Hulk says no! Bruce Banner beats Thanos!

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InigoMontoya · 4063

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Intro:


Hulk won't come out. He got beat up by Thanos at the beginning of Infinity War, and is too scared to fight. So, it's up to Bruce Banner alone to take on the keeper of the Infinity Gauntlet. This is a full AE deck from beginning to end. Can it beat Thanos? Hell yes. Is it easy? No.

I've beaten Rhino, Klaw, Thanos, Taskmaster and Sandman with this deck. Never flipping to hero side unless Hulk's obligation made me. This is not the best AE deck you'll find, but it will give you the most satisfaction. Hulk was never designed to do this, yet it's somehow now possible.

You can also rock this deck in multiplayer. It takes a few turns to get going, and is similar to Iron Man in multiplayer setup. You can also stay in AE until you're fully set up, and then flip to Hulk to crush things for a few rounds to end the game. It's really your choice, and this deck will handle all three scenarios. But the main point of this deck is to stay as Bruce Banner the whole time.

Yes, this deck is 50 cards. The reason is because in AE Hulk's cards are useless or are just resources. So, you need a lot of cards to balance that out. An earlier version of this deck was 44 cards, but it was so inconsistent. I'd have too many hands at the beginning of the game where I couldn't do anything at all, You really need the Justice and Basic cards to outnumber the Hero cards to win. Plus, if there are around 14 support/upgrades with this deck. If you put them all out, the hero cards (which are just resources) would outnumber the non-hero cards after supports are played. That's just bad math.

Let's go through Setup, Gameplay, Card Replacements and Endgame:


Setup:


  • Get out Under Surveillance as quickly as possible. That's why I put two of them in this deck. If Thanos snaps before you're fully setup, it's almost impossible to win. It helps with any other villain, too.

  • Avengers Mansion combined with Experimental Research allows Bruce Banner go through his deck much faster.

  • Surveillance Team combined with Homeland Intervention is a huge amount of your thwarting. Monica Chang will bring them out and add one snoop counter to each. Once you get them on the board keep them there the whole game (unless you know Monica Chang is coming out).

  • Banner's Laboratory and Ingenuity (replaced with Enhanced Awareness in this deck) are great for getting another card paid for each round. They also make it so Moon Girl (replaced with Mockingbird in this deck) will draw at least two cards every time she comes out.

  • Beat Cop are fantastic for soaking up two threat each round. They can also be good for taking out Ebony Maw or Hulk's nemesis if they might cause you to lose on threat.

  • As you set up, put out Quake, and just let her take out scheming minions slowly.

  • Sky-Destroyer is your damage, and will not trigger retaliate from Thanos's Armor. Use it every round.

  • Vigilante Training helps keep you getting Homeland Intervention almost every round. You can also use it for Global Logistics to keep Shadow of the Past or his obligation or even side schemes out of play.


Gameplay:


  • Your allies are your main source for thwarting and damage. Use them wisely as you only have three spots, and you have to defeat them with consequential damage in solo. Use Blade, Machine Man and Lockjaw to use up Hulk's somewhat useless hero cards.

  • Meditation will pay for so many cards for you. Plus, exhausting Bruce Banner isn't a big deal since he hardly ever needs healing.

  • Every round I use Avengers Mansion first then use Experimental Research to get rid of the Hulk cards. Remember that Limitless Strength can't be used in AE at all.

  • Use your Surveillance Teams as much as possible, but don't let them go out of play unless Monica Chang is gonna bring it back next round.

  • Agent 13 is fantastic for readying Helicarrier and Sky-Destroyer.

  • Get the threat down however you can at the beginning. Try putting down at least one set-up and one ally per round.

  • Once Thanos' Helmet is in play, you can't remove it. Attack with Sky-Destroyer, Blade, Nick Fury, Lockjaw and Moon Girl.


Card Replacements


  • Chance Encounteris wonderful middle to end game, but really doesn't do much at the beginning. It can be attached to Sanctuary, but I find I want Global Logistics more.

  • Snowguard is so versatile. She'd be fantastic for thwarting and attacking endgame. I just don't know who I'd take her out for.

  • A third Beat Cop. This is great for the beginning game, but by the end, it's overkill. Still, some people may prefer it.

  • Venom and Wraith are fantastic allies that I just can't find spots for. Wraith is especially good since he can get rid of Thanos' boosts.

  • I don't recommend bringing this deck down below 50 cards, but if you need to then take out, 1 Power in All of Us, 1 Meditation, Machine Man, Counterintelligence, Agent Coulson and 1 Surveillance Team. That brings it down to 44 cards.


Endgame (Get it?):


  • You should be able to do 6 to 8 damage per round at the end while still keeping threat down. With Thanos' Armor on, that will be 3 to 4 damage. Remember that Sky-Destroyer will avoid retaliate. Ready it as much as you can.

  • Use all of your two attack allies to hurt Thanos. They'll die from retaliate but you'll just get more the next round.

  • If minions come out, and you're a round or two away from winning, let the Beat Cops take them out.

That's it! You've just beaten the most powerful being in the galaxy with a puny scientist. Have fun!

25 comments

May 18, 2022 neothechosen · 9806

Ok this is uncanny! I can't help but notice how much we think alike!

I've been playtesting a very similar build and got to the same realization as you, ie Banner is the key to success. Altough I'll admit I do spend more time as the Hulk than you.

Still our lists are pretty close!

Needless to say: I love it! Good job!

May 18, 2022 InigoMontoya · 4063

@neothechosen Thanks! Great minds? Haha. If you have a Nova Protection deck ready to go, too, that'd be hilarious!

Could you link your deck? I'd love to see what you did differently.

May 18, 2022 teamcanadahockey2002 · 6591

Alter-ego only? 50 cards?

I love it!

May 18, 2022 celric · 428

Strong concept and execution.

May 19, 2022 neothechosen · 9806

@InigoMontoya

Hi! Here's the link, hope it works! marvelcdb.com

As I said, I do flip more than you. I tend to revert to AE only when the main scheme is empty and so it's safe to do so. I can stand a few rounds there though, if my SHIELD assets allow me to thwart whatever threath piles up. This finally got me to appreciate Banner and even his laboratory!

The time spent in hero form allows me to play Limitless Strength, though, which is used to play costly allies / supports / Hulk cards, which gets easier with Deft Focus and the carriers (those are among the first permanents I want in play, although allies are a priority to be able to THW, namely with Homeland Intervention).

I often found Assess the Situation to be really good because, as the Hulk, you often carry cards that you end up discarding. At least you get something out of it with Assess the Situation! Endurance is to be replaces with "Unshakable" if you've seen the spoilers... seems too good to pass up!

And to be completely thorough, note that I haven't gotten much time to playtest it yet! I played about a dozen games and have begun tweaking the deck. I mostly tried low-SCH villains, I wanted to switch gears and try Klaw up next and keek track of win/loss data so I don't get overhyped with the first wins (although it feels damn good to win with a solo Hulk!).

May 19, 2022 Amarethus · 306

I used a Banner Justice deck using my limited card pool and found it to be quite rewarding. It felt akin to how the Banner/Hulk dichotomy played out in the movies.

May 19, 2022 InigoMontoya · 4063

@teamcanadahockey2002 Thank you, sir! You started it. You asked me for a Hulk AE deck during my Friday build a deck sessions on reddit. :)

@celric Thank you, sir. Hope you have fun with it!

@neothechosen I can't view your deck. Can you go into Edit Account and check "Share your decks"?

@Amarethus Agreed. There's something so polar opposite about playing Hulk vs. playing as Banner. It's something other characters don't have!

May 19, 2022 neothechosen · 9806

@InigoMontoya I just did. Didn't know about this, sorry!

May 19, 2022 InigoMontoya · 4063

@neothechosen That looks awesome. I'd probably find a way to add one more Surveillance Team, but outside that, I think it's great for a flip down to AE every once in a while deck. :)

May 19, 2022 neothechosen · 9806

@InigoMontoya Yeah, I wanted 2 Surveillance Teams, but at some point didn't know where to cut. I really wanted to keep a critical mass of allies since they're keeping you alive by thwarting / chomp blocking at times, and the supports/ upgrades make it possible to eventually even play the expansive Hulk cards. Lol at this point I think I'll try 41 cards!

Oh, and also, for NOVA, I won't be getting my pack for at least another week unless there's a miracle so no, I haven't planned much yet!

May 21, 2022 mugato · 13

This looks like a blast. Although I need to use a marker on the sleeve and replace Bruce with David and play the closing credits song from the TV show. youtu.be

May 21, 2022 gustave154 · 21

Beaten Thanos with this deck. Bruce Banner stronger than Hulk confirmed.

May 22, 2022 dr00 · 38765

always love to see hulk decks!

May 24, 2022 Incredibul · 3254

Great idea, but I am wondering: does Banner in any way contribute to the decks strategy or could you just use any Hero?

May 24, 2022 InigoMontoya · 4063

@mugato I both love and hate the old TV show. Such cheesy fun!

May 24, 2022 InigoMontoya · 4063

@gustave154 Sweet! Wasn't it such a huge sense of accomplishment?

@dr00 I'll keep making more and more!

@Incredibul I think Banner helps in that he's a Genius. So, getting Ingenuity is amazing. Banner's Laboratory is also a huge help. Experimental Research is really nice, too. The only big downside is the 5 card hand size.

I think any Genius AE hero could probably pull off a similar deck. This deck is more about the challenge and sense of accomplishment from taking the worst hero and the worst starting hand and beating one of the toughest villains.

May 24, 2022 Capamerica45 · 1

I really loved this deck. I liked the fact that it’s creative and effective. I’ve played on expert level. The only down side is it takes awhile to defeat the villain because you depend on Allie’s to deal damage

May 25, 2022 InigoMontoya · 4063

@Capamerica45 Thank you! So, did you beat Thanos on expert?

May 25, 2022 monty_ratarsed · 8

would do you think about Ingenuity instead of Consapevolezza Potenziata???

May 25, 2022 Incredibul · 3254

@InigoMontoya Thanks for your insight. and yeah, Moon Girl also fits into the mold.

May 25, 2022 Buildadeck2 · 1

@monty_ratarsed Yes, agreed. Enhanced Awareness was only there as a placeholder for Ingenuity. Same goes for Mockingbird for Moon Girl.

May 27, 2022 takabrash · 1

Worked like a charm! What a ridiculous deck lol. I love it.

First play, I got beaten down pretty quick, but I got the idea. Second game I think I got a little lucky with fewer minions, but I still stayed in top of everything and won without ever flipping! (Well, twice from the obligation, but I flipped right back down)

May 27, 2022 InigoMontoya · 4063

@takabrash So glad it worked out the second time. Sometimes you can get a bad break and Thanos can scheme twice with a ton of boosts, and you're cooked. But I've found this decks wins at least 3 out of 4 times.

Aug 31, 2022 bbuchanan · 1

Ingenuity needs to be added to this deck.

Aug 31, 2022 InigoMontoya · 4063

@bbuchanan Yup, it's in the write-up. It just wasn't out yet.