“Why doesn’t he die?” – Bucky surviving Expert Ronan

"Why doesn't he die?"

– A villain, Taunted twice this turn already, to themself.

Overview :

• Play Style : Super Tanky Bucky. Protection ATTACKs.
• Fun: Very high (tank huge hits).
• Difficulty : Medium (order is important, but game loop stays simple).
• Power level : Very strong (in solo and multi)
• Recommended Player Count : Any (in multi you can often defend or stun for others).

This deck has won against Expert Venom Goblin, Ronan and a few others.

Concept :

Winter Soldier is obviously very good at attacking and good at thwarting with his kit alone. So, making him incredibly good at defending/surviving guarantees most wins.

Gain tough status cards with "Come Get Me, Bub!" and Hard Knocks, heal yourself with Bub, stun with Tackle, Electrical Discharge and Iron Fist, ignore damage with Arm Block, or simply kill enemies before they even damage you with Powerful Punch. Then, Taunt the villain to find extra ATTACKs and destroy the villain.

In multiplayer, you can sometimes stun for the first player, and defend for anyone when you draw (or keep in hand) Arm Block or Powerful Punch.

How to play this deck:

• Focus on surviving. You should stay in hero form most of the game, even when you confuse with Silent Infiltration.
• Keep those Arm Blocks in hand for the villain phase.
• Don't forget to take a hit or two on the chin so you can use the full heal from "Come Get Me, Bub!".
• Avengers Mansion in especially useful to find the copy of Taunt that will start a whole other turn within your turn :)
• Unflappable is less important but cheap. It'll make you draw whenever you play Arm Block or Powerful Punch at their full potential.
• Taunt, Face the Past and Superpower Training makes you draw a lot and thin your deck.
• You should have enough tanking to absorb a Taunt or two, and then tank in the villain phase anyway!
• "Come Get Me, Bub!" summons minions for Hard Knocks, Winter Soldier's ability (2 threat removal), Winter Mask and Silent Infiltration.
• The Power of Protection instead of Genius to trigger Electrical Discharge and Tackle more easily.
• Superpower Training will usually get you Winter Rifle, but Winter Armor and Silent Infiltration are always good (and available) targets!
• Play it safe, you can't really die if you do so. Take that extra turn. But once you have Winter Rifle and 2-3 big attacks in hand, the game won't last much longer, even in multiplayer :p

Other cards to consider:

• 1 copy of Anticipation was super good! It could even be worth going up to 41 cards (or removing a Tackle maybe?). It's a great insurance you will be ready when you summon a minion with Bub when boss villains exhaust you a lot.
• Momentum Shift was in the deck at first. It's good but sometimes you just do not take enough damage :p
• Change of Fortune has been tested, but it doesn't happen as often as Unflappable to be worth it I found.
• The Night Nurse is great in multiplayer! But Bucky is already steady with his Winter Armor so usually not needed in solo.
• Same thing for Establish Perimeter. Good for the team (and Black Widow, not very good in solo (but it can thin your deck!).

 
Anyway, enjoy, have fun,
and don't forget to drop a like/fav, it's always appreciated :)