Hulk Smash

Intro Hulk is an often maligned hero. Typically placed at, or close to the bottom of most rankings. And while there are shortcomings in his design. I still think there is a lot of value in playing a solid hulk deck. And that's what this deck attempts to do.

smash. SMASH. SMAAAAASH!!! Hulk is one of those heros that takes basic concepts of the game,and hyper focuses on those concepts. His decks are often trying to do one thing and do it well. In this case; punch the bad guys in the face. This means he works best in multipayer. That's not to say he can't play well in solo. (More on that later. ) But allowing him to do what he does best, will ultimate net good resaults. And using him as a role player, does just that. So the question is how?

Some heros, like Nova or Captain Marvel, want to deal damage through events. While others want to deal damage buy augmenting their basic attack, and using it over and over. Quicksilver and SP//dr are good examples of this. Hulk wants to do both. The goal is to build his basic attack and resources up with upgrades and supports. Thus thinning his deck enough, that he consistently draws his big events. Not a novel concept at all. And as mentioned, pretty simple amd Hyper focused. So let's look at the cards that make this possible.

Boundless Rage and Combat Training combine to give hulk 5 atk base. Events like Limitless Stamina, Earth's Mightiest Heroes and Unstoppable Force let you stand him back up to use that stat multiple times in a turn. And Unshakable gives you some resistance to stunned tokens. Allowing you to keep that momentum going. Meanwhile events like Crushing Blow and Quick Strike also leverage your basic stat for extra damage. In addition, you have Hulk Smash and Drop Kick which can send you over the top. And with all the Fist resources, you should have no problem getting the kicker effects on all these cards. So the villian should regularly be stunned, and the cost of these cards should be less egregious with the replacement draw on Unstopable Force and Drop Kick. And finally, you have Thunderclap to clear up the board state, should minions become a problem. Note: Because so much emphasis is based on Hulks ATK stat, it goes without saying that the three afore mentioned upgrades should be seen as priority to get out early.

Pewny Hulk Ok. So far we've discussed all the ways this deck specializes in dealing damage. But Hulk does have some well know weaknesses and blind spots. So let's discuss what they are and how this build addresses them.

1.) Limited resources. Hulks biggest issue is a low hand size. 4 in hero and a horrendous 5 in AE. So how do we deal with that? In two ways.

First, is resource generators. Avengers Mansion, Martial Prowess and Helicarrier all help in this regard. If you get all three out, you're looking at the equivalent of a 7 card hand every turn. That's more than enough to do what you want on any given turn.

Second is cost curve. There are a total of three cards in this deck that costs four. Two of them are allies, that can be played once you are set up with a few more resource generators. And the last is Avengers Mansion, which is a generator. And if you don't have the cards to pay for it that turn. It's not a bad idea to flip down and play it next turn. It's a very impactful card in this deck. Otherwise, every card in this deck cost 3 or less. Meaning 37/40 cards can be played on any given turn without set up. Additionally, some cards allow the player to draw a card if payed with a physical resource. Which reduces their effective cost even further. So often times you will find yourself able to pay for not just one, but 2 cards in a turn. Which can start to stack up damage pretty quick. But that leads into Hulks second weakness.

2.) Fleeting resources. Not only does Hulk not have access to very many cards each hand. But his forced interrupted requires that you discard any remaing cards at the end of your turn. Which, means once you finish your turn, there is little more you can do. And on too of that. You may have an extra card or two in hand, which you can't save for next turn. So what to do?

First, we find ways to get rid of them. Plan B gives us a great way to do just that. Have an extra card? Discard it and deal an extra two damage. That is exceptionally more valuable than one may think at first. In addition to this, Blade serves a similar perpose. Typically, Blade wants to be used as a battery for Earth's Mightiest Heros. But if you don't have one in hand, there's a good chance you do have a fist icon. Go ahead and use it to pay for Blades activation and get a couple extra damage in. Just like Plan B, Blade is really valuable for getting rid of those extra cards.

Second. Hand management. While this is a major mechanic of the game. Hulk, once again puts this concept under a microscope. Try planning your turns as much as possible. Ask yourself this question. Can I end the turn with out any cards in my hand, right now? If the answer I'd yes, it may be best to give you Mansion or Carrier activation to another player. Or maybe you draw with Mansion, knowing that you have Plan B out, just in case. Learning that balance between minimizing and maximizing your turn is crucial to being proficient with the Hulk.

3.) Thwart. Hulk is once again, all or nothing here. He only has Sub-Orbital Leap to deal with threat. And while it is a really strong card for that. There are a ton of situations where you don't need 5 threat removed. And to make matters worse, if you do need that much in solo, chances are high that you are very behind at the moment. Luckily there are a few ways to answer that dilemma.

First. Let someone else do it. This deck as it stands, is best in multiplayer. If your goal is to kick but and chew bubble gum, then do just that. If you have a good partner(s) to play with, they too should be covering a role. And chances are, one of them is built to handle threat. Lean on that. You do your thing, and let them do theirs.

Second. Don't Rush that villian down. Deal damage at every chance. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200 dollars. Put the petal to the metal, and hope to race the villian down before he can scheme out on you. This is a very real strategy, and quite fun. But it may require a few tweaks to style and/or deck construction. Maybe drop a few of the slower elements, like Mansion and Carrier, in favor of more damage, like Skilled Strike, Browbeat or Clobber

Third. Tweak the deck. As I've mentioned, Hulk functions best in multiplayer. But he can certainly find success in solo. IN order to do so, some edits are In order. One could simply switch to a different aspect. Justice or leadership could easily shore up Hulks weakness, and allow him to function well. But that's for another deck. This one is Agression. So how does this deck change to answer that problem? A few simple swaps will do the trick. One could exchange Quick Strike for Smash the Problem. I think this answer is best. But if you are dealing with a lot of minions, Into the Fray or Chase Them Down are also viable choices. I would also consider switching out Agent 13 and/or Mockingbird for Brawn and Lockjaw These two switches can provide consistent (with Brawn) and emergency (with Lockjaw) threat removal. However, Agent 13 provides considerable help there on her own. So it's really up to your particular preferences. Endurance is also a card that can be exchanged for a good threat removing ally.

4.) Damage control. While this isn't a weakness per say, it's still an active game element that must be addressed. The answer however is quite simple. Drop Kick and Mockingbird provide regular stun. And allies can step in the way for a chump block. In addition, hulk can get up to 25 health with Immovable Object and Endurance. So tanking a few hits is definitely in the cards. Especially considering Immovable Object gives him retaliate. So at this point, it's just a matter of carefully deciding when it's worth defending, and when it'd not. Which is somthing that only comes with play experience using the deck.

Hulk like raging fire. Thor like smoldering fire Nuance is the key to any deck. And this one is no exception. So let's cover a few minor details to round out your play experience.

Allies. There are only 5 allies in the deck. And most of them can be swapped in or out at will. But here is why I included the ones I did. Agent 13. She has a fist resource, and Hulk likes that. Beyond that, she stands Hellicarrier back up for an extra resource each turn, while also removing 2 threat, and maybe chump blocking when all is said and done. All around a good ally, that brings good value for the deck. Blade. As already mentioned, Blade is here to fuel EMH. If you don't have EMH in hand, he can also be a good place to dump cards for damage. On top of that, he's cheap. This is the only ally that should never leave this deck, for all the above reasons. Mockingbird. I've already mentioned her a few times. But essentially she's just a good card. She soaks two attacks and deals 2 dmage/2 thwart for 3 cost. Yes please. She-Hulk. She's the least valuable of all the allies, as her cost can be a problem early game or solo. But once she hits the table, she has flexibility, and high damage output. Plus she's an avenger for EMH. Spider-Girl. Minion control. Check. 2 damage and a block. Check. Has avengers trait for EMH. Check. Only costs 2. Double Check.

Mulligan and turn #1. The mulligan is a powerful tool, to help accelerate a decks performance. So what to look for here. Mainly, you just want to see upgrades, supports and multiple resource cards like Limitless Strength or Strength. The main targets are resource generators, and the two stat buffs. But a good ally like Blade, or a one cost upgrade like Plan B or Unshakable is not a bad start either. Somthing else to consider. Don't be afraid to stay in AE for the first turn. The extra card draw allows for a great ler chance of drawing in and setting up those key cards sooner.

You won't like it if your Angry Remeber. The goal is to have fun. So play the deck you want, how you want. This is merely a shell. To be torn down and rebuilt how you want. If you liked this deck, have questions, or suggestions, feel free to let me know. Now get out there and Smash things up.

TL;DR. Buildl up Hulks ATK. Punch things as often as possible.