Shifting Shape

“Didn’t see that coming, did you?” – Hulkling

Back in June, we revealed the scenarios for Civil War, the new customizable scenario expansion for Marvel Champions: The Card Game. Earlier this month, we showed off Tigra, one of its heroes. Now, it’s time to take a look at the other hero in the box: Hulkling, the shapeshifting Young Avenger!

Born to a Kree father and a Skrull mother, Teddy Altman (Civil War, 29B) was sent to Earth as an infant to be raised in secret. As Teddy grew up, he discovered his shapeshifting powers, and now he uses those abilities to protect his home as the young hero, Hulkling (Civil War, 29A)! Those shapeshifting powers are exactly what Hulkling’s playstyle builds upon. His kit contains four Shapeshift upgrades, each with a different focus; for example, the Hulk Shape (Civil War, 33) grants Hulkling a boost to his ATK and DEF while also allowing him to ping enemies for some extra damage, while the Imitation Shape (Civil War, 35) helps him slip behind enemy lines, thwarting schemes and drawing an extra card after playing an event. His Armored Shape (Civil War, 34) provides a hefty boost to Hulkling’s durability, while the Winged Shape (Civil War, 32) grants him a generalist option that can also open up Aerial synergies.

Regardless of whether he’s in alter-ego or hero form, Hulkling will only ever be able to have one of these Shapeshift upgrades in play at a given time. Thankfully, Teddy’s innate Shape-Changer ability lets him search your deck and discard pile for whichever upgrade you want and add it to your hand, ensuring that he’ll always have the shape best suited for the situation. Meanwhile, if and when he has to change shape mid-fight, Hulkling’s Chosen Shape ability does compensate for the lost previous shape with a ready, allowing him to immediately make use of his newly-altered stats and keep his momentum going.

Even outside of their stat boosts, the Shapeshift upgrades provide plenty of tools for Hulkling to work with. Since they all have two resource icons, Hulkling can use any unwanted shapes to help pay for other cards, such as an event like Shapeshifter Strike (Civil War, 37), which deals some damage while also readying whatever Shapeshift upgrade is currently in play. This, in turn, works well with each upgrade’s inherent Hero Response that triggers when you play an event—any event, signature or otherwise. This means playing Shapeshifter Strike with Hulk Shape turns into 7 damage dealt, while playing something like Impersonation (Civil War, 39) with Imitation Shape turns into 4 threat removed and a fresh card drawn. Hulkling’s partner Wiccan (Civil War, 30) can help out by grabbing him the exact signature event he needs, which could very well be Shapeshifter (Civil War, 40) to in turn let him grab a new shape! (Remember: each Shapeshift upgrade can also function as a double-resource card, making this a particularly powerful and flexible combo.)

Hulkling’s shapeshifting abilities give him unmatched flexibility, but he can’t do everything at once. Thankfully, he can lean on the tools in his pre-built Protection deck to keep the team healthy while he’s shifting shapes. Fellow Young Avenger Patriot (Civil War, 41) can consistently defend against enemy attacks, thanks to his ability to gain a tough status card after an enemy engages with you. Meanwhile, when Hulkling swaps to alter-ego form, he can pop into a Hidden Base (Civil War, 43) to gain a tough status of his own. Once you’re all set up, Taunt (Civil War, 48) the enemy into attacking you and tell them “I Can Do This All Day” (Civil War, 47) to defend without exhausting, then swing back with Excelsior (Civil War, 45) to dish out some extra damage, so long as you have an energy resource to spare.

With his ability to shift his shape to suit the situation, Hulkling is a fantastic and flexible hero that can fill any role the team needs, making him a wonderful addition to the game’s roster. Fight for your ideals as both Hulkling and Tigra when Civil War releases in September!

Written by Peter Schumacher