Superman, Man of Steel FAQ

Superman, Man of Steel Frequently Asked Questions
Created by Chad Daniel, Dave DeLaney and Mitchell Waldbauer

General mechanics questions

Removing an attacker or defender from an attack.

Some cards, like Orion, Dog of War, remove attackers or defenders from attacks. Removing an attacker (or defender) from an attack makes that character lose its attacker and team attacker (or defender) characteristic(s). When an attack concludes, if an attacker is no longer part of combat, that character does not ready.

Becoming a defender

Some cards, like Superman, Clark Kent, make a character become the defender this attack. That character gains the defender characteristic. The game does not recheck the legality of the attack at this time.

Remove from the game

Some cards, like Eradicator, Soul of Krypton, place cards into the removed from game zone. The following is the official rule that explains the removed from game zone:

212.7 Removed-from-Game Zone

212.7a The removed-from-game zone represents the area of the game where players place cards that have been removed from the game by effects. Each player has his or her own removed-from-game zone.

212.7b The removed-from-game zone is public information.

Replace

Some cards, like Perry White, have the new templating with the word “replace” on it. The following is the official rule for replace:

512.5 Some one-shot modifiers instruct a player to replace a resource. To replace a resource, its controller KO’s it. Then, if he or she did, that player puts the top card of his or her deck face down into his or her resource row. He or she may look at that card once it's in the resource row. (See rule 212.5f.)

Example: Perry White reads, "At the start of the combat phase, if Perry White is protected, look at target face-down resource an opponent controls. You may replace that resource." This means that the controller of the resource will first KO it. Then, if he or she did, that player puts the top card of his or her deck face down into his or her resource row.

Invulnerability

Some cards, like Superman, Man of Steel have or can give the keyword invulnerability to other characters. The following is the official rule for this keyword:

707.7 Invulnerability is a keyword that represents a continuous power that functions in the in-play zone. Characters with invulnerability ignore rules 702.1a and 702.1b. As these characters become stunned, they cause their controller no stun endurance loss, rather than stun endurance loss equal to their recruit costs.

Cosmic

Some cards, like Alpha Centurion, Marcus Aelius, have the keyword cosmic. The following are the official rules for this keyword:

707.8 “Cosmic” is a keyword on character cards that represents a continuous power that functions in the in-play zone and a one-shot modifier that modifies how the character comes into play. Cosmic and cosmic counters have special rules that apply only to them and not to counters that have other names.

707.8a A character with cosmic comes into play with a cosmic counter on it.

707.8b As a character becomes stunned, remove all cosmic counters from it.

707.8c A character can't have more than one cosmic counter on it at a time.

707.8d A character that doesn't have cosmic can't have any cosmic counters on it.

707.8e The phrase, "Cosmic: [text]," means, "While this character has a cosmic counter on it, it has [text] in addition to any other text it has." If the character does not have a cosmic counter on it, it does not have [text].

A character that becomes stunned loses any cosmic counter on it at the same time it gains the stunned characteristic, because it loses the cosmic text and power. A character that comes into play stunned doesn't come into play with a cosmic counter, even if it would have cosmic if it were face up, because it doesn't have cosmic on coming into play. (It doesn't come into play with the counter and then immediately lose it.)

Characters with invulnerability in their cosmic text still ignore stun endurance loss if they get stunned. These characters lose the cosmic counter, and thus the cosmic text, at the same time they would normally lose their text from becoming stunned. This happens after the stun endurance loss is calculated.

Characters that don't have cosmic can't have cosmic counters put onto them in any way. Characters that do have cosmic can have one cosmic counter put onto them by certain effects if they don't already have one; a cosmic counter can’t be put onto a character if it already has one.

A character, like Rogue, Power Absorption, may copy a cosmic power, but only if it's currently active, i.e. the character has its cosmic counter. Once the power is copied, the original character's cosmic counter no longer affects the copied power.

Card specific questions

Alpha Centurion, Marcus Aelius
Character, Team Superman, 4
7 ATK/6 DEF
Flight
Cosmic: While you control no ready characters, Alpha Centurion gets +2 ATK and +2 DEF.
Boost 1: When Alpha Centurion comes into play, exhaust any number of characters you control. Characters you control get +3 ATK while exhausted and defending this turn.

All characters you control, including Alpha Centurion, must be exhausted for the +2 ATK and +2 DEF to apply. If the boost cost is paid, it doesn't matter how the characters become exhausted; if they are exhausted and defending, they get the +3 ATK. Alpha Centurion can get both +2 ATK/+2 DEF and +3 ATK if both cosmic and boost apply.

Amazing Grace, Manipulator
Character, Darkseid's Elite, 4
6 ATK/6 DEF
Activate, discard a Darkseid's Elite character card from your hand >>> Target player chooses a character with a cost of 3 or less he controls. Move that character to your front row. That character gains the Darkseid's Elite team affiliation. Use this power only during the recovery phase. (You control that character.)

You can target yourself with this power to move a character to the front row and have it gain the Darkseid's Elite team affiliation.

Anti-Life Equation
Plot Twist, 3
Play Anti-Life Equation only if you control a Darkseid's Elite character.
Ongoing: At the start of the recovery phase, starting with you, each player chooses a different number. The player who chose the highest number loses that much endurance. Each other player gains that much endurance and stuns a non-stunned character he controls.

You cannot choose a negative number.

Atomic Skull, Joe Martin
Character, Revenge Squad, 2
2 ATK/1 DEF
Range
Reveal a Revenge Squad character card from your hand >>> Stun target character if its cost is less than the number of ongoing plot twists you control. Use this power only during your attack step and only once per turn.

Atomic Skull’s power counts the number of ongoing plot twists face up in your resource row when the effect resolves. In all other zones they are considered ongoing plot twist cards, not ongoing plot twists. Face-down resources do not have card types.

Back to Back
Plot Twist, 2
While two target characters you control are in the same column, they each get +1 ATK and +1 DEF while defending this turn.

Either character (or both) can be stunned and the bonus from Back to Back will still apply to both characters.

Bernadeth, Leader of Female Furies
Character, Darkseid's Elite, 4
8 ATK/6 DEF
Pay 1 endurance >>> Whenever a character an opponent controls recovers this phase, its controller loses endurance equal to its cost. Use this power only once per turn.

If the effect is played during the recovery phase, this would trigger for the character chosen during the wrap-up actions. Since no one has priority during the wrap-up actions, the trigger would not resolve until the draw phase of the next turn.

Big Barda, Barda Free
Character, New Gods, 6
12 ATK/12 DEF
Range
Cosmic: Pay half your endurance, rounded up >>> Big Barda gets +4 ATK and +4 DEF this attack. Use this power only once per turn.

Half of 0 endurance rounded up is 0. A negative number is treated as zero. If a player is at negative endurance, he or she can pay 0 to use Big Barda’s power.

Bizarro World
Location, 2
Flip Bizarro World only if you control a Revenge Squad character.
Activate >>> Stun target character with a DEF of 0.

This card text changes with a release of any new set and becomes tournament legal when that set becomes tournament legal. Until the new set becomes tournament legal, players can continue to use the old card text in sanctioned tournament.

Example: Superman, Man of Steel is released on November 20th, but does not becomes tournament legal until December 1st. Bizarro World's text would be released on November 20th, but will not become tournament legal until December 1st.

For most current text of this card visit bizarroworld.com or refer to the Official Card Reference file at ude.com/rules.

Brainiac 2.5, Vrill Dox
Character, Revenge Squad, 5
9 ATK/8 DEF
While Brainiac 2.5 is ready, non–Revenge Squad characters get -1 DEF.
While Brainiac 2.5 is exhausted, non–Revenge Squad characters get -1 ATK.
Boost 2: When Brainiac 2.5 comes into play, non–Revenge Squad characters get -2 ATK and -2 DEF this turn.

A character without a team affiliation is a "non–Revenge Squad" character.

Brimstone, Engine of Destruction
Character, Darkseid's Elite, 6
13 ATK/10 DEF
Loyalty. Pay 1 resource point >>> At the start of the combat phase, KO target resource. Use this power only once per turn.

You choose the target resource when you use Brimstone’s power. That resource becomes KO’d at the start of the combat phase.

Cadmus Labs
Location, 1
Activate >>> Character cards named Superman are not unique this turn.
Replace Cadmus Labs >>> Target character named Superman gets +1 ATK and +1 DEF this attack.

Cadmus Labs does not have to be ready in order to use the second power.
Since the replace is part of the cost, Cadmus Labs is replaced as part of the announcement of the effect.

Daily Planet
Location, 1
Activate >>> Look at the top two cards of target opponent's deck. Choose one card from among them and put it into that player’s KO’d pile. Put the remaining card on the top of that player's deck. Use this power only if you control a Team Superman character.

If the opponent's deck has one card in it, the card will go to that player's KO’d pile. If that deck is empty, you can still use the power but it does nothing.

Darkseid, Lord of Apokolips
Character, Darkseid's Elite, 8
20 ATK/20 DEF
Range
As an additional cost to recruit Darkseid, discard a Darkseid's Elite character card from your hand.
At the start of the recovery phase, KO all other characters.

Darkseid’s power KO’s all other characters including characters you control and characters your opponents control.

Deuce, Miss Perception
Character, Fearsome Five, 2
2 ATK/2 DEF
Deuce gets +2 ATK and +2 DEF while attacking a character with a cost of 2 or while defending against a character with a cost of 2.

This is a conditional continuous power that either applies or it doesn't. If Deuce is team attacked by multiple characters each with a cost of 2, Deuce only gets +2 ATK/+2 DEF once.

Eradicator, Doctor David Connor
Character, Revenge Squad, 6
13 ATK/12 DEF
Flight, Range
Whenever Eradicator stuns a defender, replace any number of target locations controlled by that defender’s controller.

“Any number” can be zero, but it can't be more than the number of locations your opponent controls. You can't choose the same location twice. In order for the effect to be negated, all the targets must be illegal. If one of the targets is no longer a location, the effect will still apply to the remaining legal targets.

Eradicator, Soul of Krypton
Character, Team Superman, 7
15 ATK/15 DEF
Flight, Range
While you control another Team Superman character, whenever Eradicator stuns a character, remove that character from the game.

You don't have to control another Team Superman character at the resolution of the effect as long as you control one at the point this triggered power would trigger. If an effect would recover the character stunned by Eradicator, when the triggered effect resolves, it would still remove that character from the game.

Forever People
Plot Twist, 4
As an additional cost to play Forever People, exhaust a New Gods character you control.
Put target character card with the version Forever People from your KO’d pile into your support row, stunned.

This does not give you a free recovery action. You can still only recover one character as part of the recovery phase wrap-up.

Granny Loves You
Plot Twist, 2
Ongoing: At the start of the recovery phase, if you control a Darkseid's Elite character, each player loses 1 endurance for each stunned character he controls.

Granny Loves You affects each player including its controller.

Heat Vision
Plot Twist, 1
Exhaust target defender you control. If you do, that defender gets +3 ATK this attack and whenever that defender stuns an attacker this attack, that attacker's controller loses 3 endurance.

Heat Vision's effect only applies if Heat Vision itself exhausts the defender. If something else exhausts that defender in response, Heat Vision will resolve but none of the rest of its effect will happen.

Last Son of Krypton
Plot Twist, 8
Play Last Son of Krypton only during the recovery phase.
Choose a character named Superman you control. Each other player chooses a character he controls. KO all characters other than the chosen characters.

You do not have to have Superman in order to play this plot twist. If at the resolution of the effect you do not control a character named Superman, you do not get to choose a character to save, but each other player still does.

Massacre, Alien Bounty Hunter
Character, Revenge Squad, 3
5 ATK/3 DEF
Flight
As an additional cost to recruit Massacre, reveal a Revenge Squad character card from your hand.
Whenever Massacre becomes stunned, KO all stunned characters.

The effect will KO all stunned characters at the resolution of the effect, so if a character is recovered before the effect resolves, it will not be KO’d.

Maxie Zeus, God Complex
Character, Arkham Inmates, 4
6 ATK/6 DEF
Cosmic: Whenever an Arkham Inmates character you control causes breakthrough to a player, that player discards a card from his hand.

If you team attack a player directly, this power will trigger for each team attacker.

Mongal, Ruler of Almerac
Character, Revenge Squad, 3
4 ATK/4 DEF
Whenever Mongal attacks a character, you may move that character to its controller's support row.

You can move the character to any empty position on your opponent's support row. It does not have to be adjacent to another character.

Mongul, Tyrant of Warworld
Character, Revenge Squad, 5
9 ATK/8 DEF
Cosmic: While you control another Revenge Squad character, whenever Mongul stuns a character, that character's controller loses endurance equal to that character's cost.
Boost 2: When Mongul comes into play, you may stun target character with a cost of 4 or less.

You do not have to control another Revenge Squad character at the resolution of the effect as long as you control one at the point this triggered power would trigger. This is not a conditional triggered power, so it will not check anything on resolution.

Mongul’s boost power can trigger his other power, assuming he has a cosmic counter and you control another Revenge Squad character.

This endurance loss is in addition to the normal stun endurance loss and happens after the normal stun endurance loss.

Mr. Mxyzptlk, Fifth Dimension Imp
Character, Revenge Squad, 2
1 ATK/1 DEF
Flight, Range
Mr. Mxyzptlk costs you 1 less to recruit for each Revenge Squad character you control.
Mr. Mxyzptlk cannot be stunned.
Whenever Mr. Mxyzptlk is attacked, return him to owner's hand.

The character attacking Mr. Mxyzptlk will usually ready. Mr. Mxyzptlk cannot be stunned by any effect at any time generated from any source, or by the rules of the game.

Mr. Mxyzptlk’s cost can never be reduced below 0.

You can’t pay a cost that requires you to stun a character with Mr. Mxyzptlk.

Narrow Escape
Plot Twist, 1
Exhaust target defender you control. If you do, that defender gets +2 DEF this attack.

Narrow Escape's effect only applies if Narrow Escape itself exhausts the defender. If something else exhausts that defender in response, Narrow Escape will resolve but won't give the +2 DEF.

Parasite, Rudy Jones
Character, Revenge Squad, 4
6 ATK/6 DEF
Parasite does not come into play with a cosmic counter.
Whenever Parasite stuns a character, put a cosmic counter on Parasite.
Cosmic: Parasite gets +4 ATK and +4 DEF.

If Parasite already has a cosmic counter, the power will still trigger, but rules for cosmic prevent him from ever gaining a second counter, so the effect won't do anything on resolving.

Perry White, Chief
Character, Team Superman, 1
1 ATK/1 DEF
At the start of the combat phase, if Perry White is protected, look at target face-down resource an opponent controls. You may replace that resource.

If at resolution of the triggered effect Perry White is either no longer protected and/or the targeted resource is face up, the effect is negated by game rules.

Revenge Pact
Plot Twist, 3
Ongoing: Pay 3 endurance, discard a card from your hand >>> Reveal the top five cards of your deck. Choose one Revenge Squad character card from among them and put it into your hand. Put the remaining cards on the bottom of your deck in any order. Use this power only once per turn.

If you have multiple Revenge Pacts in your resource row, you can use each one’s power once per turn.

Satanus, Evil Incarnate
Character, Revenge Squad, 6
6 ATK/6 DEF
Range
Whenever Satanus stuns a defender, recover that defender and move it to your support row. That character gains the Revenge Squad team affiliation. (You control that character.)

The character that Satanus stuns will also keep its other affiliations.

Characters always recover exhausted, so it will still remain exhausted after being moved to your support row.

Superman, Blue
Character, Team Superman, 5
9 ATK/8 DEF
Flight, Range
Cosmic: Activate, remove a cosmic counter from Superman >>> Stun target character if its cost is less than or equal to the number of Team Superman characters with cosmic you control.

The effect will count all Team Superman characters you control with cosmic even if they do not have counters.

Superman, Clark Kent
Character, Team Superman, 4
7 ATK/7 DEF
Flight, Range
Cosmic: Activate >>> Remove target Team Superman defender you control from this attack. Superman becomes the defender this attack.

The target Team Superman defender will lose the defender characteristic and Superman, Clark Kent will gain the defender characteristic. The game does not recheck the legality of the attack. For example, a character without flight declares an attack on an unprotected character. After they have gained the attacker and defender characteristics, Superman, Clark Kent's activated power is used. Even if Superman, Clark Kent is protected, the attack with Superman, Clark Kent as the defender will proceed.

Superman Robots, Army
Character, Team Superman, 3
4 ATK/4 DEF
Flight, Range
Resources you control cannot be the target of plot twists your opponents control.
Boost 1: When Superman Robots comes into play, characters named Superman Robots get +1 ATK and +1 DEF this turn for each character named Superman Robots you control.

Locations and plot twists in the resource row still have the resource characteristic if they are face up. This means that your opponent cannot target your face-up locations and plot twists with his or her plot twists.

The Joker, Emperor Joker
Character, Arkham Inmates, 8
17 ATK/17 DEF
Loyalty. When an opponent has no cards left in his deck, he loses the game.
Pay 1 endurance >>> If an opponent would lose endurance this turn, that opponent removes from the game that many cards from the top of his deck instead.

If the Joker, Emperor Joker, has had his payment power resolve this turn, and he and another character stun each other simultaneously, the power's effect replaces the stun endurance loss for that opponent. However, if that empties that opponent's deck, because The Joker is already stunned, his triggered power is already “turned off” and doesn't trigger.

The Prophecy Fulfilled
Plot Twist, 4
Play The Prophecy Fulfilled only during the build phase.
Ongoing: At the start of the recovery phase, if you control a non-stunned New Gods character, each of your opponents who has 0 or less endurance loses the game.

The Prophecy Fulfilled triggers at the start of the combat phase which is before the game checks to see if a player is knocked out during the wrap-up.

If The Prophecy Fulfilled’s conditions are met, and both players have 0 or less endurance, your opponent will lose the game even if your endurance is lower than his or hers.

The Source
Location, 3
Replace The Source >>> Replace target plot twist an opponent controls. Search that opponent's deck, hand, and KO'd pile for all cards with the same name as that plot twist and remove them from the game. That opponent shuffles his deck. Use this power only if you control a New Gods character.

If the target is no longer a plot twist (for example, it could have been replaced by a different effect or turned face down) the effect is negated by game rules. If you do replace the plot twist, you do not get to see what is placed face down. The plot twist you replaced will be in the KO pile when you search. If you replace the plot twist Forever People, you do not get to remove characters with the version of Forever People.