{"id":15994,"date":"2022-04-04T12:57:35","date_gmt":"2022-04-04T16:57:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/67272bb316.nxcli.io\/heroclix\/?p=15994"},"modified":"2022-04-04T16:15:38","modified_gmt":"2022-04-04T20:15:38","slug":"design-insight-tarot-cards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wizkids.com\/heroclix\/2022\/04\/04\/design-insight-tarot-cards\/","title":{"rendered":"Design Insight – Tarot Cards"},"content":{"rendered":"

The cards have determined the next contest.
\n<\/em>\u2014Opal Luna Saturnyne<\/p>\n

In 2020, Marvel rolled out the groundbreaking X of Swords<\/em> storyline in their X-Men titles, pulling us into the past to trace the history of the mutant island of Okkara. Thousands of years ago, a great war split Okkara apart, forming the twin islands Krakoa and Arakko. This sundering serves as the prologue to a cataclysmic confrontation between the two nations, a grand contest between Krakoa and Arrako and the ten mutants chosen by each side to fight for their nation as \u201cSwordbearers.\u201d<\/p>\n

We were extremely excited to bring this incredible storyline to HeroClix, knowing it would serve as a fantastic basis for a standard HeroClix booster set and an amazing theme for a storyline organized play event series! When planning for the storyline event series, there was one major element that immediately jumped out to our design team as essential to capturing the feel of the comic event\u2014 Saturnyne\u2019s deck of Tarot cards.<\/p>\n

In X of Swords<\/em>, Saturnyne draws from her Tarot deck to determine the unique challenges that the Swordbearers from Krakoa and Arakko must face in their head-to-head battles. From an artistic standpoint, we were excited to reimagine\u00a0a full Tarot deck in the context of the Marvel Universe. Each Marvel HeroClix Tarot Card features custom art that marries the symbolic imagery and deep meaning of the Tarot with our favorite X-Men characters. From a gameplay perspective, Tarot Cards provide a unique opportunity to add a dynamic element to HeroClix\u2014 much like the unique challenges that the Swordbearers must face in each of Saturnyne\u2019s contests.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Mapping Tarot Cards to HeroClix<\/u><\/h4>\n

A full Tarot deck has 78 cards. These cards are divided into four suits\u2014 Pentacles, Swords, Cups, Wands\u2014along with a host of \u201cMajor Arcana\u201d cards. There are fourteen of each suited card with ten numbered cards of Ace through 10 and four \u201ccourt\u201d cards\u2014 the Page, the Knight, the Queen, and the King. The twenty-two Major Arcana cards are not associated with any suit, but each have their own unique name and meaning.<\/p>\n

In mapping these cards to HeroClix, the four suits lined up nicely with our four combat types\u2014 Speed, Attack, Defense, Damage. There are 12 standard powers per combat type, so this allowed us to map each standard power onto the suited cards Ace through 10 as well as the Page and the Knight. The two remaining cards in the suit\u2014 the Queen and the King\u2014 were given dynamic effects that are not tied to a specific standard power but are themed to their respective combat type.<\/p>\n

The twenty-two Major Arcana cards were each given special effects, each themed to the name or meaning of the specific Tarot Card and what it may represent in HeroClix.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

How to Play Tarot Cards<\/u><\/h4>\n

Players will be able to find the Tarot Card rules card (shown above) in the Marvel HeroClix: X of Swords Miniatures Game or pick one up at their local game\/hobby store during the Month 1 event of the HeroClix X of Swords Storyline Organized Play Event series (go to www.win.wizkids.com<\/a> to search for events near you).<\/p>\n

In HeroClix, the winds of fortune often lie in the roll of the dice. For our design team, it was fun to add the randomness of a draw of a card to the game. With players each having their own Tarot Deck, there will be multiple effects in play\u2026 and depending on what combination of cards there may be, players may choose (or be forced to) pivot their strategy mid-game\u2014 perhaps to avoid a pitfall, or perhaps to take advantage of an opportunity. The right combination of Tarot Cards at the right time can shift the momentum of a game!<\/p>\n

Building your Tarot Deck<\/u><\/h4>\n

Players are required to build their decks to include at a minimum one of each suit as well as a Major Arcana card. Each card is considered UNIQUE, so players will not be able to play multiple of the same card in their decks. In building their Tarot Decks, players may choose to optimize their deck to support their team\u2026 or to throw some monkey wrenches into their opponent\u2019s strategy! However, while players can \u201cstack their deck\u201d in their favor, Tarot Cards are global game effects (meaning they affect all characters on the map), so players will need to consider that an opponent may benefit from their own effects and they themselves may be on the receiving end of negative effects.<\/p>\n

The contests continue with the speed of a deadly shuffle of the cards.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014Opal Luna Saturnyne<\/p>\n

The many possibilities of Tarot Cards<\/u><\/h4>\n

Outside of tournament play, we are very excited that the HeroClix X of Swords Tarot Cards will also provide players with plenty of variations in game play for use in home games. There are literally thousands of ways you can use Tarot Cards to enhance or add a special twist to your next HeroClix game\u2026 be creative and most of all have fun! Here are just a few of the many possibilities:<\/p>\n