Cards
90 cards discussed on the blog. Open one to see what each article says about it.
- Active Altruism Active Altruism is Simon at his best: saving civilians before chasing villains. Wonder Man, Everything ionic
- All Versus All Kyknos, Ares's bloodthirsty son, and Hecate, witch goddess of magic and crossroads, team up during Fear Itself to seize Brooklyn and transform it into a nightmare landscape. Hercules killed Kyknos long ago, sparking Ares's eternal grudge—but death rarely sticks for Olympians. Both cards pile threat onto a side scheme, capturing the chaos of an all-out divine brawl. It also gives another target for the Hydra labor,… Hercules, All versus All
- Altman Residence Teddy lived a happy life with his adoptive mother, Mrs. Altman. The choice of this location grounds the story in the Young Avengers and Civil War era. Billy and Teddy got their own place together afterward. Hulkling, Residence
- Amadeus Cho Amadeus Cho is Hercules's quintessential sidekick: the seventh-smartest person on Earth, insufferably cocky, and perpetually in mortal danger whenever he tags along with the reckless demigod. He's a polarizing presence, blunt to the point of annoyance, yet invariably right. The tactical edge he provides the Olympians makes him an obvious target. Enemies always come for him first. The game captures this perfectly t… Hercules, Amadeus Cho
- Ancient Rivalry The Marvel Universe hosts several pantheons of gods — Olympians, Asgardians, the deities of Atlantis are already present in our game. Hercules, Thor
- Ares In Greg's Pak run, Ares fights constantly with his half brother Hercules. Ares is a typical grudge-holding brother, always retaliating when attacked. He brings trouble to the table, having his own agenda with his scheming power and not contributing to the main villain's scheme. The way I read Ares' side scheme, the closer to home the bloodier it gets, Ares trying to usurp the richness of Olympus. Hercules, The brothers
- Audacity Hawkeye is the leader of the West Coast Avengers, who are almost complete as heroes in our game (Mockingbird is still missing). Using the old costume of Hawkeye from West Coast Avengers is a nice touch. Power of Aggression would have echoed her nemesis set brilliantly too (more on that later), but for the players, keeping Audacity around is better I reckon. Tigra, Audacity
- Avenge Me! The Avengers statue pictured in the art inspired the Young Avengers: Wiccan, Patriot, Speed, Iron Lad, Hawkeye (Kate Bishop) and Hulkling. This wave gave us all the remaining missing members and the team is now complete. Sadly, the team got develop as a "horizontal cycle", one in each aspect that is. The brothers Wiccan and Justice are in Justice, Patriot is in Protection, Kate is in Leadership, Iron Lad is in Bas… Hercules, Avenge me!
- Avengers Compound The pool and palm trees of the Avengers Compound match the West Coast team's Palos Verdes compound. Wonder Man, West Coast Avengers
- Battlefield Benevolence Battlefield Benevolence carries the same spirit: heal an enemy to confuse it. "Huh? What's the trick?" Wonder Man, Pacifism
- Brother vs. Brother Eric Williams loves his brother and hates what he became. He blames the Avengers for Simon's death and becomes the Grim Reaper in _Avengers_ (1963) #52, with a scythe in place of his right hand (the game reads it as Cyborg). He even offers the Vision a place in Simon's preserved body (#102), and puts both "brothers" on trial in #160. The flavor text of Brother vs. Brother says it all: "If only you were my real bro… Wonder Man, Grim Reaper
- Cameo The Hollywood theme leaks into the aspect cards. Cameo lets a hero from another movie, er, pack, show up for a quick appearance. Simon did the same in _West Coast Avengers_ (2024) #7, stopping by to confront a newcomer who stole his name. Wonder Man, Mister Hollywood
- Cat's Head Amulet Greer escaped death thanks to her former thesis advisor who transformed her into a cat-woman, thus giving her 9 lives. Her necklace allows her to switch between human and feline form. The card here doesn't reflect the comics, a more utilitarian design than narrative. Tigra, Cat's Head amulet
- Complicated Lineage On one side, the Kree: a belligerent species of blue-skinned humanoids. They don't possess inherent superpowers, but they've adapted by incorporating technologies from countless civilizations they've encountered—or conquered—across the galaxy. Hulkling, Complicated lineage
- Criminal Underworld Madame Masque, absent from this scene, remains The Hood's right hand and takes over when necessary. Tigra, Nemesis Set
- Death Cannot Die Death Cannot Die fits a man obsessed with death who, like his brother, refuses to stay dead. The family resemblance is uncanny. Wonder Man, Grim Reaper
- Deathcry Deathcry is a Shi'ar bird-woman and one of Hercules's companions. She's a berserker at heart, so I believe her ability represents her going absolutely feral. I confess I didn't know prior to writing this article. Hercules, Deathcry
- Defeat the Hydra The illustration for Defeat the hydra is giving a nod to the Hydra organization which I find hilarious. Hercules, The Labors
- Embody Pathos Embody Pathos references the 3 Greek foundations of rhetorics. Hercules, The Labors
- Emergency
- Energy Siphon A man made of ions runs on the energy resource, and the whole deck pivots on it. Simon's alter-ego lets you include events from _any aspect_, as long as they print an energy resource. Overpay with energy, then tuck the event under Ionic Physiology to recycle the power. Take it from a GANIL alumnus: a body of ions would leave you electrically charged, not superstrong. The game is closer to the comics than to physic… Wonder Man, Everything ionic
- Everywhere All at Once Everywhere All at Once is named after the film that swept the Oscars in 2023. Wonder Man, Mister Hollywood
- Excelsior This beautiful illustration is the final page of the Empyre crossover event from 2019. Excelsior is a mythical blade forged from the union of two ancestral swords — one Kree, one Skrull. According to legend, it has the power to bring peace and unite both empires. Hulkling, Excelsior
- Family Feud In Greg's Pak run, Ares fights constantly with his half brother Hercules. Ares is a typical grudge-holding brother, always retaliating when attacked. He brings trouble to the table, having his own agenda with his scheming power and not contributing to the main villain's scheme. The way I read Ares' side scheme, the closer to home the bloodier it gets, Ares trying to usurp the richness of Olympus. Hercules, The brothers
- Firebird Firebird has no story of her own with Simon: the West Coast Avengers are their only link. Bonita Juarez debuts with the Rangers in _Incredible Hulk_ (1962) #265. Mockingbird wants her on the West Coast team, but Hawkeye would rather court a more famous applicant, the Thing, so she leaves without joining. She comes back just in time to stop Hank Pym's suicide attempt, and ends up a reserve Avenger. Wonder Man, Firebird
- Gilgamesh Gilgamesh goes through a rough patch and crashes on Hercules's couch while getting his life together. He's both a god and an Eternal. His presence can be overwhelming, like standing before an elder deity. Hercules can become steady and circumvent this inconvenience. Hercules, Gilgamesh
- Greer Nelson Between 2002 and 2024, she infiltrated three organizations: a corrupt police department in her "Tigra" run, the resistance during Civil War, and also spied on Moon Knight (we'll come back to that). She excels at tailing, tracking her targets thanks to her animal instincts that she retains even in human form. Hence the "undercover work". Her stats reflect this human duality: hand size of 6, 10 hit points, REC of 3. Tigra, Greer Nelson
- Grim Reaper Eric Williams loves his brother and hates what he became. He blames the Avengers for Simon's death and becomes the Grim Reaper in _Avengers_ (1963) #52, with a scythe in place of his right hand (the game reads it as Cyborg). He even offers the Vision a place in Simon's preserved body (#102), and puts both "brothers" on trial in #160. The flavor text of Brother vs. Brother says it all: "If only you were my real bro… Wonder Man, Grim Reaper
- Hawkeye The West Coast Avengers are Simon's real home. Hawkeye founds the team in Los Angeles in _West Coast Avengers_ (1984) #1, with Mockingbird, Tigra, Iron Man (Jim Rhodes) and the local movie star. Hawkeye's arrow counters echo his trick arrows, and his response after an ally thwarts sums up the team: a bunch of friends covering each other. Wonder Man, West Coast Avengers
- Haymaker When we know the true cost of a card, we can evaluate its efficiency. Sure Haymaker does 3 damage for 3ER. And Uppercut deals 5 damage for 4ER. It comes naturally to compute ratios: Getting from ER to There, Ratios
- Hecate Kyknos, Ares's bloodthirsty son, and Hecate, witch goddess of magic and crossroads, team up during Fear Itself to seize Brooklyn and transform it into a nightmare landscape. Hercules killed Kyknos long ago, sparking Ares's eternal grudge—but death rarely sticks for Olympians. Both cards pile threat onto a side scheme, capturing the chaos of an all-out divine brawl. It also gives another target for the Hydra labor,… Hercules, All versus All
- Herc's Helm Herc's Helm is a famous meme. During the "Love and War" story, Amadeus gets seduced by the head of the Amazons. Just when he is about to do it, the Amazon uses her charm to extract some key intel from Amadeus. As he is spilling the beans, he peeks through the window and sees Hercules a few feet away from the nuptial room, with this hilarious face saying: "go buddy, I got your back", which must be a pretty strong t… Hercules, Amadeus Cho
- Hercules Born of a mortal woman and Zeus, king of the Olympian pantheon, Hercules (Herakles in greek) bridges the divine and human worlds. The writers have followed classical mythology with surprising fidelity, making these stories both accessible and genuinely fun. From his very first appearance in 1945, Hercules has been a delightfully goofy read, brimming with anachronisms and playful analogies that evoke Monty Python o… Hercules, Hercules
- Hercules (Ally) The Marvel Universe hosts several pantheons of gods — Olympians, Asgardians, the deities of Atlantis are already present in our game. Hercules, Thor
- Hercules (Alter-Ego) Born of a mortal woman and Zeus, king of the Olympian pantheon, Hercules (Herakles in greek) bridges the divine and human worlds. The writers have followed classical mythology with surprising fidelity, making these stories both accessible and genuinely fun. From his very first appearance in 1945, Hercules has been a delightfully goofy read, brimming with anachronisms and playful analogies that evoke Monty Python o… Hercules, Hercules
- Hidden Base It's a cool nod, especially with the Defenders arriving in the very next wave. I hope this card will have some synergy with those characters. Hulkling, Hidden base
- Hulkling In the early 2000s, the Avengers disbanded—much to the sorrow of their younger fans. The world felt like it was falling apart, and some kids, Teddy among them, started gathering around Avengers Mansion. Long story short, the ones with powers decided to form the Young Avengers: a scrappy pastiche of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Hulkling, Hulkling
- I Can Do This All Day
- Impersonation Using his shapeshifting abilities, Teddy infiltrates the pro-registration administration disguised as Hank Pym—an ally included in this box. The intel he gathers proves essential for the final standoff. Like Tigra, then, Hulkling operates on both sides of the conflict. This allows us to play scenarios from either perspective without thematic dissonance. Hulkling, Impersonation
- In Too Deep You can feel that her cover is blown and she's caught red-handed. Beautiful storytelling. Tigra, In too deep
- Ionic Blast A man made of ions runs on the energy resource, and the whole deck pivots on it. Simon's alter-ego lets you include events from _any aspect_, as long as they print an energy resource. Overpay with energy, then tuck the event under Ionic Physiology to recycle the power. Take it from a GANIL alumnus: a body of ions would leave you electrically charged, not superstrong. The game is closer to the comics than to physic… Wonder Man, Everything ionic
- Ionic Physiology Zemo sells his creation as a god: as strong as Giant-Man, with a bare fist the equal of Thor's hammer. Our game agrees that this is divine territory. Out of more than 60 heroes, only 4 print 3ATK: Hercules, Hulk, She-Hulk and Ant-Man in his Giant-Man form. Thor himself prints 2ATK. Wonder Man starts at 1ATK, gains +1ATK per card tucked under Ionic Physiology, and peaks at 4ATK with 3 cards. For one punch, Simon hi… Wonder Man, Wonder Man
- Iron Lad Iron Lad is the Young Avengers' answer to Iron Man—a teen genius who can tap into the powers of those around him via a complex download process. Hulkling, Ironlad
- Jarvis Jarvis, the Avengers' butler, welcomes heroes back home when they change into alter-ego. Simon still shares the base with him, and with Hercules, in _Avengers Assemble_ (2024) #1. Wonder Man, West Coast Avengers
- Jet Belt The Jet Belt is in Avengers #9. Look at Zemo's demonstration above: where Iron Man uses transistor-powered jets, Wonder Man uses miniature rockets on his belt (Zemo reminds us he was one of Hitler's top rocket experts). Simon later learns to fly on his own, but keeps the belt for the extra distance. Wonder Man, Everything ionic
- Jigsaw Madame Masque, absent from this scene, remains The Hood's right hand and takes over when necessary. Tigra, Nemesis Set
- Kyknos Kyknos, Ares's bloodthirsty son, and Hecate, witch goddess of magic and crossroads, team up during Fear Itself to seize Brooklyn and transform it into a nightmare landscape. Hercules killed Kyknos long ago, sparking Ares's eternal grudge—but death rarely sticks for Olympians. Both cards pile threat onto a side scheme, capturing the chaos of an all-out divine brawl. It also gives another target for the Hydra labor,… Hercules, All versus All
- Lernean Hydra Hercules undertook his legendary twelve labors as penance for slaying his wife and children, a tragedy born of madness inflicted by his jealous stepmother Hera. Upon completing them, he earned immortality. The game asks of you to perform 3 of these labors, albeit adapted to fit the mechanics: Hercules, The Labors
- Lion of Olympus The Nemean lion pictured as a fur was obtained through one of Hercule's labor. The pelt is impervious to normal attacks, hence gaining steady. Hercules gained the nickname of the Lion of Olympus after defeating the beast. Hercules, The Gifts
- Madame Masque Madame Masque, absent from this scene, remains The Hood's right hand and takes over when necessary. Tigra, Nemesis Set
- Mockingbird
- Moon Knight Writers have long played on the cliché of the cat meowing under the moon. It's so cliché I could find dozens of shots like this one while discovering Tigra. Tigra, Moon Knight
- Mr. Hollywood From stunts to stardom, he is Mister Hollywood. The flavor text of Mr. Hollywood is gold: Kate Bishop recognizing him from _Beach Volleyball Bros Part II_. Wonder Man, Mister Hollywood
- Namora Namora is Namor's cousin, sharing his Atlantean heritage. She's been around nearly as long as he has, practically since the dawn of Marvel. Incredible Hercules revitalized her character, making her inclusion here a natural fit. She and Hercules are lovers and partners in adventure. A true team player, she grows stronger with allies at her side. She's also a member of the Agents of Atlas, a team composed entirely o… Hercules, Namora
- Nemean Lion The Nemean lion pictured as a fur was obtained through one of Hercule's labor. The pelt is impervious to normal attacks, hence gaining steady. Hercules gained the nickname of the Lion of Olympus after defeating the beast. Hercules, The Gifts
- Nick Fury
- Olympic Feud In Greg's Pak run, Ares fights constantly with his half brother Hercules. Ares is a typical grudge-holding brother, always retaliating when attacked. He brings trouble to the table, having his own agenda with his scheming power and not contributing to the main villain's scheme. The way I read Ares' side scheme, the closer to home the bloodier it gets, Ares trying to usurp the richness of Olympus. Hercules, The brothers
- Olympus In Marvel, Olympus exists as a pocket dimension tethered to Earth—an eternal celebration where the wine never stops flowing. Hercules has gone overboard there more than once. True to form, the game reminds us that home bases are resourceful places. Hercules, Olympus
- Pacifism The obligation Pacifism is late-era Simon. First he turns against the Avengers, convinced they do more harm than good, and leads the Revengers against them (_New Avengers Annual_ (2011) #1, _Avengers Annual_ (2012) #1). Then he joins Captain America's Unity Division despite a newfound commitment to pacifism (_Uncanny Avengers_ (2012) #5). In the game, Wonder Man simply cannot attack. Wonder Man, Pacifism
- Patriot Patriot is the Captain America of the Young Avengers. At first, he has no actual powers—when danger strikes, he secretly takes performance-enhancing drugs to gain super-resistance. Hulkling, Patriot
- Precinct HQ This action suggests that Greer manages to foil the villain thanks to information collected from minions. Tigra, Precinct HQ
- Protect Humanity Protect Humanity captures Hercules's driving priority throughout Greg Pak's run, particularly during the Skrull invasion when Earth itself hung in the balance. Hercules, The Labors
- Redemption Simon Williams is a villain who couldn't go through with it. An industrialist crushed by Stark Industries, he embezzles from his own company, gets caught, and blames Tony Stark for his downfall. Wonder Man, Wonder Man
- Ronan the Accuser This beautiful illustration is the final page of the Empyre crossover event from 2019. Excelsior is a mythical blade forged from the union of two ancestral swords — one Kree, one Skrull. According to legend, it has the power to bring peace and unite both empires. Hulkling, Excelsior
- Scarlet Witch The brain patterns put Simon between the Vision and the Scarlet Witch. In "Vision Quest" (_West Coast Avengers_ (1985) #42 to #45), the Vision is kidnapped and dismantled. Hank Pym can rebuild him, but he needs Simon's brain patterns to restore his personality. Wonder Man, Scarlet Witch
- Scythe Strike Eric Williams loves his brother and hates what he became. He blames the Avengers for Simon's death and becomes the Grim Reaper in _Avengers_ (1963) #52, with a scythe in place of his right hand (the game reads it as Cyborg). He even offers the Vision a place in Simon's preserved body (#102), and puts both "brothers" on trial in #160. The flavor text of Brother vs. Brother says it all: "If only you were my real bro… Wonder Man, Grim Reaper
- Sentry Sentry is the exception: a hero whose villain lives inside him. He and Simon served together in the post-Civil War Mighty Avengers (_The Mighty Avengers_ (2007) #1). Bob Reynolds has the power of a million exploding suns, and a dark side, the Void, that brings trouble along. Reveal a side scheme, or put 6 threat on the main scheme: this hero comes with baggage. Wonder Man, Reformed villains
- Shield of Perseus The Shield of Perseus was used to petrify the Medusa. Medusa was capable through her gaze to turn beings into stone. Perseus polished his shield like a mirror, and petrified the Medusa. Hercules inherited this adamantine shield, and gives retaliate as one would expect. Hercules, The Gifts
- Signature Sunglasses The sunglasses hide what Simon is. His eyes are roiling red energy, and when the villain the Blank knocks his glasses off in a bank, everyone in the room sees he isn't human (_West Coast Avengers_ (1984) #2). The Signature Sunglasses trigger when you change form, exactly when the glasses come on or off. Wonder Man, Signature Sunglasses
- Simon Williams Simon Williams is a villain who couldn't go through with it. An industrialist crushed by Stark Industries, he embezzles from his own company, gets caught, and blames Tony Stark for his downfall. Wonder Man, Wonder Man
- Skrull Business I love the illustration on this side scheme: the Nemesis is shown wielding all four Fantastic Four powers simultaneously while kidnapping Teddy to drag him back to the Skrull Empire. Hulkling, The Super Skrull
- Son of Zeus Born of a mortal woman and Zeus, king of the Olympian pantheon, Hercules (Herakles in greek) bridges the divine and human worlds. The writers have followed classical mythology with surprising fidelity, making these stories both accessible and genuinely fun. From his very first appearance in 1945, Hercules has been a delightfully goofy read, brimming with anachronisms and playful analogies that evoke Monty Python o… Hercules, Hercules
- Spider-Girl A coherent reprint. Tigra was Spider-Girl's teacher in Avengers Academy. This choice works thematically and mechanically: status cards have always been linked to Spiders, and targeting only minions evokes well the secondary missions assigned to Academy students – less critical threats than those handled by the Avengers. I also like to think that master and student both interact with minions. Tigra, Spider-Girl
- Starstruck Starstruck is a Tex Avery punch, little stars spinning around the victim's head. I found no comics panel for this uppercut, but the pun lands: being starstruck is what happens when you meet a movie star. Wonder Man, Everything ionic
- Super Skrull I love the illustration on this side scheme: the Nemesis is shown wielding all four Fantastic Four powers simultaneously while kidnapping Teddy to drag him back to the Skrull Empire. Hulkling, The Super Skrull
- Sword of Peleus Finally, the Sword of Peleus belonged to the eponymous Achille's dad. Peleus, Achilles and Herakles were Argonauts together during the Illiad (thanks Migloo and Raxle for this info!). Capable of cutting through everything, it gains piercing. Hercules, The Gifts
- Swordsman Swordsman completes the club. He debuts as a villain in _Avengers_ (1963) #19, and he is also Hawkeye's old mentor. He turns Avenger later, like his pupil. Piercing for a blade is on point. That makes 3 allies out of 5, plus the hero. The nemesis is the brother who never reformed. Wonder Man, Reformed villains
- Teddy Altman Here we see Theodore as a young teenager—exactly how we first met him in Young Avengers. The streets of his home city, New York, stretch out behind him. Hulkling, Teddy Altman
- The Gift of Battle The gift of battle is an expression used by Hercules each time a brawl is started. Apparently, it's a gift to be able to fight when you are immortal. Hercules, The Gift of Battle
- The Hood Madame Masque, absent from this scene, remains The Hood's right hand and takes over when necessary. Tigra, Nemesis Set
- Thor If I had a cent for every time Hercules and Thor came to blows, I could have bought my entire pack. From a game design perspective, it's excellent, multiple hooks whether you want to exploit his stats with Teamwork or use him as a minion magnet. It echoes his hero's concept. I like that the custom illustration tried to copy Thor's image style. The rivalry or should I say competition between them allows to get a we… Hercules, Thor
- Tigra The 3 defense echoes her flavor text on her alter ego's side. The "huntress" silently bypasses enemy lines to feed on violence in the midst of melee. Catching minions "off guard" is appropriate, and it is mechanically sound to lose the guard keyword. Tigra, The Hero Tigra
- Two-Gun Kid Two-Gun Kid has practically no connection to Tigra. In reality, designer Nate wanted this obscure character in the core set. Caleb replaced him with the more popular Tigra, but promised to reintroduce Two-Gun Kid later – a promise kept with this pack. The card is explicit: two guns, period. Tigra, Two Gun Kid
- Uppercut When we know the true cost of a card, we can evaluate its efficiency. Sure Haymaker does 3 damage for 3ER. And Uppercut deals 5 damage for 4ER. It comes naturally to compute ratios: Getting from ER to There, Ratios
- What Are You? "What Are You?" is that story in one card. When Wonder Man would be defeated, he isn't: he reverts to Simon and reloads his ionic energy. Wonder Man, Back from the dead
- Wiccan Essential to Teddy's story is William—Billy—his Jewish childhood friend, lover, husband. His everything. Hulkling, Wiccan
- Wisdom of Athena
- Wonder Fans Wonder Fans pictures his red-carpet premieres. As any celebrity knows, fans help you recycle your old hits. Wonder Man, Mister Hollywood
- Wonder Man Simon Williams is a villain who couldn't go through with it. An industrialist crushed by Stark Industries, he embezzles from his own company, gets caught, and blames Tony Stark for his downfall. Wonder Man, Wonder Man
- Yellow Jacket While both being teachers at the Academy, Hank and Greer developed a romantic relationship which ended while being pregnant with future William Nelson. Why Nelson and not Pym? Greer chose to raise William, giving him the name of her dead husband. The story gets complicated with Skrull affairs too... In the end, Hank becomes William's godfather, and Nadia "The Wasp" recognizes him as her half-brother. A modern fami… Tigra, Yellow Jacket
No card matches.