Gamora - On your left (MCM Podcast)

This deck was built for episode #124 "On your left" on the MCM Podcast all about tempo decks. The essence of tempo in Marvel Champions is about controlling the game's pace while building incremental advantage. Unlike rush (all-in on damage) or control (purely reactive), tempo seeks to:

• Establish and maintain board presence,
• Use efficient resource-to-effect ratios,
• Two birds with one stone,
• Adapt to changing game conditions,
• Strike a balance between offense, defense, and threat management

Gamora is a hero that embodies this for me:

• Relatively minimal setup in her hero kit. The most crucial upgrade is her 2x Keen Instincts. Gamora's Sword & Conditioning Room are great, but are less crucial.
• Her innate hero abilities Finesse and Precision create additional value on all ATTACK and THWART events. Precision specifically can help push damage on the villain.
• Her kit is filled with cheap events like Set the Pace and Acrobatic Move that can trigger those hero abilities.
• Skilled Tactician gives her added flexibility as part of deck building to provide out of aspect options.

Strategy

This deck leans into minion fetching and provides options on whether if they can be ignored. It also leans into a bit of everything so you have options for the hands drawn. Tempo is all about choice and flexibility for building action advantage over the encounter deck.

• Dealing with minions - Kill them with Relentless Assault or Rocket Raccoon while also getting overkill. Ignore them with Pinned Down or let Groot defend them.

• Minion Summoning - #Infiltration, "Come Get Me, Bub!", and Face the Past provides way to get minions. Nebula's Forced Interrupt isn't too bad when you get to control when she comes into play. She can either be one shot with Relentless Assault or Pinned Down /Groot can let us ignore her for the entire game which they all let us ignore her retaliate 2.

• Push the win condition - Drax is dedicated to going to face.

• Thwarting - Infiltration and True Grit provide options for thwart. I normally don't play True Grit, but it gives Gamora a way to trigger Precision during the villain phase. Exhausting to defend isn't as bad when you can remove threat while doing it.

• Healing/Damage Reduction - Being able to stay in hero form helps keep tempo by reducing pressure with threat on the main scheme. Both "Come Get Me, Bub!" and Multitalented provide healing while in hero form. Both Crosscounter and True Grit encourage selective defense.

• Versatility - Multitalented replaced Hit and Run for me. Keen Instincts gives us wilds so any 3rd resource spent will let us trigger all 3 and Finesse and Precision.