"Come Get Me, Bro."

^^ Your first time playing Hawkeye

Often when players play Clint Barton for the first time, they are left thinking:

"What does Hawkeye do?"

He has 9HP and 1DEF, meaning that staying alive through a game of Marvel Champions can often be a challenge. Add to that his internal arrow economy (that is pretty self-sustaining and doesn't interact well with aspect cards), his expensive signature ally that he (seemingly) is meant to play turn after turn, and his reliance on pieces of his kit--in particular, Hawkeye's Quiver and Expert Marksman.

He has trick arrows that can be hard to find when you need them, can't defend, and (inexplicably) has to exhaust his bow to shoot arrows. He has 1 THW, which makes true solo harder. This can make the experience frustrating.

And yet...

If you mitigate some of that, you can have a good time. Is he going to beat expert Ronan? Unlikely. But will you have fun with most scenarios in the game? Possibly.

Well, I'm here to fly the flag for a fun hero that feels incredibly thematic. He is, after all, just a guy with a bow. No armor, super strength, or magic; he's not a genius or a mutant.

For more thoughts on Clint, I highly recommend you check out @corbintm's excellent deck and accompanying novel: https://marvelcdb.com/decklist/view/31293/arrows-are-overrated-1.0

Standard issue archery kit.

So right about now you're asking:

So what does he have?

He has solutions to a lot of different problems. He just needs to buy time to find them.

• Cable Arrow lets you ignore crisis and gives some thwart, which is really lacking in his kit.
• Electric Arrow and Sonic Arrow give you access to status, which you need more than a lot of heroes to stay in the fight.
• Explosive Arrow and Vibranium Arrow are his big damage arrows, and probably the best ones he has.

He can feel reliant on Hawkeye's Quiver to make him work, but I think that's overblown. With the number of arrows you have in your deck, you can usually count on having one in your hand most turns. That's not to say the quiver isn't nice to have, but it's not crucial.

All of the allies in the deck are useful:

• Brother Voodoo digs for events (which can include arrows),
• Patriot combos well with "Come Get Me, Bub!" to get even more defense for you,
• Mockingbird can provide some defense with robust stats, and
• Yellow Jacket can dig for upgrades.

A Repurpose build makes a lot of sense for Hawkguy. It provides tools to keep him alive, mainly Energy Barrier and Forcefield Generator, which can then be converted from defense to offense, and into big damage by adding onto his best stat: his 3 ATK.

Leo Fitz will help us dig for Tech that we want to help keep us alive and prepare for more Repurpose turns. And while you're in AE, use Dr. Sinclair to heal you and remove status cards.

"Come Get Me, Bub!" is a key card for Clint in this deck, helping to shore up two of his biggest weaknesses: health and defense. All of this comes at the cost of a minion, which he can usually handle. But the wrong minion can make things difficult. Anticipation helps to provide a ready after you play "Come Get Me, Bub!", which can also help a lot.

What Doesn't Kill Me is another big inclusion here, allowing some healing, and at worst an additional basic attack, and at best another arrow. Defensive Conditioning gives you a little more wiggle room and reassurance for your health pool, and 2 DEF (which can be used in a pinch).

Modern heroes have spoiled us, giving everyone the tools to do mostly everything. Clint is a hero that has clear weaknesses and you may enjoy working around them, and you may not! Give Clint a try, and you might be surprised at how fun he is!

Notes on true solo play:

If you want to play this deck solo, I'd recommend adding in some thwart options. Brother Voodoo could be swapped for Professor X or Snowguard if you need more support in that area.

I find his thwart arrow (Cable Arrow) more than enough in solo play, and have found that the Sonic Arrow provides enough status to flip down from time to time. But in more difficult scenarios, his lack of consistent threat removal is the biggest hurdle for Clint.