Welcome to the very first edition of Faction Spotlight, where we take a closer look at the factions of Animal Kingdom TCG. Today we're looking at the Pola Rebellion, a band of gritty rebels who seek to bring down the corrupt and decadent monarchy of Altizima! Most interestingly, the rebellion's leader is the Altiziman princess herself!
But first, what exactly is a faction? Alongside a card's species, class, and other traits, one may find a faction. Not only does this mark the card as belonging to that faction within the lore, it also serves as a signpost for deckbuilding. Mayors looking to build a new deck can take all the cards they have that are marked with the same faction, and in doing so, they'll form a basic deck core through which a theme emerges and can be built around.
You should consider playing a Pola Rebellion themed deck if you're a fan of a control-oriented playstyle, keeping your opponents in check while steadily mounting your own offensive to push for the win. You may also enjoy playing the faction for their flavour, revolving heavily around ice magic, polar bears, and rebellion against authority.
Want to know more? Read on!
The Pola Rebellion make their home within the vast Ursa Wastes, a cold and arduous land covered in snow. Since the Sunlit Times, the Pola Empire have ruled over large swathes of the Wastes from the capital city, Altizima. However, deep within the current age known as the Lightless Times, the subjects of the Empire that once enjoyed a fair and even-handed rule now wallow in poverty. Altiziman nobles and highborn indulge in exotic food and drink and line their manors with gold as the poor cry out for bread and medicine.
An avid reader, the princess Natasha Pola became aware of these inequalities through study, and was incensed at both how the citizens of the Empire were treated and that she had been unknowingly complicit in perpetuating that treatment. Sneaking out into the streets, she spoke with the people and witnessed their plight firsthand. She made fast friends with a fiery girl around the same age as her named Anastasia, who strongly desired to make a change, but didn't know how.
Natasha was not much of a fighter, but she had the talents of a fledgling tactician. Anastasia was the opposite, more than willing to get into a scrap. As they set to work on rallying allies and establishing links with sympathisers, they formed the Pola Rebellion, and set out from the capital to begin their work in undermining the rotten empire that was slowly robbing the land and its people of their lives.
Mechanically, the Pola Rebellion is a faction centred around the Freeze mechanic, a powerful control effect that allows a mayor to stack Freeze counters on a card that prevent it from refreshing. Making good use of Freeze is a reward in and of itself as it allows a mayor to control the playing field, but Pola Rebellion cards allow you to reap far more immediate rewards as well.
Worker cards such as Pola Provisioner and Pola Coldsculptor allow the mayor to draw a card or gain Renown when something becomes frozen, providing instant advantage and a way to advance your own board state at the same time as you hinder your opponent's. Getting cards like this into play as soon as possible is important for the Pola Rebellion's game plan, so the use of effects such as Peek and Foretell — which allow a mayor to manipulate their expansion deck — are important.
It isn't just workers that support the mayor and Natasha's efforts to rebel, though. The powerful legendary adventurer, Anastasia, the Crystal Rose, not only allows you to further mount the freezing cold pressure when played, but benefits from enhanced Magic based on how many frozen cards are in play. Similarly, Polar Pola Mage gains new effects for each frozen card in play, even allowing you to filter your deck and draw more cards!
The Pola Rebellion may be the underdog within the Ursa Wastes, but they're fighting for a better future, and you can lend them your strength! The Natasha Pola starter deck is themed around the Pola Rebellion, and a great place to start if you're interested in utilising these plucky rebels and their mastery of the frozen wastes.
The Natasha Pola starter deck will soon be available through our Backerkit pre-order store, and will be available to buy in local game stores and online in 2024. Alternatively, you can try it out now by exploring our Tabletop Simulator module or our Print 'n Play files!