Marvel Crisis Protocol Learning From Legends: Convocation With Zach Cohen

Welcome to Goonhammer’s Marvel Crisis Protocol: Learning From Legends series. In these pieces, we interview top-tier MCP players to find out what they’re playing and how to get the most out of their affiliation of choice. You can read our other articles in the series by clicking the links below:

Start practicing your "Bibbiti Bobbiti Boops" and "Abra Kadabras," because this entry in the Learning From Legends series is getting magical, with a focus on Convocation!

This time, I’m lucky enough to chat with Zach Cohen, a long-time staple of the MCP competitive community with an impressive track record of success across several affiliations. Zach currently holds the number two spot on the Longshanks’ global leaderboard for Convocation. That’s not all, though. He’s also the top-ranked Asgard player and the fifth-ranked Webs Warrior.

So, Zach, what does your current Convocation list look like?

Shadow Wizard Money Gang

Gladiator (6) Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme (5) Abomination (5) Ancient One (4) Doctor Voodoo (4) Nick Fury (4) Shang-Chi (4) Magik (3) Lizard (3) Wong (2)

Brace for Impact (R) Fall Back (R) The Bar with No Doors Iron-Bound Books of Shuma-Gorath Plane of Pohldahk Journey Through Limbo Chi Mastery Eye in the Sky Protector of the Empire Recalibration Matrix

Secure Crisis: Riots Spark Over Extremis 3.0 Infinity Formula Goes Missing! Super-Powered Scoundrels Form Sinister Syndicate!

Extract Crisis: Scientific Samples Found In Discovered Universe Inhumans Deploy Advanced Weaponry Deadly Legacy Virus Cured?

So, you’ve got five affiliated models in your list, which is actually more than I sometimes see. But let’s briefly touch on some who aren’t in the list first. The original Doctor Strange and Clea have recently undergone buffs. Did you test them out in Convocation at all? What keeps them out of the 10 here?

I only tried them out once. I’ve been playing other things lately for the most part, and while I think they both got good buffs that help them out a lot in other affiliations, they still don’t have much of a home in Convocation. OG Strange, unfortunately, runs into the alias problem. Strange Supreme (Strange 2 from here on out) is such a huge part of why I love playing Convo that taking him out is just a non-starter. Scalpel really is a hell of a drug and does so much to enable the type of gameplay I love with them. Clea is just not proactive enough for the list. She’s still very squishy and can’t play upfield safely, and I already have Wong for that squishy backfield support. I prefer more durable or proactive 3-threats.

On the flip side, Ancient One is a model that I personally love playing but seems hit or miss in Convocation lists with Voodoo being great and Shang-Chi being a popular splash - both at 4 threat. Is Ancient One here for specific threat values to make the math work, or maybe for particular Crises/matchups?

She’s kind of a relic in the list at this point, sadly. She barely gets played. But, there are some niche situations, like wanting to be four-wide at 17 but still have 5 Extract holders with Fury and the grunts, or at 19 where I can play her, Voodoo, and Shang against something like Webs. So she hasn’t convinced me to cut her yet, but if the right piece came along, she wouldn’t be the one holding on.

Wong is a model that seems... divisive. People either love him or hate him, and part of that seems to be differences between his affiliated homes. Do Convocation models have some particular synergy with him, either Round 1 or later? Or is it more just for the math?

It’s a bit of both. Strange 2 is significantly enhanced by having a guaranteed Scalpel round 1. It lets him double-tap the midline, or walk Scalpel and hit a back D, or walk walk teleport an enemy. The flexibility is massive. Voodoo can also be helped out a lot with an extra power round 1 if a 3-threat is put on the midline. Starting with two power massively increases his odds of being able to possess and pick up. And I’m running Gladiator, who I believe needs to be able to charge round 1 to be worth it. Additionally, when I’m running a 5 and a 4 every game, an affiliated 2 gets played far more often than not to make math work for the kinds of squads I want to run.

Image Credit: Troy Alanis

Convocation has a ton of TCCs, but you’re only running two (plus the Leadership). We don’t need to get into all of them, but are there any that are just on the cusp of inclusion?

Orb of Agamotto is always neat, but Strange 2 basically has it built in, and Voodoo is almost always holding an extract. Bane of Damballah comes in and out, but rarely makes the 5, so it’s out at the moment. I liked it more when E-shape Secures were a thing, as people got grouped up more and you could get a bigger Root bomb.

So how about that Leadership? Strange seems to be the de facto leader for Convo, even though it can go on anyone. Is that true for you? Do you ever take the Leadership on anyone else?

It’s Strange like 95% of the time, yeah. He’s the most durable character and generally the one I can count on being alive the whole game. But every so often, deployment will shake out in a way that Voodoo ends up extremely safe on a flank and Strange is in a more hairy head-to-head, and I’ll slap the Leadership on him. Sometimes even Wong if he’s just going to sit in the back. However, those are often happy accidents that happen when you can read how the board is going to unfold rather than the plan.

We’ll definitely circle back to the leadership in a minute, but let’s talk splashes. Shang-Chi and Fury make surface-level sense since Shang is generally incredible and uses Plane of Pohldahk well, and Fury can help you put on early Extract pressure. I’m guessing Lizard is there for Extract dives and for some terrain throws. But you’ve also got some big boys here. Gladiator is a model who was reasonably popular at release but has petered off. What’s he doing for your list?

I’ve enjoyed having a 6 for options to go brawly four-wide at 17, with Strange 2, Voodoo, Wong, and a 6. I’ve tried a few, but Gladiator has been fun and effective. Wong turns on the round 1 charge; the Leadership helps protect him from double taps, so he doesn’t get sapped of all his confidence, and he plays up front to draw attention from my Extract holders farther back. Plus he has a size 4 terrain throw, which I look for in all of my high threat splashes since the faction has none inherently. It’s good to have a guy doing incredible amounts of violence when the rest of your team is more scenario heavy, or at least more of a mix.

Aboination in Marvel Crisis Protocol

Image Credit: Troy Alanis

And how about Abomination? Is it just the terrain throw, mobility, and large base for the Leadership?

You nailed it with those reasons. You say “just,” but that’s three things! And three very important things, as I touched on with Gladiator. He plays in a different space on the board than my affiliated models and provides me with tools I’m otherwise lacking. I used to play Ulik in that slot before Abomination came out, but I generally think I prefer Abom, although Ulik was also really effective. Plus, both have booty shorts.

Some lists tend to play a common core of models, and others don’t. Who’s hitting the table most often for you, and do you have any broad “rules” or a flow chart of which models you like to play together (or don’t like to play together)?

It’s almost always Strange 2, Voodoo, Wong, then fill for points/roles. Those three serve me well in almost any situation. Sometimes Magik gets subbed in for Wong but more often than not I like the 2 threat allowing me to bring in more powerful or useful splashes. I don’t really have rules about models to not play together, it’s very much built to be able to play whatever combination of characters I need for a Crisis. I used to have Mordo in the list, and he absolutely could not be played with Wong because it was too much support.

Let’s talk about the Leadership in general. Do you ever use the reroll side?

Every once in a while, if I have prio and really need to secure a kill, or if we’re so stuck in that I’m not going to get anywhere safe with the bump. But it’s generally a round 4 thing at the earliest, if it happens.

I think some people are a little intimidated to try out Convocation because the place half of the leadership presents a lot of opportunities, but also a lot of chances to do the wrong thing. Could you give some general advice on using the Convocation leadership bump? Any general rules or specific playlines people should keep in mind?

It isn’t as complicated as it looks, really. Can you bump out of range of a second attack? Can you get into cover for it if you can’t escape? Are you not on a point, and can you now be on one? Can you get a counterattack model into range to smack back? It’s all the usual things you’d think about with positioning, just on your opponent’s turn. Often think of it like a mini Fall Back. As for general lines, it makes center-line extract pickups way safer round 1, especially for durable models like Lizard.

Convocation is sort of infamous for the fact that it’s gone so wildly long without a release. As far as I remember, they haven’t had anything since 2021. Yet, they remain reasonably popular and have seen competitive success. What makes them so timeless?

I don’t know that I’d call them timeless so much as they have a small handful of dedicated players that love them. They aren’t really popular characters outside Doctor Strange (and some others for weird comic fans like myself - love me some Voodoo and Clea in the comics) and most rosters only play 4 or 5 affiliated models. But those models do some strong and fun things, and the leadership is also both strong and fun to play. Possession, Scalpel, and bumping around give you lots of opportunities to feel really smart and make big, impactful plays on the table.

Ancient One in Marvel Crisis Protocol

Image Credit: Troy Alanis

Following that, there are a few notable magic users still not in the game and a few who are in the game but aren’t affiliated. Whether from a mechanical or thematic perspective, which characters would you be most excited to see be announced for Convocation?

I’d love to see versions of Loki and Scarlet Witch added, as well as the whole Strange Academy cast, and Wiccan. But most of all, I want Doctor Doom added with a printed Convocation leadership. Don’t make him just another Cabal doofus; let him be the Sorcerer Supreme we all know him to be. Also, I know it’s not what you asked, but I’d love to see a Mystic Foes affiliation. Shuma-Gorath, Nightmare, Mister Misery, Empirikul. Get weird with it.

You’re playing a fairly spread-out selection of Secures, which makes sense with mobile models and a mobility-based leadership. The 2024 War of Kings Crisis set definitely pushed the game a little physically wider in general, but it also sped the game up a bit. How do the wizards feel about that? Does Convocation feel markedly better or worse with the current legal Crises vs the previous set?

I think they feel fairly similar on this set as the previous one. I was playing Gamma in the old set and bringing Crimson Dynamo, while also having Extremis, so they were always capable of playing a wide variety of shapes. Pay to flips aren’t their favorite, but it’s fine, especially now that so many people who were playing Mutant Madman have replaced it with Empress or M’Kraan. Wizards are flexible and able to play a lot of gameplans, but the faster scoring can definitely be a boon with Voodoo and Strange being able to do such big things for extract and secure control, respectively.

Throughout the years, a few different dual-affiliation lists have come and gone in popularity. Is there any draw to that kind of thing for you?

I see the appeal, but I personally just don’t really like playing dual-affiliated lists. I’d rather find splashes that work in my main affiliation to solve my problems and let me keep playing the thing I’m excited about playing.

If people want to discuss Convocation or MCP more with you, can they do so? Do you have a Discord handle and any MCP servers you commonly hang out in?

Yeah, always happy to chat! I'm just Zach on Discord; I'm most active in the Alfredo's Size 3 Taco Truck discord, but if you tag me somewhere, I'll find it.

Finally, is there anything you want to promote while we're here?

Check out Don't Table Flip, Austin's [Texas] super cool brewery tournament run by Adam Lebo. The next one is coming up MLK Day weekend in January. It's currently sold out, but there is a waitlist.

Myself and some of the other Austin crew did game commentary videos on last year's DTF; those can be found on Da Weirdcast YouTube channel. We'll be doing that again for the next one, so keep an eye out for those.

Check out Don't Table Flip

" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Check out game commentary on Da Weirdcast YouTube Channel

Have any questions or feedback? Drop us a note in the comments below or email us at contact@goonhammer.com. Want articles like this linked in your inbox every Monday morning? Sign up for our newsletter. And don't forget that you can support us on Patreon for backer rewards like early video content, Administratum access, an ad-free experience on our website and more.

Tags: Marvel Crisis Protocol | MCP | learning from legends