saintmatthew · 39
"The gentleman assumes the pot is his to win... but I have a literal ace up my sleeve." ~X-Men, Vol 2 5
I. Summary and Theme
This deck combines Gambit's high DEF with the Protection aspect to do damage and thwarting on the villain's turn.
II. Mulligan and Building the Support/Upgrade "Engine"
- Since this deck relies on Gambit defending and taking no damage, [Armored Vest](/card/01081) is the highest priority, giving Gambit a DEF of 4.
- The second priority is x3 copies of [Hard to Ignore](/card/16017), since Gambit has few thwarting options on his Hero side.
- There are times where an enemy may attack Gambit for 5+ damage. [Judoka Skill](/card/38014) will help reduce the damage to 0 so that he can use cards like [Not Today!](/card/38016), [Hard to Ignore](/card/16017), [Unflappable](/card/09020), and [Gambit's Guild Armor](/card/37005).
- [Gambit's Guild Armor](/card/37005) will allow Gambit to defend and potentially ready again.
- [The X-Jet](/card/32020) will help pay for cards.
- [Nerves of Steel](/card/14017) will help pay for [Not Today!](/card/38016) and [Powerful Punch](/card/32014).
- [Endurance](/card/05023) increases Gambit's low HP to a maximum of 12.
- [Gambit's Staff](/card/37004) will deal 1 damage when he is attacked.
- [Deft Focus](/card/16024) is a low priority early in the game, but will eventually help pay for [Charged Card](/card/37006) and [Royal Flush](/card/37007).
- [Unflappable](/card/09020) will help increase card draw.
- This deck doesn't rely on Gambit being in alter-ego mode often, but if necessary, [The Thieves Guild](/card/37003) will help with thwarting.
III. Allies
For Gambit, I chose thematic X-Men allies.
- [Armor](/card/38012) is a cheap ally good for "chump blocking" because she starts with a tough status card.
- [Iceman](/card/38010) helps delay minions by stunning them.
- [Polaris](/card/32012) helps give you or another ally tough status.
- [Professor X](/card/32019) is great. He can confuse the villain, stun a minion, or ready an X-Men character. Additionally, he THW for 3 and can "chump block" before leaving.
- [Rogue](/card/37002) is incredible because she can be played for cheap if not free (presuming that Gambit has some charge counters built up.
IV. Strategy
During the Hero Phase:
- Remember to use Gambit's "Charge de Card" hero ability.
- Build up your "engine."
- Eventually, your engine will be built (or mostly built), and you will have a greater likelihood of using [Charged Card](/card/37006) and [Royal Flush](/card/37007).
- Gambit has a base ATK of 2 and THW of 1.
During the Villain Phase:
- Most of Gambit's action takes place on the villain's turn. DEF with Gambit every turn, attempting to take 0 damage.
- Even when an enemy does 5+ damage, this can be reduced/prevented with [Judoka Skill](/card/38014) and [Natural Agility](/card/37008). Then Gambit uses [Not Today!](/card/38016), [Hard to Ignore](/card/16017), [Unflappable](/card/09020), and [Gambit's Guild Armor](/card/37005).
- Even if Gambit takes damage, he can still use [Gambit's Staff](/card/37004), [Counter-Punch](/card/01077), and [Powerful Punch](/card/32014).
V. From Solo --> Multiplayer & Other Alternatives
This deck was largely created for solo play. However, if you are playing in multiplayer and your other players have high damage or thwart capabilities, you can swap out some cards.
- If other players have high damage but low thwart, swap out [Counter-Punch](/card/01077) and/or [Powerful Punch](/card/32014) for [Bait and Switch](/card/15030).
- If other players have high thwart but low damage, swap out [Not Today!](/card/38016) and/or [Hard to Ignore](/card/16017) for cards like [Hard Knocks](/card/19016), [Preemptive Strike](/card/05014), or [First Hit](/card/18015).
- Gambit could also take a more field management/support role, trading out cards for [Never Back Down](/card/14014) or [Second Wind](/card/06033).