try thinking outside the box, for getting those needed plot twist after you cerebro, it works wonders with longshot and vomit.

Usually I try to draw into Howlett or Cerebro on my initial draw. If I have Cerebro, I keep the draw and start using Cerebro right away to try and get to Howlett. He is the key to the deck overall. Mainly though you are right that Cerebro will throw some plot twists under that you could use. The best time to use Cerebro is if you are already holding a couple of burn rubbers or combat reflexes or a combination of the two. If I already have Howlett I might only use Cerebro once or twice to get Colossus powered up for turn 6. Or if I'm just missing a drop I will chance it to try and get what I need. It's the one risky element in the deck, but it can also save your ass. All you need to do is go to turn 8 and if they cannot damage you directly or negate Phoenix Force's effect then you win. Most of the current metagame decks don't have anything to counter this, except that Titans with Red Star can do 5 points direct. Usually though, they will only have one or two turns to do direct damage if they think about it.

Surviving New Brotherhood or just Brotherhood in general can be tough for the deck. It helps to run three or so Have A Blast and look to take out Avalon or Lost City or even Savage Land if they flip it.

The other stall element I've thought about is running Puppet Master in the 2 drop slot, but since he isn't reinforceable I'm loathe to do so. Plus, it gives away early that you are trying to stall. Then there was the plot twist from MSM Pleasant Distraction. This one appeals to me because often I just want to drop Howlett on turn 5 and wait for the attack rather than attacking myself if I have the initiative. I just am not sure what I would eliminate if I put it in. Plus with Nice Try out there and Fizzle it might be countered.

any thoughts on using mimic in the 6 drop to copy puppet master, it could turn the pheonix lock into a version of that crazy tappy thing deck, but with howlett's defensive properties and the x-mens recovery options to help it out.

I like Mimic. It's nice with Professor x, WMPT too.

I've thought about it and having Rogue Power Absorption to copy Puppets ability. Mimic isn't a bad 6 drop, but you would want Colossus if Puppet isn't around (and assuming you have been using Cerebro). The other problem is that Cerebro becomes less useful if Puppet and Mimic are in there as they will both go to the bottom.

My thought would be that if you are going to go with Puppet then just throw Rogue in at the 4 drop for duplication, but Mimic might be too risky a play without a teamup.

I barely lost a game the other day to a friend who was playing GK/LOA. Damn, 8 drop Ra's just kills the whole Phoenix lock thing. Watch out for that guy. I remembered that he negated non LOA team affiliations, but I forgot that he also negates activated powers for those characters without the LOA team affiliation. Bleah.

so i have trade howlett out of my beatdown x-men deck, for the 5 drop archangle.

i realized that even though i just love all of his little tricks, he simply takes up alot of plot twist to be effective, on attack and defense, and he is not really farthering my decks goal, i find that one turn 5, i am making proudstar work over time and james is acting like a wall, and all that is doing is making the game last longer, something that my deck is not prepared for.

so even though i have added archangle, i am not rearranging my build for his power, his power is just a nice bonus for himself if it happens, but the main thing is his large attack, only 5 drop Think and Post, can survive his attack.

and now with james gone i have removed all those soppurting defensive plot twist, like combat reflexes and burn rubber, for more attack boosters and recovery options.

hopefully these changes will make the deck faster and able to handle the stronger stall and control decks that people play at my hobby league.

Puppet Master + Rouge + Mimic = Awesome and Annoying
i love the look on your opponent's face
when they can't do a single thing :p

if you can hit your drops then they work very well in a Phoenix lock
but putting in a NA and a B-Hood does take away consistency
and you need to find a good balance of characters
if you want it to work well w/ those 2 characters

as for your idea about using just Rouge:PA and PM
i used to do that as well and it works great
of course Mimic works even better w/ the two
but it usually is more consistent w/o him.

Huh, unless you were planning on stalling with Howlett I would not really bother with using him a primary 5 drop. That said, there aren't a lot of other good choices other than Archangel. I've splashed Howlett in just to fill in the curve and for power-ups.

I've not really been having good luck with X-Men beatdown at all in the current metagame.

yeah that was the realization i made after playing with it, i still keep him around, for just like you said, power-up and alternate drops, and the deck has gotten somewhat faster, but it still is not enough to handle some of the top decks when they get a nuts draw.

and yeah, i think that stall x-men is the only way to go right now, curve beats are too slow for rush deck, liks TT, TNB-yeah it is making a comeback, and vomit, and it is not fast enough to handle stall decks, like doom, CE, and gotham, whither GPCD, or with shiimer or Dr. light.

The more I play, Xmen do best basically how we've been playing them. Avoid any stun during attack unless you have to, and then if your opponent attacks, make sure they get stunned back for each attack while you get to recover your guys.

yeah and that works for all teams not just x-men, i love stunning on defense while not getting stunned myself, which is why i love coverfire so much, and thanks to majstic i have fallen in love with tag team. and x-men works even better that even if they get stunned they can recover almost their whole field.

Wait, then this could mean Xmen just works like every other team, they just do everything slightly better.

But, that isn't what we're looking for, now are we?

yes it is, too bad we cant make cover fire work for x-men, it works wonders in sentinels, of course, and also SS thanks to sinister salvo.

but airborn supremacy could help on defense, and it does not lower the attack value, but you would have to ensure that ever defender has flight, and the blackbird is too fragile

So far, I've been having luck by playing a mostly flight filled deck, with my main beatdown card being Flying Kick. I've been playing the deck without the aerial supremacies and have been doing well, although I haven't been playing really against top decks. But if the only cards that you play that can't be effected by the card are Wolverine 3 and 7 drop, a Professor X, and Johnny Proudstar, 4 Flying Kicks are more than enough to grant me flight even though I'm not attacking, the defense boost then comes into play, and an Acro Dodge if needed saves me and usually causes a stun back.

acro dodge is good, but i love stunning back, if your 9/9 attacks my 9/9 i willhave to play a dodge just to save my guy and then we just bounce off of each other, but if i can use tag team or cover fire, or airiel supremecy then only you stun, and on my initiative i can hit you back. being able to stun on either iniative is a very big deal, which is why the few defense plot twist are so sitiutional.