Defenders Assemble! - Dr. Strange Protection

Before he was an Avenger, Dr. Strange was leader of the Defenders!

This deck was inspired by https://marvelcdb.com/decklist/view/1771/doctor-strange-tough-enough-heroic-ally-swarm-1.0, a very clever build by Hall of Heroes that first exposed me to the ridiculous efficiency of repeatedly covering your allies using the Seven Rings of Raggadorr. I recommend you read the link above as well as Othello's excellent protection build (https://marvelcdb.com/decklist/view/1777/doctor-strange-pass-into-the-iris-protection-1.0), both of which outline some excellent strategies and synergies that I won't repeat.

Your ideal team has three allies up and running at all times, Wong, Nova, and a rotating cast of useful at the time allies. Having 3 allies really maximizes the value of you receive from the rings so we run 9 so get them up and running fast. Med Team is there to stick your valuable allies on the table, and in dire cases heal the Doctor. This is typically a mid to late game install after your entire engine is up and running.

Wong is your most valuable ally, one that you want to remain on the board all game except under the direst of circumstances. The ability to cycle a spell or heal helps the good doctor stay in hero form and dominating with invocations. Don't hesitate to use his 2 attack a couple of times with the knowledge you will eventually have a Med Team to attend to him.

Nova is another ally you want to stay on the board as long as possible. Once you are set up with the Eye and/or the Quincarrier, the reusable energy will do tremendous work controlling minions or just eroding the villains health.

Brother Voodoo's effective cost is only 2 if he successfully finds an event, which consistently occurs with 14 in the deck. In the early game pulling out Mystical Studies really accelerates your set up and the ability remains relevant throughout given the number of high impact events in the Dr. Strange deck. Often a great use of a tough status card is to negate the two damage on thwart, allowing an impressive 6 thwart for only 2 resources. Also a decent target for Med Team.

Iron Fist - 6 damage and two stuns for 4 resources is great value. You generally don't want to keep him around once the mystic counters have been used so a final attack, thwart, or block is icing on the cake.

Luke Cage - Made the cut thematically because he's a Defender and is usually discarded to Nova. For maximum efficiency he could be swapped for another Med Team, Tackle, or a Defensive Stance.

A note on Energy Barrier over Defensive Stance. In general, villain attacks are your largest single source of damage. Because you are often negating these either by stunning the villain (Tackle, Iron Fist, or Crimson Bands of Cyttorak) or by simply throwing them into a a tough ally, you rarely take large hits. Conversely, you often don't want to waste a tough status card on smaller minion hits. This is where Energy Barriers really shine. Ideally, you want three allies to receive tough, but when Dr. Strange is tough you want to tank a hit there first to allow the barriers to do their work.

The Sanctum Sanctorum is rarely used, but when in doubt pulling a Protective Ward into hand is a safe bet.

Get Behind Me! is a beast in this deck as well. Because you have ample stun and tough opportunities, converting a painful treachery into an attack that is functionally negated is amazing value. Between this and Protective Ward, you have tremendous ability to mitigate treachery effects.

This deck has successfully completed heroic mode for each of the major villains in solo. Hope you like it, have fun!