Selfless Defense

This deck is titled Selfless Defense because it centers around being able to defend everyone so that they can do their thing.

Specialized Training, while placing 20 threat (in a 4p game), enables you to empower everyone by giving you access to Defense Specialist, Combat Specialist, Surveillance Specialist, and Front Line Specialist, giving everyone either +1 to a basic power or +4 max hp, AND the potential to draw an extra card each round.

Build Support is also generally useful as pretty much everyone should have an expensive support worth getting (X-Jet, Helicarrier, Quincarrier, etc.), and instead of using 3 resources to play it, thwart 12 threat from this side scheme so everyone can bust out a desired support from their deck OR discard pile.

I should be able to defend everyone by having Bamf! attached to the villain (and to potential minions), by using Desperate Defense to basic defend twice, and using Never Back Down to basic defend + stun. Note: defending > stunning b/c of retaliate.

Sources of retaliate (or similar effects):

• [Kurt's Cutlasses](/card/48004)
• [Electrostatic Armor](/card/10031)
• [Flow Like Water](/card/26016)
• [Dauntless](/card/16016)
• [Energy Barrier](/card/05017) (optional)

2x Indomitable are fail-safes for those rare times when I cannot defend everyone.

With you defending everyone and retaliating at the same time, that's 16 potential damage every round from the villain phase alone!

Dauntless and Endurance synergize well because you shouldn't be dipping below 9hp very often if you are defending correctly. Once fully set up, you'll have 3 base DEF, +1 from Kurt's Cutlasses, +1 from Armored Vest, and +2 from either Desperate Defense or Never Back Down for a total of 5-7 defense. If you are dealing with a villain that has 3+ base ATK (hence 6+ potential damage), then it might be worth picking up 2-3 Energy Barriers.

Healing / topping off: Since you never want to end your turn in alter-ego, if you do dip below 9hp, no need to worry! You have:

• 2x [What Doesn't Kill Me](/card/27016)
• ['Port Away](/card/48010) allows you to flip from Hero to AE, ready, recover for 3 (or 4 and draw if you have [Kurt's Chapel](/card/48003)), then flip back to Hero using your normal flip.

Card draw and resource generators are great for Protection as they tend to stay in Hero form, drawing less cards, and the cards needed to defend take resources.

Card draw / resource generators:

• 2x [Unflappable](/card/09020) (so you have higher chances of drawing it early)
• 2x [Change of Fortune](/card/48014) (same reason as above)
• [Face the Past](/card/49022)
• [Defense Specialist](/card/43035)
• [X-Jet](/card/32020) (most useful for returning [Bamf!](/card/48006) back to your hand via his passive)
• [Nerves of Steel](/card/14017) (for playing [DD](/card/09015), [NBD](/card/14014), or [Tally Ho!](/card/48011))
• [Deft Focus](/card/16024) (for playing any of his identity-specific events and/or his [Tail](/card/48005))
• [Prehensile Tail](/card/48005)
• [Helicarrier](/card/01092)

Face the Past synergizes really well with Change of Fortune, as you would reveal Azazel, draw 3 cards, ready Nightcrawler, defend the Quickstrike, and if you have at least 3 retaliate, defeat him, and draw 2 more b/c of CoF. Also, gives you another minion to benefit off Change of Fortune with.

Jocasta allows you to reuse Tally Ho! > DD > NBD.

For minion heavy villains:

• 3x [Under Control](/card/48015)

For scheme heavy villains:

• 2-3x [Hard to Ignore](/card/16017)

I personally don't have the Angel deck, but Containment Strategy would be a solid card for helping with player side schemes.