DC Deck-Building Game: Justice League Dark Expansion
DC Deck-Building Game: Justice League Dark Expansion Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 6 Oversized DC Character Cards
- 10 Super Hero Nemesis Cards
- 8 Main Deck Cards
- 3 Transformed Cards
- 20 Cursed Weakness Cards
- 4 Lepsid Esruc Cards
- 8 Reward Cards
- 1 Rulebook
Oversized Characters
When setting up the game, you can either have each player use one of the new Injustice League Dark Super-Villain Characters or you can mix them with the Characters from the base set you are playing.
Super Hero Nemesis Cards
These new Nemesis cards can be used to create their own Nemesis stack or mixed with the Nemesis cards from the base set you are playing. Follow the Nemesis stack setup rules for whichever base set you are using. Note that the blue-backed Nemesis card should only be used as the final Nemesis in the stack. Each of the Nemesis cards in this expansion have a Reward ability. When you defeat a Nemesis with a Reward, resolve the Reward ability, and then place it into your score pile instead of your discard pile. Cards in your score pile count toward your VPs at the end of the game.
Reminder: The terms Nemesis, Super Hero, and Super-Villain are interchangeable on standard-sized cards. Abilities that affect Super-Villains also apply to Super Heroes.
Main Deck and Transformed Cards
The new main deck cards from this set can be shuffled into any base set's main deck. Note that cards with the "Transformed" subtype should not be shuffled into the main deck. At the start of the game, Rose Psychic and Blackbriar Thorn, Elemental should be set off to the side. These cards can only be gained by specific new main deck cards with the Transform keyword. These main deck cards will have a condition that allows you to Transform them into another card. If you meet the condition on a Transform card when you play it, Seal the Transform card (adding it to your score pile) and gain its set-aside Transformed version directly into your hand. The Revert keyword can cause a card to Seal itself. When you Revert a card, gain the named card from your score pile and put it into your discard pile.
Cursed Weakness Cards and Lepsid Esruc
Cursed Weakness cards offer an alternative Weakness stack. When setting up the game, you can choose to replace the base game's entire Weakness stack with the Cursed Weakness stack. Since Cursed Weakness cards have a variety of abilities, be sure to shuffle the stack at the start of the game. When you have a Cursed Weakness in your hand, you must play it before other cards. Many of these cards have an additional negative penalty when played, such as discarding other cards from your hand. Some of them, however, have a benefit, such as drawing you a card. These beneficial Cursed Weakness cards come with an additional VP penalty, so you'll have to weigh whether it is better to keep them around or destroy them before the game ends. Also note that when a Cursed Weakness is destroyed it goes to the bottom of the Cursed Weakness stack, not the destroyed pile.
These additional obstacles come with a silver lining of a new card for your Starter deck. If you set up the game with Cursed Weakness cards, each player should also swap out 1 Punch from their starting deck with a Lepsid Ersuc card. This new Starter allows you to dispel Curses back to their stack. Note that even if you have Lepsid Ersuc in your hand, you still must play a Weakness card in your hand (and suffer its abilities) before you can return it to the stack with this card.
Nemesis Reward Cards
These cards allow you to integrate Nemesis cards from other DC Deck-Building Game sets more seamlessly into your Justice League Dark games. At the start of the game, shuffle the Nemesis Reward cards face down and place the stack next to the Nemesis stack. When you reveal a Nemesis that does not have a Reward, also turn over the top card of the Nemesis Reward stack. When you defeat that Nemesis, you also resolve the Reward text on the Nemesis Reward card. You may only choose a Reward that has a cost equal to or less than the cost of the Nemesis you defeated. Then, place the Nemesis Reward card into a face-up Nemesis Reward discard pile. If the Nemesis Reward stack ever runs out of cards, shuffle the discarded cards together to make a new deck.
Team Variant
This gameplay variant allows a team of 2 Super Heroes to face-off against a team of 2 Super-Villains. Players on the same team should sit next to each other and teams alternate taking turns. If Swamp Thing takes the first turn, Circe could take the second turn, Wonder Woman the third turn, and Klarion the fourth turn. Turn order stays the same throughout the game.
Instead of setting up 1 Nemesis stack, you will set up 2 stacks. One stack will have 4 Super-Villain Nemesis cards and the other will have 4 Super Hero Nemesis cards. It is recommended to have 1 card of each Level in each stack, but you can alter the makeup of the stacks for a longer or shorter game. The Super-Villain team can only defeat Super Hero Nemesis cards and the Super Hero team can only defeat Super-Villain Nemesis cards. When you defeat a Nemesis, only the players on your team are affected by the First Appearance — Attack of the next Nemesis. Attack cards only hit the players on the other team. You may use Defense cards to protect a teammate.
Additionally, if you are a Super Hero, you immediately Seal any Villains that you gain from the Line-Up. Likewise, if you are a Super-Villain, you immediately Seal any Heroes you gain from the Line-Up. The game ends when either Nemesis stack (or the main deck) runs out of cards. The team with the highest combined VP total wins.
Specific Card Clarifications
Doctor Occult: If you do not correctly guess the top card of your deck, you will resolve the "Otherwise" text and get +2 Power.
Floronic Man (Character): You may Seal the Location you control from this Character's Attack. If you do, that Location still returns to its previous owner's control at the end of your turn.
Solomon Grundy (Character): You may use this Character's ability any number of times but only during your turn.