Clawing Past Klaw in Marvel Champions: The Card Game

August 26, 2022 | Sessions | 2 comments

Deal with the terrible doings of Klaw in a classic matchup against Spider-Man in Marvel Champions: The Card Game.

After a rather exciting win against Rhino, there was only one thing to do… Move onto Klaw with my Spider-Man deck in Marvel Champions: The Card Game! Having never played against him before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Yet even the setup steps made me pause a little bit. Peter Parker… Are you ready? Time to meet my doom against good ol’ Klaw!

Game Overview

Game Name: Marvel Champions: The Card Game
Publication Year:
 2019
Designers:
 Michael BoggsNate French, and Caleb Grace
Artist: Uncredited
Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games

Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game

This game system is pretty well-known with its oodles of content and all sorts of deck building options. I stuck with what I had already crafted, yet I could have switched things up entirely with a new superhero or aspect. Yet it was onto Klaw for an exciting battle… Or battles? Ha ha!

Going Up Against the Next Villain from Marvel Champions
R

First Play

August 8, 2020

Complexity

3

Latest Play

August 22, 2022

Expansions

30

Setup Time

5 Minutes

Lifetime Plays

27

Play Time

15 Minutes

:

High Score

N/A

1

Game Area

22" x 20"

;

Low Score

N/A

New Minions

As I got to know Klaw and all of his tricks, the minions proved to be some of the trickiest. Whirlwind came out during setup, which wasn’t at all who I wanted to see.

He wasn’t particularly dangerous, yet with so many hit points, my protection deck wasn’t designed to take him out quickly. And he certainly didn’t act alone!

After moving through Rhino in a handful of plays, I found Klaw to be utterly baffling to begin with.

There were some plays when I actually didn’t do any damage before losing… Ouch! Back to the drawing board.

A Most Unfortunate Opponent in Whirlwind from Marvel Champions

Spider-Surrounded

My desperate attempts turned frustrating at times. I knew I had a workable deck, yet the minions were atrocious!

Perhaps I needed more allies in my deck, although the only time I really struggled was when I shuffled horribly. Not my fault at all. Just the cards being cards!

This was certainly a huge leap in difficulty from the Rhino days, which felt like a vacation when I looked back.

Yet this isn’t a game about flying through every villain and pulling off easy victories. An excellent deck might need to be played a little differently with a new villain, like Klaw.

Minions for Miles in Marvel Champions

Managing Expectations When Luck is Involved

This game definitely has a foundation in strategy, both in building a deck and making decisions each turn. But that core is affected by the luck of the draw, which has a lot of implications. I knew what was in my deck. What I needed was just around the corner! But there were times when I had very little to do, and suffered from a little disappointment.

The main takeaway is that I don’t have a deck that works in every instance. I should also look at replacing some cards with those that allow me to draw more, or at least cycle through my deck a little more quickly. Just an adjustment!

It’s also hard to feel completely blindsided after a rousing victory. As I kept losing over and over again, I felt a bit deflated, like I had no idea what I was doing. Losing is a part of the learning experience, but it wasn’t easy to accept! A lot of the time, there were feelings of utter confusion over what I was doing wrong. How could I keep on losing?!

But when I stepped away and thought things through, I just needed to find the right card combinations. They were there! I had to rely on a little more luck than usual. That was the main cause of my issues: I felt like I lost control of the flow. Klaw turned into a menace, and I could sense how the land of superheroes despised him. KLAW! KLAAAW!!!

A Spot of Help

At last, I had the strategy down and watched as I pulled off every action I wanted to. Minions were kept in check. I found ways to remove threat at regular intervals. Yes!

Klaw’s power was also very much limited as I stunned him and carefully plotted how to destroy his final hit points.

But I’ll come right out and admit something… I cheated. There were about 6 cards left in my deck when I used a few abilities to draw some more. I knew what was in there.

I didn’t draw it, so I went against my bad luck and swapped a card. Horrible? Not when I lost 12 times before!

Knocking Out Klaw with a Final Superpower in Marvel Champions

Nightmarish Guards

It was all about managing the Armored Guards. These were the absolute worst! I typically needed to launch about 3 separate attacks to take out each one. Not so fun!

But during this final play, I figured it all out and actually kept them from guarding Klaw for all but a single turn.

So, judge that card swap as you will. I figured that 13 plays in row was more than enough for me. Klaw had worn me down a little bit, and I was ready to move on!

I don’t know… Does cheating lead to the start of becoming a villain?! Wait. I’m already the Breaker of Wallets. Ha ha!

A Most Annoying Foe with the Armored Guards from Marvel Champions

Session Overview

Play Number: 15-27
Expansions: Many for Deck Construction
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Spider-Man / Protection vs. Klaw
Outcome: 1 Win and 12 Losses

Spider-Man triumphed with just 1 hit point remaining! Some might call this a victory with an asterisk, but I took it. This constant barrage of minions and Klaw’s powers took its toll, and I needed a little break from my days of playing superhero. Definitely returning for more, especially since Ultron is just sitting there. WAITING!

Celebrating a Win with Spider-Man in Marvel Champions

%

20 Plays

Affordability

Price & Value

9

Functionality

Challenges & Mechanics

8

Originality

Design & Theme

7

Quality

Components & Rules

9

Reusability

Achievement & Enjoyment

8

Variability

Distinctness & Randomness

8

+ Pros (Positives)

  • Learning what a deck can do differs from play to play, and can show new combinations with different villains.
  • There is a ton of content, yet the base game provides a solid experience without the need to buy everything.
  • Putting together interesting card combinations and chained abilities is a lot of fun from start to finish.
  • Each superhero features a core card set that is entirely unique, while the 4 aspects open up more possibilities.
  • Play time is typically very quick after a couple of learning games, leading to a lot of fun with back-to-back plays.
  • Building a deck can follow many paths, and ranges from pre-constructed ideas to entirely custom options.

– Cons (Negatives)

  • The reliance on luck is tempered by strategic decisions, but the luck of the draw can be quite frustrating at times.
  • A deck that works well in one instance might be problematic against other villains and require major rebuilding.
  • Only the flavor text and artwork create a bit of storyline, yet for the most part, there isn’t much of a narrative.
  • Some of the minions can be extremely annoying to deal with, especially when they come out consistently.

More Marvel Champions: The Card Game

Explore related posts about Marvel Champions: The Card Game!

Victory Conditions

Defeat the Villain

  • Overall Goal Progress 7% 7%

Goals and Milestones

Q

Defeat each villain as Spider-Man / Protection (02 / 28).

Continue the Conversation

What are some of your favorite elements of Marvel Champions: The Card Game? I struggled a little bit against Klaw, but it was still a lot of fun to see my deck do some different things! Do you have any favorite superheroes or villains? It looks like I’m moving onto some other games for the time being, but I’ll definitely be back to play a lot more one day!

2 Comments

  1. Spider-Man Protection is what my son plays in multiplayer and he loves it but it definietly struggles with minions. He’s helped out because we’re playing multiplayer.
    It might be worth trying aggression with Spider-Man for solo so you can handle minions, especially if you’ve defended in the villain phase and can’t attack. Swinging web kicks are amazing and feel so good late game but it can be hard dealing with the minions when you only have 3 attack events in the deck. Tigra, Relentless Assualt, TAC Team and Uppercut are all useful in dealing with minion swarm.

    It might also be worth playing 2 handed which is what I do when playing Champions solo. It allows for more flexibility in deck building because you don’t have to cater for every possibility with one deck.

    Reply
    • Thanks for the tips, Oli! You’re right about everything, especially with how this was a real struggle to play solo. I’ve also condiered playing with a pair of superheroes. Definitely on my list to try out, especially since it allows for a lot more possibilities and covers more weak areas. Awesome to hear you’re enjoying playing the game solo and with your son!

      Reply

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