I discovered a usable way of playing Carnage today...
Pounce+Nanobots.
Just go Pounce Crazy, push to Blades when you pounce a guy, then hop off (L/C) to an object, heal up, and do it all over again.
It works well, I took on a Mystics Sentry (in an 800 limit) with Carnage and Tanaraq.
Has anyone else tried this, and was I just lucky or will this make Carnage playable?

Uh, what was wrong with carnage in the first place? ive always found he and venom to be freaky little monsters, sure they arent Icons superman, but they are still great.

Best tactic for Carnage? Tell the symbiote to spawn something back Eddie Brock's way and use any version of Venom.

Venom Rocks.
Carnage has too much Incap right where you need him to be strong. Plus his Pounce doesn't use Blades. He's a very top loaded fig, and to get him to a fight, you'll almost always take damage.
Adding Nanobots counters that.
Though I will agree, I've always loved Carnage. Just... now he's competative.

You can't pounce with blades.

...

Is this to me? Cause I said his Pounce DOESN'T use Blades...

My bad, misread that part in the first post.

I've been playing Carnage unsuccessfully for a few months now. Carnage addict with no skillz.

I'm the same. Ever since Blades didn't work with Pounce (which our venue didn't realize for a month or so, in which I won a tourney that way), I've been struggling to make it good again.
I'm pretty sure this Nanobots thing will make him good, however. If anyone tries this out, let me know.
I think I'll run him in two weeks (next tourney I'll be in).

I'd prefer to put protected on him and not have him pounce. Pouncing is something figures with super strength do. I love carnage though, I usually send him sniper hunting. He eats up those range monsters like they were nothing.

Ah, point taken, never did like the incap, steal energy maybe, but not incap, not on carnage.

Based on my game play with Carnage I found that he teams up very well with Venom.

You may play pounce on Venom and he is a monster pouncer while Carnage works well in taking down the rest of the team.

I can't remember the exact team I made but it was like:

1) Carnage
2) Venom
3) Leaping Hulk
4) Batman
and fillers.

Note: Crosswinds or Poor teamwork are BCF for this kind of team.

I may be limiting myself, but I never use Venom and Carnage together. In my opinion, they need to be rereleased with Spidey as a 3-way archenemies. Venom and Carnage hate each other.

well, in regards to Venom and Carnage hating eachother, yeah, they do, but they team up to stop Toxin, i know, we could sit here all day legitimizing anything in HC, but i thought that needed to be said. anyway, Carnage was teh first single i bought ($20 btw, sweeet!) and ive been looking for a competitive way to use him besides TKing, thank you SaturnFlight, good call.

I traded a U Iron Man for him when Ultimates came out, so I've been in the same boat. Big investment, little use. Glad I could help you out, TwoToner, and I hope it works as well as I predict it will.
I just love hit and run figs. Besides Carnage (this build), I got Baron Zemo, Norman Osborn, CT Doctor Octopus... Wonderful way to use a fig to maximum annoyance.

I believed that they indeed hate each other but I didn't know that they actually teamed up together. Well that is just to say that my Venom and Carnage team has some comics validity to it then.