It has long been discussed that there is a power disparity between heroes, and that Dr. Strange is at the top, while Thor lands near the bottom for most*. Sure, Strange has an extra card available at all times in addition to his larger hand size, can cast multiple spells in one turn, Thwart while Confused, Attack (and Stun) while Stunned, has access to unlimited free healing and/or trivializes his own Alter Ego power, and has a nemesis set that basically doesn't interact with his talents. But that's all balanced by this.

Strange can pay 1 to search for only one of his other 14 Hero cards:

But Thor can pay 1 to search not only for 6 of his other Hero cards, but 4 other cards as well!

That's a grand total of 10 cards if you play them all! Which is ...wait, that's still less than Strange and requires you to play a specific Aspect. Nevermind, folks,

*These statements are based off internet discussions and may not reflect the actual experiences of the larger player base. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.

This is my issue with the power level of Doctor Strange. It's not that he's simply powerful that's the problem, it's that he's powerful in a way that is boring : often his cards are strictly better than those of other heroes.

Protective Ward: Strictly better than Enhanced Spider-Sense

Cloak of Levitation: Strictly better than Arc Reactor

Mystical Studies: as discussed, very close to being strictly better than For Asgard

Astral Projection: 2 cost for 3+ threat removal. The best thwart event in the game?

Magic Blast: 1 less damage than heroic strike, but more varied and can occasionally do all the things

Never mind the fact that he also has the 5 invocation cards, which are all bonkers and can be abused by Master of the Mystic Arts. Winds of Watoomb is crazy and Crimson Bands of Cyttorak is a strictly better Heroic Strike - it costs half as much, does more damage and isn't prevented by stun or guard.

And he faces no real penalty or drawback for having the invocation deck, or the fact that they are better than most/all other hero cards and cheaper.

And then there's Hulk who got nerfed because he can occasionally spend his entire turn doing 13 damage and has 18 HP

I agree with the conclusion but you cant compare individual Hero Signature Cards since they cant be individually added or subtracted. You have to compare the whole package.

For Example:

Arc Reactor draws an extra card... Cloak of Levitation does not

Mystical Studies cannot get an Ally that readies your hero (although both cards are too expensive for what they do)

Astral Projection is not as good as For Justice in a Ms Marvel Deck

It was mostly meant to be tongue-in-cheek. I was originally going to post that Thor did get one card that was marginally better than Strange's, but that didn't quite pan out with the math. Thor's does get better as the game goes on and more Asgard cards are released. However, it'll still take nine in the same Aspect (or combination of Aspect + Basic [ Heimdall says 'hi']) to exceed the utility of Strange's.

4 hours ago, ObiWonka said:

It was mostly meant to be tongue-in-cheek. I was originally going to post that Thor did get one card that was marginally better than Strange's, but that didn't quite pan out with the math. Thor's does get better as the game goes on and more Asgard cards are released. However, it'll still take nine in the same Aspect (or combination of Aspect + Basic [ Heimdall says 'hi']) to exceed the utility of Strange's.

Team-Building Exercise from AntMan's pack should be really really strong for Thor, as will be the Aggression card that heals based on excess damage dealt. If the playtesters had access to these cards, it begins to seem plausible that they found Thor as strong as Doctor Strange. (That said I'm guessing they only ever playtested precons? Who knows though.)

47 minutes ago, SpiderMana said:

Team-Building Exercise from AntMan's pack should be really really strong for Thor, as will be the Aggression card that heals based on excess damage dealt. If the playtesters had access to these cards, it begins to seem plausible that they found Thor as strong as Doctor Strange. (That said I'm guessing they only ever playtested precons? Who knows though.)

From interviews on pod casts it seems like the designers only really test precons, but playtesters are relied upon to test the deck building potential.

2 hours ago, FearLord said:

From interviews on pod casts it seems like the designers only really test precons, but playtesters are relied upon to test the deck building potential.

Yeah that'd make sense. Either way, Strange isn't generally gonna get a ton stronger with an expanding cardpool (though Honorary Avenger Wong with a SkyCycle is pretty great), where Thor can be helped considerably more by new player cards.

7 hours ago, SpiderMana said:

Yeah that'd make sense. Either way, Strange isn't generally gonna get a ton stronger with an expanding cardpool (though Honorary Avenger Wong with a SkyCycle is pretty great), where Thor can be helped considerably more by new player cards.

Yeah, even the best cards they release are going to be competing with the Innvocation deck. Thor has a lot of potential for the card pool to help him out as time goes on and we’re already seeing that which is exciting.

On 10/31/2020 at 9:57 AM, FearLord said:

Yeah, even the best cards they release are going to be competing with the Innvocation deck. Thor has a lot of potential for the card pool to help him out as time goes on and we’re already seeing that which is exciting.

Likewise for Hulk - Moment of Triumph + Hulk Smash is going to be awesome - although, just like all big Hulk turns, it's like the planets aligning.

On 10/30/2020 at 11:07 AM, jonboyjon1990 said:

Astral Projection: 2 cost for 3+ threat removal. The best thwart event in the game?

I actually prefer Clear the Area, and the new Lay Down the Law card from the Antman Hero Pack. I find myself just picking between which of the three best fits being used on the turn if I have them in hand.

I somewhat disagree about Strange not getting stronger with the expanding card pool in the replies, unless that is just based upon the fact he doesn't have a lot of traits to piggyback off. I'm finding the new "Assess the Situation" to fit very well into Dr. Strange, as it lets you dig through to his upgrade engine faster with basically a delayed cycling effect. Also lets you get to the previously mentioned Master of the Mystic Arts, to facilitate status locking the villain, and getting dealt the encounter card on shuffle isn't nearly as bad when you have protective ward.

That said, I love the Dr. Strange hero. That's how my love goes.