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Game Review: Legendary Guardians of the Galaxy Expansion

Posted on October 17, 2014 by

The Guardians of the Galaxy for the Legendary Deck Building Game is the sixth release in this series, and the fourth expansion for the core game. This is the first expansion released in what is presumably trying to tie into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this expansion adds in new mechanics to the game while adding the core characters from the Guardians of the Galaxy – Star-Lord, Gamora, Groot, Drax and Rocket Racoon. Along with the new characters come new kinds of cards, infinity gems and artifacts. The game does play out pretty well, particularly focusing on what is to date the most powerful of the line’s villains in Thanos. The new scenarios also add to the overall challenge of the game, which has a tendency to be a little easy for most of the typical scenarios in a lot of the cases. In this sense this expansion is the best since the release of the Fantastic Four expansion which had introduced some harder scenarios and more challenging villains. Having only played this version as a standalone with the base rules, a player that was after a more challenging game could throw in the Heralds of Galactus into the villain deck for a near impossible challenge.

There are a few drawbacks to this game. Perhaps the most obvious is the natural evolution of deck building games. Most eventually come to resemble one another, and in so doing this expansion takes on aspects of other popular deck building games such as Dominion and the DC Deck Building Game. As well, this expansion had been rumored to include a sixth character, which is absent, but it feels as though the developers could have thrown another in there – Carol Danvers’ Captain Marvel or Nova – just to expand the game a little as well. Another problem is that with the introduction of artifacts, that fans are going to wonder why this was not include earlier as artifacts are essentially just equipment, and fans of the comics are likely to want to see a lot of artefact tie-ins in the future, be them web-shooters, Captain America’s shield or even Wolverine’s claws.

On the whole though, this is a good expansion and keeps the core of the game relevant while adding a bit of new mechanics to make the game just a little different. That this was released to closely tie into the movie is also hopefully not a coincidence, and is rather an attempt by Upper Deck to tie into all Marvel movies a lot more closely which means that we will see a steady progression in this series to include most of the Marvel Universe.

Score: 8.3

Gen Con 2014: Upper Deck Makes a Splash

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Brett

https://twitter.com/UpperDeckEnt/status/499934489561141248/

Upper Deck is rocking Gen Con with a life size alien lording over the crowds as they walk by the booth. That’s to help kick off the pre-launch of Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game.

The company has also teased the return of the Vs. system, which they’ll release more details on as the convention continues.

To celebrate the company’s 25^th anniversary they’ve got a lot going on during the convention.

What fans seem to be most excited about is the new Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game. Upper Deck will be offering the product on presale there before fans can get it in stores for just $60 and we will be hosting demos of the game all weekend long for fans to give it a try. Fans who score the Legendary Encounters game can also score a FREE Alien “Legendary Hugs” slingpack!

Upper Deck will have a variety of Hello Kitty items at show special pricing. And any fans who purchase the new Marvel Legendary Villains game can score a set of four playable promo cards!

Upper Deck will be hosting win-a-box tournaments at the booth from Thursday through Sunday. There will also be a free raffle each day as a way of saying thank you to their fans for 25 great years. Upper Deck will be offering up free birthday cake to fans at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday as folks sing, “Happy Birthday” before passing out the delicious dish!

On Friday fans will definitely want to check out the $10,000 Legendary tournament taking place from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Those who register will also earn four Gen Con exclusive promo cards! Come see who has what it takes to become legendary as Upper Deck offers up big bucks to the game’s best players.

SDCC 2014: Upper Deck’s Appearance Will Be Legendary!

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Brett

San Diego Comic-Con is under way and things are already buzzing. Upper Deck is heading to the show and you can find them at booth #307 in Lobby A with a variety of promotions exclusive for the convention.

As Upper Deck prepares to celebrate Hello Kitty’s 40^th Anniversary with a new line of trading card products, the company will make four different promotional bags available to attendees for $10 each or $40 for all four. Each bag includes an exclusive San Diego Comic Con Hello Kitty promotional card and figure celebrating the pop icon through the decades – 1970’s, 1980’s, 1990’s and 2000’s – along with an Upper Deck Hello Kitty figure pack! Fans who purchase all four bags will also get a San Diego Comic Con exclusive black sparkle figure as a gift with purchase! Bags are limited to just 250 per day and will sell out! Additionally there will be a variety of Upper Deck Hello Kitty products for sale at show specials and free Hello Kitty temporary tattoos distributed to all fans. Even Hello Kitty herself will be making an appearance at the Upper Deck booth for photo opportunities with fans on Thursday from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. and again on Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

The core comic fans however will love to check out the latest from Upper Deck on the gaming side of the business with the company’s popular Legendary™ deck building game available for purchase and to just check out. Key staff involved in the game development will be on-hand to discuss and share details on upcoming expansions of the game.

One of the most exciting opportunities for comic fans however will come on Friday and Saturday when renowned artist Joe Jusko will be appearing LIVE at the Upper Deck booth to sign free oversized cards featuring his artwork for a future product release. Joe Jusko will appear Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Saturday from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m and Sunday at 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and again at 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Additionally, artist Neal Adams will be signing some of his Upper Deck artwork at his booth in “Artist Alley,” so we encourage fans to drop in to check that out as well!

Evil Wins with Upper Deck’s Latest Expansion for Legendary!

Posted on July 6, 2014 by Brett

Gamers declared Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game a hit when they played as Marvel Super Heroes trying to save the day, but things are about to change. Upper Deck will be releasing the fourth series expansion, rightfully named Villains, which will flip gameplay upside down and allow fans to play as the evil Marvel villains. All of a sudden, being bad never felt so good! The Villains core set expansion will include 550 playable cards featuring incredible original artwork.

For the first time ever, fans can play as Marvel villains and attempt take out the Super Heroes who are challenged to protect the city. New for this set are 15 playable allies, seven adversary groups, four commanders, four back-up adversaries and eight new plots! Additionally, gamers will be able to use new Hydra-themed starting hands along with new bystanders!

The game will feature an assortment of Marvel’s greatest villains including Magneto, Venom and Dr. Octopus as they battle some of the most heroic characters in the Marvel Universe. With subtle changes to the game board and game play, the Villains core set provides fans with a whole new playable experience and rubberized play mat with a long-lasting and transportable board to battle on.

Play with or against friends in this evil new deck-building game from Upper Deck which will release in early July!

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Upper Deck’s Legendary Deck Building Game Gets Fantastic!

Posted on October 26, 2013 by Brett

As more and more gamers get the chance to play Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game, the interest in the game continues to rise. Recently Upper Deck Entertainment released the game’s first expansion called Dark City, which quickly became a favorite with fans. And now Upper Deck Entertainment is pleased to announce the release of an expansion set themed around The Fantastic Four. This expansion will include five new heroes, two new masterminds and four new game twisting schemes!

The Fantastic Four expansion set will now allow gamers to play with 950 cards and some amazing new art. All the art for the heroes was done by renowned artist Alé Garza. Joining The Fantastic Four in their quest to become “Legendary” is the Silver Surfer. They will certainly need his help as the team does battle with new Masterminds to the set; Mole Man and Galactus.

Marvel fans can find The Fantastic Four expansion set in stores now! The expansion set features 100 new playing cards and has a suggested retail price of $19.99. Die-hard fans have been able to see many of the cards in the set at various shows throughout the summer and the early consensus is, “Finally, we can play with The Fantastic Four and against Galactus!”

“The Fantastic Four are such important characters to the Marvel Universe, we felt they deserved a set of their own for Legendary™,” said Jason Brenner, Upper Deck’s entertainment brand manager. “We wanted to do the fans a service by making a character like Silver Surfer a playable hero while adding some new mechanics that speak directly to the team dynamic in The Fantastic Four. The end result will be a lot of fun not only for fans of the game, but new players as well.”

Play with or against friends in this “Fantastic” deck-building game from Upper Deck Entertainment!

Upper Deck & 20th Century Fox to Launch Alien, Predator and Firefly Products

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Brett

Upper Deck and Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products announced today than fans of Alien, Predator and Firefly will soon be able to purchase trading cards, trading card games, stickers and sticker books inspired by the popular franchises. Upper Deck and Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products continue to grow an already existing partnership offering film and television fans, collectors and gamers a merchandise collection true to the titles they love.

The first product to be released under the new agreement will be Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game. While the game can be played on its own, Upper Deck is working to incorporate certain elements from the Marvel Legendary Deck Building Game to be compatible with the new Alien game.

Upper Deck is planning to release additional trading card games for the three franchises, along with brand new lines of trading cards and stickers. Details and release dates for these products will be announced later this year.

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Gen Con 2013: Upper Deck’s Marvel Legendary Gets Two Expansions and Lots of Empty Chairs

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Brett

While walking around the showroom floor of Gen Con this past weekend, I noticed a sign for an upcoming expansion to Upper Deck‘s deck building game Marvel Legendary. Website ICv2 is reporting, there’s actually two that will be coming out, the second announced at an event during the convention.

The set announced during a party at the Hard Rock Cafe, Upper Deck announced that a Spider-Man themed set will be making it’s debut. Artwork featuring Spider-Man and Carnage were both pictured. The company also announced a contest to name the set, with a hope that it’ll have a Carnage theme to it. The winning entry will receive a free copy of the deck.

The two new Masterminds, as well as new mechanics and schemes, for this set are Carnage and a yet to be announced character, and no it’s not Venom. The art for the set will be done by Matthew Clark. There’s 100 cards in the set and it’ll retail for $19.99.

In October, a set based on the Fantastic Four will be released. With art by Ale Garza, J.J. Kirby and Nigel Raynor, the set will also feature 100 cards. The expansion has of course the Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer with Mastermind Galactus. The set will include five heroes, two new villain groups and two Masterminds. That will also retail for $19.99.

At the convention, numerous tournaments occurred of the game, though it seemed Upper Deck had trouble filling in seats. Unlike AEG, Fantasy Flight, Heroclix or Magic which which were all in close proximity and constantly filled, Upper Deck had rows upon rows of empty seats which you can see to the right. I’d estimate at the times I went by, the section was about 25% to 33% filled each and every time. Out of all of the game publishers in the tournament area, this was the only section that seemed to have that issue and it was constant (I confirmed this with individuals running tournaments in surrounding sections). We’ll see over the next year if the game has legs or is already showing signs of burnout that lack of tournament interest would indicate.

Upper Deck’s Iron Man 3 Cards

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Brett

The first major blockbuster of the summer is upon us with Marvel’s Iron Man 3 opening on May 3. Fans can start preparing for the much anticipated release by collecting cards and stickers from Iron Man 3 starting this week! The 60-card base set chronicles the exciting events of Tony Stark after the events in last summer’s blockbuster film Marvel’s The Avengers’.

Upper Deck continues its product line with Marvel Entertainment, to produce new Marvel movie and character-based trading cards and games. This release will be chock full of all the elements that fans have come to love from Upper Deck movie products including actor autographs, movie-worn memorabilia cards, 1-of-1 artist sketch cards and printing plates, and for the first time, stickers!

The Iron Man 3 trading card set features exclusive images from Iron Man 3. Featured in the set are autographed insert cards from some of the film’s compelling stars including Rebecca Hall (Maya Hansen) and Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan). In addition to autographs, swatches of movie-worn and production costumes from Iron Man 3 will be utilized on rare memorabilia cards, which will fall at a rate of two per hobby box. Premium 1-of-1 “Artist Sketch” cards have also been inserted at random, and showcase original moments inspired by the Iron Man movie and comic book franchises.

Some other highly anticipated elements of the set include the Hall-of-Armor series that showcases the many suits of Iron Man from the movies. Also look for 1-of-1 printing plate cards of the 60 card base set and insert sets. Hard-core Iron Man fans will definitely want to collect the foil parallel set! Retail fat packs include exclusive stickers containing images and logos from the movie. Collectors can find two stickers from the full 50 sticker set per pack.

Upper Deck’s Iron Man 3 Trading Cards boasts seven cards per pack, 24 packs per box, and are just arriving on store shelves!

Check out more cards below!

Previews

It’s a Dark City for Marvel Legendary

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Brett

One of my favorite games from Gen Con 2012 is getting an expansion! Upper Deck has announcing that Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game is making new waves with Dark City, the game’s first expansion set. Dark City will offer players opportunity to use a vast array of new characters, including 17 new heroes, 6 new villain groups, 2 new henchmen groups, 5 new masterminds and of course new Schemes!

Players will seamlessly be able to add the expansion set of cards right into the core set, bringing the total Legendary count to over 850 cards! Gamers and collectors alike are going to be very happy to hear that all heroes will now have a whopping 4 unique pieces of art, as opposed to just 1 from the core set. In addition, Devin Low is returning as the designer, and has created all new content that Marvel fans are sure to love.

Dark City still offers the highly popular Heroes vs Mastermind theme from the core set, but offers players an intriguing twist with a much darker tone. This time around, the heroes are going to need as much help as they can get against evil new masterminds such as Apocalypse and Kingpin. Players need not worry, as the powerful X-Force and mighty Marvel Knights will be joining the fight in this new expansion!

Marvel fans can become “legendary” when the expansion set arrives in stores on June 25. Dark City carries a suggested retail price of $39.99 per set and includes 350 new and unique cards. Legendary is darker, grittier and tougher this time around, so prepare, the Apocalypse is coming!