The Great Vs. Resolution: Teen Titans

Yes, yes, I know. I promised a deck based on an affiliation that had a mega-broken, banned card in it and I promised it would be an article that went “back in time” and stuff but the hand of fate has forced a change of plans. I’ve been able to play that deck once and don’t feel I have enough of a grasp for the deck to write a decent article about it. So, in lieu of that, I’ll be writing about another fun Modern Age team known as the Teen Titans.

Remember the Titans? (movie pun intended). Back in the old days of Vs. System, the Titans ran rampant across the countrysides of this fair game. Alongside the Curve Sentinels, few could stop these two menaces from steamrolling the competition. Abusing such cards as Roy Harper, Terra, and the infamous Teen Titans Go!, the Titans swept their pay to multiple major tournament victories. Then, they went Golden Age and the days of Titans glory fell back into the pages of history.

The Teen Titans were then refeatured in the Legion of Super Heroes with a distinctly different flavor. These titans were all about using Cosmic and Substitute in combination. These Titans made next to no impact on the metagame, coming from a deck largely considered a failure and just overall not playing particularly well.

And then, DC Legends hit. With DC Legends came another chance for the Teen Titans. This time around the Titans returned to their roots. With one single card, the Titans are back.

When I saw that the old Titans were back, I sorta ignored them. I wasn’t around during the glory days of their youth, I’m not normally interested in weenie or team attack decks. I prefer strong curve decks. However, even I was called by that evil, evil card that is shown above. It was either that card and its deck or my “bland to play but original” Reservist themed Titans deck that I would use for this article. Evil won.

I put together this deck purely on the fly. Due to being inexperienced with team attack decks, I just took what little I knew and applied it. You usually want lots of different one, two, and three drops. No more than a handful of cards with a higher cost than that. TTG! lets you abuse activated effects so I figured those would be useful as well.

Lastly, a card I desperately wanted and needed was Overwhelming Force. No stun for team attackers is beautiful with Titans. Sadly, Overwhelming Force is a Marvel card which breaks the rules of this little game. Instead, I went to talk to a leader of the Titans. You might even say he’s the leader of the pack…

Not only does he give a global +2/+2 while team attacking, this boy wonder provides cards that make this deck busted beyond belief. First, Follow The Leader is a better version of Overwhelming Force, no stun for ANY attackers as well as a +2 attack boost. Beautiful. Second, is Cunning Strategy. The ability to pop multiple characters off the opponent’s board in one turn is crazy good.

So, with Tim Drake being my pinch hitter, the guy who makes the deck sing, I built the following deck.

Pesky Teenagers
Teen Titans
Modern Age

Characters:
2x Dawn Granger <> Dove, Terataya’s Chosen
2x Bumblebee, Sonic Sting
2x Bette Kane <> Flamebird, Reflex Action
2x Pantha, Subject X-2x4x
2x Ray Palmer <> The Atom, Tiny Titan
1x Roy Harper <> Speedy, Mercurial Marksman
1x Mia Dearden <> Speedy, Archer’s Apprentice

3x Tim Drake <> Robin, Titan in Command
2x Argent, Toni Monetti
2x Holly Granger <> Hawk, T’Charr’s Chosen
2x Kid Devil, Teen Hellion
1x Donna Troy <> Wonder Girl, Amazon Warrior

2x Beast Boy, Garfield Logan
2x Dick Grayson <> Nightwing – Renegade
2x Vic Stone <> Cyborg, Mechanized Mentor
2x Roy Harper <> Arsenal, Additional Firepower
4x Tim Drake <> Robin, Leader of the Pack
2x Cassie Sandsmark <> Wonder Girl, Might of Atlas

Plot Twists
4x Teen Titans Go!
4x Follow the Leader
4x Cunning Strategy
4x Mobilize
3x Prodigies

Locations:
3x Birthing Chamber
2x Optitron

You want even initiative here so you can smash with Drake on 4 and clear out the opponent’s board. Mulligan condition would be Titans Go! and some decent drops. Really, this deck draws and plays itself.

Turn 1 you drop any of the one-drops. Bumblebee is probably the best since she gives you some more endurance burn each stun. Pantha isn’t bad and Dove gives everyone flight which is very helpful. It’d be best not to play Atom since he’s better off as a pseudo-plot twist for smashing hidden face.

Turn 2 you either play another pair of one-drops or you play one of the two-drops. Only play Tim if you think you can get by without the 4-drop version until late game. Preferably, you want to see Argent if you’re playing a 2-drop.

Turn 3 preferred is Cyborg if you’re on initiative since he can bounce their three or Nightwing since he has a miniature Titans Go built right in. Off initiative Beast Boy or Harper are preferred. BB gains his counters while preparing for turn four while Harper can insure stunbacks.

Turn 4 is Drake if you haven’t played his 2-drop or Wonder Girl if you have. Both of them are very useful cards with global team attack helping effects.

Plot Twists and locations are all built around the theme. Tim Drake’s plots, Titans Go, and Mobilize are all maxed out and Prodigies is in there just in case you missed Follow The Leader and need to make one guy unstunnable. Optitron is a moderately useful search while Birthing Chamber should be drawing you at least one extra card a turn.

With this deck, you’re going to do one of two things. Smash serious face or flounder about and get your ass handed to you. If you don’t draw Titans Go! or your other essential plot twists, its game over. However, with a decent draw, you can completely hand an opponent a loss. While playing on MWS, I happened across HomerJ of the great Ring Has Chosen podcast. I got lucky with some beautiful draws culminating with my preferred drops from 1 to 4, a Teen Titans Go, and two Follow The Leader and two Cunning Strategy. Squire tried to negate the Drake plot twists but with a pair of ’em, I was able to punch through. Combined with the Titans Go! and I completely cleared his JLA board on turn 4. Next game I played this deck, I missed all my plots and got whomped in the back of the head really hard.

So, my ratings for these crazy teenagers?

Teen Titans (Modern) Ratings:
Deck Strength: 8 (This deck is nuts when it works. Absolutely nuts. When it doesn’t though, it doesn’t.)
Deck Theme: 9 (All the Titans attacking one opponent is thematic and similar to the cartoon in their battles with Slade/Deathstroke.)
Ease of Use: 6 (You have to know when to drop who, when to play your plots, who to team attack with, what powers to activate… Lots going on with this deck)
Fun Factor: 7 (I dislike team attack, weenie decks but this one is fun. It’s not my funnest deck but its enjoyable)
Overall: 7.5 (If you want a strong weenie, team attack rush, Titans are where its at. Me, not my thing)

Vs. System Affiliation Leaderboard
1. Fantastic Four (Modern)
2. Teen Titans (Modern)

So, Titans couldn’t overthrow the Fantastic Family. Next article will either be the one I promised previously that steps into the past OR it’ll be one that goes far, far into the future depending on which I can play more. We’ll have to wait and see what fate has to decide.