Cable the Diplomat (10+ damage AND 10+ thwart consistently)

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Gunboat Diplomacy is the most potential value of a card that I have yet seen from the game (Feel free to prove me wrong in the comments!). Of course, it needs several other things set up before you can fully capitalize on that value, but I don't think it is that hard to set it up, especially not in this deck. And the pay off is incredible.

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THE FULL SET UP

Gambit with a 3-boost icon card beneath him and Mission Training attached. Cable with Technovirus Purge in the victory display, Heroic Intuition attached, and Surveillance Specialist in play through Specialized Training.

Now Gunboat Diplomacy, by exhausting each of these souped-up studs, is dealing 9 damage and removing 9 threat, both of which are FROM AMONG enemies/schemes in play for 2 effective resources. You can divvy up all of it however you need to!

If you can't get Gambit specifically, the other X-Men allies work in the process. Mission Training makes all of them 3 THW machines.

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10+ DAMAGE AND 10+ THWART CONSISTENTLY?

• With 2 allies in play and all your upgrades/supports/side schemes in play or in the victory display, you now have a deck of 20 cards. 5 cards per turn + Skilled Investigator + Surveillance Specialist + 2 One Way or Another + potentially 2 more from Cerebro = 2 turns to go through the deck. You will consistently be playing Gunboat Diplomacy every turn. With 30 cards still in the deck, you would still likely be playing gunboat every other turn.
• Even if you don't have everything set up and that Gunboat Diplomacy does only 5 thwart and damage (which is pretty easy to get to with 1 ally and 1 THW buff), Cable will probably ready to do 4-5 more thwart and Plasma Rifle will do 4 damage. That is 10 damage and 10 thwart, and you may still have 4-8 cards in hand to do a lot more with if Gunboat Diplomacy was the first card you played!

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MULLIGAN PRIORITIES

1) Heroic Intuition / Specialized Training / Technovirus Purge - Remember, Cable's Soldier X ability can grab one of these side scheme at the beginning of the game. If you already get one of these 3 in your opening hand, Cable will very likely have 4 thwart by turn 2.

2) For Justice! / Mind Scan - these make it easy to knock out Technovirus Purge or Specialized Training (in solo) on turn 1.

3) An X-Men ally / Mission Training - Getting these out early will get Gunboat Diplomacy online. As soon as it is, you will easily be able to build your board and deal with the scenario. With that being the case, if you draw one of the cards in Priority #1 in your opening hand, it's not a bad play to choose Call for Backup as your side scheme to start in play.