by Robin Parmar
It seems that every time I play with someone who uses Faceoffs, questions arise. I suppose the reasons for this are two-fold. Faceoffs are an under-used dynamic. Plus, the rules for them do not appear in any of the rulebooks. This leads to misunderstandings and an underappreciation of what Faceoffs can do.
This article hopes to remedy this situation in three ways. First, I will provide a summary of the Faceoff rules in an easy to understand format. Second, I will elaborate on some of the subtleties and point out how Faceoffs can help you. Finally, I will look at a couple of Faceoff deck archetypes.
FACEOFF RULES
Faceoffs are actually quite simple in concept, being a one-on-one combat between an Initiating Character (IC) and a Target Character (TC). These are my own terms, but simplify matters by not having to repeat long phrases each time one refers to the dudes who are about to kick each others' butt.
What follows are the rules presented as an ordered sequence, in numbered steps for ease of reference. These have been confirmed by our rules guru Julian Lighton, and so can be considered to be authoritative!
INITIATING A FACEOFF
1.0 A Faceoff is initiated only with an explicit card effect.
1.1 Such effects may not be generated during an Attack.
1.2 Effects can be played in response to the Faceoff as usual.
TO BEGIN
2.0 When a Faceoff effect resolves, the scene in which the Faceoff was generated stops resolving.
2.1 The IC moves to the location of the TC.
2.1.1 This is not considered to be "changing location" for the purposes of other game effects.
2.1.2 The IC follows the TC if it changes locations.
2.2 Most Faceoffs require that the IC turn to initiate them, but this is not an absolute requirement.
2.3 Some Faceoffs require that the IC be no more than a certain amount of Fighting greater than the TC, but this too is not necessarily a requirement.
ONE SCENE FOR EFFECTS
3.0 There is one scene (only) before the Characters enter combat.
3.1 Effects that can be played prior to combat (such as redirecting damage) are legal, since combat is about to occur.
3.1 However, a Faceoff is not an Attack, so effects that require attacking or intercepting (eg: Ambush, Tactics, Iron & Silk) are not legal.
3.2 If either Character leaves play or changes controllers in this scene, the Faceoff ends as soon as that effect resolves.
3.3 Effects in this scene cannot directly alter effects in the scene which generated the Faceoff. (Although they might do so inadvertently.)
RESOLVING COMBAT
4.0 After the effects scene resolves, Combat is resolved and damage assigned.
4.1 If one of the Characters is in play at the end of combat, and the other was smoked by combat damage, the controller of the survivor is the winner of the Faceoff.
4.2 If still in play, the IC returns to its original location.
4.3 If the Faceoff produces any effect for the winner, it will now be triggered.
4.4 The remainder of the scene in which the Faceoff occurred now resolves as usual.
FACEOFF STRATEGIES
Some of you may not have considered using Faceoffs before now. But they are surprisingly effective and versatile.
Besides adding removal to factions that don't normally have access to same (Ascended, Guiding Hand), Faceoffs allow you to penetrate a defense to get to a particularly annoying character. Need to whack a Vivisector hiding behind Homo Omega? Done. Need to hit Shao the Killer before you send an attacker over to his location? Sorted!
Another advantage is the surprise effect of initiating a combat during someone else's turn. There are many reasons you may need to do this, including the obvious one of softening up a possible target just prior to your own turn, whacking a utility character after it is played, but before it resolves (such as aforementioned Vivisector, or maybe a Tranquil Persuader), or killing a potentially hard to intercept character before it can attack.
Of course Faceoffs often have nice benefits of their own, some of which include gaining power (Combat Courtship, Shaolin vs. Wudang), recycling events (Contest of Arms, Bear vs. Fox), drawing cards (Eagle vs. Snake), damaging characters (Mano a Mano), damaging sites (Monkey vs. Robot) and returning characters to play (Damsel in Distress).
One fact bears repeating, as it impacts many different cards and their effects. A Faceoff is not an Attack. Neither Character is attacking or intercepting.
This means that Stealth, Superleap and Assassinate are meaningless. Neither Ambush nor Tactics have any affect. Faceoffs don't Feed the Fires, nor do they pay off an Underworld Contract. Dark's Soft Whisper and Ting Ting's Gambit are not valid responses. More importantly Kinoshita House is useless to prevent a Faceoff and there's no hiding in the Hideout. Iron and Silk may as well be Plastic and Nylon. I think you get the picture!
Another thing that should be kept in mind is that the initiating character actually moves to the location of the target, and gets to resolve a full scene of effects there! So why not shoot someone with your Submachine Gun or your Mark IV Fusion Rifle while you're there? Or, if you feel really rude, initiate your Faceoff with FAE Schwartz, for a win-win situation.
DECK ARCHETYPE: THUNDER DOME
Red Wedding gave us a whole slew of cards to enhance Faceoffs. I think the Four Monarchs came out of it best of all, and the card that kicks off the set for them is The Thunder Dome. Though it costs three it requires only one resource and so can reliably hit the table turn three. The fact that is provides two power makes it a solid investment, even if one doesn't care about Faceoffs.
But it is of course the ability to search for Faceoffs (and recycle them once played) that makes this card shine. Play with the Thunder Gladiator foundation and you can use any faction's Faceoffs, giving you a great deal of versatility, considering you can search for whichever one you need.
Bonebreaker Jun is the obvious hitter in this deck... he's just itching for another chance to prove himself. With him every Faceoff event is free (given that all of them printed so far cost exactly one power). And you can have him prove his mettle as many times as you like, since he unturns after each Faceoff.
If you are going this route I recommend Contest of Arms. Though it is Toast It, this Faceoff allows you to reuse another from your smoked pile. So if you've already turned Thunder Dome to fetch a Faceoff, this can let you double up on the action. Eagle vs. Snake gives you three more cards from your deck, increasing the odds of pulling yet another Faceoff.
A typical turn with Bonebreaker in the Thunder Dome then looks like the following: Play Eagle vs. Snake for free, whack a dude, unturn, draw three cards; play Contest of Arms, whack a dude, unturn, return Eagle vs. Snake; play Eagle vs. Snake for free, whack a dude, unturn, draw three cards... OK, well, maybe that's not a typical turn, but one can dream!
You will want to add in Battle Arena to ensure you survive all your combats. Events like Mark of Fire can help too, played after declaring the Faceoff, as weakens your foe before combat.
In fact, the only problem with this concept is finding enough worthy opponents. If Bonebreaker is unhurt he can only take on characters with 5 or greater Fighting. This requirement comes about due to the following statement printed on every Faceoff event so far: "Turn a Character you control and target an opponent's Character with Fighting no lower than two less than yours." There is no honour in pounding a weakling!
There are two ways around this limitation.
The first is to wait until injured to take on smaller targets. In the multi-Faceoff scenario outlined above, the first attack should be against the strongest target on the board. Bonebreaker will be bloodied but not broken. And this will only enrage him further, facilitating further combat.
For example, a scenario with opponents' characters of 6, 4 and 2 Fighting would look something like this. Bonebreaker at 7 Fighting faces the largest, emerging (with the help of the Battle Arena's Toughness bonus) with 4 damage. Now at 3 Fighting he takes on the 4 Fighting opponent, scraping a victory with but a single point of Fighting. This will be enough to wipe out the 2 Fighting foe as well (don't forget the +1 damage from the Battle Arena).
Now unturned, he launches at the weakest Feng Shui Site. He may not look like much, but of course there is a Sacred Heart Hospital ready to heal him back to full strength!
The other way out of the restriction is to play the Arena Warrior. Not only does this four Fighting character not require an event to start a Faceoff, she can pick on anyone without restriction, including the smallest wimp on the table. Hardly fair, but this warrior has not yet learned the ways of honour.
Thus, with the help of the Battle Arena, foes of up to 4 Fighting get stomped by Arena Warrior. Those 5 Fighting and higher meet Mr. Jun. Everyone is catered to!
One of the good things about the deck we see emerging here is that it is fundamentally character-based, and all the characters are decent even without Faceoffs. One of the weaknesses is that it takes a while to set up, so the remaining Feng Shui Sites should be defensive ones that can stall until you get going.
I am sure you will find a good number of fighting enhancing States and damage dealing Events to add to the mix. Just do not forget the Ice Shield, since you will never have to pay the power to prevent it toasting... remember, a Faceoff is not an Attack!
DECK ARCHETYPE: DEATH RING
Another strong archetype centers around a second faction-specific site, the Death Ring. This too is a sturdy 8 Body and requires only one resource. However it costs but two and provides one power per turn. It can reliably see play by turn 2, which should be speedy enough for any deck build.
The unusual thing about the Death Ring deck is that it is not built around any combo at all. In fact, how could it be? The Lotus have no Faceoff events, and only one character who provides any Faceoff interaction.
That character is The Nefarious Master Chin, who gives you 7 Fighting for 4 Power. He is a walking Faceoff victor, having Toughness: 2 in this circumstance. No need for the Battle Arena here. Simply spin the Death Ring, turn Master Chin and whack some poor unfortunate victim.
However, this is a poor combo for several reasons. First, the benefit is only 1 Power (plus a dead opponent of course). This may not be enough to justify committing a 7 Fighting stick. Remember that Bonebreaker works well because he *unturns* after a Faceoff; Chin is not so flexible.
The second limitation I have addressed already. Like the events, the Death Ring requires that the target's Fighting be no lower than two less than your Character's Fighting.
In this regard I would prefer -- nay, much prefer -- if Chin cost one less power and had 3 less Fighting. He'd be way more capable at taking out the type of mid-range characters that can prove such a defensive annoyance.
Both Chin and the Ring are Hood cards, so they can be popped in any old Hood deck. You may then be tempted to use Chin's Criminal Network, since you're only one more Hood card away from a free power. From experience I'd say don't bother.
In fact, I wouldn't even field Master Chin (well, maybe one copy for flavour). Instead, start with three Death Rings and take a good look at which Hoods work best in Faceoffs.
Thugs are a good foundation if you include some guns. Big Brother Tsien is perfect because you can whack a much bigger foe. Poison Clan Warriors is another fine choice, in his direct damage guise.
The Red Scorpion Killers have two bonuses that can help them survive a Faceoff, and their most noted member, Chang, has some small utility in this regard.
Looking a bit deeper into the card pool we find Tong Hatchetman and the Poison Clan Killers, who can attack without turning. This is useful if they survive and we can follow up with a Faceoff. While I would generally want to do things in precisely the opposite order, a very clogged board may call for such action. If you go the attack/faceoff route, don't forget to Rend Chi to unload the damage from your first attack on an innocent bystander at the opponent's location.
Finally, the Death Ring is of course the optimal delivery system for your Detonating Destroyer. Have your Destroyer pick a fight with the biggest dude the opponent has (remember, the fighting restriction only prevents you from beating up smaller guys), and when the dude whacks the Destroyer, he becomes a Detonating Corpse. Any other character could perform this messy duty (Walking Corpses would be another favorite - they're corpses already anyway), but the Destroyer just rubs it in!
I am sure you can spot other nice cards for your Death Ring Hood concept deck. I leave you with the blessing once offered to Captain Nemo: "May you never be intimate with a Field of Tentacles!"
CONCLUSION
There's a lot more I could write about Faceoffs. I haven't even touched on the potent High Noon (combo with "Try My Kung Fu!" or any of the tough Hand dudes). Whoops, looks like I did touch on it after
all.
I hope that this article has helped you to understand that a Faceoff is more than just the best Hollywood film John Woo has made. A Faceoff is also a useful tool in the arsenal of a skilled deck builder. Furthermore, there are some fun theme decks built around this dynamic, decks well worth exploring further.
I am sure we will see more possibilities in future sets.