Unmatched (board game)#Cobble & Fog

Unmatched was developed as a collaboration between Restoration Games, known for updating and redesigning old and out of print board games, and Mondo Tees, known for movie posters, t-shirts, and other collectibles. The game is based on the out of print games Star Wars Epic Duels, from Milton Bradley, and Tannhäuser, from Fantasy Flight Games. Each character features a miniature along with a unique deck of original art for that character. The game was initially available for sale at Gen Con in August 2019, where the entire early run sold out. The first three Unmatched sets were released to retail stores in September 2019.{{Cite web|last=Hall|first=Charlie|date=August 5, 2019|title=New board game lets Bruce Lee fight Buffy, Bigfoot, and Jurassic Park velociraptors|url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/8/5/20754954/unmatched-rob-daviau-mondo-bruce-lee-buffy-jurassic-park|access-date=February 10, 2022|website=Polygon|language=en-US}}

In July 2020, Restoration Games held a deck design contest where fans could submit their own decks. They received over three hundred entries. In March 2021, the first winners were announced: The Genie, Houdini, Rosie the Riveter and Shakespeare.{{cite web | url=https://restorationgames.com/unmatched-design-contest-results/ | title=Unmatched Design Contest Results | date=March 8, 2021 }} It was later stated that Oda Nobunaga and Tomoe Gozen were entries and future sets such as Battle of Legends, Vol 3 will include more entries.

Before the game starts, players each choose a fighter and select a battle map for the match. Players are free to mix fighters and maps from different sets. During a game of Unmatched, players take turns using a combination of cards and actions to move their fighters around the map, attack opponents and perform other actions. Players win by reducing every opposing fighter to zero health. The game can be played one-on-one, two-on-two, or as a free-for-all. Most fighters also have one or more sidekicks, represented by plastic tokens, which are able to move around the board, attack, and defend. Each map is divided up into color-coded zones, which are used to determine whether a ranged attacker has line of sight to an enemy, and also when resolving some card effects. Combat is resolved by declaring an attack against a fighter that is either adjacent to your character, or within line of sight for ranged attackers. The attacker chooses an attack card and plays it face down. If the defending player chooses to defend, and has a defense card available, they may play it facedown. Attack and defense cards are then revealed. If the attack value is higher than the defense value, the target of the attack takes the difference in damage. If no damage is dealt by the attack, the defender is considered the winner of that combat. Attack and defense cards may have additional abilities that resolve as soon as they're revealed, before damage is assigned, or after damage is assigned.{{Cite web|last=Thrower|first=Matt|date=September 10, 2021|title=Unmatched: Battle of Legends board game review: clever two-player action|url=https://www.t3.com/us/reviews/unmatched-battle-of-legends-review|access-date=February 10, 2022|website=T3|language=en}}

In March 2023, Restoration Games announced the first Adventures set "Tales to Amaze", that will feature two villains (Mothman and Martian Invader) for a cooperative play adventure which will allow for a whole new way to play the game. Another Adventures set featuring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fighting off Shredder and Krang is currently in development.

Unmatched is played using a deck of cards unique to each character, plastic miniatures representing fighters, plastic tokens used to represent sidekicks, dials to track character health, and battle maps. Every set with two or more characters includes at least one battle map. Characters and maps from different sets can be mixed and matched.

• Battle of Legends: Volume One - Includes Medusa, Sinbad, Alice, and King Arthur as playable characters, as well as two battle maps.
• Battle of Legends: Volume Two - Includes Sun Wukong, Yennenga, Bloody Mary, and Achilles as playable characters, and one battle map.{{Cite web|date=January 20, 2022|title=Face Four Exciting New Challengers in 'Unmatched: Battle of Legends, Volume Two'|url=https://geekdad.com/2022/01/face-four-exciting-new-challengers-in-unmatched-battle-of-legends-volume-two/|access-date=February 10, 2022|website=GeekDad|language=en-US}}
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Includes Buffy, Willow, Angel, and Spike as playable characters, as well as two battle maps.{{Cite web|date=January 13, 2021|title=Unmatched: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Review|url=https://oneboardfamily.com/unmatched-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-review/|access-date=February 10, 2022|website=One Board Family|language=en-US}}
• Cobble & Fog - Includes Sherlock Holmes, Jekyll & Hyde, The Invisible Man, and Dracula as playable characters, as well as two battle maps.{{Cite web|last=Thrower|first=Matt|date=August 10, 2021|title=Unmatched: Cobble & Fog Review|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/unmatched-cobble-and-fog-board-game-review|access-date=February 10, 2022|website=IGN|language=en}}
• Tales to Amaze - Includes Annie Christmas, Jill Trent, The Golden Bat and Nikola Tesla as playable characters, with Mothman and Martian Invader as villains, as well as two battle maps.{{cite web | url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/381297/unmatched-adventures-tales-amaze | title=Unmatched Adventures: Tales to Amaze }}
• Slings & Arrows - Includes William Shakespeare, Titania, Hamlet, and The Wayward Sisters as playable characters, and one battle map.{{cite web | url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/415945/unmatched-slings-arrows | title=Unmatched: Slings and Arrows }}
• Battle of Legends: Volume Three - Includes Blackbeard, Chupacabra, Pandora, and Loki as playable characters, and two battle maps.{{cite web |url=https://restorationgames.com/unmatched-battle-of-legends-vol-3-press-release/ |title=Unmatched: Battle of Legends Vol. 3 (Press Release) |date=February 20, 2025 }}

• Marvel's Redemption Row - Includes Luke Cage, Moon Knight, and Ghost Rider as playable characters, and one battle map.
• Marvel's Hell's Kitchen - Includes Daredevil, Elektra, and Bullseye as playable characters, and one battle map.
• Marvel's Teen Spirit - Includes Squirrel Girl, Ms. Marvel, and Cloak and Dagger as playable characters, and one battle map.
• Marvel's For King and Country - Includes Black Widow, Black Panther, and Winter Soldier as playable characters, and one battle map.
• Marvel's Brains and Brawn - Includes Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and She-Hulk as playable characters, and one battle map.
• The Witcher: Steel and Silver - Includes Geralt, Ciri, and The Ancient Leshen as playable characters, and two battle maps.
• The Witcher: Realms Fall - Includes Yennefer & Triss, Philippa, and Eredin as playable characters, and two battle maps.

• Robin Hood vs. Bigfoot - Includes two battle maps.
• Jurassic Park: Ingen vs. Raptors - Includes Robert Muldoon, and three Velociraptors as playable characters, and one battle map.
• Jurassic Park: Dr. Ellie Sattler vs. T. Rex - Includes Dr. Sattler, and the T. Rex as playable characters, and one battle map.
• Little Red Riding Hood vs. Beowulf - Includes one battle map.{{Cite web|date=February 9, 2021|title=Unmatched: Little Red Riding Hood VS Beowulf Review|url=https://oneboardfamily.com/unmatched-little-red-riding-hood-vs-beowulf-review/|access-date=February 10, 2022|website=One Board Family|language=en-US}}
• Houdini vs. the Genie - Includes one battle map.
• Sun's Origin - Includes Oda Nobunaga and Tomoe Gozen and one map.
• Muhammad Ali vs. Bruce Lee - Includes two battle maps.

• Bruce Lee - character only expansion.
• Deadpool - character only expansion.{{Cite web|last=Hall|first=Jacob|date=April 1, 2021|title=Mondo Reveals Deadpool Unmatched and More|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/580274/deadpool-unmatched/|access-date=February 10, 2022|website=SlashFilm.com|language=en-US}}

Unmatched has received praise for its easy to learn rules, and graphic design. Charlie Hall wrote for Polygon that "what makes the game truly stand apart is the quality and cohesiveness of its art and design." Matthew Smail of Big Boss Battle described Unmatched as "a superbly made game both in terms of its production and more importantly, it's mechanics."{{Cite web|date=December 29, 2021|title=Unmatched: Battle of Legends and its Expansions are a Duelling Delight|url=https://bigbossbattle.com/unmatched-battle-of-legends-volume-one-is-a-duelling-delight/|access-date=February 10, 2022|website=Big Boss Battle (B3)|language=en-GB}} IGN's Matt Thrower wrote that "Every set in the Unmatched series is a masterclass in the art of doing a great deal with very little." and also noted that matches can begin to feel repetitive after several games.

{{Reflist}}

• [https://restorationgames.com/unmatched/ Official website]

Category:Bloody Mary (folklore)

Category:Board games introduced in 2019

Category:Cultural depictions of Achilles

Category:Cultural depictions of Bruce Lee

Category:Cultural depictions of Harry Houdini

Category:Cultural depictions of Medusa

Category:Cultural depictions of Nikola Tesla

Category:Cultural depictions of Oda Nobunaga

Category:Cultural depictions of William Shakespeare

Category:Dedicated deck card games

Category:Miniatures games