The Great Vs. Resolution #13: Revenge Squad

About time I got back to my Resolution. As you can see via all the below posts, I’ve gotten a bit busy with other content but the Resolution will continue in full force with at least one posting a week. Combine this with my Doctor Who fan set, The Game of the Galaxy match reports, and an upcoming feature which will be debuting sometime this week and Planet Kalee is in the middle of getting kicked into high gear. Hold on because I’m hoping it’ll be quite the ride.

Anyways, Revenge Squad. The last of the great DC Modern Resolution decks, at least for a while. They have their awesome little theme of ongoing plot twists which I utterly love. They also have my favorite three-drop ever.

Now, hidden in their little ongoing plot twist theme is a theme I really like. That’s the “put everyone up front” theme. I have no idea WHY I like this theme so much… Oh, wait, I do. It’s called “Beats” and as much as I love a combo that sweeps an opponent by surprise, I love smashing face with hugely oversized drops just as much.

Step Forwards!

Revenge Squad

Modern Age

Characters:

4x Terra-Man – Toby Manning
4x Brainiac 13, Mental Giant

4x Professor Emil Hamilton <> Ruin – Power Suit
3x Mongul – Son of the Tyrant

4x Livewire – Leslie Willis
2x Atomic Skull – Cursed

4x Preus – Citizen’s Patrol
1x Lex Luthor, Metropolis Mogul

3x Doomsday, Evolution Advanced

1x Lex Luthor, The Everyman

Plot Twists:
4x Battle for Metropolis
4x Standoff
4x Executive Privilege
4x Never-Ending Battle
4x Future Shock
4x Mobilize
2x Imprisoned in the Source
1x Total Anarchy

Locations:
3x Graveyard of Solitude

Preferred initiatives is odds but this deck runs absolutely fine no matter what initiative you happen to have. Mulligan condition is Ruin, a way to get Ruin, or Terra-Man. Battle for Metropolis’s are also nice.

Turn 1 you skip. If you have the chance, row a Battle for Metropolis or Executive Privilege because those cards are the basis of the deck’s power and consistency.

Turn 2 is preferably Terra-Man. Terra is the absolute bomb! If you can hit Ruin and get the deck running decently, he can easily be a 10/6 2-drop on turn 4. Brainiac 13, Mental Giant isn’t a particularly bad off-drop if you hit him since lowering defense equals more beaty goodness.

I absolutely love Ruin. As one opponent on MWS put it, he’s like Ahmed but without the broken-ness. Hamiltion is the glue that holds this deck together. The deck can survive without him but it requires some really good draws to do so. On turn 3 if you have Ruin, drop a Mobilize or something else that’s a one-shot use into your row and then nuke it for a Battle for Metropolis. The more of those you have, the better. In the odd event you do miss Hammie, Mongul isn’t a horrific off-drop but he’s nothing compared to Ruin.

Livewire is preferred on turn 4 because she’s a huge beatstick. She’s consistently an 11/7 and I’ve occasionally gotten her up to 12 or even 13 attack with a really good draw of Battles. In the case you don’t want a beatstick that requires you to forfeit reinforcement, Atomic Skull can be of use with his stunning of low-drops.

You know who I love almost as much as Ruin? Preus. This guy is smash on a card. Usually, I can have three Battle for Metropolises and another two ongoings rowed on turn 5. That makes Preus a 15/10 that only gets bigger with each turn. Lex is in there in case you’re playing an opponent that relies on payment effects or if you need someone who can survive with support row characters.

Turn 6 is the domain of another smashie character. If you haven’t won by now, Doomsday should give you the victory. 14/13 right off the bat and when you add in a couple of BfMs you end up with a roughly 8-drop sized character on turn six.

If you’re stuck going into turn 7, Lex Luthor is there just because all the other options suck.

Standard Plot Twists are Mobilize (duh) and Future Shock because it pwns. I’ve been known to use the card on defense when I’m losing just to see how deep of a hole I can dig myself into. Graveyard of Solitude should be rowed late in the game (like turn 5 or 6) and is generally a Savage Beatdown sized pump.

I love BfM. It’s like The New Brotherhood but not quite as broken. Great, great card. Row and Ruin as many of these guys as you can. Other options for Ruin’s searches are Executive Privilege (which is a consistency card like none would believe), Standoff (this deck has eight on-ongoing plots, average players have sixteen, you do the math), Never-Ending Battle (don’t need Mobilize or Privilege? Turn them into a -2 DEF card), Imprisoned in the Source (lockdown is good. Just make sure you don’t call Mobilize when you need to use it yourself…), and Total Anarchy (Just a one-of in case you run into a weenie swarm).

I really like this deck. It’s sort of like my Marvel Defenders Hulk deck. I enjoy decks that say “I’m bigger than you so just die already”. This deck does that and it does it well while forcing you to play your characters in a formation that would normally be suicide.

Revenge Squad (Modern) Ratings:

Deck Strength: 8 (Boom! Headshot! When this deck works, a turn 5 or 6 kill isn’t out of the question. That might be slow in a normal metagame but the MWS game generally goes until turn 7 or so. Unlimited power!)

Deck Theme: 7 (I like ongoing plot twists more than I like locations. Don’t know why. I also like smashie decks. I also also like decks that make you play differently. This deck does all of that. I don’t quite understand how this deck is thematic to the team, but I like the theme.)

Ease of Use: 8 (Not exactly a hard deck to run. Row your BfMs, search with Ruin, put everyone up front and smash.)

Fun Factor: 8 (I like smashie smashie. This deck does smashie smashie. I like consistent. This deck does consistent. Very enjoyable and I like to play this deck)

Overall: 7.5 (Is it a simple deck in the vain of League of Assassins? Yes. Is it at least fun as heck to play via all the global pumps and giant beatstick characters as compared to a bunch of random effects like LoA? Heck yes. Not my utter favorite deck but not bad by any means.

Vs. System Affiliation Leaderboard
1. Marvel Defenders/The Hulk (Modern)
2. Team Superman (Modern Age)
3. Fantastic Four (Modern)
4. Anti-Matter (Golden)
5. Squadron Supreme (Golden)
6. Arkham Inmates (Modern)
7. Revenge Squad (Modern)
8. Teen Titans (Modern)
9. Outsiders (Modern)
10. Future Foes (Silver)
11. League of Assassins (Modern)
12. Emerald Enemies (Golden)

So, Revenge Squad (a curve deck) tops the Teen Titans and takes the seventh slot. Coincidentally, that’s right next to the Arkham Inmates who also have a theme of “weird formations”. Will they continue to be Pressed up next to each other or will the next deck bounce them apart? Stay tuned to the only place dorky enough to make such silly hints to find out!