Unmatched – Battle of Legends Vol 2

The latest selection of legends has entered the field of battle, where there are no equals. This group of Restoration Games’ hit product introduces four new characters for players to utilise and mix and match with the others. In this how to play, we will be speaking about Unmatched Battle of Legends Vol 2. All of the Unmatched series are fully compatible and the gameplay is the same, regardless of the set, with a few slight changes based on the maps and the characters. So I’ll give you a quick rundown on the general overplay and then I’ll introduce you to what is different in this box. Cool? Cool. Let’s go.

How To Play Unmatched

Unmatched is a card driven combat skirmish game where players take on a character to do combat with each other. Each player takes their own unique deck and character figure with any sidekicks they might have, along with any extra tokens they have and health dials. If a sidekick has a health dial, take this too. If they don’t, each sidekick has one hit point unless otherwise stated.

Each character has their own special abilities and preferred fighting style so take a look at their card to understand what they can do. In turn order, players will place their figure on the numbered spot for their turn order. First player on 1, second on 2 and so on. Any sidekicks the player has are placed anywhere in the same zone, which is any space which shares a colour with the space your figure is currently on. Each player then draws five cards to start the game. The youngest player goes first, according to the rules.

On your turn in Umatched, you must take two actions, which can be the same action or two different ones. The three actions are:

• Maneuver – First you must draw the top card from your deck. Then you may move your character and any sidekicks up to the move value on the character card. You can move through your own pieces but not your opponents, and you cannot share a space. You can also boost your movement by discarding from your hand and adding the boost value of that card (the small number in the middle right.)
• Scheme – Play a scheme card (one with a yellow lightning bolt in the top left) and do what is printed on the card. The card will say which fighter it refers to, which could be Any which lets you choose or it will specify one of your characters.
• Attack – Choose one of your fighters and declare a target. Melee characters can only attack others adjacent to them whereas ranged characters can attack anyone in their zone. Next you choose a combat card, with either a red star icon or a purple versatile icon in the top left, and place it facedown. Like with a scheme card, it must be either an Any card or one which refers to the fighter in combat. Your opponent chooses if they want to defend in the battle, choosing to place either a versatile card or a blue defence card facedown in front of them. If you both committed to battle, flip the cards simultaneously and check if there are any “During Combat” abilities that need to be resolved. Then, compare the combat values in the top left. If the attacker’s number is higher, they win the combat and deal damage to the defender equal to the difference, adjusting the scoring dial appropriately. If the defender did not play a card, their defence is considered a zero. If there is a tie, or the defence value is higher, the defender wins the combat. Finally, you resolve any After Combat effects. If both players have cards with abilities that trigger at the same time, the defender always goes first.

When a fighter is reduced to zero hit points, they are out of the fight and are defeated. Sidekicks are removed from the board and if a hero is defeated, you lose the game. It’s worth nothing that if a card refers to a character that has been defeated, their cards can only be used for boosting. Last character standing wins.

Three And Four Unmatched Players

All the rules and set up above are for two players, so here are the differences for a three and four player game. You choose between two battle modes:

• Free-for-all, where all characters can attack anyone else on the board. However, on their first turn, they can only attack a hero who is immediately after them in the turn order or has already taken a turn. For example, the first player in a four player game cannot attack the player going third or fourth, but the fourth player can attack anyone. Combat cards referring to “your opponent” refer to the other character in the combat. When a hero is defeated, remove them and their sidekicks from the board. Last player standing wins.
• Team Play, where you… well, play in teams. Pair up and sit with your partner next to you. You can communicate about cards and tactics but you only control your own hero. Your teammate’s fighters are considered to be friendly and can be moved through. If there are three of you playing in Team Play, one player takes on two heroes and sidekicks. During set up, heroes are placed out in alternating fashion and turns are taken in the same way. When a players hero is defeated, remove it from the battlefield. Sidekicks remain and the player still takes their turn but using the sidekicks instead. If all fighters for a player are defeated, they are eliminated. Again, last team standing wins.

Achilles

In this Unmatched set, the legendary hero of Ancient Greece with an invulnerable skin but a very vulnerable tendon, and as it turns out, heart. You see, Achilles is paired up with his friend and lover, Patroclus, who according to the story, went out to battle wearing Achilles’ helm to inspire the assault on Troy and was killed.

Achilles starts on 18 health and is a melee fighter with a move of 2. Patroclus is also a melee fighter with 6 starting health. When Patroclus is defeated, Achilles randomly discards two cards and then his ability kicks in. All of Achilles’ attacks gain a +2 bonus and if Achilles wins combat, he gets to draw a card. Several of the cards in this deck deal damage to Achilles or Patroclus to help hasten along the end of Patroclus.

Bloody Mary

Speak her name three times into a mirror and she will appear. The haunted spirit emerges to do battle. She is a melee character with 16 health and a move of 3. Her ability focuses on having exactly three cards in hand at the start of her turn. If you do so, she gains an action. A lot of her cards have an extra ability if the card is used in the third action of a turn, so timing is crucial.

Sun Wukong

Sun Wukong is a mythical monkey figure born from stone in the 16th century Chinese novel Journey to the West. He holds the powers of strength, speed and transformation, as well as summoning clones of himself to do battle. He has a starting health of 17, a movement of two and is a melee fighter. His ability allows him to take a damage at the start of his turn to summon a clone in an empty space adjacent to him. His cards are tricksy, using his clones and various animal forms to bewilder and overpower his opponents.

Yannenga

The mother, princess and commander of the Mossi people, Yennenga was a peerless wielder of the javelin, speer and bow. Yennenga is the only ranged character in this set, with a starting health of 15 and a movement of two. She also has two archers, each with two hit points. Yennenga’s cards focus on her ability to attack from a distance, and bringing her archers back from the dead. Which is handy, since she can use her ability to transfer damage to her archers in her zone instead of taking it herself. She cannot deal more damage to the archers than they have hit points though, so they aren’t infinite damage sponges.

The Maps

Like most Unmatched sets, you have a double-sided map included. In this Battle of Legends Vol 2 set, you have the Hanging Gardens on both sides, although one appears to be a colourblind friendly version. What makes this map special is the addition of terrain advantage. What that means is there are small arrows pointing out from one space to another, with a +1 in it. This means that the player attacking has a bonus when following the arrow. After all, it helps to have the high ground.

Other Features Of This Unmatched Set

Each hero in this box has cards with a bonus attack ability, letting them make two attacks in one action. The first attack is resolved as normal, then the second attack triggers as an After Combat effect. If the bonus attack triggers, it’s resolved as normal and to the same target as the first attack, but it has a new name, effect and value. The Boost value stays the same. If you have no target because they were defeated, you do not trigger the bonus attack.