Turtling

Hunker down in Armored Shape to absorb incoming damage while whittling away enemies using retaliate damage. Adding defense from Armored Vest and Defensive Conditioning puts Hulking’s defense at hearty 5. This also means that his Armored Defense event deals 5 damage to his attacker. Jocasta joins as an ally to tutor this event from the discard pile. Patriot enters play to ward off minions as he gains a tough status card each time one enters play. Placing the Energy Shield on him can potentially keep him around indefinitely. This helps Hulkling manage tempo while fighting a war of attrition.

Additional events What Doesn’t Kill Me and Momentum shift ready Hulking after defending. These events also trigger the healing response in his shapeshift upgrade. Although that’s not always necessary as I Can Do This All Day allows a defense without exhausting. Cuts Both Ways buffs retaliate from 1 to 2 to perhaps finish off a beefier minion or flip the villain to the next stage at a critical moment.

Quincarrier provides a physical resource for What Doesn’t Kill Me and Tackle, freeing up Alien Physiology to play identity-specific cards. Helicarrier further reduces card costs but is also helpful in multiplayer to aid other players.

Hulking’s unique Armored Shape makes him the ultimate Marvel Champions turtle.