Challenge/Series Edition No dodges may be played until the end of your next turn. As Jeff Barnes notes below, this card seems to have been overshadowed by the Movie Edition's anti-dodge cards. This is definitely true . . . and Challenge/SE needs to be reassessed. First, the game mechanic questions. Challenge does _not_ make an attack (or attacks) undodgeable. It does not modify _any_ attacks. This is important to understand. What Challenge does is limit your ability to play dodges from your hand. This is, in a sense, no different than the final result of Kiss Your Butts Goodbye. The fact that you _can't_ play dodges is not the same as the fact that an attack is undodgeable. Why you can't play those dodges (bad luck, Kiss Your Butts Goodbye, or Challenge) is irrelevant. The dodges simply are not available to play. Because of this, Alertness/Dodge will not help you when you are affected by Challenge. The attack your opponent is throwing at you _is_ dodgeable - you are simply unable to play those dodges that you have. The price for this power is the fact that Challenge spans three turns: the turn its owner plays it, the opponent's next turn, and the owner's _next_ turn. However, in practice the person playing Challenge will only be limited by it for one turn. Unless they are foolish enough to play it during their Defense Phase, that is. That is how Challenge works. How does it work within the confines of Highlander? Quite well, actually. In Series Edition, Challenge was _the_ way to nab those elusive Xavier and Amanda decks. If you had a Connor, Slan, or Duncan power blow deck, you needed to slow those opposing Personas down. Challenge was the only way to do it. Challenge further benefited Slan, since he could play it with Shooting Blade and have a very unpleasant combination. Only a Holy Ground (or the far less used Narrow Escape) would allow any target an escape route, and Carl could take care of that. The release of Movie Edition unleashed a veritable horde of anti-dodge cards. Master's Advance, Kiss Your Butts Goodbye, Advance, and Catwalk are the most predominant ones. Are these more powerful than Challenge? Actually, no. Catwalk, as a Location, can be replaced or removed. Even if The Gathering is out, Reconnaissance will allow a brief respite. And since everyone plays with Locations, Reconnaissance is very much a "must have" in every deck. You'll never lack for an opportunity to play it: on your own Locations, if nothing else. Advance doesn't seem to see a lot of play. Personally, I find nothing more pleasant than Slan making a Power Blow and using Advance when a Catwalk is out. However, Ancestral Blade (and Continuity, to a far lesser degree) has made this strategy almost useless: your opponent can easily and cheaply Power Block. In any case, Reconnaissance will still let an opponent play the dodge they need to avoid your most powerful attacks. Master's Advance? A powerful card, but it's not a 100% guaranteed preventative even if your opponent can't remove or Focus it. If your opponent has two dodges, then they can dodge. If they have a dodge in their hand, and Exert for one to play, they can dodge. As part of a long-term strategy, you might exhaust their supply of dodges. However, the heavy-duty dodge Personas won't be that bothered, Nefertiri will ignore it almost completely, and it will probably be Policed before too long. Kiss Your Butts Goodbye (CotW #8) is powerful, but a two-edged weapon in its own right. If you can time it right, use with Nefertiri, or use Careful Planning, then it can be effective. The addition of Dojo in Watcher's Chronicles also makes KYBG a bit more effective. Still, your opponent has the same advantage. And they may be Nefertiri or using Selective Memory. For 100% reliability, Challenge is _the_ best way to keep an opponent from dodging. Once you play Challenge, they can't Focus, or Recon, or Exert to remove a Situation, or use an Edge card to avoid discarding. They can rip a TCG or use Forethought, but that means you won't be penalized either. So who should use Challenge? Any Persona that makes Power Blows. Use Misfortune and/or Thief to deal with their Ancestral Blades, and Challenge to keep them on the defensive. Such Personas include the Kurgan, Slan, and Kern for sure, and perhaps Annie Devlin and Kalas as well. If you're running an Exertion-based deck (with Connor or Duncan, most likely), Challenge is also a good addition. Challenge is a nice supplement to the standard Master's Attack as well. This can give a boost to Duncan, Connor, Katana, and Richie (through card- borrowing). Amanda's Master's Attack only does a point of damage, and she is reliant enough on dodges that she probably shouldn't use Challenge. That brings us to who should _not_ use Challenge. Amanda, obviously. Duncan may not wish to - it's a balancing act between his own dodge-heavy Persona cards, and his Power Blow tactics. Xavier and Katana don't typically stand and fight, so they probably don't want to use it either. So overall, Steve gives Challenge a _6_. I would rate it a point or two higher, but it will be superseded by a particular card in Watcher's Chronicles (which I will be rating _much_ higher). When people complain that they can't tag a dodging non-attack opponent, I always wonder why they don't use Challenge. Recon their Verona, play Challenge, and make a Power Blow, and let the heads fall where they may. What Our Other Raters Say: Ben - Abstain Jeff - Challenge/SE is one of those cards that was very popular under SE-only, but wasn't used much after the release of ME (in no small part due to the release of Catwalk). However, it's seen a bit of a resurgence. Coupled with a Shooting Blade or a Master's Attack, its utility is obvious. Even without those, in the right deck it can be very strong. Think Renee Delaney for Dodges. Rick - This is a good card to get them fighting but it can come back to hurt you. Obviously, Challenge and Shooting Blade is a good combo and you can get some additional benefit with Challenge and Master's Attack. Hank - Challenge is a great card when used in combination with others. It's a common staple in my swordfighting decks. Alan - Abstain Jim - Abstain Wayne - This card was a lot stronger before Movie Edition. Since you cannot dodge during your turn either, it is very vulnerable to Connor's Master Block/Head shot or many persona master attack cards. I prefer KYBG or Locations to limit dodges rather than Challenge. Ratings Overall: Steve 6 Ben N/A Jeff 6 Rick 6 Hank 8 Alan N/A Jim N/A Wayne 5 Average: 6.20 ------------------------------------------------------------------