Last month I gave the lowdown on the DC DBG - Injustice and Bombshell expansions, and it took me a while, but now I'm ready to give the word on the Rivals: Flash vs. Reverse-Flash expansion. In short, it's fantastic. Now let's get into it.
While the Injustice expansion had a hefty amount of new rules to add to DC Deck-building rules, the Flash expansion operates much like earlier Rivals expansions but is somehow faster and even more fun for head-to-head gameplay. The gameplay is reminiscent of comics Flash vs. Reverse-Flash stories. These are two speedsters, after all, and once players have the rules down, players can expect to play the game anywhere from 30-60 minutes.
The Flash vs. Reverse-Flash set can be played with other sets but shines well enough on its own and is easily a good step into the DC Deckbuilding Games beyond the base set. The focus of this set is to defeat opposing players rather than bosses, so players are building their deck with that in mind. Each player chooses whether to play as the Flash or Reverse-Flash, and I highly recommend taking turns playing both. The game comes with three versions of each Character to be defeated, with each Character card getting stronger with more impactful effects.
Super-Speed cards are introduced into the game and take the place of Kicks. What makes these cards particularly effective is their "confrontation" ability, allowing players to return the Super-Speed card to the Super-Speed stack and draw a card. However, the confrontation ability can only be used during a confrontation of the opponent's Character. It's a useful ability when players have an excess of power or as a potential attempt to get that one last power point they need to defeat them. And, yes, players get to keep the +2 power when they use Super-Speed's confrontation ability.
Weaknesses have an ongoing effect subtracting -1 from their Character's cost giving an opponent an advantage when confronting a Character and making them more useful for the overall gameplay. It's nice to see some of the more basic cards get a little upgrade, making them more useful.
While the gameplay is fantastic, the overall art of the Rivals: Flash vs. Reverse-Flash set is just as well done. This deck features lots of dynamic art with speed lines and seems to capture the overall essence of a Flash comic with bright reds and yellows across the cards. The foil cards that are part of the Kickstarter edition play with these bright colors well; however, once again, I continue to be worried about their overall longevity.
If you're looking to add on to your DC Deck-Building Game experience or just want to get into DC DBGs for the first time, I highly recommend the Rivals: Flash vs. Reverse-Flash DC DBG set for both old and new timers, especially those looking for a shorter DC DBG experience.
The Rivals: Flash vs. Reverse-Flash DC DBG is available on the Cryptozoic Entertainment online shop, with the Kickstarter edition still available in limited quantities.