Precon Recon · 617
Welcome to our first Precon Recon deck breakdown! For those unfamiliar, you can check out our breakdown at of our initial research process in this BGG article: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2710330/article/38288176#38288176
Without further ado, let's take about the thematic rationale for our change is Aspects and then talk about how this deck works.
Man Without Fear
Folks might not be super familiar with this, but there was a time when Black Panther took over Daredevil's mantle as protector of Hell's Kitchen while Matt Murdock was in a coma. It was a somewhat short-lived portion of Black Panther's career, but one that heavily showcased T'Challa as a vigilante and presented some of his stealthier abilities, which led to a few of the additions here.
Namely, Daredevil is the only included ally in this deck. It was hard finding anyone beyond some generic Avengers relation that worked thematically for this deck, but this seemed appropriate and allowed us to more comfortably lean into Justice as a suitable Aspect. We would have loved to add Spider-Man to the mix, but we simply couldn't find a good rationalization for his addition.
Justice as an Aspect makes sense for Black Panther, a political hero looking to bring justice to his people, but it also works well when considering the number of reconnaissance resources at a king's disposal. Interrogation Room, Surveillance Team, Counterintelligence, and Under Surveillance, while artistically themed to be SHIELD-related, are tools that Wakanda has at its disposal for their king to use as needed.
Similarly, there are many cards here that play into the theme of BP being a hunter, stalking his prey in an effort to get a one-up on the opposition. Followed, Skilled Investigator, and Target Acquired all play into this idea, with Making an Entrance acting as a culmination, with Black Panther suddenly revealing his presence to start smashing faces. Speaking of which...
Concussive Blow is obviously one of the core cards of this deck, with Black Panther smashing the villain in the face in an effort to disorient them and get the upper hand. Not only does this really help his deck work surprisingly well, but we can picture it in our minds as a particularly cinematic moment in battles to come.
Otherwise, a lot of these cards are fairly generic for hero-types but work well in regards to fleshing out Black Panther's playstyle here. For Justice!, Impede, and Running Interference all help T'Challa actually thwart from time to time, a thing this deck doesn't do amazingly well but can get some mileage out of given the right set-up. Avenger's Manion is here because Black Panther once stayed there while visiting America, making it a home away from home for him, and Recuperation allows him to get some rest while remaining in said mansion before prowling the streets once more.
Now enough about theme; let's look at how this deck functions.
Get Ready to Pounce
Black Panther was already about some gradual build-up to some pretty big moments, and this deck looks to capitalize on that, literally and figuratively. Vibranium is a wildly helpful resource (pun intended) and helps to get bigger cards like Avengers Mansion and Daredevil into play, both of which can do wonders to a board state.
If any 2 cards are the star of the show here, they are Impede and Concussive Blow, although For Justice! is a close 3rd, as it's one of the best ways to deal with side schemes in this deck. Impede, when coupled with a double-resource card, can make a serious dent in the main scheme. We often played it twice whenever in hand, making the most of its ability. Concussive Blow, on the other hand, lets you flip to ALter-Ego often enough, allowing you to draw a ton of cards thanks to The Golden City. Soon, you'll be flush with the coffers befitting a king.
Otherwise, it's fostering your core upgrades while keeping an eye on your health. Making an Entrance can help in a pinch, removing a significant chunk of threat while potentially healing you in the process. Counterintelligence and Under Surveillance will help you get control of the board. Ultimately, you are wrestling control from your opponent until you're in the position to unleash multiple Wakanda Forever!'s a turn and lay waste to the opposition.
Let us know your thoughts down below, and be sure to check out more of our Precon Recon content!
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Aug 17, 2021 |
Aug 17, 2021Having tested it against Zola earlier today, Black Panther's suit does a pretty great job dealing with minions so long as you are swarmed too early on. Spider-Man's assistance certainly helped (more on that later this week!) but T'Challa was doing the panther's share of mopping up minions. |
Excellent! This is what I was hoping for from this series. I think this is a great thematic take on this hero, with many of these cards better suiting Black Panther than any other heroes (at least until Jessica Jones or Daredevil get their own hero pack).
I agree with you that BP's a tough hero to slot into an aspect. Played solo, I suspect he's safest in leadership, which can cover for him until he's decked out. This deck seems to be a little overkill on the thwarting for a solo deck, but that's likely what you want for multi-hero. And maybe it's needed for this deck in solo, too, since with only one modestly-priced blocker (assuming you're willing to through poor Shuri under the bus) you're going to be relying on Vibranium Suit and a lot of flipping to alter ego. So I guess the plan is to use Concussive Blow or the safety of a clean main scheme to give you a chance to heal (in the latter case, then also relying on a thwart card to clean up the extra threat on your next turn).
I don't have all the cards needed to build this deck so can't try it out myself, but if I had a concern it would be that the deck would struggle to deal with minions. Played solo, I'd guess that would be it's biggest source of difficulty.