History TabletopGame / Highlander

* ThePlan: Plots, a subtype of Situation cards. [[RuleOfThree typically come as three separate cards]], and you have to have first in play to play the second, and both in play to play the third. Once you have all three, you gain a powerful but temporary bonus.

* FatalFlaw: Nemesis cards, Situations that can only be played if your opponent is using a specific Persona. They usually not only remove the Persona's power, but usually hamper them in some additional way. For instance, The Kurgan adds one point of damage to all his successful attacks, so his Nemesis card reduces the damage of all his attacks to one. The naming of the cards (Kurgan's is "Fade Away") implies they're

** Methos isn't even playable without the tin, as it's the only place to get his Persona and a bunch of other cards. Methos' Persona power is better version of Richie's, letting him use other Immortals' cards (referencing either that, as one of the oldest Immortals, everyone [[MasterApprenticeChain learned their tricks from him, if only remotely]], or that being so old, ProperlyParanoid, and a Watcher, he's studied other Immortals enough to use their tricks against them). His own cards are pretty good, too. Tellingly, Methos' [[KryptoniteFactor Nemesis]] card is available in a regular set, and prevents Methos from playing Immortal-specific cards '''at all'''.

* KryptoniteFactor: Nemesis cards.

In TheNineties, not only was the CollectibleCardGame experiencing an explosion of popularity (thanks to TropeMaker ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'', but ''Franchise/{{Highlander}}'' was running strong, mostly thanks to [[Series/{{Highlander}} the series]]. Thus, it was natural to make a card game based on ''Higlander'', called ''Highlander: The Trading Card Game''.

* WeaponOfChoice: Introduced by name in a later expansion. Weapons of Choice provide a benefit and a drawback. The rapier, for instance, replicates part of Amanda's Persona power, letting you play an additional attack but reducing the damage of your attacks by one. In combination with certain Persona powers, however, the drawback is negligible (such Amanda with a rapier; since her attacks already do only one damage, she gets a third attack for free).

* MightyGlacier: Slan Quince, Kurgan, Luther, and other Immortals who fit TheBrute archetype. Persona powers that tend to emphasize physical strength and no dodges aside from Back Away.

** Methos isn't even playable without the tin, as it's the only place to get his Persona and a bunch of other cards. Methos' Persona power is better version of Richie's, letting him use other Immortals' cards (referencing either that, as one of the oldest Immortals, everyone [[MasterApprenticeChain learned their tricks from him, if only remotely]], or that being so old, ProperlyParanoid, and a Watcher, he's studied other Immortals enough to use their tricks against them). His own cards are pretty good, too. Tellingly, Methos' [[KryptoniteFactor Nemesis]] card is available in a regular set, and prevents Methos from playing Immortal-specific cards '''at all''.
** Duncan's been in the game from

* BribingYourWayToVictory: The Duncan and Methos Collector's Tins turned those characters into near GameBreakers.
**

* AllYourPowersCombined: Quickenings, Pregame cards usually obtained through tournaments that mimic the Persona powers of other Immortals, such as Luther's ability to block Power Blows without an exertion or The Kurgan's massive strength adding damage to attacks. If your opponent beats you via Head Shot, [[VictorGainsLosersPowers they get any Quickenings you were using]].

* ByAllYourPowersCombined: Quickenings, Pregame cards usually obtained through tournaments that mimic the Persona powers of other Immortals, such as Luther's ability to block Power Blows without an exertion or The Kurgan's massive strength adding damage to attacks. If your opponent beats you via Head Shot, [[VictorGainsLosersPowers they get any Quickenings you were using]].

* LoopholeAbuse: Amanda, by virtue of the fact that "Power Block" wasn't a defined term until the game's second edition. There was only "block" and "block with an exertion." Cards that let you "block a Power Blow without an exertion" bypassed Amanda's drawback of still taking damage if she blocked a Power Blow. Such cards were thus extremely useful for an Amanda player, and if they had the Quickening that mimicked Luther's ability to block Power Blows without an exertion, she became a borderline LightningBruiser.

* DistractedByTheSexy: An Immortal-specific card for [[FemmeFatale Amanda]], [[InvokedTrope Distract]], is a dodge that covers the whole grid with no penalty. [[MsFanservice The picture is Amanda in a very skimpy leather outfit.]]

* LethalJokeCharacter: Richie Ryan. He was still TheScrappy on the series when the TCG was first released, and his Persona power mimicked his newbieness by letting him use cards from other Immortals, similar to a "Generic Immortal." Certain combinations of Immortal-specific cards never intended to work together could turn him into a game-wrecking asshole.

LethalJokeChatacter: Richie Ryan.

* HeroicWillpower: If a player has no defenses or attacks in their hand, they may "exert" for one. An exertion is taking the top five cards from your endurance and putting them in your discard, when exerting for an attack or defense you can play one attack or defense from the exertion as if it had been in your hand. Some cards will modify the size of exertions, or let you make exertions for other things. Exertions are also made to make Power Blows or Power Blocks.

* DecapitionRequired: ZigZagged. You can defeat your opponent by running them to zero ability, but there are attacks considered "head shots." If you play one of these and your opponent can't defend against it, they lose their head and the game.
* EveryoneHasASignatureMove: Immortal-specific cards, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin specific to that Immortal]], which come in three flavors: non-Reserved, Reserved, and Signature. Signature means they cannot be included in a deck not using that Persona '''under any circumstances'''.

* HeroicSecondWind: Subverted. Running through your deck (called "endurance") is called "exhausting," you get to reshuffle your discard into a new endurance, but lose 5 ability, bringing you significantly closer to defeat.

The last grouping of cards are "Pregame Cards", usually a Persona Card that represents the Immortal you're playing, but can be modifiers to that Persona, Weapons of Choice, Quickenings, and so on.

The last grouping of cards are "Pregame Cards", usually a Persona Card that represents the Immortal you're playing, but can be modifiers

Attacks and defenses are noted by a three-by-three grid in the upper left corner, showing where the attack or defense is aimed. For a defense to nullify a given attack, it must cover the appropriate square, and defenses typically cover multiple squares while attacks typically cover one (there are exceptions). There are nine basic attacks (one for each square of the three-by-three grid) and six basic blocks, and you must include at least one of each in your deck. There are also dodges, which tend to be Immortal-specific, cover most if not all of the grid, but usually come with a drawback (some Immortals noted for their agility can have dodges with no drawback, or even supplying advantages).