Goonhammer Reviews: Unmatched: Lee vs Ali

Let’s be honest: every worthwhile playground conversation starts with “who would win in a fight between...?”

And while as adult gamers we may not get to have these stirring debates on the swings any longer, we can continue them at the gaming table thanks to Restoration Games’ Unmatched, which now brings us the means to answer the question: who would win in a fight between martial arts superstar Bruce Lee and champion boxer Muhammad Ali?

You can read Goonhammer’s full review of Unmatched for more details, but put simply, Unmatched is a card-driven skirmish game in which each player takes control of one principal fighter who may or may not be backed up by a few supporting “sidekicks.” The game takes place on a relatively small board that uses an ingenious zone system involving linked, color-coded circles that handle distance and line of sight. Each fighter has their own deck of cards that detail the attacks, defenses, and special actions they can perform over the course of the game.

What’s in the Box?

Each Unmatched box (with the exception of a couple of out-of-print single characters) is a self contained game with between two and four characters and everything you need to play – really just cards, miniatures, health tracker dials, a board, and the rules. The minis are grey but pre-washed and with a colored base ring so they don’t really need to be painted, making the game immediately playable right out of the box.

Unmatched Lee vs Ali

Unmatched: Lee vs Ali game components. Photo by Jefferson Powers.

The Lee vs. Ali box features the two characters and a double-sided board, with one side representing the boxing ring and surrounding area from Ali’s famous “Thrilla in Manilla” bout, and the other depicting the Tsing Shan Monastery where Lee’s Enter the Dragon was filmed. Neither character uses the sidekick tokens that feature in some of the other Unmatched sets, which helps to keep this box relatively simple and a great starting point if you’re new to the game. The Bruce Lee card deck is the same as the previously released (but long out of print) single character box, but the miniature is a new sculpt showing him in the middle of one of his famous flying kicks.

Putting Bruce Lee up against Muhammad Ali is an interesting choice, but it actually makes a lot more sense than many of the game’s other match-ups such as Robin Hood vs. Bigfoot or Little Red Riding Hood vs. Beowulf. Lee and Ali were close to the same age (Lee was born in 1940, Ali in 1942), and while there doesn’t appear to be any evidence that they actually met, Lee was known to have been inspired by Ali’s boxing style, especially his use of nimble footwork. Lee was very active during the period between 1966 and 1970 when Ali was barred from professional boxing, so it’s easy to imagine them doing an attention-grabbing exhibition match.

Let’s Meet Our Fighters

Bruce Lee says "bring it on." Photo by Jefferson Powers.

In game terms, Bruce Lee is all about speed and movement. Cards in Unmatched are divided into attacks, defenses, schemes, and multi-use cards that can be played as either attacks or defenses. Many of Lee’s cards are more effective if he has moved during the turn, while many others give him extra actions, which he can use to keep moving and drawing cards, or to pile on additional attacks, which in turn will often give him even more actions to use (normally he gets two per turn). Lee’s array of cards wants him to keep moving until he’s in position and then let loose with a flurry of punches and kicks, which seems very on brand for the character.

Muhammad Ali game components for Unmatched

Muhammad Ali game components for Unmatched

"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." Photo by Jefferson Powers.

Ali is a little bit more complex to play, but all the more interesting for it. Calling to mind one of his most famous quotes, Ali has a double-sided token representing two possible fighting stances, either “float like a butterfly” or “sting like a bee.” Ali was known for his ability to dodge and weave around the ring, avoiding his opponent’s punches until it was time to deliver a devastating strike of his own. In the game, Ali starts in his “float like a butterfly” stance, which allows him to attack from two spaces away and also empowers additional game text on many of his cards. After any attack in which he dealt damage, he can switch to “sting like a bee,” losing the range advantage but gaining +2 to all his attacks. He can switch back and forth any time he wins a combat, giving his player a constant tactical choice to make based on cards in hand and position on the board.

To back all that up, Ali has several defense and scheme cards that allow him to heal damage and draw extra cards, reflecting the incredible stamina he often exhibited in the ring.

Accepting all Challengers

While a duel between Bruce Lee and Muhammad Ali is certainly a fascinating basis for a tabletop game all on its own, Unmatched contains a vast ecosystem of characters ranging from history to folklore to licensed properties like Marvel and Jurassic Park. So of course I couldn’t resist pitting these two famous real-world athletes against some unlikely opponents.

Muhammad Ali vs Harry Houdini in Unmatched

Muhammad Ali vs Harry Houdini in Unmatched

Ali faces off against Houdini. Photo by Jefferson Powers.

In addition to being a renowned escape artist, Harry Houdini was an accomplished amateur boxer, known for his ability to take a gut punch without flinching. Houdini’s deck in Unmatched is understandably focused on his abilities as an illusionist and escape artist rather than a boxer, which made the match all the more interesting. Houdini gave Ali a run for his money but wasn’t quite able to match Ali’s speed and stamina.

Meanwhile, the only sensible opponent for Bruce Lee seemed to be Elektra, from the Marvel Hell’s Kitchen set. Elektra brings four Hand Ninjas to the table as backup, which made the game seem like one of those inevitable scenes from a Bruce Lee movie where he has to fight his way through an endless crowd of mooks before finally dueling the sinister boss villain.

Bruce Lee vs Elektra in Unmatched

Elektra leads a group of ninjas against Bruce Lee -- they don't stand a chance... Photo by Jefferson Powers.

A Great Place to Start

If you’re new to Unmatched, the Lee vs. Ali box is a good way to get the flavor of the game with a minimal investment. The two characters aren’t too complex but still very interesting to play, and the “what if?” aspect of a potential contest between these two giants of their respective fighting styles is hard to resist. And it should be of particular interest to anyone who is a fan of either Bruce Lee or Muhammad Ali.

If you already play Unmatched, Lee and Ali are great additions to the game’s eccentric roster of characters. I suspect that either one will be able to hold their own against the likes of King Arthur, Dracula, or Blackbeard, and who can resist the notion of putting Muhammad Ali up against Jurassic Park’s T-Rex?

And if you already own the earlier single-figure Bruce Lee release, there is still a fair amount of value here – you get a board with two new battlefields, an alternate sculpt for Lee, and a whole new character in Muhammad Ali. Plus think of the potential for a mirror match between two identical Bruce Lees...

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Tags: unmatched | board games | bruce lee | muhammad ali