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What New Effects Could Come to My Hero Academia?

By / July 5, 2022

Have you been having fun with MHA? Do you think to yourself “Why have other games not been built with a system like this?” Do you often think of this game as, dare I say, fun? Well, what if I told you that we’re only playing with half the deck so far, sort of speak? 

There are several game mechanics that the broader game of Universus has that MHA has yet to print on a card. So, why am I bringing this up now? Well, Jasco just announced this week that in the next set, Heroes Clash, “A new (old) effect class joins the game!” As vague as this sounds, this is huge news. There are several effect classes that would rock the foundation of this game. So let’s jump in and talk about what classes there are, what’s likely to debut, and what I think is coming.

ERASE!Momo YaoyorozuGrasping Tape Toss

Before we get too far into anything, let’s establish what an effect class is. For the purposes of this article, we’re going to narrow it down to just Keyword Abilities. So far, there are nine different Keyword Abilities (Breaker, Combo, EX, Flash, Powerful, Stun, Terrain, Throw and Unique). While it doesn’t count as a Keyword Ability, the Gameplay Restriction Deadlock also warrants mentioning to this point in the game.

So, what Keywords are still to come? Well, Let’s start with my personal favorite: Reversal. This little nutty ability says, “Response [Hand] Play this card as a reversal: After your opponent’s blocked attack resolves, add this attack to the attack stack.” (Adding an attack to the attack stack is the same as playing an attack. Once the current attack resolves, the next attack on the attack stack will enter its Enhance Step.) Yep, that’s right. Reversals allow you to attack on your opponent’s turn! This adds a deeper element to the game, rewarding defensive decks with unique perks. Now full disclosure, I think it’s too early for Reversals to get added into the game. We’re probably a year out, maybe more. Plus, they wouldn’t get added without it’s counterpart ability, Safe, on a card or two as well (“Attacks cannot be played as a reversal to this attack.”) But that doesn’t mean something game breaking isn’t around the corner.

Multiple grants the ability “Enhance Discard X momentum (minimum 1, maximum the Multiple rating): Add X cards from the top of your discard pile to your card pool face down as multiple copies of this attack. Add those attacks to the attack stack.” If you had to read that a couple times, you’re not alone. This ability really says, “Yeah, this attack… do it again. Check? Nahh. Don’t worry about that.” Now, it should be mentioned that the Multiple copies do not gain the effects, traits or card text of the original; just the numbered stats. But still, jamming a couple attacks for free onto your attack chain can be the gas you need to make things happen.

Multiple seems very plausible for a Set 3 debut, but I think it’s more likely we end up getting Gauge. “Enhance: If this attack deals X or more damage, you may search your deck and discard pile for a character card that shares a name with your starting character and add it to your staging area. X equals the rating of the Gauge keyword granting this ability.” We have several Character cards sprinkled throughout the game that could benefit from Gauge, like Ectoplasm and Mt. Lady. As more sets release, we’re going to see more Characters leverage copies of themselves in play. It would make sense to start making those future cards viable now with effects like Gauge. Even still, this next candidate is my pick to arrive on the tables when Heroes Clash hits stores this fall. 

Desperation grants the ability “While you are at desperation, this card’s difficulty is X. X equals the rating of the Desperation keyword granting this ability. A player is “at desperation” if they are at less than half of their starting character’s maximum vitality. In the current format, if your life gets low (under 15 life) on turn two, there’s enormous pressure to try and find a game-ending turn on your backswing because it’s very hard to stay alive for most decks when you’re that low on vitality. Aggressive decks that can deal 20 or 30 life in a turn to bail out a slow defensive start are rocketing up the charts. Meanwhile, decks that specialize in poking and playing sound defense are getting creamed! Desperation gives balance to decks that can’t manipulate their Difficulty or Check values. It fits right in when you’re thinking of balancing the current game; an easy concept to understand and learn with effects like Deadlock already a core part of the game. Desperation can be printed on the most symbols right now and fit right into each symbol. 

For that one guy who is reading this article, waiting and wondering “what about Only!?”… okay, that person doesn’t exist. But there is one more Keyword called Only. It’s a more extreme version of [Character] Enhance, which only allows the Enhance to be played if the Character is your active Character. Well, Only restricts you from playing the entire card instead of just the effect. Yeah, I agree. That’s not an effect worth announcing this early, so we can rule that out. Well no matter which effect is on deck, I can’t wait to see this game evolve and unpack what new cards get announced as they come out. As always, I’ll see you on the tables!

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