Professor Hulk | Heroic 1 Clear

Beating Ronan on Heroic 1 difficulty is generally regarded as perhaps the most punishing challenge in Marvel Champions: The Card Game. Heroic 1 introduces an extra encounter card per player every villain phase, dramatically raising the tempo, pressure, and unpredictability of every game. Ronan in particular is notorious for aggro, tenacious side schemes, and high-damage plays, and as a "gatekeeper" scenario to test both deck-building skill and pilot accuracyHulk, whose hand size is among the game's worst and otherwise excels at raw aggression, has been considered one of the least well-suited heroes for solo high-difficulty play. His troubles namely four-card hero hand size and effectively zero built-in threat clearing have forced a great deal of the Marvel Champions community to dismiss him as subpar at Expert or above, particularly in solo play

This deck is an outlier, however. By combining Hulk's raw physical might with a well-chosen Justice suite and backup of Basic cards, this Hulk Justice construct can endure an abusive 45–50% of the games against Ronan Heroic 1, which is no small achievement that requires both good strategy and deck tweaking.

The following is a high-level deck guide, with a card-by-card breakdown of each inclusion. For each card, the type and aspect, the reasoning behind the inclusion, the description of the card's role in the matchup, and discussion of its synergy particularly key combos necessary to outmaneuver Ronan's plans and attacks is included. This guide is based on in-depth experience, community feedback, and accessible strategic commentary.

Hulk's Strengths and Weaknesses :

Hulk in Marvel Champions has unparalleled basic attack and defense and the greatest base HP in the game, yet he is severely damaged by extremely small hand size and lack of native threat solutions. His Hero version has him discard all his hand on his turn, adding "waste" to otherwise good resource plays, and depleting the accrual of tactical flexibility. He also typically must be in Hero form as frequently as possible, but lacks the resources to deal with generating threat and overwhelming villain pressure if he stays so indiscriminately

The secret to success here with this Hulk Justice build on Ronan Heroic 1 is a switch in philosophical mindset: instead of bull-rushing for hurt, the deck does an enormous amount of investment in threat control, resource management, and cards that lengthen the game. This "survivability–control–smash" mentality is gut-intuitive-jarring but unavoidable: Hulk's attack power is never an issue, but here the concern is simply surviving Ronan's relentless pace long enough to allow Hulk's brute strength to ultimately win out.

Ronan Heroic 1 Ronan might be the most challenging individual villain in Marvel Champions, with: Extremely high attack and scheme values (both 2+)

The Universal Weapon, which negatives hero interactions (including immunity to effects and deprivation of resources)

Minion stress continuing and the high-damage Kree Command Ship

The ability to acquire Stalwart and Tough, suppressing status and burst turns

A great deal of heavy reliance on side schemes and surge effects, which can quickly overwhelm players

The underlying win condition against Ronan isn't to attempt to out-punch him, but to establish a game state - partly through extension of the game through confusion, slowing tools, and survivability stalling - wherein Hulk can utilize repeated high-damage attacks to assassinate the villain. The deck must remain resilient under the stress of multiple encounter cards per turn, and never allow threat to slip its grasp.

Threat Management Always clean up new side schemes ASAP. Use Multitasking and For Justice! early, advertised as being needed with Banner's power of instant setup.

Under Surveillance needs to be played on the main scheme first opportunity it widens the "dead zone" for Ronan's schemes and can be the difference between a one-shot loss and a comeback victory.

Survival and Recovery Block with Allies, never Hulk! except to survive or in an "all or nothing" round.

If HP is low, set turns ahead of time to flip, heal, and play support upgrades. Cards like Recuperation, Down Time, and Banner's Lab allow huge heals (6–8 HP).

Alternating forms if setup is incomplete and health is low, play at a slower rate to win long term board control.

Timing Damage Delay Hulk Smash and Crushing Blow actions until either the Guard minions have been cleared, Ronan is in a new cycle of his deck, or the main plan is secure.

Double Activation (Limitless Stamina, Unstoppable Force) on important turns to finish Ronan or clear an about-face opponent.

Mitigation of Encounter Keep an ad-ready threat removal at all times—play cost-effective threat removal or "bank" Overwatch or similar upgrades on strategies you anticipate will soon become game-changers.

Know which cards to junk when you have to junk because of Ronan's weapon or treacheries attempt to junk situational threat events so you can keep upgrades, recovery, or allies

Early Turns Use Bruce Banner's dig for upgrades, economy, or critical events before shifting into Hero form. Dump low-impact cards for economy early unless a "Hulk turn" would experience substantial payoff.

Play Hulk form rarely in the first two rounds if the board position is stale in Alter-Ego, playing to build supports/upgrades.

Mulligan and Setup Rank resource engines (Helicarrier, Quincarrier, Deft Focus, Ingenuity) and Endurance or Down Time highest. If there is any threat removal event with appearance (For Justice!, Multitasking) keep only if there is an urgent side scheme threat.

Don't hold Hulk's attack events in the first hand unless you've got the economy to play them they won't be playable at all and may be wasted.

Win Rate and Performance Metrics Victory Rate: Estimated at 45–50% across a high count of games.

Common Losses: Early threat avalanche, overwhelmed by back-to-back encounter spikes (e.g., an unexpected Shadows of the Past chained with Advance/Assault or a villain phase turn where both primary and side schemes fire).

Major Wins: Achieved through surviving on major recovery/defense, handling threat through repeat event plays, and chaining finishers with Hulk Smash/ready buffs following setup.

-- Deck Strengths Delays loss until an established game plan is in motion

Capable of withstanding cyclical Ronan Stalwart/Overkill cycles with recovery and tough-based stalling

Turns "wasted" hand cards into incremental gain.

-- Deck Weaknesses Slow early turns are fatal—if all economy pieces are at the bottom, the deck is at the mercy of suboptimal draws.

No mass ally spam—thus at times lags behind on blocking compared to Leadership or some Protection builds.

Regularly having to "give up" on a round in case the villain phase spikes (two Advances in a row, for instance), but constructed to last.

Conclusion :

Battering Ronan on Heroic 1 with Hulk playing Justice is an accomplishment that reveals not just Hulk's oft-hidden tactical skill, but the worth of deck respect, in-game decision-making, and an understanding of Marvel Champions' rhythm and resource flows. The deck built here is no casual aggro Hulk deck: it's a vigilant, control-focused, survivor's Justice deck that happens to also get to release some of the game's most flashy attack bursts when finally in position.

Every card is brought into play with intention, every support, event, upgrade, and ally having a crucial part to play in surviving Ronan's initial jabs, keeping threat under control, staying alive through gory minion rushes, and ultimately piercing the villain's defenses for a thrilling, hard-won victory.

Above all, this Hulk Justice deck is repeatable. It boasts a 45–50% win rate not based on an impeccable beginning but on consistent, strategic play, value-based resource management, and risk management. Hulk shall never be "easy mode" when engaged with Ronan on Heroic 1, yet this deck provides him with a true seat at the heroic table, realizing the potential of Marvel Champions at its most challenging and rewarding.

Standard : 85%+

Expert : 70%

Heroic 1 : 45-50%+

Heroic 2 : 15-20% (Possible but really hard)