Q: Ok.  I some questions about Absorbing Man's Molecular Mimic which reads "Play with any Basic Universe Card.  Absorbing Man's Power Grid gets Bonus in that Power Type for remainder of game."

1. Does this mean he can use "any" basic universe card, including ones that he cannot normally use (i.e. any universe card except for strength ones)?

2. How does this bonus work?  Is it basically equivalent to having that universe card in permanant effect for the remainder of game?  This would mean that it works only on power cards not specials.

3. Can two of the same universe card be used?  If you have twodumpsters in the deck, the second would not count as a duplicate of the first as long as you draw it in a later hand.  So, if the other one isin play, can you Molecular Mimic another dumpster?

4. What about the Image Universe card - Power Blast?  Since it is "any power", does that mean that Baldy would have a +2 to every power card he uses, or is it only for the stats that he is above 6 in?

A: My understanding of Molecular Mimic as given by official rules sources is as follows.  The Basic Universe doesn't have to be usable by Absorbing Man. It doesn't give a bonus to other cards played by Absorbing Man; what it does is gives a boost to his skill grid.  He plays MM with a 6F+3 and his
Fighting skill is now 8 instead of 5, for remainder of game; so he can then play up to level 8 To Use Power and Universe cards.  He could play another MM with another BU to boost his other skills, and could even do another Fighting one although having a skill higher than 8 is quite pointless (he's
not going to impress anyone with a skill level 11).  MM should be playable with the Spawn Basic Universe in which case any one grid skill that he chooses when played is permanently raised +2.


Q: Can Twisted Mentality (KC All attacks by opponent's team must be made against Leader until leader is K.O.'d or cannot be attacked) be used in defense?  Recently I was playing Gamma Base as my battlesite. My opponent attack Blue Beetle. I activated the Leader to play Twisted Mentality to
pull the hit to Shadowcat. All of us playing that night discussed it and ruled for the moment that Twisted Mentality can be played that way.  What is the official word?

A: No. It alters how an opponent may act. Those types of cards cannot be used defensively.


Q: I am very curious as to the use of KB cards.  For instance, Bullseye's Relentless Assault reads: "Acts as a level 7 fighting attack, if successful, acts as a level 3 strength hit. Hit goes on Target Character's Permanent Record.  Does not count toward venture total." As I see it, this
is essentially just a level three attack which must be blocked as a seven, much liek combining with a training card, except that the entire thing does not count to venture(!) and because it becomes part of the permanent record can be removed by cards such as Alien Symbiote on the very hand during
which it hits!  Am I missing an arcane point to this card?  I am not ragging on you or making fun, I am just curious.  I tried to ask Kathy Probe this same question and she simply responded that the card "must not read the way I say or be that pointelss".  Well it does, and I'm just curious why.

A: The card does play the way you read it. Why would you use it? Well, if you are playing a KO focussed deck, then you will most likely not care about venture as much as you care about (a) scoring hits and/or (b) eating up your opponents defense. This card is still quite useful in that regard. Also, if you are playing with a deck that manipulates people's permanent records, the card might be more useful.


Q: What happens when I play Thunderbolts' Atlas (Target may not attack until special is attacked) then Mole Man's Monster Island (Only target and Mole Man may make any actions for remainder of battle) on the same character?  Does it mean that the target must attack the special before he can attack?  Or can Atlas be ignored (since Monster Island overrides it)?

A: Monster Island does not override it - the target must attack Atlas before attacking.


Q: When Mole Man's Monster Island is played, can Social Outcast be played as well?

A: Yes. But don't forget - Social Outcast is an offensive only play.


Q: I'd like to inquire about HY specials (eg. Heroes For Hire's White Tiger). If the hit is successful, must the opponent discard 2 cards playable by the character targetted, or just 2 cards in his hand (even if the character could not play the cards)?

A: When an HY hits, the cards discarded must either be placed to the character targetted OR they can be any cards in hand (regardless as to usability).

Case 1: White Tiger hits Mr Fantastic (no placed cards).  He has a 'Draw 3' in his hand together with an 8 intellect, and 3 other specials of his teammates. Can he choose to discard his teammates' specials and not the 'Draw 3'? Wrong.

Case 2: White Tiger hits Mr Fantastic (no placed cards).  He doesn't have any cards usable by him, only teammates' specials in his hand.  Does he have to discard any cards? Yes


Q: I was playing my friend and I got the anymission card To Save The World. Thus stating that any time either of us drew a card or discarded one, the other does the same. He said that He gets to draw a card for the card that I drew as a result of playing the mission. I said sounds right, and let him have it. Is that true that he gets to draw that card, thus giving him a 9 to 8 card advantage? Also same battle, I played the Morlocks Leech. I discarded 4 cards, and he discarded his 4 + the 1 placed card. Then he said that I had to discard an additional 5 cards. I said then he has to discardan additional 4 cards since I discarded 4 at the beginning of that card. He said no, that I had to discard 9 cards, and he only had to discard 5. Thisdoesn't seem right. It seems like the point of that mission is to balanceout that battle, not give the other person an at first 9 to 8 cardadvantage, then a 4 to -1 card advantage. Please tell me what to do with this. It is very confusing.

A: I'm afraid your friend guided you very wrong. First, let's look at the exact text the event says - "For remainder of Battle, after Venturing, if one player either draws or discards cards, Placed or in Hand, then other player must draw or discard an equal number of cards, either Placed or in Hand."

Your first scenario, when you drew to replace your event, takes placebefore venturing does - so your opponent should not have drawn (since thecard begins by saying that the effect starts AFTER venturing).

In the second scenario, you should simply consider the event and its intent - to make drawing and discarding happen on a level basis. You can look at it 2 ways - when you dropped 4 cards, then because of the event, your opponent needed to drop 4 cards. Then the effect of the special forced your opponent to discard 5 cards. Then the effect of the event makes you discard 5 cards.

That's one way of looking at it. The way I look at it is this way - you play the special and discard 4 cards. Then your opponent discards 5 cards. Therefore you have to discard 1 card in order to make things balanced. This is how I believe the event should work in this scenario.

There are other questions that come up - if I play a JA Special likeHellfire Club's Tessa, does the opponent need to discard before the draw 4?I would think so. Now, when the opponent needs to discard I would say thatthey are not restricted to whatever the original condition was in theabove example, a MultiPower card - I believe that the opponent can discardANY card they wish to.


Q: I was under the impression that Social Outcast only lasted for the duriation of the battle and not the game (like Brood Spawn for example). The above scenerio seems to imply that it has a continuing effect. Which is correct?

A: I'm going to reverse what I said above a little bit after reading the text of the card more carefully. I would say that Specials coded KC (like Social Outcast) are removed from play either when the character is KO'd OR when they are made unable to be attacked (as in our example above, by playing Mutant Headmistress). Once the character cannot be attacked, the special goes to the dead pile and does not return in effect during the next battle. That seems more consistant with the text on the card.

To answer your question directly though, the effects of KC Specials do last until the character is KO'd or unable to be attacked - even if that extends over a number of battles. EB Specials (like Brood Spawn) are removed at the end of the battle. Why? To be honest, I don't know - but that's clearly how each is listed in the specials guide. 

Q: Do KC specials (Twisted Mentality, Social Outcast) remain in play even after that particular battle in which the special was played?

A: Yes. They remain in the battle until either the character is KO'd or until the character makes himself unable to be KO'd (for example, they play a BJ Special (through a battlesite or something) or force the character into the reserve. 

Q: Does there have to be a card placed on someone for Gateway to work?

A: No.  Only one part of Gateway has to be possible in order to play it.  Gateway can simply remove all Permanent Record Hits from a Teammate who doesn't have any placed cards.

MetaRule: (103) If a Special calls for some type of discard to occur (and no secondary effect), then the targeted Character must fulfill at least one of the conditions specified by the Special (e.g., "Remove 1 Hit" can only be played on a Character who has a hit; "Discard a placed card and remove 1 hit" can be played on someone who has a hit, or someone who has a placed card, or someone who has both). If the specification is not known or the Special has a secondary effect which would come into play (e.g., "Discard one {type} card from hand") then the Special may be played regardless.