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NeXt Evolution is the latest standalone expansion for Marvel Champions, pitching the X-Force against Stryfe, Mr Sinister, saving Hope Summers and protecting the Morlocks from the Marauders!
This expansion introduces player side schemes, and the new heroes - we used Cable and Domino from the box, and Angel from the expansion (Psylocke is also excellent, but more geared to Solo play or two player with Angel). Cable is a Leadership build, lots of damage and support (Cap or Spectrum vibes); he can also play Side Schemes from any aspect, and as a priority you want to Purge his system, making him a meaty 3/3/3 character. He'd be great build with Justice, also - and there's a LOT of new Justice in this wave, as Domino and Psylocke both play yellow out the box. But Leadership really does feel like the best fit for him, and he's going to be the cornerstone of any multiplayer X-Force build. If running him in another Mutant list, around Genesis, I'd likely go down the Justice route - these new player side schemes won't thwart themselves! He also comes with a basic Ally version of Deadpool, who is delightfully indestructible - just adds an Acceleration token every time he "dies", which is both fitting and hilarious.
However, if you're going to run Cable yellow, you're going to want to strip out Domino. She is a Justice build with lots of wild resources and hand/ deck manipulation - love her 🖤 🤍 tbh, and it's fair to say that she's probably my new favourite team hero. She reminds me a bit of Gambit, with her whole low threat/Justice design: she can chuck out damage, generate resources, and mess with the Encounter deck as well - she's buckets of fun. I can see her getting flipped to Protection in some builds, but I'm really glad she's Justice out of the box as it's not actually obvious as a build. She can consistently deal damage when thwarting side schemes, as well as really helping out with ability to double wild resources, which makes her a real team-player. I wouldn't run her solo, and she is very much designed to work in X-Force builds, but with a stack of Posse allies she can also run as an extra in a mixed team happily. I can see her being really useful in scenarios, like Once and Future Kang, which spawn squillions of side schemes. If Thor is the antithesis of minion swarm (Farewell, Ultron drones!), Domino is there to ruin those crazy schemers.
As for the campaign itself, it's a refreshing spin on the game, very challenging - granted we always with Standard II (from The Hood pack, which tbh is THE BEST thing ever for the game) - but balanced, more so though Mutant Genesis. Shadowcat and Colossus are just... TOO good, particularly if your play style emphasises synergy. As mentioned, the new heroes fit well into not only previous expansions but even just a basic core set. The campaign is very on-brand - Hope is out there trying to save Morlocks, then gets kidnapped... and that's when things get crazy. It maybe lacks quite the same sense of progression as Sinister Motives - which to my mind is the gold standard, although Mad Titan's Shadow and Rise of the Red Skull are both excellent also - but you still upgrade your characters and gain some very cool extras. I also love the fact that when you complete the campaign, you unlock a version of Hope for standard play. It feels like a well-deserved Achievement - a reward for going through the whole thing. Hope, I should mention, is an encounter set like Longshot, so she is in the Villain deck and can be used in regular play as a modular also - but having her as your Prize for playing the whole campaign is just a litlle bit of genius.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Marvel Champions NeXt Evolution is great fun, well balanced, and is very accessible for newcomers. It articulates well not only with the previous expansion but the game as a whole, and if I'm being honest I think it edges into the top tier - a close second to Sinister motives, possibly tied with Mad Titan, but maybe even better.
