Rogue Champions- Nova Review

Greetings! Let’s continue our look at the young Champions.


Hero Summary

Nova (Hero)

  • Champion.
  • Attack: 1, Thwart: 1, Defense: 2. Hitpoints: 10, Handsize: 5
  • Response: After you use one of Nova’s basic powers (THW, ATK, or DEF), ready Supernova Helmet.
  • Comments:
    • Nova’s basic stats are quite lackluster, only totalling 4 when the standard is 6.
    • His hero ability also feels weak, as it does nothing until you get his helmet out, which you will need to play. Fortunately, his Alter-Ego will help ensure you have it available.
    • His ability should be viewed more as a renewable resource than anything else. Any round he begins ready, he effectively has a bonus wildcard resource from his helmet.
    • It should be noted his ability works on any of his basic powers, including defense. That means you can use his helmet to pay for a defense card, defend with Nova, and then still have the helmet available on his turn.

Sam Alexander (Alter-Ego)

  • Civilian.
  • Recover: 3. Health: 10. Hand Size: 6
  • Alter-Ego Action: Spend 1 resource of any type → search your deck and discard pile for Supernova Helmet. Add it to your hand (put it into play instead if you paid for this ability using a Wildcard resource).
  • Comments:
    • You will want to have a wildcard resource in your opening hand.
    • Unlike some of the other heroes who have the ability to summon certain kit cards with an alter-ego ability, Sam can do it anytime he’s down. That makes his helmet an excellent thing to discard if you are forced to discard an upgrade.

Hero Deck

Ally

  • Ms. Marvel
    • Cost: 3. Resource: 1 Physical.
    • Champion. Inhuman.
    • Attack: 1*. Thwart: 1*. Health: 3
    • Hero Response: After you play an event, exhaust Ms. Marvel and deal 1 damage to her → return that event to your hand.
    • Comments:
      • Ms. Marvel feels very similar to her Hero version, getting extra uses out of event cards.
      • There is no restriction on what type of event or what phase you play it in. This makes her very flexible to let you get multiple uses out of a particular card.
      • Unleash Nova Force might seem like a prime candidate to get back to allow you to use it multiple turns in a row but not necessarily the best. Any of his other events could, instead, be immediately played again to effectively double their effect.
      • Note that you can not use Ms. Marvel to retrieve “Go for Champions!” because once you’ve played it, she can’t take damage and therefore can’t return the card to your hand.

Upgrade

  • Supernova Helmet (1)
    • Cost: 1. Resource: 1 Mental.
    • Armor.
    • Nova gains the AERIAL trait.
    • Hero Resource: Exhaust Supernova Helmet → generate a Wildcard resource
    • Comments:
      • This an essential piece of his kit. Both his Alter-Ego and Hero abilities are tied to it.
      • With his ability, Nova can generally generate two wildcard resources a turn using his helmet.

Supports

  • Jessie Alexander (1)
    • Cost: 2. Resource: 1 Wildcard.
    • Persona.
    • Alter-Ego Action: Exhaust Jesse Alexander → shuffle 1 copy of Connection to the Worldmind from your discard pile into your deck. Draw 1 card.
    • Comments:
      • You probably are not flipping down to AE just to trigger Jessie Alexander but it’s a very nice ability when you do go down.
      • A card draw ability is always nice and getting to shuffle your resource cards back into your deck helps you get multiple uses out of them.

Events

  • Lightspeed Flight (3)
    • Cost: 2. Resource: 1 Mental.
    • Superpower. Thwart.
    • Double the number of Wildcard resources generated while paying for this card
    • Hero Action (thwart): Remove 3 threat from a scheme.
    • Comments:
      • If you have a wildcard resource available, this card is a great value of 3 for 1.
      • If you don’t have a wildcard, it’s not a particularly great value.
  • Forcefield Projection (2)
    • Cost: 1. Resource: 1 Physical.
    • Hero Interrupt: When a friendly character would take any amount of damage from an attack, prevent 3 of that damage. If you paid for this card using a Wildcard resource, deal 3 damage to an enemy.
    • Comments:
      • For one resource you can prevent three damage AND deal three damage. That is incredible value.
      • It can be used to help ANY friendly character which makes Nova an excellent friend to have for any other Hero on your team.
      • It is not a Defense card so it will not trigger any Defense upgrades if you are playing Protection.
  • Pot Shot (3)
    • Cost: 2. Resource: 1 Energy.
    • Superpower. Attack.
    • Double the number of Wildcard resources generated while paying for this card.
    • Hero Action (attack): Deal 4 damage to an enemy.
    • Comments:
      • This is the same basic idea as Lightspeed but for attack.
      • Four damage for one resource is incredible. That is enough to destroy a good number of minions.
  • Unleash Novaforce (2)
    • Cost: 1. Resource: 1 Energy.
    • Max 1 per round.
    • Hero Action: Until the end of the round, each time Nova defeats an enemy or removes the last threat from a scheme, ready Nova and draw 1 card.
    • Comment:
      • This is the card the game wants you to build around playing.
      • With Ms. Marvel and your helmet in play, Nova can use the helmet to play one of his events plus use a basic attack or thwart to clear an event/kill a minion, then recover the card he played, ready himself, ready his helmet, and repeat. Then you’ll have two new cards available to play.
      • Trying to get an amazing round out of Unleash Novaforce can be a trap though. If you devote too much effort to getting that perfect round, clearing multiple things, you might go crazy. With his low basic stats, unless you’re playing a minion heavy deck (like Ultron), having multiple things you are capable of clearing in one round can be hard to come by.
      • Note, it does last for the whole round. If you’re playing Protection, if Nova can kill an attacking minion with some upgrades/events, it will still trigger Unleash and let him ready himself.

Resource

  • Connection to the Worldmind (2)
    • Resource: 1 Wildcard.
    • Connection to the Worldmind does not count toward your hand size.
    • Comment:
      • This is a new concept, having cards not count against your hand size limit.
      • This allows you to hold onto it in order to spend the wildcard resource specifically for one of Nova’s Events that benefit from the wildcard.
      • Alternatively, they are useful against a villain with a lot of annoying Attachments that require resources to discard.

Nemesis Set

  • Obligation: Weight of the World
    • Boost Icons: 2
    • Give to the Sam Alexander player.
    • While this card is in play, Supernova Helmet cannot ready.
    • Alter-Ego Action: Exhaust Sam Alexander > remove this obligation from the game.
    • Comments:
      • This is part of the new wave of Obligations that don’t allow your hero to flip down as part of it.
      • This effect can be crippling at the wrong time but generally isn’t too bad.
      • If you weren’t gearing up for an amazing Unleash Novaforce turn, you can flip down in your own time in order to discard this.
  • Nemesis: Warbringer
    • Brute. Chitauri.
    • Attack: 3. Scheme: 1. Health: 4.
    • Boost Icons: 3
    • Forced Interrupt: When Warbringer attacks you, he gets +1 ATK for that attack for each card with a printed Wildcard resource in your hand. That attack gains overkill.
    • Comment:
      • Against Nova, whose been holding onto both Connection to the Worldmind, this can be a rough attack.
      • Against most other players, wildcard resources aren’t common so not likely to do much bonus damage.
  • Side Scheme: Bring the War!
    • Threat 2
    • Boost Icons: 2
    • Hazard Icon
    • When Revealed: Each player discards 1 card they control with a printed Wildcard resource. For each card discarded this way, place 1 threat here.
    • Comments:
      • Oddly, given Nova’s kit, this card would have no affect on any of them, as none of the supports or upgrades have a printed wildcard resource.
      • This could be very annoying depending on what aspect cards you end up taking. Symbiote Suit, for example, has a wildcard resource. As it cost 4, it would be very annoying to have to discard.
      • Most other heroes signature Ally has a wildcard resource. That culd make Nova annoying to pair with if it’s an ally you want to keep in play.
  • War Delivery (2)
    • Treachery
    • Boost Icons: 1*
      • Boost: Place 1 threat on the main scheme for each card with a printed Wildcard resource in your hand.
    • When Revealed: You may spend a Wildcard resource. If you do not, the villain and Warbringer each attack you (even if you are in alter-ego form).
    • Comments:
      • This is a terrible card to draw. Not one, but two attacks against an Alter-Ego is not going to end well. They probably don’t have much health and can not defend.
      • Wildcard resources are hard to come by, and often, ones generated by upgrades, are Hero Resources, so you couldn’t use them in Alter-Ego.
      • I guess this is to balance out Nova some but this just feels cruel.
  • The War’s Been Brought (1)
    • Treachery.
    • Boost Icons: 1.
    • Surge.
    • When Revealed: Discard X cards from the top of the encounter deck, where X is equal to the total number of printed Wildcard resources on cards in your hand, cards under your control, and cards in your discard pile.
    • Comments:
      • If you have a wildcard resource, and its not in your deck undrawn, it counts for this card.
      • This speeds the villain’s run through the encounter deck, which depending on the villain could be very nasty, but probably isn’t a major factor. Most characters aren’t going to have too many cards that qualify.

Sample Decks

Nova Clears the Room

  •  Allies
    • Angela
    • Hulk
  • Events
    • 3x Chase Them Down
    • 2x Dive Bomb
    • 2x Looking for Trouble
    • 2x Melee
    • 2x One by One
    • 2x Pitchback
  • Resources
    • 1x Audacity
    • Genius
    • 2x Power of Aggression
  • Supports
    • 1x Hall of Heroes
  • Upgrades
    • 1x Combat Training
    • 1x Endurance
    • 2x Fluid Motion
    • 1x Honed Technique
    • 1x Martial Prowess

This deck, and the next, have one thing focus in common; taking advantage of the Aerial trait to use Honed Technique to Dive Bomb for mega damage. But that’s where the similarities diverge. This deck doubles down on the area attack element to try to enhance as many attacks as possible. Melee and One by One deal damage to multiple enemies, while Pitchback is a cheap way to deal good additional damage off of any attack. Angela and Looking for Trouble help you get more minions on the table to have targets for your multi attacks, while also helping clear some threat. Chase Them Down rounds out your threat potential.

You can’t enhance Nova’s own attack events with Honed Technique but they are cheap to trigger with his helmet and will still feed Fluid Motion, helping get Nova up to a four basic attack. With all this combined, when he Unleashes, he should be able to clear the table of threats.


Nova Over Does It

  •  Allies
    • Hulk
  • Events
    • 2x Dive Bomb
    • 3x Into the Fray
    • 3x Moment of Triumph
    • 2x No Quarter
    • 3x Relentless Assault
  • Resources
    • 1x Audacity
    • Genius
    • 2x Power of Aggression
  • Supports
    • None
  • Upgrades
    • 1x Combat Training
    • 1x Endurance
    • 1x Fluid Motion
    • 3x Follow Through
    • 1x Hand Cannon
    • 1x Honed Technique
    • 1x Martial Prowess

Like the previous deck, this one likes to take advantage of Dive Bomb but instead of looking to do hit multiple enemies, this one focuses on doing more damage than you could possibly need and benefiting from that. Excess damage is the name of the game. With Into the Fray, Nova can hit a minion for 9 damage and then add three to whatevers left after defeating it to clear a massive amount of threat. Relentless Assault lets him smack the villain with that excess damage instead with Overkill. He’s got one Hand Cannon to help his basic attacks on occasion. Moment of Triumph hangs out for him to gain some heals from and remain hero as much as possible.


Nova Hits Back

  • Allies
    • None
  • Events
    • 1x “Go for Champions!”
    • 3x First Hit
    • 3x Side Step
  • Resources
    • Preservation
  • Supports
    • 1x Med Team
  • Upgrades
    • 1x Armored Vest
    • 1x Dauntless
    • 1x Downtime
    • 1x Electrostatic Armor
    • 1x Endurance
    • 3x Energy Barrier
    • 1x Flow Like Water
    • 3x Height Advantage
    • 3x Indomitable
    • 1x Nerves of Steel
    • 1x Symbiote Suit
    • 1x Unflappable

The idea for this deck is to be a big damn hero against a rampaging horde of minions. Your goal is to Unleash Nova force and then just save everyone during the Villain phase. Every time Nova defends, he’ll be able to deal damage back. Some will go to the attacker (Dauntless, Sidestep, Electrostatic Armor, Flow Like Water) but some you can throw where you want (Forcefield Projection, Energy Barrier). This gives you options for trying to get a minion kill with each defense, therefore readying yourself and getting a card draw. You have Indomitable to allow readies when you’re not Unleashing.

Symbiote Suit and Nerves of Steel are optional cards in this deck. You can do without them as Symbiote Suit is a risk against your nemesis set and Nerves of Steel only helps you play Sidestep. But they are still useful. Med Team is mostly there to heal Ms. Marvel so she can help you recover cards but it can used on yourself to keep you above your starting health.


Nova Gets It Done

  • Allies
    • None
  • Events
    • 3x Agile Flight
    • 3x Clear the Area
    • 3x One Way or Another
    • 3x Multitasking
    • 3x Yaw and Roll
  • Resources
    • 1x Determination
    • 2x The Power of Justice
  • Supports
    • None
  • Upgrade
    • 1x Endurance
    • 3x Followed
    • 1x Heroic Intuition
    • 3x Overwatch
    • 1x Sense of Justice
    • 1x Skilled Investigator

This Nova is all about area thwart. All of his Justice events allow him to thwart from multiple schemes at a time. Tempered with Overwatch and Unleash Novaforce, allows Nova to keep villains who run multiple side schemes at bay. For those times when Nova could use more cards, he can even summon an additional side scheme, feeling confident that he can clear it right away without harming his goals. His damage will primarily be achieved through his hero events but Followed helps play with his side scheme clearing to also dish out additional damage.


Supernova

  • Allies
    • Cloud-9
    • Falcon (Joaquin)
    • Snowguard
    • Vivian
  • Events
    • 1x Go For Champions!
    • 2x First Aid
    • 2x Air Supremacy
    • 2x Go All Out
  • Resources
    • 2x Band Together
    • 1x Genius
    • 1x Innovation
    • 2x Power of Leadership
  • Support
    • 3x Command Team
    • 3x R&D Facility
    • 1x Government Liasion
    • 1x Helicarrier
    • 1x Team Building Exercise
    • 1x Triskelion
  • Upgrade
    • 1x Clarity of Purpose
    • 1x Downtime

This deck is an aerial thwarting powerhouse. Cloud-9 boosts all aerial characters, and aside from Ms. Marvel, all characters will be aerial. With Command Team, and Falcon, you can ready Cloud-9 multiple times to pump up thwart levels on other characters, such as Nova and Snowguard. Vivian can be a great thwart asset when you play Go for Champions! or you have Team Building Exercise in play (so thwarting doesn’t immediately discard her).

He’s no damage slouch either. With Triskelion, Nova can have three aerial allies, plus himself to trigger Air Supremacy against four targets. On an Unleash Novaforce turn, that can be a good way to weaken a bunch of tough enemies so that Nova can then exhaust to punch them down with his low basic attack. R&D facility can help shore up that basic attack, bringing it as high as four if all three are in play at once. If he needs to Go All Out to take down a foe, all the buffs from Cloud-9 also help give him a powerful punch.

On a perfect turn, you could punch for 21 (4 [base stats] + 5 [Cloud-9 readied four times with 3x Command Team and Falcon] + 6 [3x R&D Facility] + 6 [other players playing Heroic Intuition, Combat Training and Armored Vest and you took Symbiote Suit]). You won’t get that to happen almost ever, but you can still reach 8 damage fairly easily, which is great for two cost. I considered including Push Ahead as well for an all out thwart, and it would be cool if you could go all out like this. But for the more regular use, you’re only increasing his thwart by about 4 for the cost of three resources. Might be worth throwing in a single copy if you do have some friends willing to toss you some upgrades.

Symbiote Suit could be an excellent addition to this list, as giving him more health to burn when triggering Clarity of Purpose is handy as well as the stat bonuses. It is risky due to his nemesis side scheme, which would force him to discard symbiote suit. If you do take it, consider adding one copy of Resourceful to your deck, with the goal being to play it and leave it there as a Symbiote Suit safety buffer.


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Wayne Basta

Editor-in-Chief at d20 Radio
Wayne is the managing editor of d20 Radio's Gaming Blog. He also writes Sci-fi, . If you enjoy his work, you can support him on Patreon.

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