written by Doug Taylor
For many years now, OverPower decks that focused on Energy and Strength have ruled competitive play. The other two Power Types, Fighting and Intellect, were much more challenging to build around.
Now Lazarus Rising Games is bringing us the World Legends and Edgar Rice Burroughs set, and Combat (formerly Fighting) and Intelligence (Intellect) get their chance to shine as well.
Combat is particularly strong, with many dependable characters having amazing Specials. Playing with two characters with an 8 stat, along with your third Front Line character able to wield a 7, means the best attacks (and defense) for the deck will be with Combat. With this Power Type as a focus, it can also fuel cards like Zorro’s “3 Quick Strokes,” which allows you to carve up an opposing character with Combat cards (Power cards, or even other Combat Specials like “Elite Swordsmanship” or “Rapier”). The brilliance of “3 Quick Strokes” is that it immediately KOs any character, regardless of other cards and effects in the game that would otherwise prevent it. You just have to land at least one of the three attacks and have 15 damage or more on the target, by the time the “3 Quick Strokes” are over. This is one of the reasons why we have included so many high value Combat cards. Additionally, you’ll notice that these Combat Power cards can all be used to attack or defend by anybody on the team, and they are effective in taking out an enemy with cards such as “3 Quick Strokes”.
Zorro’s “Riposte” is great for either offense or defense (protecting the entire team!) and provides a solid off-color Power Type. With so many Combat cards in the deck, it’s important to have some other color type offense to get spectrum knockouts. “Riches of Don Diego de la Vega” is a big attack that potentially moves any Mission card (that wasn’t ventured) all the way to the top. Play it at the right time and it can win you the game!
Leonidas also has outstanding Specials. “300” is really solid and can be used to land a big hit on the opponent or defend Leonidas. With multiples of this card, you’ll often have an 8 Power card and “300” placed to Leonidas, which means the opponent is staring at two 8s that could defend him; they will often choose an easier target at that point. “For Sparta” has a good effect whether it hits or misses. If you can land it, the character it hits can’t play Special cards that battle; so target someone with a great Special placed (like a negate) and if they block it “For Sparta” reshuffles back into your deck. “Give Them Nothing” works together with “300” to make Leonidas the team’s defensive stalwart. Don’t underestimate the strength of “Shield Phalanx” either. Even with only one copy, that +1 to Power card defense works for the entire team for the rest of the game. Attach this and don’t forget it’s there. It’s a big advantage to be able to block an 8 with a 7!
Robin Hood is yet another character that has good Specials, most of which have multiple functions. “Master Archer” allows additional attacks. “Band of Merry Men” can be used to attack or defend and can be combined with a Universe card. “Steal from the Rich”, “Hero of Nottingham”, and “Master Thief” all have at least the potential for a discard, with the latter adding a phenomenal draw ability that allows you to keep duplicates!
All but one of the Teamwork cards can be thrown by any of the four characters, and the 7 Any Power can be used by any of your Front Line Characters.
If the Event, “Call of Cthulhu: The Cost of Knowledge is Sanity” comes into play, consider not using an Intelligence follow-up to your Teamwork attacks if you don’t have to, and use Multipower cards, the Training card (if it is paired with an Intellect Power card), or Zorro’s “Riposte” Special defensively.
Once this deck has been played a few times, you will be amazed at how strong Combat can be in the new environment!
Home Base
- The Round Table
Characters
- Leonidas
- Robin Hood
- Zorro
- Dr. Watson (Reserve)
Mission
- Call of Cthulhu
DECK (56)
Allies (2)
- Allen Quartermain
- Professor Archimedes
Aspect (1)
- Any Homebase Amaru: Dragon Legend
Events (1)
- The Cost of Knowledge is Sanity
Power Cards (20)
- 1 Brute Force
- 1 Energy
- 2 Brute Force
- 2 Energy
- 3 Brute Force
- 3 Multipower
- 4 Intelligence
- 4 Multipower
- 5 Any Power
- 5 Intelligence
- 5 Multipower
- 6 Combat x3
- 7 Combat x3
- 8 Combat x3
Specials (26)
- Any Character Disorient Opponent
- Any Character Fairy Protection
- Any Character Freya: Goddess of Protection
- Any Character Grim Reaper
- Any Character Merlin’s Magic
- Any Character Mystical Energy
- Any Character The Gemini
- Any Character Valkyrie Hildr: Select the Slain
- Any Character Wrath of Ra
- Dr. Watson English Gentleman
- Leonidas For Sparta
- Leonidas Give Them Nothing
- Leonidas Shield Phalanx
- Leonidas 300 x2
- Robin Hood Band of Merry Men
- Robin Hood Hero of Nottingham
- Robin Hood Master Archer
- Robin Hood Master Thief
- Robin Hood Steal from the Rich
- Zorro Elite Swordsmanship
- Zorro Rapier
- Zorro Riches of Don Diego de la Vega
- Zorro Riposte x2
- Zorro 3 Quick Strokes
Teamworks (5)
- 6 +0/+0 Any Power
- 7 +0/+1 Any Power
- 4/6 C +0/+1 BF/I
- 4/7 C +1/+1 BF/I
- 4/8 C +1/+2 BF/I
Training (1)
- 5 or less E/I +4