Since I was educated in America, my world history knowledge is embarrassingly eurocentric. I’ve attempted to correct that as an adult, but since I’m out of school, I just don’t have the free time to dedicate to it and unwind enough to keep myself sane. All that is to say, I had no clue who the two characters contained in Sun’s Origin are, so I’ll have to take Restoration’s word on it that they did a good job translating them to Unmatched, but crediting a cultural consultant certainly lends credence to that assertion. What I do know is that both of them are a blast to play, and Oda is now easily my favorite character to play in Unmatched.
I was a big fan of how most of the characters in Battle of Legends 2 emphasized use of their sidekicks, and Oda ramps that up to 11. The hero himself only has a measly 13 health, making him an absolute featherweight for melee fighters, and his card values are good but certainly not enough to make up for such a low life. It’s when I looked at his ability and two 6-health honor guard sidekicks that I got a picture of how he shines. Oda’s deck has multiple strong effects that trigger when his opponent is “flanked”- when he’s got two fighters adjacent to the target, including his strongest honor guard attacks. Several cards let him move all his fighters or swap his defending fighter with an adjacent one, letting him keep his honor guards in an opponent’s face while he himself sits a few spaces away buffing them. The end result is a hero that feels like a backline general boosting his troops. An absolute home run, in terms both thematic and pure fun.
Tomoe plays more like a tentpole from other minis games: she’s got a fair amount of both utility and straight up insane values, but a lack of sidekicks and a thoroughly mediocre health pool leave her very vulnerable to a counteroffensive when she breaks from her initial aggression to refill her hand. Her healing and movement effects keep her from being a glass cannon like the raptors or Bruce Lee, but she still very much depends upon keeping her opponent on the back foot, as her weak defense won’t let her take too many straight trades.
The castle is also easily my favorite two-pack map, as its central arena and outer ring let both characters shine and have clear movement objectives that are easily turned around on them if not utilized properly. Add in my favorite art of an already strong stable and you’ve got another strong box in a series that could’ve easily rested on its laurels and still performed well.
Nick grew up reading fantasy novels and board game rules for fun, so he accepted he was a dork at an early age. When he's not busy researching the intricacies of a hobby he'll never pick up, Nick can be caught attempting to either cook an edible meal or befriend local crows.
Since I'm a white American that never delved into the depths of weebdom, I didn't have any background on the characters in Sun's Origin. The fact I came out the other side of this box loving both is a testament to how well Restoration continues to assemble new content for one of the premier contemporary series in cardboard.
PROS
- More awesome Unmatched stuff to add to the shelf
- Absolutely gorgeous card art
CONS
- Oda may as well concede if both his sidekicks go down
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