There are many approaches to building a roster, but here is one I’m experimenting with at the minute.

Some scenario combinations are much faster than others. Cosmic cubes with gamma waves could allow you to score a maximum of 11 VPs in one turn. Skrulls and Origin Bombs caps out at 5 per turn. The first I’d call a fast scenario. The second is definitely a slow scenario. A roster has to be good a both. So what tools do you need?

Fast scenarios

These can often be over by turn 3. Being able to push and pull opponents off a wide number of secure objectives is a hugely valuable asset, that can lead to big point turns and big leads. You won’t have the hitting power or survivability of some teams, but the plan in to have an unassailable lead before the attrition.

Examples of fast scenarios:

• Gamma Wave Sweeps Across Midwest
• Infinity Formula Goes Missing!
• Panic Grips City as Evacuation Efforts Continue!
• Riots Spark Over Extremis 3.0
• Spider-Infected Invade Manhattan
• Struggle for the Cube Continues

Characters with good and reliable pushes/throws:

• Black Panther
• Captain America
• Captain Marvel
• Doctor Octopus
• Hulk
• Loki (with Mind Gem)
• Modok
• Shuri
• Spider-Man
• Thor
• Valkyrie
• Venom
• Vision

Slow scenarios

By contrast, slow scenarios can often take a long time to score up to 16. In these games, the teams with the best damage output or survivability will likely come out on top. Being able to either effectively remove pieces or stay in the game through to round 6 is what you will be banking on.

Examples of slow scenarios:

• Alien Ship Crashes in Downtown!
• Deadly Meteors Mutate Civilians
• Skrulls Infiltrate World Leadership

Examples of characters with good damage output or survivability:

• Baron Zemo
• Black Panther
• Black Widow
• Captain America
• Captain Marvel
• Crossbones
• Groot
• Hela, Queen of Hel
• Hulk
• Iron Man
• Killmonger
• Modok
• Thor
• Ultron
• Valkyrie
• Venom
• Vision

Building a roster

So now you need to have a roster that can capitalise on fast scenarios, but also survive in slow ones.

Here are some of the teams I’ve been trying in fast scenarios:

15: Black Panther, Shuri, Okoye, Valkyrie, Doctor Octopus
17: Black Panther, Shuri, Okoye, Valkyrie, Loki with mind gem
18: Black Panther, Shuri, Okoye, Venom, Loki with mind gem

In each of these teams, there are four characters who have reliable push/throw effects that they can use or fuel each turn without any outisde need for power from being attacked. Unlike a lot of teams, they typically want not to have priority.

For middling scenarios (a mix of fast and slow) where some control is useful, but more punch is needed:

17: Black Panther, Killmonger, Shuri, Okoye, Venom,

18: Black Panther, Killmonger, Shuri, Valkyrie, Venom
20: Black Panther, Killmonger, Shuri, Venom, Modok

And for slow scenarios:

17: Black Panther, Killmonger, Okoye, Venom, Valkyrie
20: Black Panther, Killmonger, Shuri, Modok, Venom

So that means I have taken the following characters:

1. Black Panther
2. Shuri
3. Okoye
4. Killmonger
5. Venom
6. Valkyrie
7. Doctor Octopus
8. Loki
9. Mind Gem
10. Modok

Given that I’m building a one affiliation roster, it makes choice of Team Tactics cards easier:

• Wakanda forever – probably the best team tactics card in the game. It gives more pushes on fast scenarios and more damage on slow ones
• Vibranium Shielding – helps keep me from losing activations on fast scenarios and keep ahead in attrition on slow ones
• Patch Up – likely to be taken in slow scenarios to help with attrition
• Tactical Analysis – great for making sure you maximise pushes or attacks. Combos nicely with Valkyrie or Loki
• Mission Objective – an important part of having a plan for the Wakandan Herb
• Brace for impact – prevents dazing or helps with attrition
• Usurp the throne – pumps Killmonger and can help win a game
• Lethal protector – With a lot of lists including Venom, this is a great card for toughing out the mission.

Scenarios

Secure:

• Gamma Wave Sweeps Across Midwest
• Infinity Formula Goes Missing!
• Deadly Meteors Mutate Civilians

I feel that Wakandans excel at the fast scenarios, so I’m going to play one of the Bold ones. Gamma allows me to potentially score 6 points on secures alone, and Infinity formulas give me the extra power to power my abilities.

Extracts

• Spider-Infected Invade Manhattan
• Struggle for the Cube Continues
• Panic Grips City as Evacuation Efforts Continue!

Again, choosing one of the two in bold helps make the scenario faster, playing to the strengths I see in Wakanda.

That’s the roster I’m currently testing. I’m sure there will be tweaks – I love the idea of Iron Man for a turn one drop off to score the far Gamma Shelter by pushing off with Black Panther, but it feels like a ‘living the dream’ situation that will rarely pan out.