Double the Sidekicks, Double the Fun

X-23 has always had something of a Sidekick problem; while Honey Badger is one of the most desirable targets for the Upgrade, she also has a penchant for getting thrown into Obligation jail at some point during the game, stripping whatever cards she had been outfitted with up until that point. For me, it became something of a non-bo for that reason.

Enter Cameo, a card that allows you to pull a signature ally from any other hero and add it to your deck (for the full low-down, check out Web-Warrior Fanatic's reveal video and my article talking about it). Now, X-23 can have a second target for Sidekick so long as her Obligation is still in rotation. And while there are plenty of applicable wannabe sidekicks to pick from, one of X-23's best options is her ex, Angel. As Cameo has not been released yet, the Basic Angel ally will stand in as the representation of this card in the deck.

When X-23 first took on the moniker of Wolverine, she was dating a time-displaced younger version of Angel, who was helping her fight crime when Laura first met Honey Badger. In this way, Angel's inclusion here helps tie into the origins of X-23's and Honey Badger's relationship. But beyond the thematics, Angel is also a great pick due to his ability, providing X-23 a free ready in either hero or alter-ego form, giving her a lot of flexibility however you choose to use him.

The gameplan is pretty straightforward; your opening hand should prioritize your low-cost Upgrades to get your engine going; resource cards like Clarity of Purpose or Grim Resolve are fantastic, and cards like Adamantium Lacing or Pain Tolerance are also clutch. Don't be afraid to discard Honey Badger from your opening hand, since you can just shuffle her back into your deck and get an extra card draw out of it. It's more important to get some of your key cards up and running before setting your Sidekick engine in motion.

As early as Turn 2, you can start deciding which of your allies will be the target for Sidekick, depending on the villain, the board state, and whether or not your Obligation is still in the deck. Angel can be pretty clutch early on, allowing you to exhaust to REC before readying to jump into the fray, or vice versa. And since you can use Suit Up to go looking for him, it's an easy combo to pull off. Once you get your Sidekick up and running, you'll use Side-By-Side to give yourself a ton of readies and lay waste to the board state. I've removed over 12 threat in a single turn or ripped into enemy after enemy due to how easily X-23 can pivot and how many readies she can have access to. And if an ally is ever defeated for any reason, you can always scoop them back up with Won't Stay Down so you can return them to play as needed.

From a power level perspective, this deck can get a little out of hand once you have everything set up, and I've found that it can trivialize some games, but if your table is okay with that, get ready to... well, ready over and over again until the villain can't keep up!