All factions
Core Set
ALIENS
Low-Medium
Return minions in play to their owners' hands, gain a bonus for returning your own, and manipulate bases.
Description
Meet the Aliens, a fascinating faction from the Core Set. They have a knack for abducting other minions, taking them on an unpredictable journey that may or may not see them return. With a complexity rating of Low-Medium, they're a great fit for players of various skill levels. The Aliens are part of a larger cast of characters, including Dinosaurs, Ninjas, Pirates, Robots, Tricksters, Wizards, and Zombies, all hailing from the same Core Set.
Cards Overview
The Aliens faction is composed of 10 minions and 10 actions, offering a unique set of cards to play with. Notably, their minions have a slightly lower total base power of 28, averaging 2.8 power per minion, which is a bit less than the typical 30 total power and 3 average power per minion.
Their action cards include a range of effects, with no actions that can be played directly on minions. The Jammed Signal is a single play-on-base action, while the remaining nine actions are standard, including seven that impact one or more minions: Abduction, two Beam Up cards, Crop Circles, two Disintegrator cards, Invasion, Probe, and Terraforming. None of the Aliens' actions provide a direct power boost to their minions.
1x Abduction - Return a minion to its owner’s hand. Play an extra minion.
2x Beam Up - Return a minion to its owner’s hand.
1x Crop Circles - Choose a base. Return each minion on that base to its owner’s hand.
2x Disintegrator - Place a minion of power 3 or less on the bottom of its owner’s deck.
1x Invasion - Move a minion to another base.
1x Jammed Signal - Play on a base. Ongoing: This base's abilities are cancelled.
1x Probe - Look at another player’s hand and choose a minion in it. That player discards that minion.
1x Terraforming - Search the base deck for a base and swap it with a base in play. You may play an extra minion there.
Actions
1x Abduction - Return a minion to its owner’s hand. Play an extra minion.
2x Beam Up - Return a minion to its owner’s hand.
1x Crop Circles - Choose a base. Return each minion on that base to its owner’s hand.
2x Disintegrator - Place a minion of power 3 or less on the bottom of its owner’s deck.
1x Invasion - Move a minion to another base.
1x Jammed Signal - Play on a base. Ongoing: This base's abilities are cancelled.
1x Probe - Look at another player’s hand and choose a minion in it. That player discards that minion.
1x Terraforming - Search the base deck for a base and swap it with a base in play. You may play an extra minion there.
Characters
1x Supreme Overlord - power 5 - You may return a minion to its owner’s hand.
2x Invader - power 3 - Gain 1 VP.
3x Scout - power 3 - Special: After this base is scored, you may return this minion to your hand.
4x Collector - power 2 - You may return a minion of power 3 or less on this base to its owner’s hand.
Strategy
Aliens thrive when combined with factions that excel at retrieving minions back to their owner's hand.
Synergies
The Aliens faction excels when paired with factions that can return minions to your hand, leveraging their abilities multiple times. Factions with on-play abilities and those that can slow down opponents also make for strong partners.
Notable combinations include Ninjas, whose Master Ninja and Tiger Assassin become even more deadly when reused to destroy enemy minions. Robots offer a range of benefits, as Zapbot, Hoverbot, Microbot Fixer, and Microbot Reclaimer provide extra minion plays through their on-play abilities.
Tricksters also make a good match, bringing tricks and hindrances to the table while offering additional minion plays to help you accumulate victory points. Time Travelers can directly replay Invaders using Do Over! and seize control of bases.
Star Roamers, in particular, offer a powerful synergy with Aliens. Ship's Captain can fetch and play any minion, including Invaders, as an extra minion if their power is 3 or less. Science Officer's talent enables you to return a minion to your hand and play another with a different name, creating a victory point farming engine with Invader. This combo is further enhanced by Collector and Supreme Overlord, which allow you to repeatedly return minions to your hand. Additionally, Medical Officer protects your Invaders and other minions from destruction by returning them to your hand, while Ensigns and Protector Fields provide outright protection from removal.
Tips
The Aliens faction excels at persistence rather than brute force, as their overall power is relatively low, making base destruction a challenge. However, their Scout minions are designed to maintain a presence on bases, allowing you to return them to your hand after a base scores, and reuse them to accumulate points through consistent placement. While they may not secure first place, securing second and third place can provide sufficient support when combined with other strategic plays.
The Invaders' on-play ability is particularly potent, enabling a repeated cycle of play, return, and replay that can theoretically lead to victory without directly breaking bases. More typically, Invaders form one part of a broader strategy, but relying on this "Invader Dance" tactic can consume a significant number of minion plays. To counterbalance this, it's essential to reserve Crop Circles to hinder opponents' base-breaking attempts. In a 2-player game, this approach is relatively manageable, but it becomes increasingly difficult with more opponents, as they can more easily break bases without your intervention.
Mechanics
Return minions in play to their owners' hands, gain a bonus for returning your own, and manipulate bases.