Protecting shouldn't be so exhausting!

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SoloMarvelChampion · 3092

Protecting shouldn't be so exhausting!

The idea behind this deck is being in Phased form going into the villain phase and using DEFENSE events which don't cause you to basic defend. This ensures you won't take any damage, you'll always be able to trigger Unflappable, and you won't be exhausted going into the hero phase.

And why is it so important to defend without exhausting? Because defending in Phased form forces you to flip to Solid form, and the easiest way back to Phased it to make a Basic attack, which you can't do if you're exhausted!

  • Jump Flip's "prevent 2 damage" is "prevent all damage" while you're phased (and you can remove 2 threat from the main even if there's a Crisis icon because Shadowcat ignores Crisis while she's Phased)...
  • Side Step's "prevent 3" is also "prevent all"
  • Defiance is the obvious 0-cost way to defend
  • Quick Shift is another great 0-cost DEFENSE, and explain my thoughts about it in the next section
  • I have a whole section about Preemptive Strike too!

Quick Shift

Quick Shift is a card I was "wrong" about in the past. My feeling was that I only wanted to play it in Phased form to draw two cards, but now I think it's "better" (or at least "as good") to play it in Solid form because it's an interrupt which flips you to phased, where you'll take no damage because you're now defending.

The villain attacks and you defend with an event and take no damage, but it flips you to Solid form. The Encounter card is Assault (or similar), so you defend with Quick Shift to get back to Phased and take no damage.


Preemptive Strike

Preemptive Strike is the only event that doesn't guarantee the DEFENSE and 0 damage because the villain might reveal a boost card with no boost!

If this is in my hand I hope to have a different one as well just in case, but if a boost IS drawn I'll definitely use this even if the boost is only 1 because it also does some damage and I don't want to waste an opportunity when I could have played it.

I'll pull any other DEFENSE event with Jocasta because all others are guaranteed to get you the defense regardless of how many boost icons are (or would be) drawn.

So maybe trade them out for Hard to Ignore?? Maybe, and I might do so after testing. EDIT: I did NOT trade these after testing because of scenarios in which the villain attacks someone other than you! This can still trigger the defense and no damage, while making you the defender without exhausting.


Energy

Jump Flip and Side Step are slightly better when you pay for them with , so I've included some cards to help ensure that:

  • Defensive Energy is and also draws you a card
  • The X-Jet is generates
  • Of course, many of the events have an too, but I hate paying for a DEFENSE event WITH a DEFENSE event!
4 comments

Mar 17, 2025 SpikeFightwicky · 1

Love the direction you're going in the deck! I've been trying to find a better mix of Defense events for Kitty. I have a question about Preemptive Strike: I (and my group) have been playing it as useable on zero boost icon encounter cards. Our reasoning is that the actual trigger to play the card is "When a boost card is turned face up while the villain attacks". Everything after the comma is the resolution effect, so you play it, it cancels 0 boost icons and deals 0 damage. Is that not how it should work?

Mar 17, 2025 SoloMarvelChampion · 3092

Thanks @SpikeFightwicky. That's probably how Preemptive Strike IS supposed to work, and I've been playing it wrong! You're right, the trigger is "When a boost card is turned face up", NOT when boost icons are revealed, so that makes it a stronger for her than I thought!

Mar 18, 2025 J__G · 359

Preemptive Strike definitely makes you the defender regardless of what happens with the boost card.

Looking at this deck from a MP perspective, Preemptive Strike is absolutely essential since it's the only card in the deck aside from Quick Shift that lets you defend for someone else without exhausting.

Mar 18, 2025 SoloMarvelChampion · 3092

@J__G, yeah I've always played Preemptive Strike incorrectly, but @SpikeFightwicky straightened me out LOL. Also I never really mention it in my deck lists, but I only play true-solo, so I never think about defending for other players (but you're right, it's definitely great in multi)!