Loki
Playstyle: Defensive · Complexity: 4/6 · Marvel
Who is this character?
A trickster: wins not through damage but by dismantling enemy turns – Spellbound, illusions, gambles.
How to play Loki
If after roll 1 5× Mischief for Glorious Purpose! are reachable. Keep 5× Mischief and reroll all dice not needed, aiming at Glorious Purpose! (5 dice). If fewer than 5 matching dice remain after roll 1, switch to Double Take. Glorious Purpose! deals a documented 10 damage and applies Spellbound/Spellbound, so the 5 committed dice stay on the table.
If after roll 1 4× Mischief for Double Take are reachable. Keep 4× Mischief and reroll all dice not needed, aiming at Double Take (4 dice). If fewer than 4 matching dice remain after roll 1, switch to Glorious Purpose!. Double Take deals a documented 7 damage and bypasses the defence roll and applies Spellbound/Spellbound/Illusion, so the 4 committed dice stay on the table.
Play Vilify from behind for Illusion + 7, and while ahead for 5 undefendable damage plus Bag of Tricks.
Fire the ultimate only once three Spellbound are placed: the opponent then loses their next turn almost entirely, the 10 damage is a side note.
Trying Spellbound on ultimates – that is not allowed.
Strengths
- Spellbound covers enemy abilities – simply forbid their strongest move
- Illusion: the attacker picks blind – all, half, or NOTHING gets through (~50%)
- Mockery at 6/7/8 is one of the hardest core attacks
- Double Take: 7 undefendable + 2 Spellbound + Illusion in one turn
Weaknesses
- Tip the Scale prevents 0 – without an Illusion token you are naked
- Illusion is a gamble: 50% on average, nothing in the worst case
Key attacks
- MockeryStandard route
Reliable damage route for turns without special setup.
Take it as soon as 3× 🔱 Scepter is mostly on the table after roll 1 (84% across all three rolls): safe damage beats rerolling working dice for a harder route.
3× 🔱 Scepter · 6 damage
- AnticsSetup
Setup attack: places effects that later turns rely on.
Play it early while turns remain for the effect to pay off – as the last action of a close game Antics deals no damage.
2× 🌀 Lies
- ConfuddleStandard route
Reliable damage route for turns without special setup.
Take it as soon as 2× 🔱 Scepter + 2× 👺 Illusion is mostly on the table after roll 1 (78% across all three rolls): safe damage beats rerolling working dice for a harder route.
2× 🔱 Scepter + 2× 👺 Illusion · 7 damage · spellbound
- VilifyStandard route
Reliable damage route for turns without special setup.
Take it as soon as 1× 🔱 Scepter + 1× 👺 Illusion + 1× 🌀 Lies + 1× 🔻 Mischief is mostly on the table after roll 1 (63% across all three rolls): safe damage beats rerolling working dice for a harder route.
1× 🔱 Scepter + 1× 👺 Illusion + 1× 🌀 Lies + 1× 🔻 Mischief · about 7 damage
- VexBurst
High single-turn damage that locks several dice.
Only go for it when at most one symbol of Small straight (4 in a row) is missing after roll 1 (59% across all three rolls); otherwise you give up an already safe route.
Small straight (4 in a row) · 7 damage
- Double TakeControl
Control route: damage plus an effect against the opponent's next turn.
Worth it when the opponent is hunting their strong route next turn (10% across all three rolls): the effect beats a few extra damage points there.
4× 🔻 Mischief · 7 damage · spellbound
- Kneel to MeBurst
High single-turn damage that locks several dice.
Only go for it when at most one symbol of Large straight (5 in a row) is missing after roll 1 (25% across all three rolls); otherwise you give up an already safe route.
Large straight (5 in a row) · about 9 damage
- Glorious Purpose!Finisher
Ultimate: the board's highest damage value with the hardest requirement.
Do not force 5× 🔻 Mischief (1% across all three rolls): only when the requirement is reachable after roll 1 is giving up the safe route worth it.
5× 🔻 Mischief · 10 damage · spellbound
Key statuses & resources
- Bag of Tricks: Max 2 on the holder: roll in upkeep – 1: −1 CP; 2–5: LOKI chooses (heal 2 / +1 CP / take 2 damage); 6: +2 CP. Antics, Vex, Vilify, Kneel to Me, ultimate (hand out up to 4). Gift them generously to opponents: on 2–5 YOU decide – usually that means 2 damage for them.
- Illusion: Antics, Vilify (when behind), Double Take, Kneel to Me (mischief), ultimate.
- Illusion: Against every hit of 6+ – on average it halves, with luck it erases.
- Bag of Tricks: Antics, Vex, Vilify, Kneel to Me, ultimate (hand out up to 4).
- Bag of Tricks: Gift them generously to opponents: on 2–5 YOU decide – usually that means 2 damage for them.
Abilities & board
Health: 50 · Starting CP: 2
Dice symbols
Level I abilities
- MockeryNormal
- Dice requirement:
- 3× 🔱 Scepter
- Damage/healing:
- 6 damage
- Antics
- Dice requirement:
- 2× 🌀 Lies
- Damage/healing:
- Not sufficiently verified
- ConfuddleNormal
- Dice requirement:
- 2× 🔱 Scepter + 2× 👺 Illusion
- Damage/healing:
- 7 damage
- Key effects:
- spellbound
- VilifyUndefendable
- Dice requirement:
- 1× 🔱 Scepter + 1× 👺 Illusion + 1× 🌀 Lies + 1× 🔻 Mischief
- Damage/healing:
- about 7 damage
- VexNormal
- Dice requirement:
- Small straight (4 in a row)
- Damage/healing:
- 7 damage
- Double TakeUndefendable
- Dice requirement:
- 4× 🔻 Mischief
- Damage/healing:
- 7 damage
- Key effects:
- spellbound
- Kneel to MeNormal
- Dice requirement:
- Large straight (5 in a row)
- Damage/healing:
- about 9 damage
Ultimate
- Glorious Purpose!Ultimate
- Dice requirement:
- 5× 🔻 Mischief
- Damage/healing:
- 10 damage
- Key effects:
- spellbound
Defense
Tip the Scale The defense roll is made whenever you are attacked. It does not prevent damage directly. Avoiding the attack is also possible. Tip the Scale: 1 die, 0 prevention – it only generates tokens (scepter: Spellbound, mischief: Illusion). Your real defense is banked Illusions (~50% per spend).
Special mechanics
- Illusion: a gamble instead of avoidance Token mechanicUp to 2 tokens. When used, the attacker blindly picks from three cards: full damage, half damage, no damage - about 33% each. Expected mitigation about 50%. This is not fixed prevention and not safe avoidance; a single token can fizzle entirely. · Maximum: 2
- Spellbound: locking abilities Token mechanicUp to 3 markers on enemy boards. Exactly 1 locked ability per marker, no ultimates, at most 1 marker per ability, target fixed when applying. Sources: Confuddle (about 78.2%), Double Take, Tip the Scale (scepter, about 33%), the ultimate. Spellbound prevents no damage, it removes options. · Maximum: 3
- Bag of Tricks: a gift with side effects Token mechanicAt most 2 markers per player. Upkeep roll per marker: 1 costs the holder 1 CP, on 2-5 Loki decides (heal 2, +1 CP or 2 damage), 6 grants +2 CP. On the enemy side about 1.3 damage per marker and round on average. · Maximum: 2
- Tip the Scale: 0 prevention, tokens only Mechanic1 defense die without any damage prevention: scepter applies Spellbound (about 33%), mischief places 1 Illusion (about 17%). The defensive effect only arises later through banked Illusions.
Resources
- IllusionMax 2: spend when attacked – the attacker blindly picks one of 3 cards: full, half, or no damage. · Antics, Vilify (when behind), Double Take, Kneel to Me (mischief), ultimate. · Against every hit of 6+ – on average it halves, with luck it erases.
- Bag of TricksMax 2 on the holder: roll in upkeep – 1: −1 CP; 2–5: LOKI chooses (heal 2 / +1 CP / take 2 damage); 6: +2 CP. · Antics, Vex, Vilify, Kneel to Me, ultimate (hand out up to 4). · Gift them generously to opponents: on 2–5 YOU decide – usually that means 2 damage for them.
Upgrades & cards
What changes?
- MockeryLevel II
- Damage: 7 damage instead of 6 damage
- Dice requirement: 4× 🔱 Scepter instead of 3× 🔱 Scepter
- MockeryLevel III
- Damage: 8 damage instead of 6 damage
- Dice requirement: 5× 🔱 Scepter instead of 3× 🔱 Scepter
Hero-specific cards
Not sufficiently verified
Works well with
- Seraph
Seraph adds the healing that Loki lacks.
- Wolverine
Wolverine adds the healing that Loki lacks.
- Cursed Pirate
Cursed Pirate takes over damage and fills the open team role.
Good matchups
- Vampire Lord
Loki keeps Vampire Lord tied up with Spellbound, many of Vampire Lord's effects get cancelled that way.
- Headless Horseman
Headless Horseman lands spikes up to 14 damage off Dreadful without a long ramp – more than Loki can shut down.
- Black Panther
Loki keeps Black Panther tied up with Spellbound, and Black Panther already needs tight rolls.
Tough matchups
- Wolverine
Wolverine keeps Loki tied up with Alpha, many of Loki's effects get cancelled that way.
- Necromancer
Necromancer keeps Loki tied up with Decrep Ify, many of Loki's effects get cancelled that way.
- Barbarian
Barbarian keeps Loki tied up with Concussion and Stun, many of Loki's effects get cancelled that way.
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