We Need Some Heroes
Ragnarök. The end of the world. The cataclysmic event that will end everything. It must be stopped. The Norns seek to stop Ragnarok, gazing into the potential-futures of powerful warriors, each with their own skills and special abilities they bring to the fight. It is only by combining the hero’s various strengths and skills that they will overcome. In this article for God of War: The Card Game, we take a look at the different Heroes players can control in the game and see just what sets them apart from one-another.
Each Hero in God of War: The Card Game has their own unique dashboard as well as a starting deck of 14 cards, tailor-made to the Hero’s strengths and playstyle. The dashboard shows the Hero’s health total as well as their special Rage ability. Whenever a player uses a card with the Rage symbol on it, they can move their token along the Rage track. When it reaches the end of the track, the player can unleash their Rage and greatly affect the game board. As for the starting deck, they give players the various attack powers and other specials that the Hero is versed in right at the start of the game.
We’ll begin our Heroes tour with Kratos, star of the God of War series. He has a robust 10 health and a Rage track that is five spaces long, a little on the higher side for track lengths. However, when he does unleash his fury, he gains a mighty +3 to his attack and heals 3 as well. His starting deck is very straightforward, consisting only of attack and defense cards. And, even then, his attacks far outweigh his defenses. Kratos is well-suited at dealing out damage, and plenty of it. His high health total will hopefully keep him in the fight, since his lack of many defense cards could leave him wounded quickly.
From Kratos, we move to his son, Atreus, affectionally called simply, “Boy!” by his father. Not being nearly as robust as Kratos, Atreus has seven health points. His Rage track is only four spaces long, however, meaning that he will be able to utilize its ability more often. When his is used, two enemies take two damage apiece that cannot be blocked. It’s good for killing off final bits of enemy forces with guaranteed damage. As for his starting deck, Atreus follows in his father’s footsteps, containing mostly attack cards with very few defense cards. While the numbers on the cards aren’t quite the same power level as Kratos (which is to be expected, he is just a lad), they are solid, and can also do things like Stun the enemy or pierce through their armor easily.
Next is Freya. She is very different from the two Heroes we have seen so far. She has eight health and the longest Rage track at six spaces. However, unlike Kratos and Atreus, Rage power has a longer-lasting effect. When she uses her Rage ability, she places a Freya token on an ally. Then, later, that token can be spent to completely ignore all damage from a single enemy attack. That will certainly come in handy if an enemy is about to take down one of the Heroes. The differences continue into her starting deck. Besides simple attack and damage cards like the previous Heroes, she also has special cards, which are purple, and are multi-purpose cards. The Freya player can use them on another player’s turn to give that player a boost, either with an attack bonus or to heal them. Freya’s a very versatile character and a good choice to have along in the party.
Mimir, the next Hero, is even more different than Freya. He is unique in that he attaches to another friendly Hero, being carried by them into battle. He only has four health, so be mindful if he is in the line of fire from the enemy. His Rage track is four spaces long, and when used, allows players to draw an extra Upgrade card during the Scene Activation phase, use it immediately, and then place it at the bottom of the deck. As for his Starting Deck, his uniqueness continues, as he has no attack cards of his own. All of his cards are defensive or special. He can do things like move himself and his carrier to a new column or heal both himself and his carrier. A different sort of character, Mimir probably won’t be the one doing the most damage on the board but can be a strong support character in their own right.
The final Hero, or should I say, Heroes, are Brok and Sindri. This pair works together as a single Hero in terms of the game, though each has their own health totals and Rage tracks. Both have six health and their Rage tracks are three spaces long, with Brok’s allowing him extra defense while Sindri’s allows him extra offense. Both are represented on the board with their own standee that can move independently of the other. Brok and Sindri share a starting deck. They are the perfect Hero to choose if one likes options. Many of their cards have two effects, letting the player pick which they want to utilize when they are played. Their deck a fair mix of attack, defense, and special cards, giving them an all-round player status. Brok and Sindri are utility characters that can be where needed and do what must be done.
As you can see, each Hero has their own strengths they bring to the board. By working together, they can certainly find a way to stop Ragnarök from happening.
Stay tuned for more previews of God of War: The Card Game as we get closer to its Q3 launch.
You can read more about God of War: The Card Game here.
