Marvel Champions is a card game that allows players to customize a ton of different decks and strategies. Each hero (and their alter-ego) features a toolbox of 15 cards that build out their core strengths, but customizing their aspect and basic cards really offers the chance to get creative. When it comes to customizing Captain America decks, there are a handful that are proving very popular in Marvel Champions.
For those who are new to Marvel Champions, a legal deck contains 40-50 cards and must include all 15 of the cards from the chosen hero’s identity. After that, players select one of the four aspects and the rest of the deck is built from that card pool and basic cards. No more than three copies of any card can be included and there can only be one copy of any cards that are marked as unique.
As players get more comfortable playing the deck that Captain America came with, they may want to make some improvements and try different strategies for both solo or multiplayer mode against tougher enemies. Just like in the MCU, Cap is great with his shield and a pro at assembling allies. With that in mind, there are a handful of very strong Cap decks that are well worth experimenting with.
Keep in mind that part of the fun of Marvel Champions is tweaking decklists and making each strategy your own. The decklists provided below are a great place to start, but definitely add or remove cards based on your own play style or the particular villain that you’re up against. For example, when playing against Ultron it is much more important to have answers to lots of minions so that players can defeat his Drone army, but those minion defense can be cut when players are up against an opponent like Klaw who does a lot more damage themselves.
Stunlock Cap - Protection
Upgrade (9)
1x Armored Vest
1x • Captain America’s Helmet
1x • Captain America’s Shield
1x Down Time
1x Energy Barrier
2x Indomitable
2x Super-Soldier Serum
Ally (4)
1x • Agent 13
1x • Black Widow
1x • Luke Cage
1x • Mockingbird
Support (4)
1x Avengers Mansion
1x Helicarrier
1x Med Team
1x • Steve’s Apartment
Event (18)
2x Counter-Punch
2x Expert Defense
2x Fearless Determination
2x Get Behind Me!
3x Heroic Strike
2x Shield Block
2x Shield Toss
3x Tackle
Resource (5)
1x Energy
1x Genius
1x Strength
2x The Power of Protection
Captain America stunlock is an incredibly powerful deck, particularly for solo players. Combining Cap’s Heroic Strike and Tackle with Super Soldier Serum makes it very easy to guarantee a ton of Stuns throughout the game, which can basically lockdown the villain and nearly eliminate the need to ever flip back to Steve Rogers. On turns when the stun isn’t possible, Cap is able to defend with the shield or Shield Block to basically eliminate every attack that is thrown at him.
This deck gets a little weaker in multiplayer settings, but is still a strong contender and a big step up from the pre-built Captain America deck in a lot of ways.
Captain America Avengers - Leadership
Upgrade (5)
1x Honorary Avenger
Ally (7)
1x • Falcon
1x • Hawkeye
1x • Maria Hill
1x • Squirrel Girl
1x • Vision
1x • Wonder Man
Support (5)
1x • Avengers Tower
1x • The Triskelion
2x Avengers Assemble!
3x Lead from the Front
1x Make the Call
3x Strength In Numbers
2x The Power of Leadership
Players who want to assemble an army of Avengers and crush the villain with allies are likely drawn to this particular combo strategy. The deck is primarily built around taking full advantage of The Power of Leadership and Avengers Assemble! by playing those cards without 3+ Avenger allies in play. When the combo comes together, this allows for some incredibly devastating turns.
The tricky part of piloting this deck is surviving the early game while the Avengers are being assembled. Players shouldn’t worry about doing too much damage and just concentrate on thwarting threat off of the main scheme and any side schemes and keeping the minion situation under control. Once the army of allies comes together a few rounds into the game, then there will be plenty of time to start piling on damage and defeating the main villain in a hurry.
Stunlock and Avengers are just two of many possible Captain America builds that players can explore. The hero seems best suited to Protection and Leadership aspects, but there is certainly the possibility that Justice and Aggression Captain America decks can still be competitive, as well. As more aspect cards are released with each hero pack, there will be more tools to work with and more archetypes are sure to emerge in the Marvel Champions metagame.
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.
