Highlander: The Card Game

Head Shot 101

by Benjamin Durbin

With the release of the Quickening cards, your ability to pull off a successful Head Shot is even more important. Because Quickening cards are so potentially powerful, they had to be balanced somehow. To this end. we made the Quickening cards ante cards: if you choose to play with Quickening cards, and your opponent takes your head, you must forfeit your Quickening cards to him. This column is for those of you who may find yourself facing an opponent armed with Quickening cards. Even if you cannot win a sanctioned tournament to earn your own Quickening cards, you may be able to pick some up in the course of the tournament by defeating opponents who use them. It’s also a distinct possibility that when we are on hand to run sanctioned tournaments, we will award special prizes for Head Shots, perhaps even on a head-by-head basis! As you can see, win or lose, it’s worth learning how to pull off this elusive maneuver. There’s more to making Head Shot work than just tossing six Head Shot cards into your current deck. At the very heart of the Head Shot is a thorough understanding of exactly how the turn sequence works, and how to take full advantage of it. If you’ve ever seen the Highlander movies or television series, you’d probably recognize this scene: The vanquished opponent falls to his knees, exhausted and beaten, looks up to MacLeod (either one) and speaks the familiar refrain, “Finish it, Highlander!” Sometimes MacLeod takes a head, sometimes he grants mercy. Well, if you’ve read the turn sequence carefully, you’ll recognize that they carefully incorporate this possibility. Many people are under the mistaken belief that if your are reduced to zero Ability, your opponent automatically takes your head. This is not so; sometimes you are granted mercy, or perhaps you limp away into the darkness, fall from a bridge, or otherwise escape. To put it in game terms, and so there is no misunderstanding, the only way to lose your head is through the successful use of the Head Shot card. Now let’s explain just how to make Head Shot work. In order to be “successful,” the Head Shot card must be played with an upper attack that your opponent cannot defend. If he plays a defense that successfully blocks or avoids the area you attack, the Head Shot is not successful, even if you manage to damage your opponent because of the Power Blow. Obviously, the key to making Head Shot work is to make an attack that your opponent cannot defend. We’ll assume that in the normal course of the game, if your opponent has any cards in his hand, you’re pretty much going to have to rely on luck to get a Head Shot through. If you had to discard down to one card, wouldn’t you hold back a defense? What you want to work for is to get your Head Shot off when your opponent has no cards in his hand--when he’s beaten and begging for mercy. Now look at the turn sequence:

1 .Defense Phase

2.Attack Phase

3.Ability Adjustment

4.Draw/Discard

The Highlander rules state that you do not lose “until you start your Attack Phase at zero Ability.” Because the Ability Adjustment step is after the Attack Phase, it is possible to reduce your opponent to zero Ability (step 3), then watch him discard to zero cards (step 4). But the game does not end there! In your turn, play your Head Shot. Then, in what will be his last turn, your opponent must begin by defending with an Exertion, as he has no cards in his hand. If the Head Shot does not succeed, your opponent still loses as soon as he moves into his Attack Phase -- remember, he’s at zero Ability. And of course, if your opponent does not get a defense in that last, desperate Exertion prepare for the Quickening!