Meet The Sandman, an exclusive new card from the Altered TCG

Changed is the new trading card game from the startup Equinox Studio which raised nearly $7 million on Kickstarter earlier this year. Worldwide distribution is handled by board and card game giant Asmodee. The French-made trading card game is ready to take on Magic the Gathering, Disney Lorcan, flesh and bloodAnd Star Wars: Unlimited with a variety of unique features. Now, ahead of its US retail release on September 13, we get our first look at the game’s amazing factions.

Today, Polygon can exclusively reveal the Sandman, a powerful character from the game Lyra faction.

In Changedplayers explore an imaginative post-apocalyptic setting where the world outside the city of Asgartha has been completely changed. It’s up to players to complete successful expeditions and be the first player at the table to reunite their deck’s main character with a lovable sidekick.

“It’s a chaotic place with lots of explosive ideas,” said Changed Narrative designer Yoshi Mimura. “The [player character] is an old man, [and] The Alterer’s power is to shape the world around them so that they can stabilize the regions where they meet to help [make] make the world a more sustainable and livable place.”

This game is about creation, not destruction, and Mimura says the Sandman plays an important role in that.

“Lyra focuses more on fantasy, stories, legends and anything that is passed down orally,” Mimura said. “The Sandman is something of a world creator and a person who can shape dreams. He can inspire people and in that way we can try to make the world a better place. He is also a character closely connected to one of my personal heroes, Neil Gaiman.”

When players draw cards from a blind pack in Changedthey have a chance to draw either the common or the rarer version of the Sandman. The rare version above, which retains its Lyra faction affiliation, costs less when played from a player’s reserve. And allows you to optionally add a boost of two on top. This makes it cheaper to play, And stronger in the field.

Both versions of the card also allow a player to assign a status called Sleep to another character on the table. According to one of the game’s developers, François Jourdain, the Sleep status can be used both defensively and offensively. The simplest is to put an opponent’s character to sleep, removing them from the ensuing conflict and allowing you to make progress against your opponent. But you can also use it to your own

Characters: Sleeping can prevent them from participating in a fight they are sure to lose, or players can proactively place characters sleeping to bring them into play cheaper or alongside stronger allies in subsequent turns. It’s a debuff, a feint, and an attack strategy all in one.

A third, even rarer version of the card grants the same powers, but to a different faction. This is called assignmentsopens up even more and different strategic possibilities. Mimura was quick to add that more versions of The Sandman will likely appear in the future.

“When you create a character from your imagination,” Mimura said, “you can fill it with your own vision of what the character is. […] Maybe in the future […] He will have a completely different face, or maybe it will be women. We are trying to keep all options open to show a lot of diversity.”