This is mostly about MHG...

Does it bother anyone else the way mechanics are very rarely "spread around"? I'm not sure how to explain it, here's some examples...

There's, what, one Marvel character with willpower?

Astral Suppression doesn't have the version magic?

Where are the Ally characters? The backup characters? The vengeance characters? Evasion seems to have vanished again as well.

I suppose it could be said that these things are specific to each set, but shouldn't each individual card have all the mechanics that it should?

I'd quite like it if Mystical Paralysis had the magic version. Not that I would use it with Shadowpact, but it would just... be right.

They dont want new players to have to learn about 20 different mechanics at a Pre-Release.

I do really like boost and wish they would use it more though

I agree it would be nice to see the mechanics spread around a little. I understand different versions of characters may represent different aspects of those characters, and that I don't want a character card with 6keywords just to accomodate encompassing the full flavor, but yeah I'd like to see the keywords get around a little more, and be less company specific.

MHG is the Cosmic re-feature just like MXM had the re-feature of Evasion.

Willpower is, by design I believe, a DC-primary mechanic. Just as Mutant is a Marvel-primary mechanic.

Now about the fact that each set seems to be designed within, somewhat of a vacuum.... who knows. So much goes into each set, from the need to build a stable foundation for the new mechanics, to the need not to spread too many 'extras' in because of limited format.

That said I wish that it didn't always feel like mechanics get put in, pushed for a set then left to wither, Boost and Ally seem to be the biggest examples, though boost has been used quite a bit just not much lately.

Let's see how many Press characters show up in the next set....

ah-HAH! found you!

*shoots sling-shot at zeppelin, zeppelin suddenly asplodes*
MWAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!

ahem...

yeah, I would love to see more support for the mechanics too, but if you think about it, what purpose would it serve besides adding to an already powerful (for the most part) mechanic other than flavor?

I agree, it'd be great to see the mechanics more widely spread.

I'm not so sure the defense of "UDE doesn't want new players to have to familiarize themselves with 20 new mechanics" is valid......for type mechanics like willpower, magic, mutant etc, if they're in sets that aren't featuring those mechanic much, as new sets typically feature new mechanics, then there wouldn't really be much loss if newer players didn't know what a certain mechanic meant.....

Even for more generic mechanics like evasion, press, ally etc, there would rarely be a necessity to know those mechanics in a new set anyway...

Also if there were newer players that really wanted to know what said mechanics were, they'd be more than welcome to ask someone around them.

While new players are at a disadvantage as it is, and while I can understand that adding to the necessary learning curve might not be seen as a good idea, it's something that's going to happen anyway. I'm sure there's an argument about the learning curve not needing to be tackled all at once, but when half the mechanics being learned aren't relevant, this becomes a non-issue.

I don't imagine the presence of older mechanics alone would be the deciding factor in whether or not someone continued tom play VS.

Most mechanics are explained either on the card, or on various rules pamphlets that float about everywhere, so I don't quite buy the whole "don't confuse the n00bs" argument.

Half of them don't even do anything, they're just referenced keywords most of the time, like the version Magic, or Backup. Heck, Backup isn't even referenced ANYWHERE.

Its been said time and time again that Willpower is primarily a DC trait.
Sets are developed 2 at a time I believe. Usually, new items in a set don't quite make it into the next set unless they're a big item. It seems to trend that new items in a DC set don't make it into the directly following Marvel set.
Certain teams exemplify certain traits. And again with Backup and Vengeance... they probably will be in the NEXT Marvel set. Maybe.
And it'd be right for the X-Men from Marvel Origins to have Mutant traits. It'd be right for Common Enemy to be a 'Team Up' card. But we can't go back and change the earlier sets. Until reprints.