50 Shades of X-Men

50 cards! 19 allies! Have you gone crazy Journeyman? Yes, yes I have. Let me explain in the form of 50 Cent songs:

Candy Shop

The goal here is to maximize the odds of hitting an ally with "To Me, My X-Men!". A whiff is quite unfortunate, costing us 2 resources for nothing, making this practically unplayable in a normal deck. Good thing this isn't a normal deck! In a typical 40-card, 6-10 ally deck, the odds of whiffing are quite high: 20-45% miss chance. Meanwhile, this deck sports only a 5-15% miss chance!

To exploit TMMX, we want to stock up on allies with 2+ THW, 3+ ATK, and enters play effects. This deck has nine allies at 2+ THW, four allies at 3+ attack, and seven allies with enters play effects (with another 2-3 that have great constant/triggered effects). Since TMMX refunds the ally at the end of the phase, this means we are getting this all for a single resource! Rules note: the ally returns to hand after drawing up to hand size at the end of the phase, so this is essentially +1 hand size and a guaranteed ally play for the next turn! Take Polaris for example, turn 1 spend 2 resources and get a tough and 1 thwart or 2 damage, turn 2 have a 6 card hero hand or 7 card alter-ego hand, possibly replaying her for another tough! Excellent benefit two turns in a row!

Since it is a tactic, Tactical Brillance can pull it whenever the odds are highest!

So many options it's like being in a candy shop! Just don't look up the lyrics...

Get Rich or Die Tryin'

• Uncanny X-Men is the other lynchpin card. This card is quite broken. Giving every X-Men ally +1 hit point is one thing, but then it reduces the cost to play X-Men allies by 1 as long as all of our characters are X-Men! If we play three allies in a turn, this is essentially a triple resource! And let me tell you, we will be dropping 3 or more allies in a turn quite regularly once this is out. We are running three to guarantee seeing it early despite the 50 Cent. In multiplayer, the extras can be played to other players.

• Cerebro adds to our alter-ego economy and ally spam. There are 6 psionic allies to take advantage of this, with Phoenix commonly staying out for most of the game. Because of the TMMX numbers, hitting an ally in 5 cards is likely even if no psionic ally is out. Just remember, it is only playable in alter-ego, while Cyclops has the Mutant trait.

• Team-Building Exercise combos well with the -1 cost from Uncanny. 21 targets might make this the strongest ever TBE!

• The X-Jet hits kickers for Magik, Nightcrawler, and Sunfire.

• Honorary X-Men, keeps the discounts from Uncanny and The X-Jet active in alter-ego. This can lead to plays where Cerebro grabs an ally, and it's paid for by Uncanny, The X-Jet, and a tactic from Constant Training. For 0 cards in hand, we can play any 3-cost or lower ally in the deck, of which, there are 14 total! With 1 more resource, any ally can be played for only 1 card in hand!

• Constant Training is a key part of Cyclops' economy; constant flipping grants him +2 cards a turn between this and Cerebro. Often, the tactic upgrade will be a resource.

  • Priority Target is the preferred grab when a minion is out, chaining into more cards. Getting this for free off Constant Training or Tactical Brillance and then drawing two more cards is a key play!

  • Practiced Defense is underrated, giving Cyclops a way to pseudo-defend for 3 (and sometimes blocking more if the villain attacks again). Great to save big allies for future activations and has a place in certain matchups like Sabretooth and Project Wideawake. At 0-cost, it is the best end of turn drop when there is a spare resource.

  • Rapid Response is a good grab for when TMMX pulled Phoenix or Beast, setting it up for the next turn when they get played from hand.

  • Exploit Weakness is the best tactic upgrade to pull when needing a resource early. Its cost makes it expensive and villain damage isn't a priority yet. But it is also excellent late game to close things out!

Be careful not to trigger Constant Training on the turn Cyclops flips to Scott Summers if there isn't a way to play or spend the card, there are only 7 targets in deck so they need to be used sparingly! Likewise for Cerebro since it will hurt TMMX odds for nothing.

The amount of deck thinning we have with the supports and Constant Training increases our TMMX chance to infinite. There are times where the entire rest of the deck is allies, giving it a 100% chance!

In Da Club

Here is the meat of the deck, the 19 allies! They're organized by cost under Uncanny X-Men (Cost/THW/ATK/HP):

1-cost x 4

The 1-cost allies are potent as targets for Cerebro or Pixie when there's a spare resource to play them. Using Team-Building Exercise+Uncanny X-Men to drop one of these creates value and a block for cheap. What other deck has as many 1-cost allies as this?!

^this is a boombox

Forge (1/1/1/3): Weak statline but amazing effect to tutor Cerebro, Utopia, or The X-Jet from the deck or discard. Enters play works off TMMX. Getting Cerebro when in or planning to be in alter-ego is key since it can only be played while Cyclops has the Mutant trait. Utopia can be played right away with a double resource and generates momentum if there is a second ally waiting in the wings. Even discarding the support for Forge's cost, just to get it right back is valuable!

^provides the strobe lighting

Sunfire (1/1/2/3): Can't stress enough how strong this ally is. Hit the kicker with The X-Jet and watch problem cards like Advanced Glider, We Are One, Universal Weapon, and Magneto's Armor melt away. Won't trigger off TMMX, but it can set him up for the next turn. Regroup can help strip a fully kitted out villain!

Pixie (1/1/2/3): Toolboxing the discard for allies, complements Cerebro and TMMX's ability to toolbox the deck; guaranteeing the ability to grab almost any ally at any time! The extra hp means she can attack for 2 without immediately dying. Loops well with Regroup.

^just happy to be here

Angel (1/1/2/4): Technically 3-cost, but double discounts make him a 1-drop. Low stats and no effect make him a poor hit for TMMX except to set up a cheap play next turn. Still 1-cost ally is 1-cost ally!

2-cost x10

Phoenix (2/2/2/4): Grab any Cyclops card, usually Tactical Brillance, Priority Target, or Full Blast. Hitting her with TMMX is resource neutral, while being able to chain into more draw with the aforementioned Cyclops cards. To put this in perspective, there are 10 cards in this deck that draw cards, Phoenix is one and she can tutor for 5 of the others. Psionic for Cerebro

^overlooking the club like the OG he is

Professor X (2/3/0/4): Amazing hit with TMMX, basically a 1 ER confuse and 3 THW. When combined with Psylocke, can overwhelm even the steadiest of villains. The ready option can be useful on the many 3-ATK allies as well. Psionic for Cerebro

Polaris (2/1/2/4): Access to tough and a great recursion target. Give Cyclops tough with TMMX, then play her again for tough the next turn!

Blindfold (2/2/0/3): 2-cost for 2 THW and 3 HP is valuable. The enters play effect is just a bonus. TMMX into a next-turn play can give some excellent encounter control. Psionic for Cerebro

Mirage (2/2/1/3): 2-cost for 2 THW and 3 HP is still a great benchmark. The stun will rarely go off since we don't have Danger Room to give her Danger Room Training, but still a good TMMX pull against 1-THW minions and villains (like Magog!). Psionic for Cerebro

Marvel Girl (2/2/1/4): 2-cost for 2 THW and 4 HP is excellent. Again the effect is rare to be worthwhile, but some targets are really good, like Sentinel Mark VIII. Great at popping toughs with tempo. Psionic for Cerebro

Colossus (2/1/3/4): Technically 4-cost, but double discounts make him a 2-drop. Tough makes for a good blocker and 3-ATK is ideal for TMMX. Unfortunately, can't make great use out of the extra hit point, but double consequential can help get him in the reshuffle to keep TMMX numbers high!

Gentle (2/1/3/4): 12-damage that can split up as 9 to minion and 3 to the villain or 6 to the villain and a quick reshuffle. In multi-villain scenarios like Tower Defense, he will only take an additional consequential damage when attacking the active villain, so he's safe to pound on the non-active villain(s)! Another good 3-ATK ally to pull with TMMX, where the extra consequential means less. Nothing wrong with having a big stick to throw around!

Nightcrawler (2/2/2/3): 2-cost for 2-THW is still a great stat line. The extra hp gets an extra turn of use out of him while waiting for an opportune time to trigger his ability. Can always bounce to hand to loop with Utopia. Can hit the kicker with The X-Jet. Great for countering Gene Therapy! Nightcrawler, Phoenix, and Beast are the cheapest 2/2 allies in the deck, making them very flexible

^Magik is clearly the club bouncer

Magik (2/1/2/4): Skirts around When Defeated effects and can punt guard minions away to open up the villain for big Exploit Weakness turns. Same tempo as Mind Control, but for 1 resource cheaper. Unfortunately, not a great TMMX target and doesn't play well with Priority Target. Can hit the kicker with The X-Jet.

3-cost x5

Psylocke (3/2/1/4): Amazing stat line and ability. Importantly, her interrupt will ping off toughs before her attack goes through, meaning she is always dealing 1-2 damage regardless of tough. This also works with villain stages if the villain is sitting on 1hp, her interrupt will confuse and defeat the stage, then her attack will continue to go through on the other stage possibly clearing a tough! Hitting her with TMMX is money, totaling 3 straight turns of confuse! The extra hp from Uncanny X-Men allows her to utilize her good 2 THW stat if the villain isn't burning confuses fast enough. Psionic for Cerebro

Beast (3/2/2/4): Great stats and an enters play ability that turns TMMX resource positive makes Beast a keystone of this deck. Typically, he'll grab a double resource from the discard pile, and with Rapid Response and TMMX, can give 6 uses of the basic doubles in a deck cycle (TMMX, normal play, Rapid Response, on top of three regular uses). When just about every ally and support costs 2, this is critical, and a big part of the turns where 3-4 allies get dropped!

Wolverine (3/1/3/5): Uncanny X-Men lets Wolverine attack a whole extra time, totaling 12 damage in 4 turns before the consequential catches up to his healing. Hitting him off TMMX gives great access to piercing, making him one of the best minion answers!

Rockslide (3/1/3/7): Criminally underrated, Rockslide is another ally that can swing for 12 on his own when all is said and done. 7 HP makes him a great indirect damage soak in Drang and Sandman, and he can always eat an attack from Sabretooth or Project Wideawake. Hitting him off TMMX usually means 5 straight turns of a 3-ATK ally!

Storm (3/2/2/4): Technically 5-cost, but double discounts make her a 3-drop. Flexible 2/2/4 stat line is really good before even getting to her ability. Storm is amazing in the Venom Goblin and Project Wideawake matches. She also has uses vs Kang stage 2 (moving scheme from 3B to 2B), Wrecking Crew, and Tower Defense. She can accelerate Escape the Museum, the Sinister Six, and Hela's side schemes. Just note that her interrupt is optional, and moving the threat will occur before she removes any so double check that the order is actually beneficial!

Out Da Club

Banshee (3/2/2/4): Hard to give up because his stat line is so good, but competes with Storm and Rockslide, and ultimately they're better either with good matchups (Storm) or a better pull off TMMX (Rockslide). Banshee can be useful to leave a minion out, flip down, and pull Priority Target on the flip up.

Longshot (3/2/2/4): I really wanted to like him more, theoretically he can insta-defeat a minion off TMMX and still trigger Priority Target. Just a lot of little things add up to make him too restricted. Non-elite minions only, needs a boost ability and not just a boost icon, wastes his stats to trigger his ability, can't be played from alter-ego unless Honorary X-Men has already been played. There are better options for his stat line.

Havok (3/1/2/4): Another ally I really wanted to like. He can come off a TMMX and deal 5 damage, then not die because Uncanny X-Men gives him an extra HP. The first time I played him, he pulled Laufey, dealt 6 damage, and then offed himself. Pretty epic, but then a bunch of times he'd come in and deal 2. We don't really need his longevity with the plethora of options we have, and all of the current 3-ATK allies are more reliable.

Dust (2/1/1/4): Dust has good matchups, like Ultron, but generally she is a weak TMMX pull and dealing 3 damage to a single minion, i.e. with Gentle, is better than dealing 1 damage to three minions. Can be a good sub for multiplayer games.

There's a version of this deck that runs all 23 available allies for insane TMMX odds, but involves sacrificing support options or consistency.

Utopia 5-0

Get it? Like Hawaii 5-0?? Anyways...

Utopia and The Triskelion are here to increase the ally limit to 5, since this deck churns out allies at an incredible rate. The goal is to always have a spot available for TMMX plays. Going 5 wide makes Exploit Weakness very potent. This is the typical finisher: attack with 5 boosted allies and Cyclops, play a bunch more and attack with them, ready Cyclops, Full Blast.

Utopia's ready triggers off of TMMX and Rapid Response, and with the quantity of 3-stat allies, readying an ally can be more economical than readying Cyclops. For instance, TMMX pulls Wolverine, he attacks for 3 with piercing; play another ally, ready Wolverine and make another attack for 3 with piercing (then he bounces to hand and the same thing happens next turn). Besides just good stats, other allies worth readying include Psylocke, to instantly confuse a steady villain, Storm to move around a lot of threat, and Marvel Girl to get some chip on a minion while still removing threat.

50 First Dates

One advantage of the 50 Cent deck is that cards that toolbox the discard like Tactical Brillance, Phoenix, and Pixie, stay online for longer since the reshuffle is delayed. They have key combo loops with Rapid Response and Regroup that raise the floor of what this deck is capable of on an average turn. Cycloops!

• Phoenix, Tactical Brillance, and Rapid Response form a perfect loop. When Phoenix is is defeated, Rapid Response brings her back. Her enters play ability grabs Tactical Brillance, which then gets back Rapid Response to play again. Once set up, this loop is only 4 ER (2 for TB and 2 for RR). All told, this nets 9 THW and a block (Phoenix thwarts twice for 4, TB thwarts 3, and Utopia will ready any character, but usually a 2 THW Cyclops).

• Pixie forms another perfect loop with Regroup. Play Pixie to add Phoenix to hand. Play Phoenix to get Tactical Brillance. Play Tactical Brillance to get Regroup. Play Regroup and do it again next turn after blocking with Pixie and/or Phoenix. Usually this is a 12 ER combo, but it can be done all with just Pixie in hand and the relevant cards in the discard: 3 cards get tutored, both allies are discounted by Uncanny X-Men, Team-Building Exercise plays Pixie. All of a sudden, very affordable with any of the resources and draw effects this deck packs. If not needing a full loop, Pixie can grab any ally other than Phoenix as well, since at least three times per deck cycle just drawing into Tactical Brillance can lead to a Pixie-Regroup.

Loop de looping every turn is far from necessary, but recognizing the opportunity to enter into the middle for a partial loop can be important. Passing up a Tactical Brillance loop is okay when there are 3 chances per deck cycle, and Phoenix (or Pixie into Phoenix) can start the loop up at any time. Inserting Beast into the Pixie loop or using Rapid Response on him can generate the resources needed to play Tactical Brillance for instance. Here are some other interesting, but minor, Rapid Response interactions:

• Blindfold lets you take your pick between three encounter cards. Blindfold enters play in the hero phase, looks at the top 5, chumps in the villain phase, comes back in and looks at the top 5 again. Any of the encounter cards from the first viewing in places 2-4 are accessible depending on which two cards she discards.

• Mirage or Professor X can stun a minion before it attacks when they chump the villain and are brought back by Rapid Response (though this is niche). Along the same lines, Polaris can give Cyclops tough mid-villain phase.

• Magik, Sunfire, and Pixie do not trigger their effects off Rapid Response or TMMX unfortunately, but this makes them great candidates for Regroup.

Prioritizing which allies get chumped or overwritten for space based on which effect is most beneficial to duplicate and whether Regroup vs Rapid Response are in play, is critical to understanding how to cycle the allies around.

Thank you for reading! I hope this has been a good introduction to the new Leadership cards and a brand new 50-card strategy. Leave a comment below if you try out the deck!