Since 2019, I’ve been a devoted fan (and playtester) for the Unmatched: Battle of Legends game system – and been part of epic face-offs between so many different heroes in so many diverse locations. (There are – if you’ve acquired every bit of the Unmatched output from Restoration Games – currently 34 different locations and 70 different heroes that can be set against each other.)

In the last few weeks, eight more heroes (well, actually seven, but I’ll explain that in more detail later) were added to the Unmatched multiverse. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) and their villainous adversaries appeared as a part of the second Unmatched Adventures set… as well as Bruce Lee vs. Muhammed Ali. Those two boxes each added two new maps – including (no surprise here) the Thrilla in Manila. 

Unmatched for the Uninitiated

I’m well aware that some of you have not had the opportunity to play the wonderful goodness that is Unmatched – so, a short primer on how the game works is in order. (Yes, I know, some of you have played before. A lot. You can skip to the next heading.)

Unmatched is a skirmish battle game, driven by card play and fought on a variety of boards. On your turn, you get two actions:

• Maneuver – draw a card from your personal deck & optionally move your fighter(s)
• Attack – play a card face-down to initiate a melee or ranged attack 
• Scheme – play a Scheme card from your hand for its effect

You win by reducing your opponent’s hero to zero hit points.

If this sounds a lot like Star Wars: Epic Duels, you’re not wrong. That 2002 mass-market game is the forefather of this amazing combat system. (If you want more detail, I did a deep-dive into the differences in my original Unmatched review.)