Hercules - I'm a Lean, Mean, Labour Machine

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Voliking · 15

"I'm a Lean, Mean, Labour Machine" (Aggression, True Solo)

Hercules

I got Hercules early, so I’ve had plenty of time to experiment with him in Aggression, and this deck is the result.

I can confidently say Hercules is one of the most fun heroes to ever come into Marvel Champions. His uniqueness with the Labours and Gifts is unmatched. It honestly feels like you're playing a mini-game inside the game… and the rewards? Absolutely worth it.

At first glance, the Gifts might not seem amazing for the effort required. But that’s the trap. The Gifts themselves are just add-ons, the real value is how they power up the rest of Hercules' kit.

And power it up they do.

Let’s Talk Labours

The first couple of turns with Hercules are usually the worst. Depending on which Labour you pull, your start can range from smooth to brutal.

Protect Humanity

The easiest Labour to complete early game. However, it's one of the worst later in the game because you can't force a defense (unless you're in Protection).

That said, if you get this early, you can set up more comfortably. It progresses somewhat passively, and you fetch Amadeus Cho, which helps you ramp with extra draw.

Pro tip: Herc's Helm counts as a defense, and you don’t need to exhaust to defend your ally. Huge help here.

Embody Pathos

It's fine. You get to choose the side scheme, which gives you breathing room. You can pick something manageable and clear it at your own pace. The Assault trait effectively makes Hercules a 3 THW hero for that scheme, which feels great.

Defeat the Hydra

Easily the worst one early.

You have to defeat a 12 HP minion when your kit is underpowered and your resources are limited. And if the villain doesn't have a good 6 HP non-elite minion to fetch? Even worse.

You will need to fetch Lernean Hydra... The Hydra not scheming is nice, but paying a resource every time you hit it (or it heals 2) slows everything down.

Why Aggression?

I chose Aggression for one main reason: Lernean Hydra. An opening hand with Savage Strike and Limitless Stamina can delete that 12 HP minion on turn one.

I ran a full Expert campaign of The Rise of Red Skull true solo with this deck, it was a breeze. I also tested against Klaw and Black Widow (villain). Both felt very manageable.

Deck Concept

The concept is simple: Control the board long enough to clear your Labours and have a reliable way of defeating a 12HP minion quickly

Cards like: Psylocke, Professor X, Gatekeeper, The Direct Approach are all for the same purpose, which is to:

  • Confuse the villain
  • Manage threat
  • Buy time

You also have cards like Savage Strike, Limitless Stamina, Spoiling for a Fight and Herc's own events to:

You use these to stabilize while clearing your first and second Labours. After that? Hercules doesn’t need much help. His kit becomes more than enough.

Core Strategy - Labours labours labours!

From my experience you almost always want to start a Labour turn one. Without it, the game spirals out of control and you won't recover. This is not a "do it later" hero. It’s a "do it now" hero!

Mulligan Strategy

Mulligans are critical for Hercules

Always ask:

  • Can I complete a side scheme for the labour?
  • Can I kill the 12 HP minion?

Don't stress too much about long-term setup. Hercules isn't a typical hero. Setup isn't the priority, clearing Labours is. It's still very important to setup, since he has a small hand-size, but first try to focus on your initial labour!

Also remember: completing a Labour gives you what is, essentially, a second turn (ready, flip, draw 4). Going that extra mile just to clear a labour is often the correct approach.

The ramp is crazy with each gift, by the time you get the second, the game is kind of over for the villain. The villain can't really compete with a two gift hercules! If you get the third, you will finish the game in one/two turns...

Game Plan

  1. Start a Labour immediately and clear it ASAP.
  2. Once you get your first Gift: The engine starts rolling.
  3. Ramp and stabilize with Avengers Mansion, Quincarrier, Olympus
  4. Use Spoiling for a Fight and Prince of Power to heal if you need to. If you don't have them, try to play an ally that confuses the villain (Psylocke/Professor X) and recover in alter-ego
  5. Complete the second Labour. After this, the villain is basically done
  6. If you’re still struggling, playing multiplayer, or just want to close the game out quickly, go for the third Labour. You’ll realistically finish within one or two turns afterward.

Golden Mace is your most important upgrade. Prince of Power is next, the sustain is incredible paired with Savage Strike and Follow Through! Have Olympus in hand? Always play it. Never skip it.

Card Highlights - Why These Choices?

You’ll notice some unusual inclusions. With a 4-card hero hand size, I wanted cards that:

  • Stick around (upgrades).
  • Provide value when resources are scarce.

The Direct Approach

If I can't fully clear a side scheme with events, it helps to use ATK instead of THW. I can also just attach it and clear it later. It's a realiable choice.

Gatekeeper

If I have excess damage for a minion (which happens 90% of the time) but need thwart on the main scheme? Gatekeeper solves that.

Follow Through

Is not a typical pick but paired with: Golden Mace, Prince of Power and Savage Strike you can obliterate minions and nuke the villain while also healing absurd amounts! You can realistically heal 10-14 HP in one attack with the right combo. It feels amazing.

Spoiling for a Fight

Great for more readies. Also fetches a minion when you need one.

Evaluate Threat

Extremely versatile. It can be used to fetch Nick Fury, Avengers Mansion or whatever you need in that moment. Pure flexibility.

Cards like Chase Them Down and Smash the Problem are fine, but I found them less reliable with Hercules' hand size. I never draw them when I need them hahaha.

Other Card Considerations

Aggressive Conditioning vs Combat Training

I tried running Aggressive Conditioning instead of Combat Training, but I found it too expensive early in the game, which is exactly when you need the extra sustain. After ramping with the Gifts, it mostly serves as a +1 ATK boost, and Combat Training provides that for cheaper.

When I tested both, I ended up playing Combat Training far more often than Aggressive Conditioning, so I decided to cut the latter.

Minion-Focused Options

Angela, Hall of Heroes, and other minion-focused cards work well with Hercules. Prince of Power essentially gives you a permanent Chase Them Down, and Golden Mace providing consistent Overkill is extremely strong.

That said, I struggled to find the right timing to play Hall of Heroes. When I had the opportunity, the game was often already under control. As for Angela, she doesn't thwart and thwarting is usually what you want from Hercules' allies. You also have other ways to generate or handle minions. It’s a solid option, but I preferred Spoiling for a Fight and allies with strong THW.

Weapon-Based Events

I also experimented with weapon-based events. The idea was to exhaust Sword of Peleus for Fusillade or Mean Swing. You can also exhaust Golden Mace if needed.

In practice, these plays felt extremely situational. You usually want to exhaust Golden Mace for Overkill and the potential +3 ATK boost. Even if it isn't boosted by the gifts, it still gives overkill! There’s also no guarantee that Sword of Peleus will be your first or even second Gift. Savage Strike ended up being far more reliable. In multiplayer, where games last longer, these events might perform better.

Bring It!

"Bring It!" can also be strong, but space was tight and this deck isn’t fully focused on minions. In a build that leans heavily into minion control, it could be an excellent inclusion.

Battle Fury and Blood Rage

I tested Battle Fury and Blood Rage as well, but ultimately cut them. They can be very strong, especially in the more minion-focused build.

In my experience, the health loss was difficult to manage and felt a bit excessive for true solo. With a stronger emphasis on minions and in multiplayer, where you have more breathing room, they could perform much better.

Multiplayer

General Adjustments

I wouldn’t change much for multiplayer, but there are a few flexible slots. You could consider swapping out Psylocke and Professor X. Anything thwart-related, could be realistically swapped out if you have a dedicated thwarter...

Leaning Into Damage

If you want to push more raw damage, you could add cards like Drop Kick or additional copies of Savage Strike.

Leaning Into Minion-Control

Since multiplayer games tend to last longer and villains have a larger health pool, you can also lean more heavily into minion control, as mentioned earlier.

Options include Angela, Thor, Thor, Valkyrie, and Hall of Heroes.

Possible Swaps

Cards like Gatekeeper and The Direct Approach can be replaced with more aggressive options such as Ready to Rumble.

Since you can switch to alter-ego and back each time you complete a Labour, Ready to Rumble allows you to recover and still attack in the same turn.

Reconsidering Previously Mentioned Cards

Aggressive Conditioning, Battle Fury, and Blood Rage are also worth reconsidering in multiplayer.

Hercules can reach 18 HP with all three Gifts, and the slower pacing of multiplayer gives you more time to recover. This makes health-for-power cards significantly more reliable.

Strengths

Weaknesses

  • Slow start
  • Vulnerable to bad opening hands

Final Thoughts

I think the community is going to build some crazy Hercules decks. This one works extremely well in true solo and honestly makes him feel slightly overtuned once he gets rolling but that’s the fun of Hercules.

Struggle early. Complete the Labours. Become unstoppable.

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