My Top 15 Favorite Heroes in Marvel Champions!

[@DescryGamingMC]

GOAT video of 2023!

[@metal_banshee]

Amazing content as usual. I think you are the best voice in the Marvel Champions community, you always bring the best analysis and have an easy, fun way of explaining deep deck building concepts. Your videos, deck lists, and Reddit posts are always a must read/watch!

[@VillainTheory]

Wow thank you! This definitely ranks among the nicest comments I've ever received! So glad you're enjoying the content.

[@bbyowll]

I was really shocked at how many of your top 7 are my favorites in the game😶 great video!

[@VillainTheory]

Haha! I say you have great taste in heroes!

[@webwarriorfanatic]

Noooooo I thought Spider-Man would be #1 😂😂 I’ve never seen a favorite hero list as unique as yours! In most other games, everyone has similar favorites but Marvel Champions is so unique because everyone’s personalities come to life through their playstyle and different heroes. I haven’t played these heroes so can’t really comment, but here’s my list: 1. Peter Parker Spider-Man 2. Miles Morales Spider-Man 3. Ghost-Spider 😂👌🏻

[@VillainTheory]

Haha! I didn't want to spoil who my favorites actually were, so I put one legit fav and one fake in the thumbnail. But I do like Spider-Man! Both of them! And Spider-Ham and Ghost-Spider! Thanks for sharing!

[@Pioootr]

I actually love the Ghost Spider so much because of the way she interacts with both villain and her own cards. Making villain attack you, block, play card to increase block, remove threat and untap right away it's just the best 😅

[@webwarriorfanatic]

@@Pioootr yea she’s a lot of fun especially doing damage in the villain phase! She’s dropped for me because I like to have bigger player turns but is still my wife’s #1 favorite!

[@jonathangillies6531]

Great list and reasons!

[@VillainTheory]

Thanks!

[@samsgamecave497]

Your tier list format was the best. Very balanced and well executed. It think there is always value on those, even though it’s hard to eliminate all subjectivity, which is fine for me.

[@VillainTheory]

Thanks! Means a lot, put so many hours into that video.

[@ForbiddenKnowledge42]

I find it so gratifying that you get Rogue. I clicked with her immediately, and it's been a bit confusing to see the community struggle with her. And you hit the nail on the head, I never build around traits but build around keeping my allies alive. I also love that you included Colossus, Star Lord and Storm, they are all incredibly fun heroes that don’t seem to get much love.

[@VillainTheory]

I do like messing with traits but in moderation, and you absolutely don't have to for her still to be fun and/or strong. Storm is a weird one. I've seen her score high in polls but people don't seem to talk about her much.

[@ForbiddenKnowledge42]

Yeah, that is so true. Storm can get a free 2 damage or threat removal every turn and has stalwart on command. She is very strong but also very engaging to play. I wonder why she doesn't get talked about much? @@VillainTheory

[@jungle_94]

Great video!! Really enjoy it! I usually don't have a top list for my favorites, but with this video, now you got me thinking. Cannot wait for that first podcast episode!

[@VillainTheory]

Thanks! I knew what heroes I liked before making this video, but putting them in an exact list was so tough.

[@jungle_94]

I see and with so many heroes now! But it is a great list!

[@allenlee78]

Little bit late to this video but I love this format. just subbed too! :). Hopefully we can see you cover your favorite in other areas in the game like favorite basic ally, support card, upgrade, etc. Also, really enjoyed your reasons why as well. Star Lord is one of my favorite heroes because of his amazing hero ability. He is probably top 3 easy for me. I play with my son and nephew since 2020 been more of a support player. I usually rock Cap-A and now I am growing fond of Cable. (I hated Cable at first because of his obligation kept coming up a lot especially in a 3-player game but I learned to deal with it and got used it. lol), Rogue is super fun too because of the massive deckbuilding options, my favorite is probably tapping into the Champion trait or Android trait. Great favorite hero video! Keep up the great work!!

[@VillainTheory]

Very kind and always glad to hear from another Star-Lord fan! Have you tried Cable with X-Bunker yet? That combo has really elevated him for me (and I already really liked him as you probably saw in the video!) I have soooo many video I want to make but hopefully I get to these, I'd absolutely love to talk about my favorite cards. Great ideas, thank you!

[@onsentapedequijesuis8231]

Another awesome video from you ! I still didnt tried Rogue as she seemed hard to handle but as you said, you dont really have to build her a lot.Just some ressource generator. I'll try it this way, thanks !

[@VillainTheory]

Thank you! And good luck with Rogue! I have a deck called "Triple Your Profits" up on Marvelcdb which I think is a great starting deck for her if you need a place to begin.

[@onsentapedequijesuis8231]

@@VillainTheory I just tried it, oh my god, its perfect. I love character with versatility like Spectrum. Thanks for the recommandation ;)

[@GetUpandGame]

Love the inclusion of Nebula. That’s about where she lands for me as well Also couldn’t agree more about Rogue. Phenomenal solo hero!

[@VillainTheory]

Nebula is so underrated! The question now is will Angel or Psylocke push their way into my top 15? Angel has a lot in common with Ant-Man and Psylocke looks super interactive and fun...

[@danthecrow1701]

Really enjoyed this. I’ve Wolverine in my list for similar reasons to Star Lord. Black Panther never worked well for me…. I think I need to revisit this one. Thanks for the content

[@VillainTheory]

Glad you enjoyed it! Good luck with Black Panther!

[@dhdoc_h8839]

Loved this video! I had your top 4 with me at Con of Heroes last year. You have great tastes haha. And the new podcast is awesome.

[@VillainTheory]

Thanks and thanks again! And what a coincidence that you had all my top 4 with you!

[@benf5287]

Your videos have really immersed me into the game! Though I am probably not playing it perfectly thanks to you I have been able to play some solo games as I continue to learn. Thank you!

[@VillainTheory]

That's amazing! I'm sure you're playing it well enough - ultimately as long as you're having fun then you're doing it right. Fun > rules/optimization!

[@nocturnalduck21]

Love the content. always an insightful watch. Definitely keen for a rogue video asaell. Spiderwoman defender allies is my fav build for her would love your take on it

[@nocturnalduck21]

Storm with mutant education and weather goddess ❤❤

[@VillainTheory]

Thanks! Rogue video on the way, though it might have to wait a few weeks. And Spider-Woman defending with allies is fun - do you go Leadership/Protection for that or Aggression/Protection? I see them both performing very well.

[@nocturnalduck21]

@VillainTheory sorry i ment the defenders as in daredevil / cage /iron fist / jessica jones. Spiderwoman and warlock are the only way to get the defenders together as an actual deck and I found it a super fun build Very interested to see how you would build it

[@VillainTheory]

Ohhh! Well that's even cooler, such a shame that Spider-Woman can't get the trait. I guess the common theme I see between those allies is that they're all "expensive", so I would naturally be inclined to bring cheap cards around them. Cage and Iron Fist stop attacks, but Spider-Woman also has a lot of stuns and toughs herself, so specifically I think I'd actually bring the new card, Taunt, that comes with Angel to make better use of those and help fund their cost. Jessica (Jones, not Drew!) also loves schemes, so I'd probably bring a good few player side schemes. Build Support and maybe the new Justice one coming with Psylocke? ...I feel like this was just one long way for me to admit I'm REALLY looking forward to the new heroes haha!

[@nocturnalduck21]

@VillainTheory I'm also way too excited for new content. I appreciate the insight for the defenders deck it's been a fun theme to try figure out

[@josseroogotplayed]

Thanks for sharing this list with all of the elaborations. It's always good to see where I might be missing out on some of the fun for some of the heroes (it's surprising how often the answer is just to flip more). I was surprised to see Black Panther in there, but your point about the uniqueness of his kit is well taken. Always say yes to "More Marvel Champions"

[@VillainTheory]

Hey Joss, thanks for the great comment! I'm curious, do you have any particular favourites?

[@josseroogotplayed]

@@VillainTheory our tastes line up quite closely honestly, but here are a few that would make my top 15 that weren’t in yours (although you mentioned some as honourable mentions). Rocket remains my favourite hero. He has compelling and very different hooks in his kit across all four aspects and I still love the Murdered You mini puzzles. Captain Marvel continues to be a deck-builder’s dream for expensive combos due to her great economy. I love the decision space with Domino and still have yet to really dig into building around combos that Painted Lady and her other deck manipulation can enable. Black Widow is probably my equivalent to your Black Panther pick. I also really enjoy Ghost-Spider game play, but feel we’re still a couple of cards away from her being able to shine in Leadership and Justice. Of your picks I’m intrigued by Colossus and really haven’t played him that much, and never with more than two players. Although much more interesting to get set up, Black Panther feels a lot like Iron Man and Ironheart to me in terms of once they are setup, most builds feel the same.

[@travismartin4293]

Love the respect for my boy Colossus

[@VillainTheory]

Heck yeah. Colossus is awesome.

[@TAC3O]

I love to see Black Panther here, love him. I wish we have more heroes with this type of playstyle.

[@VillainTheory]

Yeah! I forgot to mention it but I actually think Nebula can be similar to him sometimes with Lethal Intent triggering Techniques a bit like Wakanda Forever triggering Panther upgrades - but it's not quite the same. Would love to see the designers explore it more.

[@TAC3O]

@@VillainTheory Yesterday I played few games with Nebula, what a hero! Her AE ability is great. Playstyle is indeed very unique. She is a mix of randomness and strategy, great design.

[@markspaidal6529]

Nice to see Nebula in there. It’s weird, when thinking about my top 15, Shadowcat as a whole doesn’t make the cut but her in protection is my second favourite deck to play. Little sad that my fave SP//dr didn’t make your list.

[@VillainTheory]

Nebula is fantastic. Interesting about Shadowcat - I definitely have situations like that. Rocket with Repurpose is really fun for me but, outside of that, he's just "fine" to me.

[@MarcusLunaDeLeon]

New to the game and loving your vids!

[@VillainTheory]

Woo! Welcome to the game!

[@corrado8955]

Nice to see someone approach MC content from a 2p or 2H solo perspective. This is my preferred way to play and most content is geared towards true solo.

[@VillainTheory]

Awesome! It's something I've always preferred but not always catered to. I actually ran a poll on reddit a few months back and, if you combined the results of 2-player and 2-handed, they basically equaled solo play - and that has really encouraged me to orient more content towards it. (With that said, I do think solo is a good bit more popular still overall and that polls elsewhere would show that, and/or that a lot of new/casual players who wouldn't see such polls do tend to play solo.)

[@corrado8955]

@@VillainTheory keep it coming! I find the interactions between heroes to be one of the more satisfying aspects of the game which is why I like to play that way. I also really enjoy building more focused decks which multiplayer enables.

[@TurtleDude05]

Great list. Glad to see Nova and Rogue getting some love.

[@VillainTheory]

Love them both!

[@heroicskeleton1566]

Great video! Exactly the kind of thing I've been wanting to see, hope to see other creators do their own too! My list: 7) Iron Heart 6) Domino 5) Phoenix 4) Scarlet Witch 3) Storm 2) Rogue 1) Ms Marvel Instead of the full top 10, here's 4 more that I love so far but need more plays: Venom, Groot, SP//dr, Valkyrie

[@heroicskeleton1566]

Lots of cross over on our lists, also a big fan of Colossus, Black Panther, and Shadowcat and they could end up in my 15 if I made one

[@VillainTheory]

Amazing! That is a lot of crossover - everyone's tastes differ, but we clearly both have great taste! 😉 I also really like Groot too and he was a contender for the list, definitely in my top 20.

[@lightninlad]

Rogue can do crazy stuff. Just use her kit to retrieve Hulk Smash over and over again by using Mutant Education to recur Superpower Adaptability.

[@VillainTheory]

ROGUE SMASH! Ahem. Love it.

[@lightninlad]

@@VillainTheory Yeah it’s almost game-breaking. Just imagine getting that 13 damage from using Hulk Smash!-exhausting a pistol to get up to 15…and then Rogue uses Superpower Adaptation and Mutant Education to Smash THREE MORE TIMES. I love this strategy for Thanos because it’s a “no build” strategy. You don’t have to worry about the Reality Stone just randomly destroying your upgrades.

[@adamjc9167]

Yes!! Adam Warlock is one of my favorites as well, I feel like he is very powerful.

[@VillainTheory]

Adam doesn't get enough love! Glad to hear someone else enjoys him.

[@johnwaynemcclung8056]

I always enjoy hearing which heroes are people's favorites (and why). I really like Black Panther as well, who has only gotten better. It surprised me recently how much I loved Black Panther in aggression, though it makes a huge difference now that we have a couple of allies who can confuse the villain. As you wrote, Leadership is great with him, too. Adam Warlock is one of my most fun heroes as well now (and used to be my least favorite). I was also surprised at just how much I enjoyed Cable, and, yes, those aspect combos for Spider-Woman are all awesome and bring so many choices! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on your favorite heroes!

[@VillainTheory]

And thank you for sharing your thoughts! I've been enjoying Aggression a lot with Panther in two builds in particular, both the classic Jarnbjorn build but also more recently Honed Technique.

[@johnwaynemcclung8056]

@@VillainTheory I just recently played it Honed Technique build for the first time with Domino, and I have to admit it was a ton of fun.

[@metascrub285]

I need some good deck ideas for spider women and adam warlock. I have been really avoiding them as their multiple aspects make deck building a pain but I have been wanting to try every hero. I honestly have no idea where to start with these multiple aspect heros.

[@VillainTheory]

For Spider-Woman, the two easiest places to start are Aggression + Justice. Take a handful of allies and a mixture of damage/thwarting to balance everything out. Otherwise Leadership/Protection can be fun, healing allies with Med Team is very strong - especially your signature ally. Adam Warlock is a harder topic. Long story short, if you're playing solo, build him with a good mix of everything. More Aggression and Protection allies, more upgrades/supports/events from Justice and Leadership. He also likes ally-heavy builds. Try Knowhere and Triskelion. The key is not to take too many upgrades/supports overall as he's fairly slow-paced already.

[@dontberash]

Shoutouts to Colossus

[@VillainTheory]

#ColossusGang

[@dontberash]

@@VillainTheory #ColossusGang

[@ericrice4308]

Love the video and the list but please, Please make that rogue video I need/want to play a good deck with her

[@VillainTheory]

Thanks! And it might be a few weeks until it's out between those things that won my poll, new heroes, etc, but the Rogue vid is on the way!

[@onsentapedequijesuis8231]

@@VillainTheory Can't wait for a Rogue video from you, thanks

[@teagletron]

My favourite is playing Gambit but that is biased by him being my favourite from the comics. I really enjoy playing Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver teamed up. Also I always have fun playing Hawkeye, no idea why, but I do.

[@VillainTheory]

Hey, when it comes to your favorites you're meant to be biased! Gambit is so much fun. Also I've been enjoying Hawkeye a lot more recently, notably in multiplayer - maybe archers are just cool?

[@teagletron]

@@VillainTheory They most definitely are. I mostly play 2 handed so he can just play into his strengths.

[@blindGuardianGR]

Favorite card for adam warlock should be Gamora. Combo is insane! I know she is not one of his specific cards but she should be xD

[@mjdblue7]

Thanks for this, always fun to watch and hear your reasoning! Now... would Archangel and Psylocke effect this list?👀I've been really enjoying Psylocke for fun deckbuilding!

[@VillainTheory]

Having now played them some more, one of them definitely would 👀 I'll have to update this in the future!

[@mjdblue7]

@@VillainTheory hahah I listened to the second podcast with Nelson, so I have a feeling I know which one! ... minus the kit cards names hahaha

[@VillainTheory]

​@@mjdblue7 Haha! You're right. That's the secret knowledge you get for watching all my vids and commenting!

[@jonathanpickles2946]

Top 10 in release order ish Captain M Miss M (she was my absolute favourite when she was the newest hero) Scarlet Witch Rocket Racoon Venom Valkyrie Ghost Spider Spiderham Colossus Shadowcat I've not played much of the X men or the game much at all in the last few months so one of them may be up there - probably Storm. I used to find protection the least interesting and worst aspect but now it's probably my favourite with a lot of diverse styles even if many heroes indicate exactly which style you should be taking. Good to hear about your podcast. I like Nelson but so much of his output is either streams or recordings of streams, which I cannot abide, that I don't watch much.

[@VillainTheory]

Nice! Cool heroes. Spider-Ham also nearly made my list. I hope you find your way back to the game whenever the time is right - the new content has been great!

[@cyclonesfan9169]

That’s a pretty good list. I really didn’t like Miss Marvel when she came out, but I have been playing her a lot lately. She is fun. Not sure what I was missing before.

[@LC_Umbe]

Another great video!! Thanks! By the way, it seems you’re not a big fan of Protection, right?

[@VillainTheory]

It's tricky. Sometimes, I really enjoy Protection. But I only enjoy the defend-heavy decks on certain heroes like Ghost-Spider. Repurpose however is one of my fav aspect cards in the whole game! So, overall, you're correct that I'm not a big Prot fan. But sometimes I really love it.

[@LC_Umbe]

That’s why I got really pumped when you announced your channel. Your interests are usually so much different than most of the content creators of this game! Love what you’re bringing to the table. And I cannot wait to watch your upcoming archetype videos. That’ll be the incentive I need to dive into the deckbuilding world.

[@stephenball2108]

I actually just published my Star-Lord list on CDB, he’s my favorite hero as well, and I took him and Venom two handed against every expert villain in the game, and had a blast, and the goal was to hone my decks to being as good as I could get them. Is there a good way to contact you other than on KZbin, I’d like to get your opinion on it. I agree with Rogue, I think we’re just touching the tip of the iceberg with her, I don’t get people being upset that she can’t play other heroes cards, her own cards are SO good, she might have one of the strongest event suites around.

[@VillainTheory]

Awesome! Star-Lord is amazing and wow, what a cool project - that's a lot of dedication to one (or, well, two) characters! I think I've actually found your deck on marvelcdb by searching for recent Star-Lord decks - is it "Guardians Regroup!"? If so, I think it looks great. There's not a bad card in that deck, and I especially love combining Command Team and Blaze of Glory on top of Spider-Man (Miles) and/or Goliath. I've done that in my "Cosmic Commander" deck myself and love the burst damage. I don't typically like to run Regroup but that's personal preference only, as a card it's extremely powerful and you have some great allies for it here. There are other allies I like with Star-Lord, but it's hard to argue for them over any of those allies you already have. Genuinely looks fantastic.

[@stephenball2108]

@@VillainTheory Like I said in my Venom right up I think, the problem now is there’s so many great cards that you can’t include them all. Plenty of great allies for Star-Lord. I used Hawkeye early but was realizing as I was going that I was never playing him anymore, I think he got a little left behind, although paired with Element Gun he can be very good. Regroup is one of those cards that I feel is fundamentally a little broken, it’s effect is really pronounced for the cost. It’s not like, Dr Strange broken where I don’t even enjoy it, I have a blast with it in Star Lord because of what it allows me to do. I’m a sucker for heroes that build up for a total power turn, like Quicksilver. Every game feels like that for this Star Lord build, and after 50+ games in a row I’m still having a blast. Thanks for checking it out. The Venom deck is also up there

[@bendavy1816]

It’s funny, I completely agree with about 66% of your list and couldn’t disagree more with the rest 😂 Shadow cat Ant man Ghost spider Ms marvel Captain marvel Iron man Nova Domino Rogue Gamora Are my top 10, the order changes depending on my mood and how much I have played of each recently

[@VillainTheory]

My list changes like that too, honestly. Too many great characters! And the X-Force has put everyone from 11-15 under threat haha. Huge fan of Domino, Iron Man, Ghost-Spider and Gamora! A lot of those almost made my list.

[@neojaw2192]

None from my top 5 (in no particular order) made it: -Hulk -Spiderman -Captain America -Sp//dr -Wolverine

[@VillainTheory]

There are just too many good heroes and everyone has different tastes! For what it's worth, of those, Spider-Man is probably closest to my top 15! Either Peter or Miles, really like them both.

[@jakob-philipwilson7338]

Top5 Heroes 1.Vision 2.WarMaschine 3.Cyclops 4.Ant-Man 5.Storm /Captain Marvel

[@VillainTheory]

Nice! A cool mix of heroes there! I've been enjoying both War Machine and Vision a lot more since NeXt Evolution came out, very fun

[@metascrub285]

I personally didn't think domino and cable has a low skill floor. I can see the ceiling being high but I still think a beginner can play decently well with them. Psylocke imo is the hardest hero to play. I tired in a few games and it really hard made me think just to do even the most basic plays that other heros could do with no brain power.

[@VillainTheory]

I don't think Psylocke was out when I did this video! Was this meant to be a reply to my Top 10 Most Complicated Heroes vid? 😆

[@jasco.gaming]

I'm curious where Spidey(Peter), Iron Man, and Venom land for you.

[@VillainTheory]

I reckon Peter and Iron Man are somewhere around the middle. Venom unfortunately is just not a hero I enjoy very much, though he is super strong!

[@scottdouglass2]

Nebula is one of my favorites.

[@VillainTheory]

Awesome! Nebula is very fun.

[@leewoobok30]

I'm surprised Star Road is your favorite hero. I think it'll be fun because he's a very dangerous hero. I also like Black Panther, but sometimes I think Wakanda Forever has nine cards assigned, which makes it less powerful. When the setup is complete, it's powerful, but four upgrade cards do nothing on their own.

[@fandabidozi3191]

We have the same no. 1 🥳

[@VillainTheory]

Awesome!

[@WinningHandPodcast]

We all know Shadowcat is just the poor man’s Vision

[@VillainTheory]

The thing is, Shadowcat comes in a big box expansion, thus costing more money, while Vision is a cheap standalone hero. So what I'm trying to say is that Shadowcat is a rich man's Vision. 😉

[@WinningHandPodcast]

I’m surprised that Cable is so high. Having played him through two full campaigns now…he’s wonky. He’s really powerful but he is also very fragile in the early game I’ve found. His setup needs to go well or his early game jitters can drag into the mid game.

[@RocketMagnetUK]

@@VillainTheory I'd argue the opposite as the Big Box expansions offer the best value MC content. If you have limited funds I easily recommend a Big Box Vs a couple of "loose" heroes. So Vision is the rich mans Shadowcat as he costs more per card :P

[@VillainTheory]

Regarding Cable, he has higher variance than some heroes, but I feel like his lows are still decently strong and always fun! But hey, he definitely has the most recency bias of anyone here. We'll see how he holds up in the long run! I know a lot of 11-15 are in danger too. Regarding big boxes offering the best value, I like that argument a lot... Nice.