For this week’s Deck Clinic, I delved way back in the submission archive to see if there was something I could bring up to date, hopefully with a bit of an eye-opening twist. After some thought and reflection, a submission from VsRealms.com forum poster Keleko caught my eye. The deck was originally a Silver Age deck—although that is going to change—and it keyed off the Team Superman “Super-Clones” theme of recruiting multiple versions of Superman and avoiding uniqueness with Superman, Red and Look-Alike Squad.
Submitter: Keleko
Characters4
Lois Lane, Earth 2 4
Mr. Mxyzptlk, Troublesome Trickster4
Kelex, Faithful Servant 
4
Superman, Red4
Superman, Clark Kent 3
Superman, Blue1
Superman, Returned 3
Superman, Earth 21
Superman, Kal-El3
Superman, Avatar of Peace
It wasn’t clear just what potential there was for doing something a little different with this list until I remembered my good old buddy, rule 201.6:
After some character card names, there is a diamond (◊) symbol followed by text. That text is the printed identity of the character. The naming format for these characters is “Name ◊ Identity.” If a character’s name isn’t followed by a diamond, its printed name is also its identity. This identity is also referred to as its “secret identity.” A character’s identity is ignored when determining the uniqueness of that character.
(And no, just in case you have doubts about my sanity, I didn’t know the number before I looked it up.)
Nevertheless, my new bestest buddy 201.6 means that every copy of Superman in that list not only has the name “Superman,” but also the identity “Superman.” And what does that mean? It means the JSA, that’s what it means. It means Heroic Rescue; it means Living Legacy; it means, if you swing that way, the Hawk-buddies. It means Double Play. Now we’re talking. Of course, this started the wheels spinning as I looked over the Super-curve to see where some Supermen could make way for some Super-JSA buddies.
Casting a card-cutting eye over the Superman curve, Kelex, Faithful Servant is pretty exciting if we have some really juicy locations to search for (and his 3 ATK / 3 DEF stats tick another important box), but after Kelex, the quality of Team Superman 2-drops falls off quickly. Our 1-drop slot is currently vacant (alternate recruits not really counting, in my book), and the 5-drop slot is probably the next weakest slot—of the two Superman options, one is heavily cosmic-dependent and one is almost purely defensive. A secondary 4-drop wouldn’t hurt, as Superman, Clark Kent tends to work out best on defense (what with having a lower ATK value than the 3-drop Superman, Red, for a start).
So our 2-drop, 4-drop, and 5-drop slots could use some reinforcement, and we’re looking for JSA characters with an identity schtick to fill the gaps? Hmmm . . . You don’t think they’ll mind that “Hawk-buddies” quip, do you?
The Hawkmen will actually do more for us than just fill in gaps. The 4-drop Katar Hol ◊ Hawkman, Eternal Hero, in particular, gives a deck full of Hawkmen and Supermen a great ally ability (particularly in combination with the 6-drop Superman, Earth 2). The 2-drop Prince Khufu ◊ Hawkman, Eternal Warrior can not only attack for 3, but can also KO himself to search for our 4-drop or 5-drop if necessary.
Let’s take a look at how a character curve might look:
4 Kelex, Faithful Servant
4 Superman, Red
4 Katar Hol ◊ Hawkman, Eternal Hero
3 Superman, Clark Kent
2 Carter Hall ◊ Hawkman, Eternal Champion
2 Superman, Returned
2 Superman, Kal-El
1 Superman, Earth 2
1 Superman, Avatar of Peace
Resources
The first thing to pick up on is one result of the movement away from a pure Superman curve: Look-Alike Squad becomes slightly worse, as the chance of recruiting a Superman on any given turn drops. It’s possible that it won’t be cut completely, as we are still capable of setting up a Superman cascade in the late game, but we definitely won’t keep four copies. With all the space that Team-Ups, more character search, and the identity theme cards require, Look-Alike Squad may be hitting the chopping block.
The second thing to work on is the character search. Enemy of My Enemy finds yet another home, bolstering the already-included search of Lois Lane, Earth 2 and Prince Khufu ◊ Hawkman, Eternal Warrior.
We’ll obviously want to include some of the powerful identity-based JSA cards, along with Team-Ups since the deck is now solidly two teams. Double Play is the most nakedly powerful identity-based card, providing both a ready effect and unstunability at the cost of not dealing breakthrough. A curve of Superman, Red into Superman, Clark Kent with even initiatives—or Katar Hol ◊ Hawkman, Eternal Hero into Carter Hall ◊ Hawkman, Eternal Champion with odds—will really allow Double Play the chance to shine. In case the board’s gotten mixed up a little too much, A Moment of Crisis provides a board-wide identity stamp, turning everyone into Superman for the turn and also drawing a sneaky card in the process. Taking Up the Mantle provides a similar effect, but for the duration of the game instead of the turn, and trades in that card draw for a +1 ATK / +1 DEF counter (although it does require a card with the chosen identity in the KO’d pile to be removed).
Both of these cards work fantastically well with Lois Lane, Earth 2; not only can Lois alternate recruit onto the board later in the game to search for your recruit, but she can also be identity-morphed into Hawkman or Superman and team attack to enable Double Play.
Double Play is pretty much the signature combat trick of the identity theme, and in any game in which you draw a copy early, you shouldn’t be afraid to let it skew your choice of recruits.
Given the current state of Golden Age, Phantom Zone is definitely still worth a slot, even in more casual environments. The prevalence of Soul World, Slaughter Swamp, and Mr. Mxyzptlk, Troublesome Trickster sees to that, and Phantom Zone is a great way of “encouraging” people to play “fair.” House of El, on the other hand, just doesn’t do enough. If a deck like this wants defensive cards, it probably wants recovery effects—Revitalize or Home Surgery perhaps, or Lanterns in Love—rather than a card that simply makes reinforcement a little easier. Heroic Rescue is another option if reinforcement is your bag, allowing mass reinforcement in the manner of Funeral For a Friend, but without the punishing cost.
For now, I’m going to suggest the following as a final build:
Final Build
Characters
4 Lois Lane, Earth 2
4 Kelex, Faithful Servant
3 Prince Khufu ◊ Hawkman, Eternal Warrior
4 Superman, Red
4 Katar Hol ◊ Hawkman, Eternal Hero
3 Superman, Clark Kent
2 Carter Hall ◊ Hawkman, Eternal Champion
2 Superman, Returned
2 Superman, Kal-El
1 Superman, Earth 2
1 Superman, Avatar of Peace
Plot Twists
4 Enemy of My Enemy
4 Double Play
4 Taking Up the Mantle
3 A Moment of Crisis
3 Living Legacy
2 Look-Alike Squad
Locations
4 Soul World
3 United Planets HQ, Team-Up
2 Cadmus Labs
1 Phantom Zone
The preferred curve and game plan will, as with many decks, depend on a number of key factors. For this deck, I recommend paying particular attention to:
Initiative
The big obvious factor. Both 4-drops are strong off initiative, thanks to Clark Kent’s attack redirection and Hawkman’s ally ability, but the 5-drops are radically different. Carter Hall is best used as a final attacker, swinging in once your other attackers have done their dirty work (preferably without stunning, maybe using Double Play). Superman, Returned, on the other hand, is best off-initiative simply standing there as a big invulnerable wall.
Plot Twists Drawn
Certain cards (and combinations of cards) in this deck can have a large effect on your ideal curve. If you’ve hit a Team-Up, a Double Play, and a copy of A Moment of Crisis, for example, then with the odd initiatives you’ll want to recruit Superman, Red; Katar Hol ◊ Hawkman, Eternal Hero; and Carter Hall ◊ Hawkman, Eternal Champion. Play A Moment of Crisis and choose Superman, and on turn 5 you’ll not only be able to get a second attack with one of your characters, but you’ll also be able to use any Hawkman or Superman in your hand as a power-up while Katar is unstunned.
Look-Alike Squad is another example of a card that, if drawn, you can really plan around. Decide what turn you want to go off and set yourself up for it. For example, if you’re going to go off on turn 6, make sure you have a copy of Superman, Returned; Superman, Clark Kent; and Superman, Red in hand. This will likely mean recruiting Hawkmen at 4 and 5 to keep copies of Supes in hand. If you’re going for that plan, it may well be worth recovering Katar Hol over Carter Hall on turn 5; Carter’s text won’t be too exciting with Look-Alike Squad chewing through your board, while Katar’s ally power and power-up enabling power can help your Superman army get the job done. Get used to double checking your hand and resource row whenever a Superman stuns; off-initiative, there’s a lot to be said for KO’ing Superman, Returned (after taking no stun endurance loss) on turn 5 to bring in a fresh copy of Superman, Clark Kent.
Extra Characters
Having “extra” characters on the board makes Double Play in particular much more effective. Lois Lane ◊ Superman (thanks to A Moment of Crisis) lets your 6-drop trade with your opponent’s 5-drop and 6-drop with a Double Play. Kelex or Khufu can do the same on earlier turns. Don’t forget that Khufu can also turn into a power-up when he gets stunned.
One peculiar interaction that definitely bears mentioning is that if Lois Lane and Superman are team-attacking a character and Katar Hol ◊ Hawkman, Eternal Hero is in play, you can discard a copy of Lois Lane to power-up Superman. Yes, it works. Yes, it’s bizarre. Yes, it really has the potential to blindside an opponent, who may walk straight into an on-board trick (like a face-up Soul World with Lois Lane in the KO’d pile).
As always, there are cards that I’d like to fit in but just can’t: the fourth Prince Khufu ◊ Hawkman, Eternal Warrior; the third Look-Alike Squad; any copies of Revitalize or Heroic Rescue (which are particularly worth considering in particularly aggro-heavy metagames). Take the deck out for a spin—it’s pitched more toward casual play than Pro Circuit domination, so it will definitely benefit from the application of a little local knowledge.
Remember, if you have a deck that you’d like to see get the Clinic treatment, email me at vsdeckclinic@googlemail.com or post on the submission thread on VsRealms.
Tom Reeve is a member of the Anglo-Canadian Alliance (like the Rebel Alliance, but with public transport instead of X-Wings) and would-be professional layabout from London, England. While his love of all things ninja has resulted in an arguably unhealthy affinity for the League of Assassins, that particular quirk turned into a healthy plus with the birth of the Silver Age deck Deep Green, with which teammate Ian Vincent took home the Pro Circuit San Francisco trophy to dear old Blighty.