Magneto’s new Basic event “Face the Past” is BONKERS for Thor. Best case scenario is drawing into it turn 1. You start in alter-ego with 5 cards. Flip up. You then use a basic action to either remove 1 thwart from a scheme OR attack a minion if one has been put into play as part of the scenario’s set-up. Then you play it…this readies Thor, grabbing you 3 cards(netting 2 since you had to play the card itself)…pushing Thor’s hand size up to 7…and then he IMMEDIATELY draws 2 more cards due to his hero-ability for engaging Loki. Now you’re readied with some options to clear Loki off your board(9 cards for setting up). That is NOT a bad turn 1 for Thor!
Now, is it risky? Of course it is—but as Thor would say, “fortunately, I am mighty.”
Even better? It’s removed from the game so it doesn’t clog up your deck. So sweet.
As another user noted—if you have already played this card, defeated your Nemesis, and then Shadows of the Past is revealed from the encounter deck, that nemesis’s side-scheme is put into play(shuffling those nemesis encounter cards into the deck) and then it results in a “surge” since your nemesis could not be played, due to having been previously defeated(ideally).