Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Main Idea of the Deck

Wolverine is my favorite Marvel super hero, and with the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. box dropping I wanted to make a deck themed around one of my favorite Wolverine stories: Wolverine Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Logan goes on a revenge mission after being brain washed by the Hand all within the larger 'Enemy of the State' story). Thematically I wanted this deck to feel like Logan is working with S.H.I.E.L.D. on a mission. Because of this, I stuck with shield cards, and cards that support Wolverine specifically without being tied to the X-Men (except Jubilee who refuses to stay home). Wolverine has amazing damage output already, so the Justice cards help balance out his already decent thwarting for a very balanced deck build that might take a little more to setup than most Wolverine decks I play. The end goal was to have a deck that felt thematic, while also feeling definitively Wolverine, and being a relatively effective deck as well. This deck was made with solo play in mind, but could probably be used in multiplayer with a few adjustments if you'd like.

Attack Events

One of the biggest things I look for in a Wolverine deck is making sure I've got an attack event to play with his claws. With 2 Stealth Strikes and 2 Hit & Runs we get 10 attack events total, making it pretty likely to draw at least one per hand while still allowing us to have room for S.H.I.E.L.D. cards.

I love the reprint of Stealth Strike with Wolverine in the art because it leans into Wolverine's ability to track enemies without being detected. It also allows us to have an option for Wolverine's claws to pay for threat removal. Hit & Run is included for this same reason while also being a more flexible option that doesn't require an enemy being defeated.

Generation X also helps us tutor Wolverine's event cards out, essentially giving us another attack card at the cost of an exhaust or simply through our extra thwarting.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. Engine

The Idea of the deck is to get your S.H.I.E.L.D. resource generators (Government Liaison & Helicarrier) out early so you can make the most of them. Sky-Destroyer is also ideal to get out early, giving you 2 free damage every turn you play a S.H.I.E.L.D. card (which is most turns once you're setup). This extra damage helps close out any awkward ranges that Wolverine's attacks might fall short of. Monica Chang is great for putting out [Surveillance Teams](Surveillance Teams), which act as targets for Global Logistics & Homeland Intervention, all of which proc Sky-Destroyer as well.

Wolverine Specific Support

Wolverine is the best there is at what he does, and these cards are meant to help him do whatever it is he's best at. Endurance gives Wolverine more health to spend, and can act as a one time heal when you don't want to flip down. Specialized Training gives Wolverine a flexible stat buff depending on what you need, more card draw, and gives us another target to spend our extra thwarting on. Wolverine using a gun might seem weird, but he used to be part of a CIA black ops group called Team X, where he used a gun fairly regularly. I love that Wolverine is so multifaceted as a character, so I put in Sonic Rifle to represent that side of him. Plus, Confuse is just really good in general. If you're going against a Stalwart villain, feel free to sub in a card from the Honorable Mentions list below or drop it since it's a 44 card deck.

Typical Hand

Usually I try to play an attack card once every turn, unless I need the extra resources to setup, or I'm running too low on health to use Wolverine's claws. I also try to play at least one S.H.I.E.L.D card to continue setting up the engine, or to make the most of what I've already setup from the engine. Using our generators to get in a S.H.I.E.L.D. ally is ideal so we can chump block and keep Wolverine's health protected, but using Global Logistics can help you know exactly how much damage you can take if you need/want to tank hits with Wolverine directly. I tend to be a bit aggressive when spending my health on attacks, and Global Logistics helps me do that more confidently, while also helping me to manipulate minions into being my encounter card for the turn.

Honorable Mentions/Potential Substitutes

Lay the Trap - Fits thematically & has great art, but Wolverine does great damage anyways, and Generation X fits the role we're looking for better. Easily could sub in though for fun or help with a final damage push.

Agent 13 - Fits the build of the deck, but was a little too expensive since I'm usually spending a card on attacks every turn. Could be used once you've got your resource generators out, but seems like a win more card, and I mainly want to use allies for chump blocking in addition to their immediate impact.

The Douglass - Obviously a very expensive card, but I could see it as a fun addition in a multiplayer game where you get more of your money's worth out of it.

Superpower Training - I love running this in my Wolverine decks because you can get Adamantium Skeleton out. Also, if you've already gotten the skeleton out, you can always target "I Got Better", which I rarely pay for outright.

It's Over Bub! Thanks for reading through everything and checking out the deck! This is a deck I've always wanted to make, and the new box coming out gave me that final push to do it. I think this deck is pretty flexible, and can easily be adjusted on a scenario by scenario basis. If you do try the deck out, let me know what you think, and what modifications you make to it. Thanks again!

(This image is from a "What If..." book where Wolverine becomes an Agent of Shield)