Light Hunters : Heroes Guide — Nuriyah & Heliodoros
By: Sergio Matsumoto
Tags: Game Design, Card Game, Board Games, Gaming, Game Development

This article explain how are designed the heroes from the boardgame Light Hunters: Battalion of Darkness, available here: https://www.dtda.fr/light-hunters.html

Nuriyah

As a thousand-year-old horse tamer, she mastered death in order to fight from the Spectral world. Very versatile, she uses her destriers to influence the fight from the beginning to the end of the game.

Destrier

Nuriyah has 3 Destrier tokens which she can use offensively or defensively. Using the Great Escape skill, Nuriyah adds 1 Destrier token to the back of the allied Hero card of her choice, the hero can then use this Destrier token to avoid an attack, without taking damage. The token is kept until it is used.

Nuriyah can also place a Destrier token on the flank of the battlefield thanks to her Cavalcade skill, in this case the tokens are stacked until reaching the maximum of 3, which triggers an attack of 3 damage to every enemy heroes.Once used, the Destrier tokens are collected by Nuriyah for reuse.

Spectral Version

Once deceased, Nuriyah keeps playing using her Spectral version (black card). Her powers are then slightly altered, but she keeps her Spirit of Light cards, and the Destrier tokens already placed.

Nuriyah is the only hero who can play after she passes away, which makes her very competitive and fun to pick up.

Strengths

Destrier tokens are very versatile

Powerful even in her Spectral version

Weaknesses

Weak in short game

Her Destrier tokens are destructible

Strategies

Nuriyah’s main strategy is to make the best use of her Destrier tokens. At the start of the game, she will use her Great Escape skill to reduce the damage suffered by her allies and thus gain the advantage. In the middle of the game, Nuriyah will prefer to use her Destrier tokens for Cavalcades and thus devastate the opposing team. The tokens being stackable between the living and spectral version, Nuriyah becomes very intimidating if she switches to the spectral version with one or two Destrier tokens placed on the side of the battlefield.

Also very powerful in Spectral version, she may have an advantage to switch to this mode quickly in anticipation of using her Furûsiyya Al-Ulwiyya Illumination which is all the more devastating.

Counter

All the Destrier tokens placed by Nuriyah are destructible, which represents her main weakness. By choosing heroes with attacks that inflict 1 damage for 1 Ether such as Balder or Ludano, you will be able to destroy her ‘Great Escape’ and in particular Nuriyah’s ‘Cavalcades’ before she can reach critical numbers. Without her Cavalcades, Nuriyah’s options are less impressive.

If her team has low health points (on average less than 9 health points per hero), it will be better to kill her quickly in order to reduce her possibilities. Otherwise, it is better to target her last and focus on the Destrier tokens she will try to place.

Conclusion

Nuriyah is very impressive and has many possibilities that make her an interesting and enjoyable hero to take in hand, however she will have a hard time against seasoned players who know her weaknesses.

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Heliodoros

A legendary hoplite, Heliodoros is known to many souls in his world. Wielding the art of combat to perfection, his strong discipline grants him a great combat effectiveness.

Bronze Shield

By moving to the front line, he receives all damage from the next attack dealing 2 or more damage. This allows him to be decisive in critical situations.

Cuirass

His Flawless Cuirass allows him to be invulnerable to attacks as long as the token is on the back of his card. The Cuirass token can be destroyed by a targeted attack.

Strengths

Powerful even if he finds himself alone in battle

Good defense allowing him to hold many rounds

Weaknesses

Difficult to coordinate with other heroes

On average less powerful than other fighters

Strategies

Heliodoros’ main strategy is to alternate between attacking and defending. Thanks to the combination of the Bronze Shield and his Cuirass, Heliodoros can, from round 5, withstand the strongest enemy attacks without losing life points. While attacking, whenever he can, with his Phalanx which deals 3 damage to an enemy Hero, and his very effective Dory attack for its Ether cost. Heliodoros thus has the possibility of making the fight last for many rounds in favor of his team, by mixing attack and defense. But this technique requires good coordination with the other heroes of his team.

Counter

Heliodoros has good defense, but doesn’t have any particularly powerful skill at his disposal on its own. In particular, he will have difficulty against heroes who inflict several attacks of less than 2 damage, which will nullify his Bronze Shield or destroy his Cuirass token. Choosing heroes with a lot of health, and quickly targeting that hero before he can set up his attack / defense strategy is a good way to turn confrontation to your advantage.

Conclusion

Heliodoros is a well-rounded hero who adapts well to different situations, he is able to attack as well as defend effectively, the opposing team will have a hard time judging when to target him. He is a good hero who will be magnified by the player who masters him to perfection.

See you soon

Sergio Matsumoto