Making a Mountain Out of a Hill Mole

Making a Mountain Out of a Hill Mole

In spy terminology, a "mole" refers to an agent who has infiltrated an organization to obtain secret information, and in this deck, Maria Hill serves as the quintessential mole, though in this case, she's been Inspired to increase her thwarting ability of enemy schemes, at times applying her Leadership Skills on her Command Team, for ultimate thwarting to maximize the effectiveness and power of Fury's attacks on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s enemies.

If you'd like to see a discussion of this deck, see the following video: Nick Fury Leadership Deck Discussion | Making a Mountain Out of a Hill Mole

VILLAINS TESTED AGAINST to refine the deck (in both standard and expert): Klaw; Unus; Dark Beast; and Magneto.

Deck Refinements:

• Removed:
  • Mission Leader, reducing the deck to 41 cards: This card would likely be prioritized in a multiplayer deck, but I found myself passing on it for other cards every time.

Results:

• Undefeated in All 8 Games:
  • Maria Hill was brought into play relatively early in all games, either from being drawn or by Suit Up. Eventually, both Sidekick and a copy of Inspired would be attached to her, and she'd be thwarting for 3 every turn, spiking up to 4 if Leadership Skill was in play and thwarting twice in a turn at times if Command Team was in play.
  • All of that thwart would be pushed to Fury's suit form upgrade.
    To finish the game, Maria Hill could help with 2 to as much as 6 points of damage. This richness of thwart on the suit form upgrade meant Fury's attack damage was magnified consistently for both his basic and event attacks.
  • In the expert battle against Unus, Fury dealt 5-10 points of basic damage every turn to quickly finish the game, while Maria Hill continually added thwart to his suit.
    
  • Magneto brought the most challenge. The key was seeking a balance between being in Assault suit form vs. Stealth suit form, often needing to be in Assault suit form at the beginning of the game and at other times in order to prevent the main scheme from being completed by the villain. Eventually, completing the player side scheme Specialized Training became key to setting up regular heavy attacks on the villain and consistently drawing an extra card (on top of regularly doing so with Nick Fury, Sr..

NOTABLE ELEMENTS OF PLAY:

• Primary Target for the player side scheme, Build Support: Helicarrier, which can then help play other supports

  • Secondary Targets: Fury's Flying Car and then Safe House #221.

• Primary Target for the player side scheme, Specialized Training: Combat Specialist, for the +1 ATK and card draw
  
  

• Primary Target for Suit Up: Nick Fury, Sr. once Helicarrier is in play or if a double-resource is available. Nick Fury, Sr. can either draw cards to help with set up or remove 3 threat. In rare instances, he might give a tough status to our hero, Nick Fury. The upgrade of choice for Suit Up could be either Clarity of Purpose or Inspired. One of the two Inspired upgrades is meant for Maria Hill; the other is typically meant for Nick Fury, Sr. so that he can use it momentarily, and then it can be available for all future plays of Suit Up. Similar considerations were made for Make the Call.

  • Secondary Target: Maria Hill or Professor X, whichever seems warranted at the time, though one goal is to get Maria Hill in play and keep her in play for the remainder of the game. Sometimes, setting up Maria Hill is the highest priority, while at other times Professor X's thwarting and confusing needs are most in demand.
    
    

• Clarity of Purpose ensures the availability of a dependable energy resource for Slingshot's action or for general resource generation when Slingshot is not in hand. It can also generate a resource when playing Make the Call.

• Agent 13 targets: Helicarrier, Safe House #221, and Command Team are all great targets for Agent 13's response ability. That being said, Agent 13 is generally speaking the lowest-priority ally to bring into play, so one could substitute a lower-cost favorite ally in her place in to help counter a particular villain's strengths.

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Conclusion:
From Humble Mole to Strategic Mountain: A Fury Fueled by Hill

This Nick Fury deck demonstrates that even a seemingly unassuming "mole" can be cultivated into a formidable force, proving that in the world of S.H.I.E.L.D., strategic placement and empowerment can indeed turn a molehill into a mountain of power. The consistent success across eight diverse encounters, including a challenging bout with Magneto, underscores the potency of leveraging Maria Hill as a central engine for thwart and, ultimately, damage.

The synergy between Maria Hill and Nick Fury forms the bedrock of this strategy. By consistently boosting Hill's thwarting capabilities through upgrades like "Inspired" and "Leadership Skills," and amplifying her actions with "Command Team," players can establish a relentless stream of threat removal. This not only keeps villainous schemes at bay but, crucially, fuels Fury's suit, transforming his basic attacks and event cards into devastating blows. The resounding victories, particularly the rapid takedown of Unus, stand as a testament to the sheer offensive potential unleashed when Fury operates with a fully charged suit.

While Magneto presented a sterner test, it further highlighted the deck's adaptability. The necessity of balancing Fury's suit forms and the strategic importance of completing "Specialized Training" showcase that while Maria Hill is the cornerstone, astute decision-making remains paramount. Ultimately, "Making a Mountain Out of a Hill Mole" is more than just a clever turn of phrase; it's a winning formula that proves the power of a well-placed and well-supported agent.