The future of demi-heroes

To celebrate the 1-year anniversary of Dusk till Dawn, I would like to talk about what is, in my opinion, the coolest design innovation introduced by this set: the demi-hero! When the double-sided Levia, Redeemed // Blasmophet, Levia Consumed demi-hero card was revealed, Legend Story Studios killed two birds with one stone. On the one hand, they fixed Levia’s issue where she had no feasible way of dealing with late game pressure (if I don’t block, I die; if I do block, I cannot turn off blood debt, and die), and on the other hand, they advanced her emergent story in an incredibly thematic way. To me, this is the promise of demi-heroes: hero-defining effects driven by major beats in their story arc.

Hero identity

When Levia’s demi-hero card was spoiled, James White declared in an interview that the demi-hero concept was not actually developed with Levia in mind (though it really was a bull’s eye). Sure enough, we were introduced to Teklovossen and his hero specialization Singularity // Teklovossen, the Mechropotent in the following set, Bright Lights. Both demi-heroes are a great example of the story potential these cards hold. Levia was racking up blood debt with Blasmophet, but ultimately made a choice to redeem herself or to succumb to Blasmophet’s power. Similarly, Teklovossen was augmenting his own body with Evos until he finally realised the ultimate Evo transformation. The stories these cards tell, complemented by the relative uniqueness of demi-hero cards, ensures that these cards are a part of their hero’s identity. In Levia’s case, I would say that there is no reason not to play the demi-hero since at worst it is a safety net for when you accumulate too much blood debt. In Teklovossen’s case, however, there are so many Evos that your deck doesn’t have to revolve around Singularity, but if you are interested in playing him, I’d bet there is a good chance the reason is Singularity.

Thematic point of view aside, the two demi-hero cards we have seen so far also result in unique playstyles. Generally, Flesh and Blood heroes start out at their apex, and get worn down throughout each game, with equipment crumbling and the red/blue ratio in your deck changing for the worst. However, both Blasmophet, Levia Consumed and Teklovossen, the Mechropotent represent their heroes at their strongest. The latter sacrifices any equipment use in the early game to build up to his inevitable mech suit whereas the former turns her liability into her strength. Good stuff.

Transformation options and upgrades

But demi-heroes do not have to be relegated to the late-game. Much like Shiyana can take on multiple forms in a game of Ultimate Pit Fight, I believe demi-heroes can be employed to establish a similar feeling in a more carefully balanced format like Classic Constructed. Imagine a hero that can take on multiple forms, and switch between them, exchanging one ability for another. Perhaps an Illusionist, or a dual element wielding hero switching between their ice and lightning proclivities. Whatever it may be, if the concept cannot be executed as a double-sided hero, a handful of demi-heroes might do it. Maybe the infamous Starvo (Bravo, Star of the Show) would not have been so oppressive if he existed as three demi-heroes, with each one bestowing either +2 attack, dominate, or go again, complemented with some mechanic to switch between these forms.

Besides providing a way to alternate between different abilities, demi-heroes could also be applied as a way of implementing hero upgrades. Consider for a moment Betsy’s ability, which reads

Whenever an attack you controls wagers, you may pay 2 resources. If you do, the attack gets +1 attack and overpower.

Currently considered the weakest Guardian hero by most players, she could be given a boost with an upgrade-style demi-hero. As a gladiator in the Deathmatch Arena, it is not inconceivable that her skills are continuously improving as a consequence of battling so often. To reflect improving her skills without altering her playstyle, I see three possibilities for an upgraded ability:

1. Making it cheaper: Whenever an attack you controls wagers, you may pay 1 resource. If you do, the attack gets +1 attack and overpower.
2. Making it hit harder: Whenever an attack you controls wagers, you may pay 2 resources. If you do, the attack gets +2 attack and overpower.
3. Making it harder to block: Whenever an attack you controls wagers, you may pay 2 resources. If you do, the attack gets +1 attack and dominate.

If you pair each of these tweaked abilities with a unique condition to upgrade to it (à la Levia), perhaps from inventory, you can add an extra layer of complexity to playing and building Betsy. Would you aim for the same ability each game, or make it part of your gameplan depending on your opponent?

Now, how about a vampiric hero that starts without an ability but advances with each bite? I’ll leave you to contemplate this one yourself.

Hero/class foundation

So, if Shapeshifter weren’t a class already, I would probably suggest it as the name for a class that focuses on switching between various demi-heroes with unique abilities. Alas, that class takes other heroes’ stuff and runs with it. Another option would be a Druid class, in the tradition of a certain popular tabletop roleplaying game, but the druid vibes are covered quite well already by the Earth Guardian concept, like the upcoming hero Terra. Okay, so I don’t have a class name for it yet, but the concept would still work. Much like Assassins build their deck with the right tools for the job (i.e. to beat the top meta decks), a class that has access to a multitude of demi-heroes and ways to jump from one to the other, as the game state requires, would excite me a lot, personally. And the more the demi-heroes differ, the better.

Conclusion

Demi-heroes are a great design tool to provide a hero with unique and thematic play patterns. However, up until now, the options for each hero have been rather limited. Giving a single hero access to several demi-hero forms would open up the design space, potentially featuring heroes that switch between their various forms, or upgrade their ability with each condition met. Maybe this could even be the foundation for an entire class. The future of demi-heroes is bright!

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