Unmatched

Unmatched: every fight is different, every hero is unique

Robin Hood faces Bigfoot. Sherlock Holmes crosses swords with Dracula. King Arthur goes into battle against Medusa. Or perhaps: Nikola Tesla and Annie Christmas team up to defeat Mothman before he reaches his goal. Unmatched is the game where any combination of heroes is possible, every game plays out differently, and the answer to the question of who wins depends entirely on how well you know your deck.

Unmatched is an asymmetrical card battle game with miniatures, developed by Restoration Games in collaboration with Mondo Tees. It was released in 2019 and quickly grew into one of the most popular battle games of recent years. In the Netherlands, it is published by White Goblin Games. The system is based on the principle of Star Wars: Epic Duels from 2002, but has been completely redesigned and expanded into a full-fledged, modular game system.

How does Unmatched work?

Each player chooses a hero and takes the corresponding miniature, life point disc, and personal deck of cards. Sidekicks, if present with a hero, are placed on the board next to the main figure. Then the battle begins.

A turn consists of two actions, to be chosen from three options:

• Maneuvering. Move your hero or sidekick across the board and draw a card from your deck. Movement is point-to-point on a map with connected zones, not grids. Your hero's position determines whether you attack from close range or at a distance.
• To attack. Play a card face down as an attack. Your opponent may respond with a defense card. Both cards are revealed, and their values ​​determine the damage. Attacks do not generate luck: the outcome lies entirely in the hands of who plays which card.
• Twilight. Play a scheme card for its special effect, without moving or attacking.

You win by reducing the opponent's hero to zero health points. Sidekicks can also be eliminated, which in some cases triggers special effects.

The heart of the system is asymmetry. Every deck is completely different and plays completely differently. King Arthur has Excalibur and works with powerful direct attacks. Alice can change size using potions and becomes more dangerous as she grows larger. Bigfoot wants to leave the battlefield to activate his passive ability and then attacks hard from another zone. Robin Hood shoots from a distance and utilizes his outlaw sidekicks as a distraction. The heroes feel thematic: their playstyle aligns with who they are.

The board and the positions

Each set contains a game board, usually double-sided, with two different battlefields. Boards consist of contiguous zones connected by lines. Position determines range: melee heroes must stand in the same zone as their opponent, while ranged heroes can attack from adjacent zones. Some boards contain special zones with bonus effects. Each board can be combined with any hero from any other set.

The sets: a universe of heroes

Unmatched has a modular structure. Each set is completely standalone, and all sets are mutually compatible. You can freely combine heroes from different boxes for endless matchups. An overview of available sets:

Battle of Legends (parts 1, 2 and 3)

The Dutch home series from White Goblin Games, featuring mythological and legendary heroes. Volume 1 contains King Arthur, Alice in Wonderland, Sinbad, and Medusa. Volume 2 adds Achilles, Bloody Mary, Sun Wukong, and Yennenga. Volume 3 concludes the trilogy with Blackbeard, Loki, Chupacabra, and Pandora. Each volume contains a double-sided board (volumes 1 and 3) or a single-sided board (volume 2).

Cobble and Fog

A Victorian four-hero set featuring Sherlock Holmes, Jekyll and Hyde, The Invisible Man, and Dracula. One of the most beloved sets due to the strong thematic execution of each deck and the atmospheric London boards. Dracula plays with transformations, while Jekyll and Hyde switches between two forms, each with their own play style.

Robin Hood vs. Bigfoot

A compact two-hero set with a double-sided board: Sherwood Forest and the Yukon. Robin Hood shoots from a distance using his outlaws as shields, Bigfoot runs away to build up strength and then strikes mercilessly from another zone.

Little Red Riding Hood vs. Beowulf

Two heroes with very different play styles. Little Red Riding Hood gambles on chance and risk, while Beowulf combines high attack power with bonuses for overcoming dangerous moments.

Houdini vs. The Genie from the Lamp

A compact two-hero set. Houdini escapes from all situations and frustrates the opponent, while the Genie works with wishes that become increasingly powerful but also more dangerous.

Sun's Origin

A two-hero set featuring Oda Nobunaga and Tomoe Gozen, two historical Japanese figures with contrasting play styles. A good set for those who enjoy historical themes.

Jurassic Park

Two separate sets based on the film. InGen vs. Raptors pits Robert Muldoon against three velociraptors, where the raptors function as a team of three playable characters but are controlled by only one player. Dr. Ellie Sattler vs. T. Rex is an asymmetrical duel in which the T. Rex possesses immense strength but limited movement capabilities.

Marvel sets

Multiple sets introduce Marvel characters into the Unmatched system. Brains and Brawn includes Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and She-Hulk. For King and Country brings Black Widow, Black Panther, and Winter Soldier. Redemption Row includes Luke Cage, Ghost Rider, and Moon Knight. Teen Spirit adds Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl, and Cloak and Dagger. All Marvel heroes are fully compatible with heroes from other sets.

The Witcher

Two sets based on the Witcher universe. Steel and Silver features Geralt, Ciri, and The Ancient Leshen. Realms Fall adds Yennefer and Triss, Philippa and Eredin.

Slings and Arrows

A four-hero set based on the works of Shakespeare: the bard himself, Titania, Hamlet, and The Wayward Sisters. Thematically strong and mechanically original, with heroes that reference well-known Shakespearean themes such as doubt, magic, and betrayal.

Stars and Stripes

An American folklore set featuring George Washington, Rosie the Riveter, John Henry, and Wyatt Earp. Varied acting styles that align with the folk tales surrounding each character.

Unmatched Adventures: the cooperative line

In addition to the competitive system, Restoration Games has developed a cooperative variant called Unmatched Adventures. In Adventures, players work together to defeat a villain and his henchmen, instead of playing against each other. The rules for heroes remain largely the same as in standard Unmatched, but the villain and henchmen are controlled by a simple card-driven AI system.

Tales to Amaze

The first Adventures set. Four new heroes take center stage: Nikola Tesla, who charges his electric coils for powerful combined effects; Annie Christmas, who grows stronger as she fights from a disadvantageous position; The Golden Bat, the world's first superhero with powerful one-off effects; and Dr. Jill Trent, with two interchangeable gadgets and a sidekick.

Players choose a villain together: Mothman or the Martian Invader. Each villain has their own battlefield and objective. If the villain reaches their goal or defeats all the heroes, the players lose. In addition to the villain, there are six henchmen available to adjust the difficulty: Jersey Devil, Ant Queen, The Blob, Skunk Ape, Loveland Frog, and Tarantula. These henchmen are also controlled via card actions and organize the battlefield in a systematic manner.

Tales to Amaze can also be played as a competitive game: the four heroes included in the box work fully within the standard Unmatched system. Furthermore, heroes from other Unmatched sets can be deployed in Adventures mode instead of the included heroes.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The second Adventures set brings Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael to the battlefield, with Shredder and Krang as villains. Unique to this set is that the villains can also be used as playable competitive heroes, making the set more versatile than Tales to Amaze.

Fully compatible system

One of Unmatched's strongest features is that everything can be combined with everything else. Every hero from every set can play on every board from every set and battle any other hero. In Adventures mode, standard Unmatched heroes can take on the cooperative challenge. This makes your collection increasingly rich as you add more sets: the number of possible combinations grows exponentially.

Who is Unmatched suitable for?

Unmatched is ideally suited for players who enjoy direct competitive games, whether one-on-one or with multiple people, and who like to learn a system that continually reveals new depth as you get to know more heroes. A game lasts 20 to 40 minutes, the rules are quickly explained, and the barrier to entry is low. However, anyone who understands all the nuances of a deck plays fundamentally differently than a beginner.

The Adventures line also makes Unmatched accessible to groups that prefer to work together. The basic principle of card-driven combat remains, but the social dynamics shift completely.

The recommended age for the standard system is 10 years. Playing time is 20 to 40 minutes per game.

Where do you start?

New to Unmatched? Choose a set based on theme. Do you love mythology and classic stories? Start with Battle of Legends Part 1. Do you like a Victorian atmosphere? Cobble and Fog is an excellent starting point with four varied heroes. Do you enjoy a compact duel? Robin Hood vs. Bigfoot or Houdini vs. the Genie are good choices for a first evening. Do you want to team up? Then start right away with Tales to Amaze.

Once you know the system, every new set is a reason to rediscover the existing collection by trying new combinations.