All factions
Big in Japan
MAGICAL GIRLS
Low-Medium
Use abilities that get better the more minions you have on the same base.
Description
Meet the Magical Girls, a faction from the Big in Japan set that excels at teamwork and synergy. By combining their unique abilities, they can tackle even the toughest challenges with ease. With a complexity rating of Low-Medium, they're a great fit for players of all skill levels. The Magical Girls are joined in this set by three other factions: Itty Critters, Kaiju, and Mega Troopers.
Cards Overview
The Magical Girls faction is composed of 10 minions and 10 actions, with a notable highlight being the inclusion of a titan. In terms of raw minion power, they pack a slightly lower punch, with a total base power of 28 and an average of 2.8 power per minion.
Their action lineup features a diverse range of effects, including one play-on-minion action, Magical Staff, which also has the ability to directly boost a minion's power. The standard actions are plentiful, with nine in total, and include four that impact one or more minions: Celestial Teleport appears twice, along with two instances of Coordination, as well as Coronet Attack, Kiss the Sky Spell, Lunar Healing Love Spell, Purge the Demon, and Silver Shard. Notably, there are no play-on-base actions among their options.
2x Celestial Teleport - Play on one of your minions. Talent: Move this minion to another base.
2x Coordination - Play either an extra minion or Walking Castle.
1x Coronet Attack - Destroy a minion you don’t control with power less than or equal to the number of your minions at the same base.
1x Kiss the Sky Spell - Place a minion from your discard pile into your hand. You may play an extra action this turn.
1x Lunar Healing Love Spell - Choose a minion in each player’s discard pile and place it into its owner’s hand.
1x Magical Staff - Play on your minion. Ongoing: This minion gains +1 power. When this minion goes to the discard pile, place it on top of your deck instead.
1x Purge the Demon - Choose a card. Destroy an action on it, OR remove all counters on it.
1x Silver Shard - All players shuffle all minions in their discard piles into their decks.
Actions
2x Celestial Teleport - Play on one of your minions. Talent: Move this minion to another base.
2x Coordination - Play either an extra minion or Walking Castle.
1x Coronet Attack - Destroy a minion you don’t control with power less than or equal to the number of your minions at the same base.
1x Kiss the Sky Spell - Place a minion from your discard pile into your hand. You may play an extra action this turn.
1x Lunar Healing Love Spell - Choose a minion in each player’s discard pile and place it into its owner’s hand.
1x Magical Staff - Play on your minion. Ongoing: This minion gains +1 power. When this minion goes to the discard pile, place it on top of your deck instead.
1x Purge the Demon - Choose a card. Destroy an action on it, OR remove all counters on it.
1x Silver Shard - All players shuffle all minions in their discard piles into their decks.
Characters
1x Lunar Captain - power 5 - Talent: Choose a minion in your discard pile with power less than or equal to the number of your minions here, and place it into your hand.
1x Sakura Warrior - power 4 - Talent: Reduce a minion’s power here by the number of your minions here until the start of your next turn.
1x Technomagical Lass - power 4 - Talent: Destroy a minion you don’t control here with power less than or equal to the number of your minions here.
1x Bewitching Gal - power 3 - Talent: Reduce the breakpoint of this base by the number of your minions here until the end of the turn.
1x Fancy Suit Lad - power 3 - Ongoing: Your other minions here are not affected by other players’ cards.
1x Power Maid - power 3 - Talent: Choose a minion with power less than or equal to the number of your minions here, and move it to or from here.
1x Black Magicat - power 1 - Search your deck and/or discard pile for Lunar Captain and place it into your hand.
1x White Magicat - power 1 - Search your deck and/or discard pile for Power Maid and place it into your hand.
2x Rainbow Girl - power 2 - Your other minions here gain +1 power until the end of the turn.
Strategy
Magical Girls shine when paired with factions that rely heavily on minions, particularly those with initially weaker minions that can be boosted to greater power at crucial moments.
Synergies
Magical Girls thrive when paired with factions that focus on minions and those that gain power over time. Their abilities often rely on specific situations, making them a great complement to factions with minions that start weak but grow stronger.
Robots make an excellent match, as their emphasis on teamwork and replaying Mister Alpha synergizes perfectly with Magical Girl actions. Don't forget to utilize Tech Center to boost your Robot minions' power.
Ghosts may seem like an unlikely pairing, but Magical Girls can help overcome the Ghosts' limited hand size. Lunar Captain can retrieve specific minions from the discard pile, mitigating the need to discard minions from your hand to activate Ghost abilities.
Shapeshifters also pair well with Magical Girls, as G.E.L.F. can fetch most Magical Girl minions, including Black Magicat. Since Mimics have a power of 0, Lunar Captain can recover them for free, adding to your minion count.
Mythic Horses and Magical Girls share a similar strategy, focusing on having numerous minions on bases. Magical Girls offer control and recursion, complementing Mythic Horses' power-increasing abilities. Coordination and Togetherness Power work well together, allowing for extra minion plays, while Adventure Power helps converge your minions onto a single base.
Superheroes can also benefit from Magical Girls, as Lunar Captain is a great target for Mild-Mannered Citizen. This allows you to play the same Citizen repeatedly, taking advantage of both factions' abilities to return minions from the discard pile to your hand or deck.
Itty Critters also make a good match, as Magicats and Rainbow Girls are ideal minions for Critter Champion and Critter Coaches to fetch. Magical Girls' "minion count" effects can be quickly amplified by the extra minion plays provided by Itty Critters. Magical Staff, Kiss the Sky Spell, and Lunar Healing Love Spell can retrieve Critter Champion and Critter Coach, while Silver Shard can shuffle power 2 minions back into the deck.
Tips
Mastering the Magical Girls faction requires a deep understanding of their unique strengths and weaknesses. While they may lack overall power and burst potential, their talents can be leveraged to great effect with careful planning and strategic play. To maximize their abilities, it's essential to balance the need to power up their talents with the risk of losing minions when they're gathered together.
To achieve success, focus on preserving key minions like Lunar Captain, Power Maid, and Sakura Warrior by using other minions to score on bases instead. Keeping Magicats in reserve can provide valuable flexibility when combined with Lunar Captain and Power Maid. Sakura Warrior's ability to reduce the power of your own minions can be a high-risk, high-reward strategy to keep your minions on bases until you can secure a decisive victory.
The Bait and Switch maneuver is a powerful tool for breaking bases, and the Magical Girls' mobility is a significant asset, thanks to cards like Walking Castle, Power Maid, and Celestial Teleport. With Power Maid's ability to move enemy minions and the protection offered by Walking Castle and Fancy Suit Lad, you can outmaneuver your opponents. To make the most of these abilities, target and disrupt other strong factions early on, creating space for your Magical Girls to operate and shuffle their minions effectively.
Mechanics
Use abilities that get better the more minions you have on the same base.