New Dice Masters is Coming!

Well, its been over two years, but it seems that Dice Masters (Wizkids Games) will be returning to local game store shelves. We now have release dates for two products – a Draft pack set: Dark Phoenix Saga (2/16/22), along with an OP Kit (2/23/22) with special full art variants of cards within the set for stores to order and give away at hosted events.

For a full list of spoilers of the Dark Phoenix Saga set, we’ll direct you over to the BritRollerSix page HERE. We’re just going to talk about the new OP Kit that was spoiled by DMArmada and Wizkids a few days ago on the DMArmada Youtube Page HERE.

These new cards are a huge departure from what WizKids has in the past done with OP Kits. Past kits contained 16 participation cards that were either an alt art of a common card or a new card all together, with another half dozen or so “rarer” cards that the could be handed out to the winners of the events. This time around, all of the cards in the OP Kit are copies of cards you can find in the Dark Phoenix Saga set, but with a WILD new display of art and text. This treatment is stunning when compared to the “normal” DM card layout. It will also bring you back to the early 90’s and give you the sensation that you’re back collecting the Fleer Ultra X-Men cards (I still have my entire 1993 Set!). Some of them are a bit hard to read honestly, but the treatment style is really refreshing and a welcome change. Also of note is that there are multiple Super Rare cards included in the kit. Lastly, there are only 1 of every card, making it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for those “Pokemon” style collectors.

Here’s a quick look at all of the goodies!

Powerbolt Basic Action Card

We’ll start with a nearly OG card. We’ve been seeing variations of this card ever since the Uncanny X-Men set back in 2014. It’s an oldie but a goodie, and is always great to throw on your team in a draft setting!

Kitty Pride – All 4 Versions

That’s right, all 4 versions, including the Super Rare, will be in this kit. None of her versions are particularly strong in the game itself, but the theme is really strong, as the SR buffs all X-Men characters by +1/+1 and the Uncommon gets +1A when Wolverine is active.

Magneto – All 4 Versions

Again, all 4 rarities here for Magneto. The one pictured is the SR and all 4 versions have the old “Villainous Pact” global. Most of his versions have synergy with other “Brotherhood of Mutant” cards (the Magneto helmet symbol), while the common version gives itself a token buff of +1/+1 for every mask character you have that is KO’d. That could get really fun in Golden Age play (all sets ever created) with some of the 1 and 2 cost masks (Jar, Elf Thief, etc.) and the Blue-Eyes or Red Dragon KO Global!

Focus BAC

I mean, this art is fantastic. The card itself hasn’t ever found a lot of use in competitive play, but I would try to build an Awaken team around this just to use it and the Common Kitty with Awaken found in the OP Kit as well.

Mutant Armor BAC

This was a brand new reveal during the spoiler event. The is by far the hardest of the cards to actually read. It’s a 3 cost (found above the armors left shoulder) and pairs well with other X-Men Characters.

Hellfire Gala BAC (2 variations)

These are gorgeous, and remind me of a Vogue or GQ cover. They are also unique because they introduce the first ever Alternate Win Condition the game has ever seen. Here’s the text:

“Roll 2 dice from your bag. Each player fields three Sidekick dice from their Used Pile. If there are 16 or more dice in the Field Zone, win the game.“

So, you can spend up for a 6 cost BAC and potentially win the game if the board is spammed with enough characters! Pretty wild, and I can see some really cool teams being developed around this. It’s a Control Players dream! The only problem is, it’s a little too easy for your opponent to shift strategies and take the win as well. I’d be way more excited if it were a character card or for some reason cost your opponent more to buy.

Explosion BAC

So this one is tricky, both because its hard to read and its not really explained well imo. It’s a 4 cost (found barely visible above the male’s left shoulder) and reads:

“Deal 2 damage to each player character die. You may also spend any number of Bolt energy, for each that you do, you may deal 1 damage to target character die.

Deal 1 additional damage to each player and character die that Explosion deals damage to.“

I’m going to assume that they second section of text has a burst or double burst condition that you can’t see because of the “burning” effect on the graphics, but I don’t know. Either way, it will cause a lot of stuff to KO, but you’re doing it on your turn since its not a Continuous Action, so you had better have a way to mitigate the damage on your end to keep your stuff alive while clearing the way on the other side to attack!

Overall Reaction

I love the new art style and what they are attempting here. I love that they are all unique cards and it encourages stores to get a few of these and run lots of events.

Here’s the catch: The game has really fallen on hard times because of the lack of new product, nearly no communication or outreach on the part of WizKids to stores or players over the last 3 years, and the fact that many game stores have stopped carrying the product because of release delays and inconsistencies. I would love nothing more than for DM to have a “Dark Phoenix” moment and rise from the ashes, but its going to take a lot more than this. I fear that so little of these OP Kits will find their way into the wild because they are exclusively being offered to game stores for hosted events, so the ones that do will inevitably fine their way onto eBay or the DMTraders FB group for insane prices.

I’d venture to guess that 98% of all DM play is done online, and has been for the better part of 3 years now. It’s actually something the community is proud of. If that is going to change, it will take A LOT of effort on the part of WizKids to promote the game the same way they do for HeroClix, and a concerted effort by the remaining players to promote the game at their own local stores. I have faith that the community will do their part. WizKids says they will be coming out with a plan to do their part soon, but time will tell what it is and what it will do to grow the game. In the meantime, I’m exited to try to find a new store (mine closed due to the pandemic pressures) to pick up a few of the DPS Draft Packs and possibly get some of these OP Kit cards.

Will you be picking up any of the new product? What is your favorite new card? Let us know in the comments!