From Panel to Play: Yondu

If you’re a merchant moving goods through space, you’ve learned to avoid the haunts and regions hunted by the Ravagers, led by Yondu Udonta. Yondu is a notorious pirate and combatant, known for his Centaurian weaponry giving his piracy a lethality that can’t be seen, but you can definitely hear it. Yondu has run across various heroes and villains in his life of space piracy, eventually finding a common soul in the lonely, young Peter Quill. Yondu almost executed the young Terran, but in his audacity at requesting to join his crew, Yondu saw himself, alone in the galaxy and unable to return home. Yondu might be a greedy pirate, but he can still find the time to fight for the downtrodden and defenseless (and find an angle for profit while he’s at it!)

With his traditional Centaurian Yaka Arrow, Yondu can fire off an arrow and direct it via sound waves, enabling him to target enemies and ignore cover at an exceptional range 5, gaining power for each damage dealt. Additionally, if you whistle a Wild result, Yondu can target the enemy’s legs and inflict the Slow special condition. This attack helps Yondu generate power, but at an exceptional range few characters can compete with. When a single Yaka Arrow isn’t enough, Yondu can also unleash his Whistle While You Work attack, giving him one additional die and the pierce special condition. Most importantly, Whistle While You Work can also generate an additional attack on another target within 3, and as long as you are targeting a new character you can continue making attacks on the targets if you successfully hit the Wild and hit triggers. Most similar abilities cap you at a single extra attack, but this one is only limited by the number of victims Yondu hasn’t yet impaled. Since Yondu is centered around long distance energy attacks, it makes perfect sense that he also has the Hit and Run superpower, so he can make an attack action then move action. This can enable him to move farther away from an enemy while still being able to attack with his long-range Yaka Arrow.

A very unique ability Yondu has is Ravager Code: Steal Everything. This reactive superpower allows Yondu to pay one power when a character is going to drop an objective token and take it for himself! Ravagers steal anything that isn’t nailed down, and sometimes the nails too, and this rule expresses their code to take anything they can, taking advantage of whatever comes at hand. Yondu isn’t about to let a Victory Point out of his fingers, although with his long-range attacks and the range 2 restriction, many players might choose to use this ability more to ensure other allied characters don’t lose an objective more than taking them from Dazed enemy characters.

With all the ranged attacks Yondu will be making, Quickdraw acts as an impressive defensive ability to show how Yondu is attacking even in the face of oncoming fire. When he uses it, he rolls five defense dice instead of his normal amount, and if he suffers no damage from the attack he deals 2 damage in retaliation. Further aiding his attack and defense is The Pirate Way. This rule allows Yondu to reroll one attack or defense die as long as he is holding an objective token or Contesting a Secure objective.

Yondu Udonta has more experience liberating possessions from their owners than most, and the Team Tactic Card Plundered Goods perfectly encapsulates the moment he calls out an object he sets his eyes on for his crew to free. By paying 2 power Yondu can activate the card and essentially calls out the targets. When an allied character attacks any enemy character within 3 of Yondu holding an objective token, they may now reroll 2 attack dice! Yondu knows what he wants and will use any ally to get it. But that’s not all; additionally whenever Yondu attacks an enemy character holding or Contesting an objective token, he gains 1 power. If he gets off an optimal chain of Whistle While You Work attacks, Yondu can easily end up gaining more power than he spent on the card.

With impressive ranged attacks, defense abilities to protect what he’s stolen, and a focus on gaining objectives from your opponent, Yondu brings a lot to the table for any cosmic squads players are trying to build that can steal anything in reach.

That’s all for today’s installment of From Panel to Play. Be sure to check back for the next preview of your favorite characters and how they interact on the tabletop! Nova & Yondu are available for pre-order at your friendly local game store or through our webstore.

Until next time, Atomic Mass Games signing off!