Heroic Hustle: Unite Attacks
Pausing our sample game, I'd like to take a bit of time to talk more about one of our favorite features, Unite Attacks. As previously mentioned in other posts, Unite Attacks are special attacks that occur when specific cards are played together in combination. It's our equivalent of the superhero team ups, like Batman and Superman, or the Avengers, or Double Dragon and Battletoads. Together, they're stronger than they are alone.
There are two kinds of Unite Attacks players will encounter as they play. There are the basic, two-person Unites. For example, "Agaruta" and "Riposte," the two swords masters of Cascade City. Strong cards on their own, when played together, the duo is potent enough to arrest 3 Villains, instead of the standard 2. Or, as mentioned in a previous post, there's the sorceress "Esotera" and her powersuit-clad partner, "Pollybdenum," who combine to arrest 2 Villains and provide the city with 3 shield tokens. Think of these as your superhero buddy team-ups, like Booster Gold and Blue Beetle, Luke Cage and Iron Fist, or Power Girl and Huntress.
The other kind of Unite Attack starts with as few as two Heroes, and goes up to a full group of four. These are your Teen Titans, your Fantastic Fours, your X-Men. The more cards in the group you play at once, the more powerful the final result is. If you play 2 cards that belong to the defense oriented team "Shield Wall," you arrest any 2 Villains regardless of traits or special effects in play. If you play 3 cards, you arrest 3 Villains, and provide the city with 3 shield tokens to protect from further danger. And if you play the full team of 4, you arrest 4 Villains, provide 3 shield tokens, and each player is awarded one Civilian card that they "Rescued" from danger. A carefully played Unite Attack can turn a grim situation around.
There are some cards that can help facilitate players creating Unite Attacks. Some Civilian cards let players search the deck for cards belonging to certain teams. Additionally, there are Superhero powers that summon cards. Or, if the player has chosen the Superhero "Valkyrie," she is able to use her tremendous leadership skills to temporarily deputize any Hero card to be able to participate in a Unite Attack they normally would not be able to!
As a closing note, I'd like to introduce the most powerful duo we have: