Boxers

## Overview

*Ding ding ding! Now entering the ring, weighing in at 20 cards: Boxers! They're fighters with the will and the skill to be the strongest at any base, ready for a good old-fashioned blow-for-blow exchange of fisticuffs!*

### Details

Boxers are a custom faction centered around gaining temporary bursts of power through well-timed card combos.

#### General

* **Name:** Boxers
* **Author:** Captain Cardboard
* **Complexity:** 2.5/5
* **Version:** 1.0
* **Last Updated:** 07/26/2023

## Cards

The full Imgur album of the individual cards can be found here.

### Breakdown

Boxers have the standard spread of 10 Minions and 10 Actions, with an average power spread of 3. Among their actions, they have:

* 1 play-on-minion actions: Title Belt
* 9 standard actions, 6 of which directly affect one or more minions (in **bold**): **Quick Jabs x2**, **Haymaker x2**, **Bob & Weave**, **Knockout Uppercut**, Ringside Recovery, Float like a Butterfly Sting like a Bee, Sucker Punch
* 5 actions that directly increase a minion's power: Quick Jabs x2, Haymaker x2, Knockout Uppercut

### Minions (10)

* **1x Champion (5):** Play an extra action that mentions "power" in its ability from your discard pile, then place it on the bottom of your deck. Talent: If you have the highest power total in play, repeat the above ability.
* **2x Challenger (4):** Ongoing: Once per turn, after this minion has its power increased, reduce the breakpoint of this base by the same amount until the end of the turn.
* **3x Bruiser (3):** Play an extra action that mentions "power" in its ability and directly affects a minion here.
* **4x Brawler (2):** Talent: Choose another minion here of power 3 or more. Give that minion -2 power until the end of the turn to give one of your minions here +2 power until the end of the turn.

### Actions (10)

* **2x Quick Jabs**: Give one of your minions +3 power until the end of the turn. If you then have the highest power total in play, play an extra action that is not Quick Jabs.
* **2x Haymaker:** Discard up to five cards from your hand and/or the top of your deck. Give one of your minions +1 power for each card discarded until the end of the turn.
* **1x Title Belt:** Play on a minion of power 4 or more. Ongoing: Once per turn, after another minion has its power increased, increase this minion's power by the same amount until the end of the turn.
* **1x Bob & Weave:** Move your minion with the highest power and draw a card. Special: After a base scores, you may play this card.
* **1x Knockout Uppercut:** Choose one of your minions. Give it +2 power until the end of the turn, then you may place a minion of lesser power there on the top of its owner’s deck.
* **1x Ringside Recovery:** Draw two cards. If you have the highest power total in play, draw one more card then place a minion from your discard pile on the top of your deck.
* **1x Float like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee:** Search your deck for up to two cards that mention "power" in their abilities. You may place one into your hand and the other on the top of your deck.
* **1x Sucker Punch:** Special: Before a base scores, play an extra action that mentions “power” in its ability.

## Clarifications

* **Bob & Weave**: The player chooses which minion to move in case of a tie (ie, the two highest power minions the player controls in play are both 5 power).
* **Float like a Butterfly Sting like a Bee, Champion, Bruiser, Sucker Punch:** Any card that qualifies for these abilities must contain the word "power" in the text, even if it is in quotation marks or part of a phrase (ie, +1 *power* counter).
* **Champion**: If an action that can be played on minion or on a base is chosen and played, it activates any abilities on the card or cards that are activated by cards of that type being played, then is placed on the bottom of the player's deck.

## Strategy

### General

Boxers want to get their combo pieces out onto the board, then take bases in high power, explosive fashion. *Challengers* and *Brawlers*, as well as *Float like a Butterfy, Sting like a Bee* and *Title Belt* are ideally used to prepare for the big plays enabled by cards like *Quick Jabs*, *Haymaker*, *Champion*, and *Bruisers*. These big combos will drain your hand and deck of resources, which refueling cards like *Champion*, *Float Like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee*, and *Ringside Recovery* help to counteract.

### Partner Suggestions

Boxers appreciate partners that give their power-focused gameplay more to work with in terms of ammunition and variety. They are mostly focused around power increases, so factions that provide resources or extra minion plays can go a long way to help Boxers achieve their goals.

#### Published

* Dinosaurs
* Astroknights
* Plants

## Author Notes

This faction has gone through a lot of revisions and not much playtesting, so if anything seems really out of wack then please let me know! It's been one of the more thematically satisfying factions for me to make and I would love to nail down the balance for this deck.