THWARTED AGAIN

Horace Hangar gets outfoxed by Oko and Jericho Stone.

Are you sick of your opponent taking 7 actions and completing 2 Adventures on the first turn of the game? Well, it is time to throw a wrench into their plans with Thwart. The Thwart Heroic Feat allows you to counter any Feat played by an opponent, including Heroic Feats. It is a key tool in guiding the game in a favorable direction. That said, Thwarting comes at the steep cost of 2 matching Leads, and it must be used wisely or you risk throwing away crucial resources. There are only two reasons one should ever Thwart. The first, more obvious case is when you want to disrupt your opponent’s game plan. The second is when you want to enact your own game plan.

In order to foil your opponent’s plan, you must first have a basic understanding of what that plan is. You might think that Thwarting any old Action X card counts as such, but in fact your opponent could be duping you by playing a useless Action X when they suspect you may have two matching Leads at the ready. Pay close attention to the active Adventures, Sites, and Relics controlled by your opponent, as well as the cards they have in hand. If your opponent is low on resources, they are probably just trying to complete the next Adventure. If they are flush with resources, they may be setting up a more complex game plan involving multiple Action X cards. Try your best to stay one step ahead of them, and use your Thwart at the exact moment when it will hurt the most.

Thwarting can also be used proactively to advance your own game plan. Imagine your opponent plays a Feat that has little impact on the game, but you want to get the last two Leads out of your hand so that you can Rest on your next turn. Time to Thwart! Along these same lines, remember that Thwart can also be used defensively. If you have an Action X Feat in hand that is absolutely critical to your game plan, you may want to consider holding a pair of matching Leads in case you need to Thwart an opponent’s Thwart.

The Thwart is one of the most important Heroic Feats, and yet it comes at a high cost. It can totally dismantle your opponent’s strategy, but it can also drain you of crucial resources if you are not careful. Just remember, you only need to Thwart if you are enacting your own game plan or countering your opponent’s. If neither case applies, you can let that Feat slide.