Tabletop Tactics: Side by Side with Legendary Marvel

Featuring Wolverine and Rogue

Welcome back to another “Side by Side” this time featuring the fan-favorite Canadian brawler Wolverine and the untouchable southern belle Rogue. This article is meant for Legendary Marvel players looking to up their game and be a little more competitive when playing this game in their community. If you find yourself disagreeing with some of the reasons behind my choices please feel free to leave me a comment as I am always up for discussing one of my favorite tabletop games with you. So let’s begin!

“Keen Senses” Wolverine vs “Energy Drain” Rogue

Early Game: I will die on my hill and repeat myself, recruiting power is key early game. Rogue also lets you KO a card from your hand or discard pile if you grab another Covert hero to trigger her ability. A possible 3 recruit power can be a huge boost early game. Wolverine’s Keen Senses on the other hand will probably be drawing you an extra SHIELD Agent or Trooper. Not so keen, eh? Advantage: Rogue 3 points

Late Game: Wolverine’s Keen Senses get a little more value as your chances of drawing a more powerful hero should increase, but that relies too much on luck and his 1 attack is too meager for the late game. Rogue can still contribute late game if you’re having trouble getting rid of your starter deck or some wounds that may have piled on. Advantage: Rogue 3 points

“Healing Factor” Wolverine vs “Borrowed Brawn” Rogue

Early Game: Wolverine’s Healing Factor is a bit tricky as I want to focus solely on the benefits of recruiting these heroes early and late in the game. Healing Factor works well against effects that cause wounds, and it’s very possible to play a game and not even have to worry about getting wounds. However, I’d rather still have him in my deck early game in the event that wounds begin to pile on somehow as I don’t want to fall behind in building my deck. Rogue’s possible 4 attack is nothing to scoff at, but early game I’d rather focus on deck building and her Borrowed Brawn contradicts that. Advantage: Wolverine 3 points

Late Game: The choice to recruit Wolverine should be pretty clear late game. If you’re having problems with wounds take him. Although if you’re having trouble with wounds late game that probably means your deck’s not doing too well. Rogue’s Borrowed Brawn gets the edge in this matchup as her possible 4 attack power can go a long way towards defeating the Mastermind and even midsize villains on the City Spaces. Advantage: Rogue 3 points

“Frenzied Slashing” Wolverine vs “Copy Powers” Rogue

Early Game: In a deck that will probably still have mostly SHIELD Agents and Troopers both cards seem very weak early game. Wolverine’s Frenzied Slashing however gives you 2 attack power, and if you manage to trigger his ability he’ll help you cycle through your starter deck faster to get to the more powerful heroes you may have recruited that are sitting in your discard pile. Advantage: Wolverine 2 points

Late Game: I’ve been able to do some pretty insane things with Rogue’s Copy Power ability, but I feel her ability is too dependent on the quality of heroes you’ve been able to recruit. Sure she can copy another great hero, but you have to have it in your hand and play that card first. Wolverine on the other hand is more consistent as he only requires another Instinct hero, and I don’t know if you’ve noticed but this Wolverine’s deck is made up of 14 Instinct hero cards. Late game you should have a plethora of Instinct heroes if you went the Wolverine route, and his 2 attack power gives him the slight edge when comparing it to Rogue’s possible 0. Advantage: Wolverine 2 points

“Berserker Rage” Wolverine vs  “Steal Abilities” Rogue

Early Game: Rogue has too many variables. She gets stronger the more players there are. At the beginning of the game she may only be copying SHIELD Agents or Troopers. Wolverine will in the very least draw 3 cards for you with the potential to get 3+ power. His possible 0 attack power is also very detrimental, but remember at the beginning you should be focused on building your deck and not so much attacking. This is where Wolverine has a slight edge because of his drawing power. Advantage: Wolverine 1 point

Late Game: Wolverine’s Berserker Rage gets better as the game progresses as the 3 cards he draws you can be huge. And while Rogue does rely too much on outside influences such as the number of players and their deck building skills, her 4 attack power that can potentially increase goes further when plotting to take down the Mastermind. Remember that playing Steal Abilities Rogue before your other heroes may help trigger their abilities as she becomes a copy of every card that was discarded right down to their class and team. Advantage: Rogue 1 points

Final Totals

Rogue ends up with 10 points and Wolverine with 8. Let me reiterate, this does not mean that one card is better than the other. On the contrary, it can be very possible that the other heroes in the deck are more Instinct based heroes that can really make Wolverine shine, but we’re only focusing on the benefits of recruiting them early and late in the game and the most possible scenarios that happen at the beginning and late stages of the game. I try my best to limit the possible interactions that could occur during the game as they are near endless. I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks for reading!

About Me: I’m a video/tabletop game reviewer, content creator, and game member of the Drop the Spotlight Gaming Crew. If you have questions about any of my content, reach out to me at maurogarcia@dropthespotlight.com. You can also view our gaming content on our Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram pages, check out our gaming podcast on Anchor FM, and our videos can be viewed on the Drop the Spotlight YouTube.