Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle – Defence Against the Dark Arts

Set within Hogwarts Castle after Headmaster Albus Dumbledore notices an alarming rise in Dark Arts activity, this title captures practical Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons authorized to prepare students for magical combat. Facing off on a practice board reminiscent of the 1990s Duelling Club stage, two student duelists stand opposite one another under teacher supervision. Using spells, hexes, items, and allies, the young witches and wizards test their magical capabilities in head-to-head combat with the objective of stunning their opponent three times.

This game shifts the core mechanics of USAopoly's Hogwarts Battle system from cooperative team play into direct 1v1 competitive dueling. Rather than teaming up to defeat Voldemort and Death Eaters, players battle each other directly in controlled practice sessions. It highlights a key lore moment where Dumbledore takes proactive action to ensure Hogwarts students gain real-world defensive spellcasting skills, tactical shield deployment, and hex mitigation to protect themselves from evil forces.

The visual and mechanical design centers around a dueling practice mat modeled after the 1990s Duelling Club stage, where player tokens move directly opposite each other. Players choose one of the four Hogwarts Houses (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin) and select a starting familiar (Cat, Toad, or Owl). The game utilizes four distinct card decks—Hogwarts Cards, Hex Cards, Book Cards, and House Cards—supported by attack tokens, defense shields, health management, and detrimental Hex cards designed to disrupt the opponent's deck.