All factions
Pretty Pretty Smash Up
FAIRIES
Low-Medium
Play cards with a choice between two effects and mess with other players' non-standard actions, especially play-on-minion actions.
Description
The Fairies are one of the 4 factions from the Pretty Pretty Smash Up set.
Play cheeky tricks to keep your enemies at bay, then flip the tables on them for your advantage.
Their complexity rating is: Low-Medium.
Other factions from the same set: Kitty Cats, Mythic Horses, Princesses.
Cards Overview
The Fairies have the usual 10 minions and 10 actions. The total minion base power (not counting any abilities) is the usual 30 or an average of 3 per minion. Additionally, there are several abilities that can boost the power of minions beyond its base value. They are also one of the rare factions to have received a titan from the TITANS Event Kit.
Among their actions, there are:
* 5 play-on-minion actions: Daisy Chain (2x), Ladybug, Leaf Armor (2x),
* 2 play-on-base actions: Enchantment, Magic Ward,
* 3 standard actions (none of them affect minions): Fairy Ballet, Magic Acorns, Playful Tricks,
* 5 actions that directly increase a minion's power: Daisy Chain (2x), Enchantment, Leaf Armor (2x).
2x Daisy Chain - Play on a minion. Ongoing: If you control this minion it has +2 power, otherwise it has -2 power.
1x Enchantment - Play on a base and choose one: Ongoing: All minions here have +1 power. OR Ongoing: All minions here have -1 power.
1x Fairy Ballet - Draw two cards, OR draw a card and play an extra action.
1x Ladybug - Play on a minion. Ongoing: This minion cannot be destroyed. Talent: Transfer this action to another minion.
2x Leaf Armor - Play on a minion. Ongoing: This minion has the ability “Talent: This minion gains +2 power until the end of the turn.”
1x Magic Acorns - Each other player discards a card at random, OR you draw a card and play an extra action.
1x Magic Ward - Play on a base. Ongoing: Other players cannot play actions on this base or on minions here.
1x Playful Tricks - Destroy up to two actions on minions and/or bases OR play Spirit of the Forest.
Actions
2x Daisy Chain - Play on a minion. Ongoing: If you control this minion it has +2 power, otherwise it has -2 power.
1x Enchantment - Play on a base and choose one: Ongoing: All minions here have +1 power. OR Ongoing: All minions here have -1 power.
1x Fairy Ballet - Draw two cards, OR draw a card and play an extra action.
1x Ladybug - Play on a minion. Ongoing: This minion cannot be destroyed. Talent: Transfer this action to another minion.
2x Leaf Armor - Play on a minion. Ongoing: This minion has the ability “Talent: This minion gains +2 power until the end of the turn.”
1x Magic Acorns - Each other player discards a card at random, OR you draw a card and play an extra action.
1x Magic Ward - Play on a base. Ongoing: Other players cannot play actions on this base or on minions here.
1x Playful Tricks - Destroy up to two actions on minions and/or bases OR play Spirit of the Forest.
Characters
1x Titania - power 5 - Return an opponent’s minion to its owner’s hand, OR play an extra minion.
2x Glymmer - power 4 - Talent: Until the start of your next turn, either another minion has -4 power (minimum power 0), OR this minion has +1 power.
3x Puck - power 3 - Play an extra action OR draw a card.
4x Tinx - power 2 - You may transfer an action played on another minion to this one.
Strategy
Minion power reduction is an uncommon ability.
Synergies
Minion power reduction is an uncommon ability. Most abilities that target minions are limited by the power of their targets. Fairies have no limits of that sort, but are of great help for those that do.
*Ignobles: Don't just swap actions, but minions too! The Fairies' play-on-minion actions make the minions you own useless to your opponents and the ones you control more valuable to you. Leaf Armor and Ladybug are especially valuable for fluid power control.
*Kitty Cats: Another control-swapping faction allows you to make efficient use of Daisy Chain, and Whiskers and Cat Fight make Ladybug even more valuable.
*Mythic Horses: You get more options for your swap burst, chaining Titania, Seastar, and Puck together for a massive burst with which you can hit two bases at once.
*Magical Girls: Reducing minion power means you can fit more minions on bases before they break, and also makes enemies more susceptible to the talents.
Tips
As you are building power on bases, Fairies allow you to dampen everyone else's power, then swap to boost yourself instead when you are ready to break a base. Nowhere is this move more clear than playing Daisy Chain on an enemy and taking it back with Tinx; this nets +6 total power on the turn you play Tinx. Glymmer is another good example of this strategy. You can use her to hold down any base as long as you choose. This threatens your opponent since you can pop the base back up and break it. Or hold everyone down with Enchantment and destroy it at a later time of your choosing.
Rather than move or destroy minions like many other factions, Fairies transfer and destroy actions. Fairies are capable of all different methods of breaking bases, but masters of none, and may swap between them at their whim.
Mechanics
Play cards with a choice between two effects and mess with other players' non-standard actions, especially play-on-minion actions.