got some tips and some deck lists that should help turn things around for the shape-shifting hero.
“Already struggling with who she was, and who she wanted to be, teenager Kamala Khan just wanted a simple life. But when Kamala was trapped in a Terrigen Mist enveloping New Jersey, her life got a lot more complex! After emerging from the mist, Kamala discovered she was able to morph her body into nearly anything! Inspired by her idol Carol Danvers, Kamala took on the name Ms. Marvel and New Jersey gained its very own teenage crime fighter!
Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the Ms. Marvel Hero Pack for Marvel Champions: The Card Game!
Ms. Marvel is one of the most flexible heroes in the game, able to fit into whatever role is needed while learning to be a hero and protecting her friends from harm!”
Flip From Alter Ego To Hero… A Lot
One of the trickiest things to master when playing Ms. Marvel in Marvel Champions is knowing when to be in Alter Ego form and when to be in Hero form. Much like the She-Hulk decks, Ms. Marvel needs to flip back and forth a lot to best take advantage of her strengths. This is mostly due to some very powerful support cards that can only be activated in Alter-Ego form.
In general, the play pattern will often consists of flipping to Alter-Ego form to play out cards and then flipping back to Hero form to play an Attack event, pull it back, and play it again in order to get the most out of Ms. Marvel’s Strengths. This pattern will play out over and over again throughout the game for most Ms. Marvel decks. Switching from Attack events to Thwart or Defense events is also a part of the gameplay rotation depending on the game state or the Aspect that Ms. Marvel is paired with.
Ms. Marvel Aggro Decklist
Upgrade (4)
1x • Biokinetic Polymer Suit
1x Embiggen!
1x Endurance
1x Shrink
Ally (5)
1x • Hulk
1x • Mockingbird
1x • Nick Fury
1x • Red Dagger
1x • Tigra
Support (6)
1x • Aamir Khan
2x Avengers Mansion
1x • Bruno Carrelli
1x Helicarrier
1x • Nakia Bahadir
Event (20)
3x Big Hands
3x Chase Them Down
2x First Aid
3x Melee
2x Relentless Assault
3x Sneak By
2x Uppercut
2x Wiggle Room
Resource (5)
1x Energy
1x Genius
1x Strength
2x The Power of Aggression
Once players understand the importance of flipping to Alter-Ego form to utilize Kamala’s support cards, this deck becomes very intuitive. A few other things to keep in mind are that the main goal here is to stack up damage with cards like Melee and Embiggen! Some of the other heavy hitters like Hulk are actually in the deck to act as tanks, rather than deal a lot of damage themselves. Don’t be afraid to throw your Allies in from of villain or minion attacks here, so that Ms. Marvel is freed up to just play her events and pull them back into your hand.
Note that since Thor’s upcoming deck is also going to feature the Aggression aspect, there may be some tweaks and improvements that players should make once those cards are available. Be sure to take a close look at the full Thor decklist when it drops in your region and incorporate any cards that make sense.
Ms. Marvel Leadership
Upgrade (7)
2x Enhanced Awareness
2x Enhanced Reflexes
Ally (7)
1x • Falcon
1x • Hawkeye
1x • Maria Hill
1x • Squirrel Girl
1x • Vision
1x • Wonder Man
Support (7)
1x Avengers Mansion
1x • Avengers Tower
1x • The Triskelion
Event (19)
2x Get Ready
2x Lead from the Front
3x Make the Call
2x Strength In Numbers
2x The Power of Leadership
This deck is similar to the Aggression deck in terms of using Ms. Marvel’s power to pull back powerful events, but it also leans heavily on some of the game’s most powerful Allies. Players should aim to use the Biokenetic Polymer Suit and Enhanced Awareness to make assembling an army friends a lot cheaper. Make the Call also allows players to retun Allies who have already done work or needed to be pitched as a resource themselves.
Be sure to check back in the near future for more Marvel Champions strategy guides, news, and updates. Until then, good luck out there, heroes.
Marvel Champions is available now at local game stores.
