KeyForge: Mass Mutation

The world of the Crucible is pushed and pulled by constant twists and turns, but a great change is coming—unlike anything we’ve seen before. A vault containing mysterious dark æmber has been opened, causing strange and unknowable transformations. While each House must decide to condemn or enjoy the dark æmber mutations, one thing is certain: KeyForge will never be the same!

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce Mass Mutation, the fourth set of Archon Decks for KeyForge!

The KeyForge cardpool grows and expands once more with Mass Mutation, giving you access to billions upon billions more completely unique decks—decks with their own strategies and tactics that only you can truly master. Drawing from a cardpool of 422 cards, Mass Mutation brings over 250 brand-new cards to your decks, and with the introduction of dark æmber, mutation runs rampant. You’ll find strange new versions of familiar characters, massive creatures that stretch across more than one card, and the triumphant return of House Sanctum.

As with previous sets of KeyForge, there are plenty of ways for you to enter the game. If you’re already playing, you can easily pick up an assortment of Mass Mutation Archon Decks, each offering a ready-to-play unique deck. Or, if you’re getting into the game for the first time, the Mass Mutation Deluxe Deck contains one deck and tokens for one player, while the Two-Player Starter Set contains two decks, paper playmats, and tokens for you and your opponent. Whether you’ve been playing KeyForge since the first day, or it’s just now catching your eye, Mass Mutation is the perfect time to get started.

Dark Æmber Mutations

The vault of dark æmber has been opened, and the mutations that it causes are already running rampant across the Crucible. These mutations are not inherently good or evil, though House Sanctum would certainly argue otherwise. But although each House chooses to despise or embrace the mutation, one thing is undeniable—the changes that it brings to familiar creatures are certainly strange.

Bad Penny has been a familiar creature since the game’s very first set, Call of the Archons. With Mass Mutation, however, you’ll find a new twist on what you know with the introduction of Rad Penny (Mass Mutation, 255). Rad Penny gets shuffled into your deck rather than returning to your hand upon destruction, but she also steals an æmber from your opponent when she’s played. Or, you may uncover a deck with Snarette (Mass Mutation, 14), a mutant version of Charette. Snarette captures æmber more slowly, but its potential is far higher, and as an Action, you can clear all of its captured æmber.

Other creatures may be found in multiple versions, as mutations bring the houses in your deck closer together than ever before. For example, in House Logos, you may find a Dino-Bot (Mass Mutation, 119), bringing elements of Saurian and Logos playstyle together. However, there is also a Lyco-Bot (Mass Mutation, 120), an Umbra-Bot (Mass Mutation, 123), and other variants of this same type of creature for each of the Houses.

While many mutations have been wrought in the Crucible, some are specific to your very own deck with the introduction of the new enhance keyword. Unlike most keywords, which come into effect during gameplay, enhance does all of its work as your deck is first being algorithmically generated and collated. Essentially, enhance simply adds bonus icons to cards in your deck. Up to this point, the only bonus icon has been Æmber, which lets you gain an æmber when a card with this bonus icon is played. Mass Mutation, however, introduces three additional bonus icons alongside the enhance keyword! The Capture bonus icon lets any friendly creature capture one æmber, the Damage bonus icon lets you deal one damage to a creature in play, and the Draw bonus icon lets you draw a card.

For example, the Star Alliance gains access to the resources offered by Armory Officer Nel (Mass Mutation, 319). With the enhance keyword, Armory Officer Nel enhances a single random card in the deck with a Draw bonus icon. Then, whenever you play the card with that bonus icon during a game, you’ll be able to draw a card! Your KeyForge Archon Decks already boasted a completely unique mix of cards, but with the introduction of the enhance keyword, you have the chance to find specific, individual cards in your deck that no other player has ever encountered.

Stomping into Action

Adding a few new icons to cards in your deck may seem like a small change, but not every mutation born of dark æmber is small in scale. In fact, Mass Mutation also sees the introduction of the game’s first gigantic creatures—titanic mutants too large to be contained on a single card!

Gigantic creatures stretch across two cards in your deck—and they have the power to match!

Each of the gigantic creatures in Mass Mutation stretches across two cards in your deck, and you’ll need both of those cards in your hand to be able to play the creature. The rewards are well worth the challenge, however, as you’ll see with the towering Deusillus (Mass Mutation, 244). This 20-power creature captures all of your opponent’s æmber and deals five damage to a creature when he enters play—and every time he fights or reaps, he discards an æmber and deals two damage to every enemy creature!

Deusillus is just one of the gigantic creatures arriving with Mass Mutation, and every time these mutants thunder onto the battlefield, they’re sure to make a significant impact.

Purge the Unclean

Mass Mutation also marks the triumphant return of House Sanctum as they return to the game, eager to combat the rising tides of mutation. Taking the place of House Brobnar in the cardpool, the Sanctum have learned much in their time out of the spotlight, but their zeal is wholly undimmed.

New cards like Ardent Hero (Mass Mutation, 126) boast a vendetta against Mutants—between the taunt keyword and immunity to damage from Mutants and high-power creatures, this hero is certain to protect the rest of your battle line. Or, you may simply play Gizelhart’s Wrath (Mass Mutation, 163), an action that destroys each Mutant creature in play. And yet, despite their fervor, House Sanctum is not untouched by mutation. With powerful creatures like Bull-wark (Mass Mutation, 127) joining the battle, even the Sanctum may soften the harsh lines they draw.

A Mutated Play Surface

And of course, Mass Mutation comes accompanied by a full range of new playmats, depicting stunning art from each of the seven houses in the cardpool. These 24” x 12” playmats are perfect for any Archon, and whether you’re smashing into action with the Niffle Kong, launching your attack with the Crusading Knight, or engaging in a bit of light thievery with Rad Penny, there’s a playmat that will fit your personality and your playstyle perfectly.