Unmatched
Ms. Marvel
Overview
Ms. Marvel is a title held by many different characters in Marvel comics. Kamala Khan is the fourth character to take on the name and first appeared in Captain Marvel #14 in 2013. In 2014 she was given her own series and became Marvel’s first Muslim hero to headline her own comic book. The first volume of this series went on to win the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story. As she continued to rise in popularity, Ms. Marvel was given her own live-action series on Disney+ titled Ms. Marvel where she was portrayed by Iman Vellani. She is set to make her film debut in 2023’s The Marvel’s.
Kamala Khan is a 16 year old American born of Pakistani immigrants. She lives in New Jersey and idolizes superheroes; specifically Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel. As an Inhuman, she possesses the power to stretch her body in any way she can imagine. In Unmatched, Ms. Marvel uses her stretchy powers to attack her opponents from afar.
Ms. Marvel is included in Unmatched: Teen Spirit
Hero Stats
Health: 14 / Attack: Melee / Movement: 2
Special Ability: Stretchy
At the start of your turn, you may move Ms. Marvel 1 space
Ms. Marvel can attack from up to 2 spaces away (ignoring zones)
Strategies and Tips
Ms. Marvel is the first melee hero who can attack from 2 spaces away who isn’t also a “large fighter”. In addition, her ability to move 1 space at the start of her turn makes her capable of reaching her opponents easier than most. Many of her card effects are dependent on zones, so map choice is very important. Her defenses are not very strong, but her attack power is consistently high so you are going to want to play her very aggressively.
Primary Strengths
Attack range
High attack power
Movement
Primary Weaknesses
Weak defense
Map dependency
Can reach exhaustion quickly
Tip #1: Map Awareness
More than any other fighter in the game, Ms. Marvel relies on proper positioning. Many of her card effects are dependent on where she is on the map along with her opponent:
Big Wind Up is an attack with a value of 4 that lets you boost the card during combat if Ms. Marvel’s space shares no zones with the opposing fighter. The ability to boost a card with a base value of 4 means you are going to hit hard so long as the conditions are met.
I’m Not Touching You is an attack with a value of 4 that lets you draw 2 cards after combat if Ms. Marvel’s space shares no zones with the opposing fighter. Keeping a large hand size is important for Ms. Marvel with how aggressive she is. Any opportunity to draw more cards is always a good thing.
Embiggen is a versatile card with a value of 3 that changes the value to 6 during combat if Ms. Marvel is in more zones than the opposing fighter. This is possibly the hardest card to pull off in her deck.
Depending on the map, most of the spaces may be dual zones or there may be hardly any triple zone spaces. This would make it extremely difficult to guarantee you are in a different zone than the opposing fighter, much less a space with more zones. Additionally, your opponent has just as much control over positioning on the map as you do. They could always maneuver to an area of the map that will make triggering these effects difficult or impossible. This is where tip #2 comes in…
Tip #2: Control the Battlefield
Ms. Marvel’s special ability gives her unique control over your positioning and your opponent’s. Since you can attack from up to 2 spaces away, you should start every turn by moving 1 space away from them, especially if they end adjacent to you after an attack, or towards them to set up a double attack.
Momentous Shift is an excellent card for Ms. Marvel thanks to her special ability. This versatile card has a value of 3 and becomes a 5 during combat if you started your turn on a different space. Your opponent will never know when you plan to use this card, so they will always have to consider using large value block cards.
With your range, you should be able to force your opponent to continue chasing you, giving you certain control over everyone’s positioning. Additionally, forcing them to always maneuver on their first turn to reach you means they can only attack you once per turn which helps make up for your low value defensive options. This is especially true against other melee fighters. Ms. Marvel also has a couple of cards with effects that let you move fighters:
Shrink! Shrink! Shrink! is a versatile card with a value of 2 that lets you choose one of two effects after combat: After Combat: Choose one effect. If Ms. Marvel’s space shares no zones with the opposing fighter, do both:
- Your opponent discards 1 card
- Move the opposing fighter up to 3 spaces.
If Ms. Marvel shares no zones with the opposing fighter, you can do both. In order to do both, you have to play this card offensively. If you are in a position to play this card defensively, then both options can be beneficial. The ability to move the opposing fighter helps put you both in a more favorable position for you on your next turn and forcing them to discard is a good way to disrupt any offensive plans they had along with possibly ruining their defense.
Slingshot is Ms. Marvel’s only exclusive defense card. It has a value of 3 and allows you to place Ms. Marvel in any space in her zone after combat. This is great for setting up your positioning right before your next turn or breaking away from a bad situation.
Tip #3: EMBIGGEN!
Ms. Marvel has some incredibly powerful attacks at her disposal. Some rely on positioning as we have previously seen, but others rely on the number of cards in your hand:
Fangirl is an attack with a value of 0 that, during combat, becomes equal to the number of cards in your hand. Not only should you try to keep a high number of cards in your hand to stay aggressive, but it can boost this card’s value up to a 7 which is ridiculously powerful.
Easy Peasy is a versatile card with a value of 3 that allows you to draw 1 card after combat. Additionally, if you have 4 or more cards in your hand you deal 1 damage to an adjacent fighter. This card is best used on defense since you want to avoid attacking when adjacent to your opponent. The damage is not optional, so be careful in team matches.
Gyro and Fries is a scheme that lets you recover 2 health and gain 1 action if you have 4 or more cards in your hand. There are two of these in your deck, so you have two opportunities for an extra action and the potential to heal up to 4 points of health.
Keeping a high hand count can be difficult during aggressive play or when your opponent has you on the defensive:
Friends and Family is a scheme that allows you to draw 2 cards. You may also spend an additional action to draw until you have 7 cards in your hand. This card is an excellent way to recover if your opponent is keeping you under pressure. Additionally, this card has a boost value of 4, so if you do not need the extra card draw you can use this to make Big Wind Up hit for 8 damage. There is only one of these cards in your deck, so use it wisely.
Final Thoughts
Ms. Marvel is an incredibly explosive hero who has the potential to deal high amounts of damage during nearly every turn. Her special ability keeps her on the move and her opponents constantly have to chase after her, which helps make up for her lack of high value defense cards. Her biggest weakness is her map dependency, as particular maps can completely ruin her gameplan before the game even starts. Despite this, Ms. Marvel is an easy hero to understand and is always engaging to play.
