What A Very Strange Strategy
A Marvel Knights Preview by Scott Gerhardt

            First of all, I would like to once again thank Upper Deck for giving me the opportunity to give all the great readers at Pojo.com a chance for a little exclusive.  This time, they gave me two new cards to review – one you will see this week, and one you will see next week.

            This week, we have a card that immediately caught my eye when I saw it.  There were a number of reasons for sure.  Its stats are nothing too particularly wonderful, yet it has loyalty.  I dunno, maybe it was the art that caught my eye.  Staring at it now, it is a little on the mesmerizing side.  Then again, maybe it had something to do with me having to e-mail the guys at Upper Deck with one simple question:

“How the heck does this thing work?!?!?”

            I found in my e-mail box a card containing a mechanic that I had never heard of, and frankly, could only at best guess how it worked.  It not only used the mechanic, it was a completely integral part of the card.  Well, I guess I have left you in suspense for long enough – let me give you the goods:

      Here we have Dr. Strange.  I can’t think of a more appropriate name considering that I was initially baffled by what it did.  A few e-mails later, I had my answer.  For those of you who have not seen it yet, allow me to introduce you to everything you ever wanted to know but were too confused to ask about “The Hidden Area”

Ninjas, vigilantes, and dark warriors stalk their prey from the shadows; criminal masterminds look down from behind impregnable walls; mentors support their students from behind the scenes; and diabolical demons plot their schemes from the underworld.

The Marvel Knights expansion adds a new dimension to the Vs. System:

The Hidden Area!

In game terms, the hidden area is an addition to the normal in-play area. The hidden area is made up of a front row and support row to the left of the normal area. Characters in the hidden area are just like characters in the normal area with one exception:

A character in a hidden area is unable to be attacked (unless a card says otherwise).

In fact, for the purposes of proposing an attack, a player can ignore each other player’s hidden area.

Visible Vs Hidden

Each player’s normal front and support rows are now called his or her visible area.

In addition, each player has a second front and support row to the left of his or her visible area called his or her hidden area. (Leave a space between each area to make sure all players can tell the difference between them.)

A character in a visible area is “Visible”.

A character in a hidden area is “Hidden”.

A character (whether it is visible or hidden) can only attack a visible character.

If a player controls no visible characters, or if all of his or her visible characters are stunned, that player may be attacked directly (even if he or she controls one or more hidden characters that are not stunned).

So How Do I Get To The Hidden Area?

There are two ways a character can enter the hidden area:

“Concealed” Characters

Some character cards have the keyword concealed. A character card with concealed comes into play in the hidden area. (All other character cards come into play in the visible area.) A character card with concealed can easily be identified by its darker border.

Movement

Some effects allow a character to move from one area to another.

Out of the Darkness reads “Target hidden character’s controller moves that character to his visible area.”

Movement between areas works just like normal movement. When changing areas, a character can be moved to any unoccupied position in the new area.

A character can only move between areas if the effect specifically says so. If an effect just instructs a player to move a character, he or she may only move it within its current area.

Marie Laveau reads “Pay 2 endurance >>> Move each of your characters.”

Her power allows you to move all of your visible characters within your visible area and all of your hidden characters within your hidden area.

Similarly, when you move your characters as part of your formation step, you move each of them within its current area.

Additional Information on the Hidden Area

Adjacency

Characters in the visible area are not adjacent to characters in the hidden area. Leave space or an empty column between both areas such that all players can tell the difference between your areas.

Attacking and Team Attacking

A character in the hidden area can attack as normal. (It is just unable to be attacked.)

Characters in two different areas (controlled by the same player) can team attack as normal.

Modifiers

While a player’s characters are now divided into two areas, they are all still part of the in-play zone. A modifier that affects a player’s characters will affect characters in both of his or her areas.

For example, Blade, The Daywalker reads “…characters you control get +2 ATK while attacking...”  His power affects characters in both your visible and hidden areas. 

Equipment

Unless otherwise noted, equipment may only be equipped to a character in the visible area.

Equipment Changing Areas

If an equipped character moves from a visible area to a hidden area or vice versa, all equipment equipped to it is put into the KO’d pile. If an effect would transfer an equipment from a visible area to a hidden area or vice versa, it remains where it is instead.

            You done swallowing that?  Yeah – it’s a lot to take in, I know.  I’ll give you an extra minute if you need to re-read it.  It’s cool – I need to go grab a sandwich or something anyway – take your time.

*Chomp Chomp Chomp Slurp Chomp

            Okay, I hope that was enough time.  So what do we have here?  Well, some of you Magic players may immediately equivilate this ability to Shadow, and it has it’s similarities, but not quite.  With Shadow, it was a hidden realm that nothing came out of.  With the Hidden Area, you’re more than welcome to whack whoever might be on the outside.  This ability is useful – VERY useful.

            Previously in the late game, you would generally have some 2-4 drops that became little more than liabilities – targets for your opponent to smash for huge breakthrough.  No more, says Dr. Strange.  The best part is it doesn’t matter if you have initiative, and he’s even better if you don’t.  Before your opponent comes in and helpless ransacks your army, make them all run away to a place they can snipe from the shadows without fear of getting pushed around first.  If you do have initiative, Dr. Strange simply wins games.  Why?  Well, a character NOT in the hidden zone can’t attack a character in the hidden zone.  That means on turn 8 when you boost this guy, you make all your opponent’s characters jump straight into the hidden zone, while leaving your beefy guys out in the open to stop the retaliatory shot.  You could also be very picky and choosy, making only the select right few characters go to the hidden zone, leaving your opponent open to massive beatdown without characters to reinforce.  Honestly, I can think of very few situations where this guy gets boosted on turn 8 with initiative and you lose.  When you can basically leave your opponent without a viable way to set his characters, you’re gonna win more often than not.

            So is he playable?  Turn 8 isn’t exactly the easiest to plan for in an environment where turn 5, 6, and 7 see a great bulk of the kills.  Well, I can’t honestly tell you.  If Marvel Knights (the team, not the expansion) can play a good defensive game and see the late part of the game, then yeah – this guy is the perfect finisher.  If not, then he’s going to likely end up in the junk bin.  I’ll be interested in seeing how the rest of the set turns out to know if he’s going to be playable or not.

            From what I have seen so far, the Hidden Area is going to be a real thing players are going to have to contend with.  This isn’t a “faddish” mechanic that no one is going to really play.  This is going to see some tournament worthy decks, and is going to be something players will have to contend with.  Too many decks are built around annihilating an opponent’s army and keeping the numbers down.  The Hidden Area may take that strategy and force it back to the drawing board.

            Hope you enjoyed the little preview.  I look forward to seeing you all next week when I give you a preview of a little guy who doesn’t play well with others.

            Until next time, keep playing!