Kim and Jocelyn were SUPER excited to share that WizKids provided us a double double set of spoilers (that’s not one, not two, not three, but FOUR spoilers!!!!) to share with you, along with the announcement that Dark Phoenix Saga has won the boat race and will be the first set to release in early 2022. These spoilers were covered in detail on the podcast, and you can listen to Kim and Jocelyn’s thoughts there, while below you can read the musings of the remainder of the DMNorthTV crew. Enjoy! 
The Common
Gambit: Ace in the Hole
When fielded, you may draw and roll a die.
* Instead, draw 2 dice. Roll one and return the other to your bag
We knew that Gambit was in this set from previous spoilers – his uncommon was shared previously. This is our first look at the Common version of Gambit, which, it turns out, is a direct reprint of Gambit from the Avengers vs X-Men (AVX) set that launched Dice Masters.
jourdo: A straight up reprint for the common card from AVX. It was always an interesting card, but not one I reached for often due to the fielding costs. I am sure he will find a place on some X-men Teams, but not one I am super excited to play with.
ccm00007: That Gambit was always a fun one. The fielding costs are a challenge, but a potential 1-cost (with Asuka) that gives you ramp? I’m sure some people will try something with him.
Son of L: The card ability isn’t terrible, but is unimpressive – there are many other better options for ramp. The fielding costs are on the high side for the die stats. Gambit does have bursts on two faces – Levels 1 & 2 – which does give him some synergy with the D & D Spark keyword for mixed-IP teams.
Reg: I don’t think this would be a card I would be reaching for unless there was a day to get him discounted. There is a Beast in the set that would be picked before this Gambit.
The Uncommon
Emma Frost: Manipulative
While Emma Frost is active, at the start of your opponent’s Attack Step, reroll target character die they control.
Emma Frost returns in this set with the same stats we’ve seen before, most recently in the X-Men Forever (XMF) Campaign Box. She’s part of the Hellfire Club these days (at least on this version of her card), and WOWZERS, look at that art!
NOTE: We have received confirmation from WizKids that Emma works as described on the card – ie, she would trigger before your opponent attacks, at the beginning of your opponent’s attack step. Also confirmed: if your opponent does not trigger an attack step, Emma will not trigger. Emma would trigger before ANY of your opponent’s “when attacks” abilities (like Spider Man: Public Menace aka #rarespiderman4ever), or keywords like Range.
JoceStitch: I wanted to add a thought here, now that I’ve had time to reflect on the spoilers (they were literally hot off the press when we recorded the podcast). Emma will pair very well with a “must attack” effect, either as a Global Ability (Slingers, anyone?) or a character ability, like Toad: Strange Augmentation (XMF) or Gorilla Grodd: Stronger Than You (JUS). (Thanks to Jimmy for suggesting Toad, I always forget about him!). With that said, if you do pair with a Global Ability, you’ll need a way to ensure it can’t be used against your own Emma. Will Nefarious Broadcast see more play? Is there another way to protect your Emma? What do think?
jourdo: My first reaction when I saw these spoilers was “Dat Emma”. This is a cool and unique ability. Get rid of your Opponent’s best die BEFORE they get to attack with it? Why not? I cannot wait to see this one hit the table. The five cost hurts a little, but is definitely reachable in the modern game. I am positive this one will see some play. Maybe it will be considered “Essential”??? Love, love, love this card!
ccm00007: Defensive rerolls? Now that SR Mary Shazam makes sense! (check the Kryptonite Crisis spoilers) Seriously though, this ability is unique, and if you get her on the board, she will have a giant target on her back. This type of removal is just that good. You reroll your opponent’s best character, each turn, without having to pay any extra cost; all you need is an active Emma. I’m not sure whether to be excited or terrified at the prospect. Glad they costed it at 5; I think that’s properly balanced. At 4 or lower, she would’ve been everywhere. If you see this card in a draft, she’s easily a top 3 pick, and you can make a case for #1 depending on your pack.
Son of L: So how do I prevent my Emma die from being targeted by my opponent’s Emma die? A very strong ability on a card that’s not that expensive. I expect this card to see a ton of play.
Reg: Interesting Card, that will definitely see lots of play in the Meta Scene. I am not sure that I like this control piece, as I never really liked abilities that can be triggered while its your opponents turn. With BEWD global coming back, she wont be as expensive as you think, and finally some cards to make the Hellfire Affiliation team. This would be interesting if they had a Wonder Girl type card that can redirect this ability as a response, but still wont be a card I will play, and not like to see on my opponents set of cards in setup.
The Rare
Rogue: Unity Squad
While Rogue is active, your X-men character dice cost 1 less to field.
Teamwatch – Rogue gets +2A
Rogue has joined Gambit at the Dark Phoenix Saga party, and with her, she’s brought the return of the keyword Teamwatch, which was last seen in Green Arrow and The Flash (GAF). With the number of X-Men affiliated characters we expect to see in this set, we also expect that there will be a lot of Teamwatch triggers. Add to that the synergy of making those same characters field for one less energy, and that she’s a 4 cost mask for those stats…we might see a lot of her, at least in draft, depending on how Rarely she appears.
jourdo: Like the X-men need more help. Rogue swoops in to deal with some of the higher fielding costs of this Affiliation. She will be a staple on X-men theme Teams as you save on fielding and get a buff all in one character. Very cool card that will work really well with in the single affiliation Format.
ccm00007: Well, there’s the solution to Gambit’s fielding costs right there. Most X-men have pretty good fielding costs, but this gives a fighting chance to those that don’t. How very thematic that Rogue synergizes well with Gambit and Wolverine. And we get a Teamwatch buff too? Pretty neat card all around!
Son of L: Clearly she’ll work best on X-men teams, but if players want to buy multiple dice for her (not out of the question, as she’s only a 4-cost) she reduces her own fielding costs (i.e. once she’s active) and gives her previously fielded dice the Teamwatch buff. I don’t consider character specific stat buffs all that impressive by themselves (see my comments on the final character) but this is certainly a card I expect to find a use for.
Reg: I believe this and an older Cyclops card will really get fielding costs down, and the Teamwatch keyword seems to be very thematic in this set. X-Men teams are already gross in the meta, and looks like they just about to get another bump. (Thank goodness Justice League will get similar additions in the next set) Rogue was always a card I wanted to put on my team but her stats just were up there with other cards. Most likely she would be a pass for serious play, but I can see this card as a solid Draft pick.
The Super-Rare
Iceman: Xavier’s Dream
Founder
While you have a Sidekick die active, Iceman’s A is equal to his D.
Rounding out the FOUR spoilers we were provided to share, we have the 9th SR card confirmed, which is our friend Iceman. Iceman has the new keyword Founder, and we encourage you to click that link and learn more about this keyword from our friends at The Ministry of Dice. Big fan of how this card works, all you need to do is keep a Sidekick active to improve his attack stats, which makes your Sidekicks targets for your opponent and may help you roll more dice?
jourdo: This is a great overall card. Getting a Sidekick out is generally an easy task. Doing this now gives you a 4-6 attack character? Heck yeah! Players who like to punch their Opponent in the face will love this card. Looks like it will be fun to play around with.
ccm00007: That attack buff is so easy to get, and 4-6-6 attack with those fielding costs is really neat! Especially since he can be free to field with Rogue. So much synergy and shenanigans here. While I haven’t seen anything (yet) that makes Founder overwhelmingly powerful, this card is neat even without the keyword.
Son of L: Having a Sidekick active is not usually much of a challenge. So you can boost Iceman’s A on all levels by having an active Sidekick. Then boost his A further by boosting his D, either by means of a D-pump global ability, a character ability or an action ability such as Take Cover. And you don’t have to make an A-pump global available to your opponent to get this benefit.
The problem is once your opponent finds a chump blocker to put in front of your Iceman die, most of this benefit is wasted. Unless they also get Overcrush, or are made unblockable buffing the A of a specific character doesn’t increase the amount of damage you actually deal to an opponent. (There’s also board clearing, but I think you get the idea.)
Outside of the promo Colossus Flip card in Golden, there is no X-men specific way to give Iceman Overcrush or make him unblockable (unless there’s something in the new set that does this.)
Note from JoceStitch: one of the Mister Sinister cards in the Dark Phoenix Saga set provides Overcrush as a Global Ability (Mister Sinister: Biologist – SR)
This card is certainly usable, but to make him a real offensive threat, players are going to have to pair him with something else – most likely a BAC that can potentially be used against them. Nowhere close to making this a bad card, just something I wanted to remind players they need to keep in mind.
Reg: Great ability, and wish the Villian Blob had this ability… But for Iceman, there are better Iceman cards already in the game that would be picked over this one. An obviously draft pickup, but most likely you would have a sidekick field global to play with him, and thus giving your opponent the same sidekick maker to block Iceman. That’s a wrap on these spoilers and something to think about over the Holidays as we eagerly await an release date for Marvel’s Dark Phoenix Saga Dice Masters.
What do you think of these cards? Are you particularly excited about any one (or two, or three, or all four of them)?
Let us know in the comments below or join us in conversation on Discord.
-JoceStitch & SuperK
