Custom Content Highlight: Return of the… Klaw!

Hey everyone, continuing our coverage of #KlawYourWayThroughMay. I’m going to write up my first custom content highlight. I’ll be doing more of these in the future by other creators but I wanted to present one of the ways I’ve used to spice up Klaw at my kitchen table. I know custom content is not everyone’s jam, so if it’s not your thing check back next week for more Klaw coverage only using official FFG content!

Welcome to the Return of the Klaw a new custom modular set I’ve designed for Marvel Champions. I’ve played both Lord of the Rings LCG and Arkham Horror LCG and both have content that allows you to return to old scenarios with increased difficulty. It can be quite a nightmare but I enjoy it. Marvel currently doesn’t have this beyond just trying new modular sets with old villains. So I wanted to create a modular set for each villain that encourages me to Return to them time and time again. You may want to call this a retcon pack but it basically upgrades an old villain while keeping to their designed encounter themes. You’ll be able to download and print and play this custom encounter set here.

Each “Return of” kit contains an overview card. You can include this as an additional modular set (a 2nd set) in standard or expert modes. Or even use it as the modular set for an extra thin villain deck! Most of the cards have some way of discarding additional cards from the encounter deck so it doesn’t thicken the deck too much! Without further introduction let’s get to the first 2 cards. I wanted to champion one of the powers Klaw often uses in the comics that is not featured in the FFG villain encounter. Even from his first appearance Klaw has been using sound transformers to create creatures out of living sounds. Nothing is better than a giant gorilla or elephant stampeding our heroes. In the “Return of” set you’ll find two copies of Sound Creature. This minion has a special response when it engages a player. So passing it around the table with any taunting tricks will trigger it’s ability a second time. Each time this ability is triggered a card is discarded from the encounter deck which provides a status change to either the player or Klaw! The more boost icons the discarded card had the worse the outcome becomes!

You’ll also see a common boost ability among many of these cards. This is the same ability on some cards in the Green Goblin pack. It provides Klaw an additional boost card! This means Klaw may attack with 3 boost cards or scheme with 2! Look out for these special boost abilities! Next you will find two copies of High Frequency Pulse. This card doesn’t have any immediate effect on your board state (thus the surge) but it also deals Klaw an additional boost card. Klaw often suffers from a bit of RNG (random number generation) if both boost cards are 0-1 boost icons his attacks are pushovers, if they are both 3 boost icons he swings hard. This card helps Klaw reduce the randomness of his activation and helps him mill the encounter deck another theme of Klaw’s scenario!

Next we have a 3 boost icon treachery card, Accelerated Approach! This card has some amazing art from the Cover of Black Panther #166 that is also on the #KlawYourWayThroughMay banner. This card will force the resolver to discard a card from their deck then choose one of two options. Discarding potentially several cards from hand (the typically preferred option) or giving Klaw at least 1 acceleration token! I love when players have interesting choices and this is certainly one. A lot of heroes focus on one energy type and this may force you to diversify your deck-building!

The final card of this custom modular set is Piercing Noise. A side scheme where Klaw is sending dangerous shock-waves. Forcing the heroes away from his main plot. This card plays into Klaw’s theme of both RNG and encounter deck mill. It comes into play with only 1 threat, but then discards two cards per player from the encounter deck adding 1 threat for each boost icon on the cards! This could be a huge or very small number. Note, if the encounter deck empties from this action you will stop and not continue discarding so depending on where in the encounter deck this shows up it could have a range of effects!

I hope you all enjoy this custom encounter set which can be downloaded at this link! If you want another simple challenge with Klaw you can use the custom environment we’ve also been testing below. It begins the game in play and is sure to spice up Klaw but with a smaller impact on the overall game. Make sure to follow the MCM blog to see more custom content highlights in the future.