Marvel Champions — Captain America Hero Pack (Overview, My Review)

What is the Marvel Champions Captain America Hero Pack

The Captain America Hero Pack, along with the Ms. Marvel Hero Pack, was the first Marvel Champions hero pack released. It contains 60 cards:

• Captain America deck cards (15 cards)
• Leadership Aspect cards (17 cards)
• Basic cards (8 cards)
• Hero card (1 card)
• Aggression cards (3 cards)
• Justice cards (3 cards)
• Protection cards (3 cards)
• Basic cards not included in pre-built deck (3 cards)
• Captain America Nemesis cards (6 cards)
• Captain America Hero Pack Pre-Built Decklist (1 card)

Default Deck Overview

Identity Card (Steve Rogers / Captain America)

The alter-ego side (Steve Rogers) of the hero places the iconic vibranium shield into your hand at the beginning of the game. Rather thematic. Not only that, but you can immediately begin playing your allies at a discount before flipping to Captain America. Note the 3 REC, which is not the best hit point boost when you are in alter-ego mode.

The balanced stats give Captain America player a lot of flexibility in how to handle difficult situations throughout a game. The game representation of Captain America’s I Can Do This All Day! mindset is on target. For just the cost of a resource, you can ready him for defense, or get in an extra attack/thwart. Given the +1 DEF from his shield, defending each turn (+3 DEF) with Captain America has been a viable strategy in the four games I’ve played so far with the default deck.

Alter-Ego Mode

As I mentioned, the +3 REC is not enough for you to want to hang out in alter-ego mode for very long. In solo games, especially, I have found that I largely avoid flipping back after the first turn (e.g., Klaw can reasonably scheme his way out of the first scheme on just one turn if you stay in hero mode).

The ally discount often will not do enough, especially if you can make use of Quinjet and Avenger’s Tower. The only card that requires you to be in alter-ego (Steve Rogers) mode is Steve’s Apartment, which helps boost REC to 4 hit points and nets you a card. However, that’s enough to really entice staying in hero mode; more just makes it palatable when the need arises.

Allies Theme

It’s a pretty obvious approach, but I appreciate that Fantasy Flight Games kept it simple and not only assigned Captain America the Leadership aspect but also heavily incorporated allies into the deck construction.

The hero pack includes six allies (two repeats from core set, and four new ones):

And Steve Rogers / Captain America knows how to make use of his team:

Strength in Numbers leverages the allies you have in play by turning them all into cards in hand. With Avengers Tower in play, you can draw up to 4 cards at zero cost. This can lead to some serious resources ramping, or damage output (either through Shield Toss or Heroic Strike backed up by other plays.

Avengers Assemble serves as the perfect finisher, which it is has been for me the last three games. Of course, it can act as a good mid-game threat or enemy removal if you find yourself facing several side schemes and/or enemies.

Other Cards in Default Captain America Deck

Don’t have much to say about the remainder of cards in the pack, but some good ones here. Especially Heroic Strike to provide some control over enemy attacks, and Super-Soldier Serum to provide some resource ramp.

Cards Included Outside of Captain America Deck

Captain America Hero Pack — Review

The Captain America default deck is strong out of the box: I have been struggling with the default Ms. Marvel deck against Klaw + Masters of Evil on Expert. Captain America, on the other hand, has taken 3 out of 4 games. 4 out of 5 if you want to count my somehow forgetting the maximum number of allies allowed. Solid hero with solid stats. Can hold its own in a solo game, but also fill a solid role in any cooperative game.

On top of that, there are some easy upgrades with just the core set (e.g., Nick Fury seems an obvious inclusion).

On top of that, Captain America is an iconic Marvel character and a great inclusion if you’re looking to expand your Marvel Champions collection. As a solo player, I enjoy the Leadership aspect because it maximizes the use of allies. Not only is my initial impression that it is a strong aspect, it is the most fun for me. Who doesn’t enjoy using superheroes?

If you’re looking to purchase, you can purchase conveniently from Amazon or support your local game store.