The worst hero has something to prove

Hello there, Champion! So you think Groot is a bit underpowerd too, huh? Well this deck probably won't fix that, but know that I built it with one purpose in mind: Keeping those darn Growth Counters on Groot and putting them to good use. Sure, having a ton of allies kinda defeats the purpose of having a hero in the first place, but I still wanted to try, and this is what I came up with using the packs at my disposal, so here goes nothing. Make sure to check the bottom of the page for a few variations. CONTEXT: You were the chosen one!

When we finally got our hands on this hero, I was dead set on making Groot my main. Alas, I was very disapointed when I first played him. His growth mechanic is all over the place, taking any amount of damage spends counters, using the upgrades spends counters, your nemesis burns your counters... and to add insult to injury, only 5 cards in your entire deck add counters -appart from your AE action, and that's just 2 at a time. I couldn't believe my eyes, every past hero had been a joy to play, but not my beloved tree friend. So I came up with an idea: What if Groot NEVER spent his counters? So I packed his deck with as many allies as possible to prevent the villain from ever attacking my boy, and each ally sort of has a purpose here. But let's go over his other cards first: EVENTS: Who is Groot? "I am Groot" and "I. AM. GROOT!" are the stars of this deck (I really said that, huh?). Whenever Groot has more than 5 counters, these are the go to events that you should be looking out for, but that's not all. "We are Groot" is another standout, as it lets your allies tank one villain attack for free, and you can either choose to spend 3-4 counters on your allies and yourself , or spend just one on yourself to let your allies keep drowning the villain with endless ATK and THW. Be mindful of where your Groot events are, though, as you don't want to draw those while you have 1 or 2 counters on your hero.

There's not much to say about Fruition, use them unless you really need the resource or you already have 9-10 counters on Groot. Root Stomp, on the other hand, pairs well with your allies, ensuring that you get that sweet growth counter every time. However, if you're playing against a low-on-minions enconuter, you may forego them in favor of using something else.

Make the call is the obvious choice here. Having access to cheap allies at all times is a blessing for any leadership deck, so don't be afraid to discard a couple allies early on.

Flora and Fauna is optional, but I like to play themed decks. Plus the growth Counters are very nice. Feel free to remove it, though.

SUPPORT:

Here's where we find the standard cards that most decks can run. Avengers Mansion shouldn't be a priority due to its high cost, so save it until you can flip back to AE to get some counters and a bigger hand size.

The Helicarrier is here to cover up for Groots poor cost management, along with Deft Focus, and it should oviously be a priority.

The real kicker, though, is Fertile Ground, Groots other Counter Generator. Try to put this one in play as soon as possible, as it will fix Groots poor Counter generation, adn the extra draw is the reason why, even at full health, you'll want to flip to AE. just make sure to use up to 6 counters before you do, as you'll get those back for free (3 on the flip, 3 more next round). UPGRADE: We need to be going up, not down!

This section is self explanatory. Groots own upgrades are nice and may come in handy when we need that extra oomph, but we are mainly playing them to get them off the deck, giving us easier access to our allies and identity events. You specially don't want to use them when your deck is getting thin and you know an important Event card is coming up, so keep an eye on the discard pile. The magic numbers are 2 I am Groot, 2 I. AM. GROOT! and 1 We are Groot.

Rapid Response is also optional, although it has its uses. It will keep your allies on the board, covering Groots poor THW and lack of self-readying. Try to keep at least one in play at all times, choosing to spend them on your most valuable allies only.

You may opt to run Endurance and Down Time, but they're optional, so feel free to remove them in favor of something else entirely. Otherwise, play them under another player's control, as they might make a better use of them than you (I can spend the whole )

ALLIES: This is where the fun begins.

Ant-Man is our filler ally. He's here to ATK/THW once and defend right after or just to defend. As such, feel free to spend 1-2 resources on him at maximum, he gets pretty average very quickly the more you spend on him and you want you ally roster to keep rotating.

Drax is our right hand when dealing with the villain. His ATK is so high for a 3 cost ally that you may want to avoid defending with him entirely. Stinger used to be in this place, but then I realized that only Avenger heroes can play her, bummer.

Gamora is a must imo, as she will help with finding those sweet Identity Events for us, kind of like a tutor. Only use her basic abilities when you need an event asap. Try not to defend with her unless you really need to or your deck is running thin.

Ironheart does what Ironheart can: come in, draw a card, defend, Unless you're playing solo, her ATK/THW is nothing to write home about.

Lockjaw shoud be on the resources list tbh. Our good boy is meant to be used as a resource and act as a last resort ally that doesn't count toward your hand size. He really is a loyal dog.

Maria Hill fills in that cheap THW ally spot. She's here mainly because I always play on multiplayer, and her card draw feels like Christmas Eve.

Mockingbird is optional unless you want to remove other allies from the list. That stun can prove to be invaluable when the villain gets a nasty upgrade. Other than that, she is a blocker.

Nick fury is best played early, when you need to get your setup out asap. There is a cool interaction between him and Rapid Response, though. If he dies defending you, Rapid Response will trigger, bringing him back into play and letting you draw 3 more cards plus another defense opportunity. Situational but cool.

Rocket is here for the fun. He allow us to play Flora and Fauna, and is super good at dealing with minions and side schemes, covering up for Groots shortcomings.

Yondu is usually a beast. Not here though. If you can keep him on the board, he will keep doing chip damage to the villain, removing TOUGH cards for free and avoiding retaliate tags. He's best played early. Otherwise, use him as resource. HOWEVER: If you swap a few cards here for Ally upgrades, be sure to attach them to him.

initially I had more random allies, but I chose to slot in a copuple more Guardians to make better use of Knowhere.

HOW TO PLAY:

Whatever suits your fancy, really. Yo may opt to go for a deep mulligan to try and get the big cards early on. Make sure to keep resource cards and allies just in case and dump the I am Groot events, as they don't provide any benefits early on. You may also want to stay in AE for a bit longer if you think you can contribute to the game through allies alone, as getting a couple more growth counters can prove to be very helpful. Just make sure to bring your THW allies first and use them to protect the other players. If you're playing solo, your allies can carry you through the early game, ensuring you get most of your set up as soon as possible. As always, shift your priorities according to the situation and bring in the ATK allies when you think you can rush the villain's health.

Gamora, Drax and Rocket are your key allies here, so go for them. Gamora is here to tutor your powerful events, so be mindful of how many you have already discarded before using her, otherwise ignore her if your deck is already very thin. Drax is a powerhouse, fillog in the lack of consistent damage to the villain. Rocket is here to play into the Flora and Fauna event, otherwise he is consistent at minion slaying and has a decent THW.

Another way to approach this deck it to keep rotating your allies, using them to protect you and other possible players left and right. Remember that allies aren't meant to live forever, and letting your Gamora die after only one use to bring in Mockingbird is just as good a tactic as any. Keep in mind that Lockjaw is just a failsafe, he's too expensive for what he does, so never play him form your hand unless you really need to or he's the first and only ally you draw.

When it comes to Growth Counters, make sure you get more than you spend. Remember that removing two counters now to ready your hero when you could be dealing 10 damage with an I. AM. GROOT! for a total of 0 resources may not be worth it.

Keep in mind that ally based decks allow for frequent flipping into AE. This will ensure that your allies are not dying left and right. You WILL run out of allies, trust me.

VARIATIONS:

Remove whatever allies you think aren't that good and slot in a few ally upgrades. Just make sure that they aren't Avenger restricted.

Swap most of your allies for a core of Yondu and Iron Man and bring a couple of Command Teams and 2 of each ally upgrade. Use We are Groot to keep Iron Man alive a bit longer.

Aternatively, you may remove knowhere and play a Call for Aid deck with only Avenger allies, ensuring that you always have something to defend yourself with.

SOME NOTES:

I know this deck isn't optimal, but I'm not one for building elaborate decks, so don't be too harsh, please. i know is that Groot is all about protecting others, not putting his allies in front of a Power Stone boosted slam from Ronan's hammer, but that's something I'm willing to overlook. This deck was born from my frustration of having to play Defense cards to keep the Growth Counters, only to find myself with little to no resources left for Groot's amazing events.

Lastly, excuse any language related mistakes, please, I'm not a native speaker and I'm mostly self-taught. Hope you have fun with this deck and make sure to let me know your ideas on how to improve it. I'll be reading.