Hulk - Defense is a good offense

Going through a Hulk phase and looking to build with every aspect.

I've seen a few Hulk protection decks around, some of them a fairly close to what I came up with. I choose to come up with a slightly different approach and I use some cards that have been left out of other decks.

So, here's my take on Hulk protection.

First of all, this is a MULTIPLAYER DECK. I've come to make peace with the fact that some heroes will give us different playstyles, and solo Hulk protection seems unlikely to work. That's ok.

Some decks try Hulk stun; others try ultimate defense, throwing in every defense event. What I want with this one is to make a "punish the villain" deck. Here's how I see it:

A 6 cards Hulk

Hulk need to make up for a terrible hand size. It is possible to make up for it with this deck, with Unflappable and Avengers Mansion, it is very possible to have a 6 cards hand. You really want this because you want to Hulk Smash whenever possible.

A defensive Hulk

With 3 DEF, Hulk is among the best defensive hero there is. What you want is to defend to trigger Unflappable and be able to ready Hulk and attack. To help with the "no damage" part of unflappable, Energy Barrier, Armored Vest, Defensive Stance or Desperate Defense are great.

Punishing the villain

At some point in the game, attacking you gets costly for the villain. With Immovable Object, Electrostatic Armor and only one Energy Barrier, attacking you will deal 3 DMG to the villain. You also can take advantage of Counter-Punch to deal an extra 3 DMG. Combine this with Desperate Defense or Indomitable, you will then get to attack as well. So you're doing damage both ways.

Strategic thinking and card selection

With Hulk, the value of some cards changes a bit. For exemple (and some people will disagree, that's all right):

• Indomitable is better than Desperate Defense. WHAT?? The later offers 2 def for the same price! Yes, but in Hulk context, playing Desperate Defense costs you 2 cards from your hand, leaving you with 2. That sucks. A few times I could have played it, but that meant not being able to play Hulk Smash... Indomitable, on the other hand, is put on the table and trigered as you will, not using cards, allowing you to play whatever you like.

• Another exemple: I've noticed not a lot of decks use Defensive Stance. It's actually very good. It is a safety if you're low on life, and a garanteed no damage taken to trigger Unflappable, which you can choose to use when you KNOW you'll need it.

• A word on Avengers Mansion and Helicarrier: I've seen decks that do not include them. It seems wrong. When you have both of these on the table, Hulk really seems to unlock.

• Choose wisely when you will defend or just face-tank, depending on what your next turn offers you. DO NOT automatically use Indomitable the first chance you get. What if next turn gives you Hulk Smash but you really have to defend and have no more "ready the Hulk" options? Same with Energy Barrier: you can keep the token on and have multiple copies... use it only when necessary to help trigger Unflappable, not when face-tanking!

ENDGAME

By the end, the villain is damaged with every attack, you get more cards out of it, and just SMASH. Of course it takes some setup but it's actually fun, makes the Hulk basically invincible and gives opportunities for dealing more damage.

Let you ally THW and do your thing. (I suggest Captain Marvel who can give you cards as Carol or even use her own Avengers Mansion to do so).

Have fun!