#42: Unmatched: Battle of Legends (Mark's Top 100 - 2026)

Unmatched: Battle of Legends

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 293
• rating: 7.7
• published: 2019
• Rob Daviau & Justin D. Jacobsen

Print Status

• in print

Why It's On The List

• Take the basic card combat idea behind Star Wars: Epic Duels... add in the brilliant LOS board configuration system from Tannhäuser...and infuse the game thematically with a "mix of characters across time & reality" vibe from Heroscape... and then do a top-notch production job... and you've got Unmatched.

Tips & Tricks:

• One of the biggest issues in Epic Duels (the need of some characters to turtle for multiple turns in order to make decent attacks) is fixed here... both by better balancing the decks AND by instituting a "getting to the end of your deck" penalty.
• Each character/team has different strengths and weaknesses... you cannot play each character the same way and be successful.
• The character receiving the least love out of the gate was King Arthur... but I've managed to pull off some wins with him by playing the cards in his deck, not the cards I wish he had.
• Some of the newer boxes (and there are a LOT of them) have more complicated decks - but I'm happy to have the variety in play styles and characters.

Extras

• Due to the expiration of publication rights, the Restoration Games Unmatched vault already contains the Jurassic Park, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Deadpool sets. While Deadpool is impossible to find in retail (and have been for quite a while), the other sets are still available - so if you're interested, it's time to pick them up.
• Some quick thoughts on the various boxes - all of which are stand-alone expansions:
• Robin Hood vs Big Foot - the best introduction if you're not sure about the series... two great characters and two great maps
• Cobble & Fog - two more great maps with four excellent characters - though three of the four characters are not quite as straightforward to play
• Jurassic Park: InGen vs Raptors - my least favorite map, though both characters are fun to play. Dr. Sattler vs T-Rex contains the only large figure in the system (so far)... the dino is fun to play occasionally.
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer - two more excellent maps... don't love the Buffy character in 1v1 play but otherwise a fan of this box
• Volume II - a great map and four excellent medium-difficulty characters
• Bruce Lee - a solo character (no map) that's a lot of fun to play... now rereleased as Lee vs Ali with another great fighting character.
• Little Red Riding Hood vs Beowulf - Red is tricky to play but really rewarding when you get it right
• Marvel: Redemption Row, Marvel: Hell's Kitchen, Marvel: Teen Spirit, and Marvel: For King & Country -  I like the creativity in the Marvel maps and the figures are incredible. Due to some balance issues across the set (my sons both swear that Bullseye is "way OP, dad" and I'm not sure we've ever seen Elektra win), I like these better for 2v2 play. (Note: I love the teen heroes in Teen Spirit... and I haven't seen a production copy of Brains & Brawn yet, which was a great deal of fun to playtest.)
• Houdini vs The Genie - both are fantastic characters 
• Unmatched Adventures: Tales to Amaze! - we hated the playtest... .but Restoration knocked this one out of the park and it's one of my favorite cooperative games of the last few years (and the heroes are playable in head-to-head fights as well!)
• Sun's Origin - the map is brilliant
• Slings & Arrows - these are not beginner characters... but there's not a bad hero in the set (and the theme comes through beautifully [speaking as a former English/theater major])
• The Witcher: both Witcher boxes are really good (Steel & Silver and Realms Fall) - interesting maps, interesting characters... and I'm not even a fan of the IP.
• Volume III - we playtested this box as well... and these are the trickiest characters to play in the "volume" boxes.
• Unmatched Adventures: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - an excellent set for the cooperative version of the game... but I don't love the competitive versions of the villains (sold in a separate pack)
• Stars & Stripes - working on a review of this RIGHT NOW... my younger son & I have been waiting for these characters since we playtested them!
• My boys & I have been playtesters on a number of Unmatched sets: Vol. II & III, the Marvel boxes, Tales to Amaze!, Slings & Arrows, the Witcher boxes, Lee vs. Ali, and Stars & Stripes.
• I've written a number of reviews about Unmatched for the Opinionated Gamers site:
• a detailed review/overview of the system
• a review of the Buffy & Little Red/Beowulf boxes
• a preview of the Unmatched Digital platform (which just won a Golden Geek award on BGG) 
• a review of four more sets: Battle of Legends Vol. II, Marvel: Hell's Kitchen, Marvel: Redemption Row, and Jurassic Park: Sattler vs. T-Rex
• a review of Houdini vs The Genie (plus some news about "vaulting" some of the Unmatched line)
• a review of two more Marvel boxes: For King & Country and Teen Spirit
• and, most recently, a review of the surprisingly excellent cooperative adaption of the system, Unmatched Adventures: Tales to Amaze!
• a review of Slings & Arrows
• a review of the Witcher boxes
• a review of Volume III
• a combination review of Lee vs Ali AND Unmatched Adventures: TMNT
• This is the second of five (5!) Rob Daviau games that will appear on my top 100 list this time around... and first of three Justin Jacobsen games.