Unmatched
The Genie
Overview
Most people in Western society may associate genies with quirky personalities, mystical powers, and particularly blue skin thanks to Disney’s hit film Aladdin. Other famous media have depicted genies in a similar fashion over the years, but the origin of the genie can be traced back as far as 5,000 years ago. The Arabic genies, or jinn, were depicted as all powerful supernatural trickers who could be benevolent or mischievous. Often, they would sit somewhere in the middle, making them more complex than many mythological characters of the time. In Unmatched, the Genie is freed from his lamp and seeks to use his power to destroy all humans and other worldly creatures in his path.
The Genie is featured in Unmatched: Houdini vs. The Genie
Hero Stats
Health:Â 16 /Â Attack:Â Ranged /Â Movement:Â 3
Special Ability: INFINITE POWER
At the start of your turn, you may discard 1 card to gain 1 action.
Strategies and Tips
The Genie is deceptively versatile. His playstyle is designed for you to go through his deck quickly. While this may seem like a disadvantage, you must plan to use his cards as a resource just as much as you would for their printed value and effects. When playing as the Genie, choosing how to play really does depend on the match up. You can use him to be hyper aggressive or play patiently, waiting to see how your opponent reacts to you.
Primary Strengths
Versatility
High card draw
High attack potential
Extra actions
Primary Weaknesses
Reaches exhaustion quickly
Low defensive options
Heroes who can safely keep their distance (e.g. Invisible Man)
Heroes with high defense and many cancel effects (e.g. Bigfoot, Luke Cage)
Tip #1: Three Wishes
Three Wishes is the Genie’s premiere card, and the card you will be building all of your strategies around:
Three Wishes: Gain 1 action and choose one effect:
- Draw 5 cards.
- For the rest of your turn, your cards’ values are 4 and cannot be changed.
- Each opponent discards 2 cards.
There are many ways you can use this scheme. Let’s start with the first effect: Draw 5 cards.
Many of the Genie’s most powerful effects require you to have cards in your hand to discard, including his special ability. You want to play with as close to a full hand as possible for most of the game.Â
The second effect makes all of your card values 4 and they cannot be changed. This can be used in conjunction with I Grant You… Death, giving you five points of damage you can throw at your opponent, and This Is No Parlor Trick to actually give this card some value. We will discuss this card more in a further tip.
The third effect forces each opponent to discard 2 cards. This can be deadly for your opponent, and chaotic when playing in a free-for-all.Â
One of the best strategies to consider is to play patiently until you have all three copies of this card in your hand, then use them all back-to-back. You can use all 3 to force your opponent down 1 one card if they have a full hand. If they have less than 7 cards on hand, you can force them to discard using only two of the effects, and then use the third to change all the values of your cards to 4. If your opponent has a low hand, then you could use each of the three effects to give you extreme card advantage and card value advantage. Pairing this combination with your special ability and the card Your Wish Is My Command to give you even more actions is a devastating enough combo to secure your victory.
Tip #2: Sacrifice for Power
With the Genie’s strategy of drawing as many cards as he can as quickly as he can, you will often find yourself needing to discard. It is important to think about this in advance and not be caught at the end of your turn with more than 7 cards in your hand, wasting the discard.
If you have 6 or more cards in hand at the start of your turn, discard one to give yourself an additional action. You also want to keep an eye out for the card Imprisoned Wrath which lets you discard 2 cards to deal 2 damage to an adjacent opposing fighter. Try to attack with this card at the end of your turn whenever you have more than 7 cards on hand. There is also the card Your Wish Is My Command which allows you to discard 2 cards after combat if you won the combat in order to gain 1 action. Like with Imprisoned Wrath, I recommend only using this effect at the end of your turn when you have more than 7 cards on hand. I wouldn’t prioritize this ability when your special ability gives you the same effect with less card cost.
When picking what cards to discard, try to weigh the abilities against the value they have against the specific hero you’re playing against. If you’re playing against Medusa, you do not want to discard any of your value 2 versatile cards since the Genie has many 0 and 1 value defense options that are vulnerable to Gaze of Stone.Â
One card you should always prioritize discarding is This Is No Parlor Trick. This versatile card has a value of 1 and a during combat effect that changes the value of your opponent’s card to its boost value. The only way this card can be of any good use is when using Three Wishes to change its value to 4, and even then, there are better cards to use. Using it to attack will at best allow you to deal 1 damage, but most often will result in no damage dealt. Since its effect takes place during combat, if you use it defensively the opposing hero’s during combat effects will take place afterwards. This means if their effect raises their attack value, then this card is useless.
Tip #3: Smart Defense
The biggest risk to playing patiently is the Genie’s lack of strong defensive options. He has two primary defense cards:
- Back in the Lamp has a value of 0 but immediately has you recover 4 health. Think of this as blocking for 4 with the benefit of healing if your opponent attacks for less than 4. This is also a great card to use against “bait” your opponent may try to use against you, like if they try to attack you with a Regroup.Â
- Prisoner’s Torment has a value of 1 but allows you to draw cards equal to the amount of combat damage you took after combat. This is bad at preserving your health, but great for your card draw.Â
Neither of these options are great for defending. Thankfully the Genie has relatively high base health and a few versatile cards that you should prioritize for defense:
- Wishing For More Wishes has a value of 2 and may actually be the Genie’s best defense card. Its effect has your opponent draw 1 card and you draw 3 cards after combat. This is great for refilling your hand right before your turn.Â
- I’ve Made Sultans Out of Less has a value of 2 and lets you look at your opponent’s hand to choose a card for them to discard after combat. This is dangerous for your opponent when used at the right time. You can see exactly what your opponent has to defend with on your next turn while removing their best option.Â
- Feint is as reliable as ever in this deck; however, this is the one versatile card you should consider attacking with if you are pairing it with Three Wishes to raise the value to 4.
When playing the game and discerning which cards are best to discard, pay close attention to the opposing hero and what cards they have played. You will have to discard some of these as the game goes on for the Genie to be played at his full potential. You want to make sure you have one of these defensive options on hand at all times, and it is equally important to make sure you have the right one prepared at the right time.
Final Thoughts
The Genie is a powerful hero capable of dealing devastating damage with enough versatility to effectively deal with a large portion of the Unmatched roster. His defenses are weak, but if you are paying attention to your opponent’s deck and discard pile, you should have a card capable of helping you in any defensive scenario. The Genie is very dynamic, making him fun to play for anyone, regardless of how new they are to Unmatched. With that said, his weaknesses can be easily exploited, so his true potential will likely only be seen in the hands of players more familiar with each possible matchup.
