Unmatched
Annie Christmas
Overview
Among the numerous legends woven into the tapestry of Louisiana’s Bayou Country, none cast a longer shadow than the tale of Floatboat Annie. This legendary narrative chronicles the exploits of a remarkable African American woman who stood a towering 7 feet tall, capturing the imaginations of the African-American community in antebellum Louisiana. Her precious pearl necklace stood as an emblematic symbol of her strength, with each pearl symbolizing the tribute paid by those who dared to challenge her and were vanquished. Stories of Annie can be found in the 1995 book Her Stories: African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales written by Viginia Hamilton and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon.
Annie Christmas is included in Unmatched Adventures: Tales to Amaze
Hero Stats
Health:Â 14 / Attack:Â Melee / Movement:Â 2
Special Ability: Necklace of Pearls
Add +2 to the value of Annie’s attacks if she has less health than the defender.
Sidekick: Charlie
Health: 8 /Â Attack: Ranged / x1
Strategies and Tips
Annie is a challenging hero to classify. Her strength peaks when her health is lower than that of her opponent, shaping her playstyle around manipulating her health total. Exploiting this advantage without jeopardizing herself requires finesse, and precise timing becomes pivotal to her strategy. Fortunately, Annie possesses card abilities that enable self-inflicted damage, healing, and mobility beyond her standard movement. Her sidekick, Charlie, plays a pivotal role in her strategy by providing opportunities for escaping dangerous situations, drawing additional cards, and delivering extra damage even when her special ability is not active.
Primary Strengths
Strong attack options with special ability
Card draw
Survivability
Primary Weaknesses
Low base movement
Mediocre attack options without special ability
Activating special ability can be risky
Tip #1: Health Management
Managing your health should be your primary focus when playing as Annie. You don’t want to keep your health lower than your opponent at all times. Doing so is a surefire way to end up losing the game, even with the boosted attack power from your special ability. We recommend keeping your health total close to your opponent’s, even if it means leaving yourself undefended against certain attacks.Â
When your health is higher than your opponent’s, they may be discouraged from attacking you with high-value attacks to avoid triggering your special ability. This presents a good opportunity to utilize the following card:
Lagniappe is an attack card that Annie can use to immediately deal up to 2 damage to herself and draw that many cards. Since the terminology is “up to,” you can choose how much damage to take, from 0 to 2. If you find yourself attacking when your health is one point higher than your opponent’s, this is a good way to sneak in your special ability, as the effect occurs before combat. This is Annie’s strongest attack card, so use it strategically.
Tip #2: Positioning
Annie is a melee hero with low base mobility, so proper positioning will determine her effectiveness. This is especially true when facing ranged heroes with tools to keep her at a distance. Annie has access to several versatile cards that can grant her healing and even deal extra damage to your opponent when positioned correctly. Keep these in mind when moving around the board. Annie has one card that is key for moving in close to ranged fighters:
Slick Talker is a defense card that immediately allows Annie and Charlie to swap spaces, making the other fighter the defender. Charlie is crucial to Annie’s playstyle, primarily due to this card. Charlie does not gain any bonuses from Annie’s special ability, so your opponent may not see him as much of a threat. If you position him correctly, you can use this card to swap him and Annie, making your opponent vulnerable to attack on your next turn. You can also use this card in the opposite way, removing Charlie from danger and forcing Annie to take the attack. This can be used to activate Annie’s special ability if your opponent is actively avoiding her.
Annie has a few cards with effects that activate based on Annie and Charlie’s positioning relative to each other. Therefore, it is essential to think ahead and strategically plan your movements to maximize the benefits from these effects.
Tip #3: Smart Defense
It may sound redundant, but Annie’s defensive game is more important than her offense. Of course, this is true for nearly every fighter in Unmatched, but for Annie, it holds even more significance due to her core strategy revolving around health management. Her versatile cards have decent values and effects that help her recover health and move around the board more easily, but there is one card that surpasses all others:
Mississippi Queen is a defense card that immediately prevents any damage from reducing Annie’s health below 1 on the turn this card is played. Consider this card her final line of defense, and, if possible, use it only when all three of these cards are in your hand or if Annie is already very low on health, and this is your only option. Ideally, both conditions will be met before playing this card.
Don’t forget that this card is not the ultimate defense it may appear to be. You will still be vulnerable to damage from enemy defensive card effects and special ability damage. Against certain opponents, you may end up just as exposed on your next attack turn as you were when defending. For this reason, play this card with the intent of defeating your opponent on your next turn. If you need at least two turns to defeat your opponent, that is why you save the other copies of this card. Ultimately, it comes down to the hero you are facing and paying attention to what their defensive options they still have access to.
Final Thoughts
Annie Christmas’ focus on health management throughout the game makes every turn more engaging than the last. No matter which opponent she faces, she possesses the tools needed to confront any situation. Her high-risk, high-reward playstyle might be a bit challenging for players new to Unmatched, but the simplicity of her cards’ effects and special ability makes her an approachable hero for players of all skill levels.
