Marvel Universe Preview: Thunderbolts Mountain

“Gotta keep
One jump ahead of the breadline
One swing ahead of the sword”
-Aladdin

Just so you know, I had a huge, sprawling paragraph planned. Typed up, even. I have a grueling, marathon-style race-to-the-preview-paragraph saved on my computer, right now. But, my benevolent, card-loving friends – screw that. Many of you guessed today’s cards, but…here it is!



“One jump ahead of the lawmen
That's all, and that's no joke”
-…Aladdin, again

Now, there are a number of uses. First things first – man, didn’t Bullseye, Closer to God get just a smidge better, allowing him to stun on curve? Penance can be used on three instead of four. Right away, two of the three Thunderbolts previews have gotten notably better.

Radioactive Man also got better, although slightly more subtly. Because of him, plot twists will be getting progressively more expensive for your opponent, while you’ll consistently be playing them a turn earlier. And considering the number of Legend plot twists that have that little four up in the corner, you could be shutting your opponent down something fierce. Thunderbolts Mountain is the insult you add to Radioactive Man's injury.

It’s more than that, though. Think about some of the BIG cards of Modern Age. The Thunderbolts get access to a few important cards a full turn earlier than anyone and everyone else.

Pathetic Attempt can come out on turn 3 now. Pathetic Attempt is a powerful card, capable of negating such effects as…Deadshot, I believe? There’s that. But as you know, Pathetic Attempt has a number of targets right now, and the Thunderbolts will be shutting ‘em down a full turn early.

Another important card – and don’t worry, this isn’t going to become a list of what cool shenanigans can be pulled off a turn early now – to think on is Savage Beatdown. There’s not really an in depth reason – I just wanted to point out that you can now humiliate your opponent by swinging your 1-drop to the face for 21 damage on turn 3.

Well, with the Super-Hero Registration Act, seen a couple weeks back, you always know exactly what you’re rowing. A character with reservist? Thunderbolts Mountain doesn’t specify which resource you KO, so you can get rid of a useless character or a used plot twist to keep your later curve. Similarly, you can get rid of a used plot twist to keep the shiny new one you just rowed. In many instances, Thunderbolts Mountain is essentially reusable card draw.

Add that to the fact that it has Terraform, and I think you’ve got yourself a winner. Thunderbolts Mountain appears to be fairly crucial to the Thunderbolts ‘getting better over time’ strategy, by making that time come RIGHT FREAKIN’ NOW. It also happens to be quite flavorful – the government gives the Thunderbolts all the resources they need to get the job done as quickly as possibly, and UDE took that quite literally. But, beyond just helping the Thunderbolts, this seems like a great card in a Reservist-heavy set. Thunderbolts Mountain appears to be a card that will go in every Thunderbolts deck, and quite a few Thunderbolts team-up decks. It’s simple, powerful, and versatile. I have to say, I like it.