The third set in Scars of Mirrodin block is code named "Action", following the prior two sets being called "Lights" and "Camera" respectively. Normally, WOTC would have revealed the name of this set, but in an effort to keep people guessing the outcome of the war, they have registered two names.
Mirrodin Pure
New Phyrexia
The outcome is decided and thus far WOTC have kept a lid on things. I believe that the winner is easily deduced though.
My pick:-
New Phyrexia
My reasoning is multi-faceted. If the third set is Phyrexian based, it allows them to add infect to Red, a colour which has very few Phyrexian cards. This would also justify the Mirrans needing to make the final sword in the Sword of X and Y cycle, as this would have to be protection from Red and White. It would be a tool crafted by the Mirran resistance. It's possible that the Phyrexians could make it, but that would bring it out of sync with the rest of the cycle, which is Mirran made.
In the players guide, available in the Mirrodin Beseiged Fat Pack, they talk about the 5 Phyrexian Praetors. Each one is aligned with a colour, which means we haven't really seen what the Red one is up to yet. Also, the images of each is done in silhouette. This means they are likely to be revealed in the next set. I feel this makes more sense if they are the winners. It sets up things to deal with a five faction civil war in the wake of their victory.
The Mirrodin Beseiged Game Day has two Faction promos available. Both appear in the next set, but as promos are aligned with the two different set choices. Suture Priest has the set symbol for New Phyrexia and I feel makes more sense in that set. While it could be a straggler on the way to Phyrexia's defeat, it makes more sense setting up the religious overtones of the White Phyrexian faction, which lead to that faction coming to blows with the other five. Pristine Talisman however, has the set symbol for Mirrodin Pure. I feel the name gives things away. It is more remarkable for the talsiman to be pristine, if the rest of the world has fallen prey to Phyrexia's corruption. This gives more credence to the idea that in the wake of Phyrexian victory, the Mirrans will set up a resistance movement.
It will probably take advantage of the Phyrexian civil war and lead to a story for another block. The final set of that block could easily be called Mirrodin Pure, as WOTC would still have the trademark. The Mirrans reclaiming their home would take a long time, so would be perfect to re-visit further down the road.
Another idea for a future block could be a return to events similar to the Phyrexian invasion of Dominaria. Possibly even repeating their efforts, which would open up a block to return to that plane. While this might seem like repeating story ideas, Maro has often said things work in cycles, and it's not hard to believe that the Phyrexian's would return to finish the work Yawgmoth started. Given that he might not even be dead, this would lead to more interesting stories.
Finally, it would be a shame for the Phyrexians to return, only to be dealt with in the space of one block. They were the villains for such a long time that it would be nice for them to return to prominence. It also gives Nicol Bolas a break from being the villainous focus, while continuing to allow him to work from behind the scenes. Also, the Eldrazi were around for one set, if they were defeated then they were not the threat they seemed.
That's my reasoning. There is evidence to support my theories, as well as compelling future story reasons for the war to go that way. Guess we will find out if I'm right when the set comes out.
Tuesday, 1 March 2011
Friday, 25 February 2011
EDH - Doran Rock
Here is the current configuration of my EDH/Commander deck
General/Commander 1
Doran, the Siege Tower
The main card. The deck is built more around the power of his colours than his own ability, but having a General that is a 5/5 for 3 mana is pretty good on it's own. Five succesful swings kills anyone. I use a foil one currently, though I am searching for an affordable full-art foil.
Creatures 18
Serra Ascendant
A cute one drop. Played early, he is huge,evasive and his lifelink helps keep him that way. Played late, he is a little disappointing, but I like to live the dream. Plus, he often eats a removal spell so stops something else dying later on. I've only got a normal one of these.
Nissa's Chosen
A recursive early drop, that I can tutor up with his Planeswalker. He rarely gets permanently dealt with, and with all the shuffle effects in the deck he often comes back without tutoring. I use a full art promo one from the game day.
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Dead snake guy :) An early chump blocker who happily heads to the graveyard to fetch me a basic land. Turn two him can often mean turn three Doran. It's like a better Rampant Growth. I use the FNM foil promo.
Necrotic Sliver
This guy is awesome. I run enough recursion that some games I can just make this guy every turn and Vindicate a permanent. That can put me far ahead in the long term. Outside of that he can often as a one-off just deal with something annoying. He also gets better when others are playing Slivers :) I use a foil one from Premium Deck Slivers.
Eternal Witness
She gets me back any other awesome card I have used, then either chump blocks or goes on the offensive ( for a mighty 2 damage a swing). She is awesome for three mana. I use a foil FNM promo.
Chameleon Colossus
Pro-black, pumpable, all creature types, cheap-ish to cast. This guy does it all. He's a Sliver when I need it, protected from some removal and when I have lots of mana, can win the game on his own. I just use a standard one.
Masked Admirers
Four mana for an ok body. When it comes in to play I draw a card. If he is dead, I can pay double green as I cast another creature spell to get him back in my hand. That's a lot of cards drawn if a game goes long enough. I use a foil one.
Linvala, Keeper of Silence
This lady flies and shuts down opposing creature abilities. This can slow down other decks or stop certain Generals. She's also good against Slivers. I use a normal one.
Acidic Slime
Deathtouch and kill an annoying non-creature permanent. This guy is really good. I use a foil one.
World Queller
This guy can stop other decks getting out of hand, killing something every turn. He often gets killed before his first upkeep, but he can clear the board pretty well after a few turns. I use a normal one.
Oversoul of Dusk
5/5 for 5. Protection from 3 annoying colours. Awesome. I use a normal one.
Primeval Titan
He fetches me two lands when he comes him, and then if he gets to swing I get two more. He thins my deck and accelerates me, while being a Trampling beatstick. I use a normal one.
Netherborn Phalanx
He is expensive for a rubbish body. However he makes my opponents lose a life for each creature they control, so sometimes he just wins the game. However he truly shines with his Transmute, allowing me to tutor for my more powerful six drops. I use a foil one.
Eternal Dragon
Plainscycle him. Return him to hand from the graveyard. Repeat. Deck is thinned and then I can just make him as an evasive guy. I use a normal one.
Grim Poppet
He shrinks other creatures, and Proliferate lets him get out of hand really quickly. I use a normal one.
Woodfall Primus
A large Trampler who kill something annoying when he comes into play. If he is killed, Persist lets him do it again. I use a normal one.
Akroma, Angel of Wrath
She is the embodiment of Awesome. Flying, First Strike, Vigilance, Trample, Haste, Pro Black, Pro Red. She can be such a beating for certain decks. And she always puts Jack on Tilt :p I use the foil one from Duel Deck Divine Demonic.
Reya Dawnbringer
She may be expensive, but if she lives to see and upkeep I start getting my other creatures back. I use a normal one.
Planeswalkers 4
Garruk Wildspeaker
My favourite Planeswalker. He helps with mana, makes me creatures and casts Overrun. What isn't there to love? I use a normal one.
Nissa Revane
She gets me her Chosen every turn, gains me a small amount of life, and her seldom used ultimate finds me the small amount of Elves in the deck. So, I generall just use her for the first one, but the others crop up occasionally. I use the foil Duels of the Planeswalkers promo.
Liliana Vess
My second favourite Planeswalker (despite my love of Elves). She makes an opponent discard, she tutors up stuff for me and she can animate all graveyards for me. I use the Duel Deck Garruk Liliana foil promo.
Sorin Markov
The dark horse of the deck. People always seem to forget he exists. He can gain me life, kill annoying small creatures, set an opponent to 10 life or Mindslaver someone. He is feared like real vampires should be. I use a normal one.
Instants 9
Wordly Tutor
I run few creatures, and the ones I do run are mostly for utility. This allows me to find the one I need, when I need it. I use a normal one.
Vampiric Tutor
For the cost of two life, I can tutor up any card to the top of my deck. Yes please. I use an Italan one.
Realms Uncharted
It pulls four lands out of my deck, at instant speed, and puts two of them in my hand. Given that I often search for four Fetchlands, it effectively pulls six lands out of my deck. I use a normal one.
Krosan Grip
Split Second Enchantment/Artifact kill. Always useful. I use a FNM foil promo.
Putrefy
Kill a creature or an Artifact. Again, always useful. I use a full art promo.
Mortify
Kill a creature or an Enchantment. It's almost like I've seen this spell elsewhere in the deck. I use a full art promo.
Unmake
Exile a creature. Can stop really degenerate creatures from coming back. I use a full art promo.
Consume the Meek
This instantly kills swarms of tokens and leaves the big boys to play. I use a foil one.
Fracturing Gust
So I get to destroy all Enchanments and Artifacts at instant speed. That's kewl. Oh, and I gain two life for each one? Can I cheat and run two please. I use a normal one.
Sorceries 20
Crime/Punishment
Using Crime I can steal the best dead creature or Enchantment. Using Punishment I get a Ratchet Bomb-style effect. Using this card, I get my choice of either when I need it. I use a foil one.
Dwell on the Past
I can either use this to get dead cards back into my deck, or occasionally use it to get scary recursion targets away from the graveyard. I use a foil Asian one.
Regrowth
Gets me a card back. Simple recursion. I use a normal one.
Gaea's Blessing
Anti-Mill insurance. If I draw it I can use it like Dwell and draw a card. I use a Time-Shifted one.
Demonic Tutor
The best tutor, two mana gets anything straight to your hand. I use the alternate art one from Duel Deck Divine Demonic
Maelstrom Pulse
My favourite removal spell ever. I use a normal one.
Chain of Acid
I love this. Destroy something annoying, then see if the controller wants to destroy something else. Thus far no one has sent it onto another target, so it usually just functions as spot removal. I'm waiting for the day that it kills everything :) I use a foil one.
Harmonize
Simply four mana, draw three cards. Never a bad thing. I use the full art promo one.
Wrath of God
Destroy all creatures. Okay, if you insist. I use the full art foil promo.
Damnation
Deja-vu. Even down to using a full art foil promo.
Day of Judgment
And again. Though they can Regenerate from this one. Still use the full art foil promo though.
Diabolic Tutor
For when you can't run two Demonic Tutors. I use a normal one.
Primal Command
My favourite command. Gains life, puts away something annoying, puts my graveyard back and/or tutors me a creature. I love it. I use a foil one.
Rebuking Ceremony
Some Artifacts refuse to die due to Darksteel. This gets them out of the way temporarily. I use a normal one.
Akroma's Vengeance
Sweep the board or Cycle. This card is really good. I use one from the Planechase decks.
All is Dust
Because sometimes regular sweepers aren't good enough. I use a normal one.
Praetor's Counsel
This card is insane. So it puts your graveyard into your hand and removes your maximum hand size? By the time you can afford to cast it, that's Ludacris. I use a normal one.
Profane Command
My second favourite Command. It usually finshes games, or at the worst kills something annoying. I use a normal one.
Genesis Wave
With a little mana acceleration, this is insane. It can flood the board with stuff and put me miles ahead of the competition. Sometimes it can miss though. I use a normal one.
Death Cloud
I use this to end games. Main plan is to get into a position where I'm so far ahead I can either cast this to win, or cast this and put everyone else to virtually dead. I use a normal one.
Enchantments 10
Mirri's Guile
A free Top every upkeep sounds like a plan. I use a normal one.
Bloodchief Ascension
This can happily sit there doing nothing, but then suddenly become active and put opponents in a precarious position, which can lead to me winning. Works well if it is active and I use Death Cloud too. I use a foil one.
Prismatic Omen
This fixes my mana, brings Emeria online and makes me weak to Landwalk creatures. I'll take that downside for those upsides. I use a normal one.
Cream of the Crop
It rises to the top. It never eats a pig cause a pig is a cop. Or better yet a Terminator like Arnold Schwazenager, here to play me out as if my name was Sega. I use a normal one.
Oblivion Ring
Spot removal. Might be permanent, might be temporary. I use a FNM foil promo.
Phyrexian Arena
Draw an extra card every turn. What else is forty life for? I use an original one.
Pernicious Deed
The threat of sweeping can often be enough. And it sweeps what I want it to sweep. I use a normal one.
Mirari's Wake
Doubles my mana and pumps my creatures. Allows me to get pretty silly pretty quickly. I use a normal one.
Mana Reflection
Makes my mana silly, especially with the Wake. If I get both out I should be in a ridiculously good spot. I use a normal one.
Debtors' Knell
If I see an upkeep with this in play, I get the best dead creature back on my side. Consequently, it rarely survives a round. I use a normal one.
Artifacts 7
Sensei's Divining Top
You know this card. Everyone runs it. I use a foil From the Vault Exile one.
Voltaic Key
Untap my more powerful artifacts for one mana. Leads to awesome stuff. I use and original one.
Relic of Progenitus
Nukes all graveyards. There are often people doing sillier stuff with thiers than me, so I'm happy with that. I use a normal one.
Contagion Clasp
It might kill a creature. But Proliferate is uber-powerful, especially with Planeswalkers. I use a normal one.
Lux Cannon.
If this starts getting active, things start dying. Proliferate gets it active quicker. So does Voltaic Key. I use a normal one.
Contagion Engine
If Proliferate is uber-powerful, then what is double Proliferate? I use a foil one.
Mindslaver
Because just having Sorin do it isn't enough. This is awesome fun to do. I use a normal one.
Lands 31
Murmuring Bosk
Doran's home, taps for all three colours. I use a normal one.
Dual Lands
I only use a Scrubland. It's a French revised one.
Ravnica Dual Lands
I use Temple Garden, Overgrown Tomb and Godless Shrine. They are all normal ones.
Gilt Leaf Palace
It usually comes into play tapped, but it taps for two of my colours, so it is fine. I use a normal one.
Filter Lands
I use Wooded Bastion and Twilight Mire. They are both normal ones.
Pain Lands
I use Brushland, Llanowar Wastes and Caves of Koilos. They are all normal ones.
Fetch Lands
I use Misty Rainforest, Arid Mesa, Polluted Delta, Verdant Catacombs and Marsh Flats. They are all normal ones.
Basic Lands
I use three Forests, three Swamps and 4 Plains. They are all foil.
Terramorphic Expanse
This is for extra basic fetching. I use a foil one from Premium Deck Slivers.
Emeria, the Sky Ruin
If I get this active, my creatures are near immortal. It also taps for white mana. I use a normal one.
Volrath's Stronghold
My main Necrotic Sliver engine, shame it's Legendary. I use a normal one.
Miren, the Moaning Well
Good with the Stronghold out, also gains me life and can save creatures from exile. I use a normal one.
Mystifying Maze
It may cost more mana to activate than Maze of Ith, but it taps for mana and it also blinks the creature which is great with Taurean Maulers and other creatures with counters on them.
There is my deck and reasons behind my card choices.
General/Commander 1
Doran, the Siege Tower
The main card. The deck is built more around the power of his colours than his own ability, but having a General that is a 5/5 for 3 mana is pretty good on it's own. Five succesful swings kills anyone. I use a foil one currently, though I am searching for an affordable full-art foil.
Creatures 18
Serra Ascendant
A cute one drop. Played early, he is huge,evasive and his lifelink helps keep him that way. Played late, he is a little disappointing, but I like to live the dream. Plus, he often eats a removal spell so stops something else dying later on. I've only got a normal one of these.
Nissa's Chosen
A recursive early drop, that I can tutor up with his Planeswalker. He rarely gets permanently dealt with, and with all the shuffle effects in the deck he often comes back without tutoring. I use a full art promo one from the game day.
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Dead snake guy :) An early chump blocker who happily heads to the graveyard to fetch me a basic land. Turn two him can often mean turn three Doran. It's like a better Rampant Growth. I use the FNM foil promo.
Necrotic Sliver
This guy is awesome. I run enough recursion that some games I can just make this guy every turn and Vindicate a permanent. That can put me far ahead in the long term. Outside of that he can often as a one-off just deal with something annoying. He also gets better when others are playing Slivers :) I use a foil one from Premium Deck Slivers.
Eternal Witness
She gets me back any other awesome card I have used, then either chump blocks or goes on the offensive ( for a mighty 2 damage a swing). She is awesome for three mana. I use a foil FNM promo.
Chameleon Colossus
Pro-black, pumpable, all creature types, cheap-ish to cast. This guy does it all. He's a Sliver when I need it, protected from some removal and when I have lots of mana, can win the game on his own. I just use a standard one.
Masked Admirers
Four mana for an ok body. When it comes in to play I draw a card. If he is dead, I can pay double green as I cast another creature spell to get him back in my hand. That's a lot of cards drawn if a game goes long enough. I use a foil one.
Linvala, Keeper of Silence
This lady flies and shuts down opposing creature abilities. This can slow down other decks or stop certain Generals. She's also good against Slivers. I use a normal one.
Acidic Slime
Deathtouch and kill an annoying non-creature permanent. This guy is really good. I use a foil one.
World Queller
This guy can stop other decks getting out of hand, killing something every turn. He often gets killed before his first upkeep, but he can clear the board pretty well after a few turns. I use a normal one.
Oversoul of Dusk
5/5 for 5. Protection from 3 annoying colours. Awesome. I use a normal one.
Primeval Titan
He fetches me two lands when he comes him, and then if he gets to swing I get two more. He thins my deck and accelerates me, while being a Trampling beatstick. I use a normal one.
Netherborn Phalanx
He is expensive for a rubbish body. However he makes my opponents lose a life for each creature they control, so sometimes he just wins the game. However he truly shines with his Transmute, allowing me to tutor for my more powerful six drops. I use a foil one.
Eternal Dragon
Plainscycle him. Return him to hand from the graveyard. Repeat. Deck is thinned and then I can just make him as an evasive guy. I use a normal one.
Grim Poppet
He shrinks other creatures, and Proliferate lets him get out of hand really quickly. I use a normal one.
Woodfall Primus
A large Trampler who kill something annoying when he comes into play. If he is killed, Persist lets him do it again. I use a normal one.
Akroma, Angel of Wrath
She is the embodiment of Awesome. Flying, First Strike, Vigilance, Trample, Haste, Pro Black, Pro Red. She can be such a beating for certain decks. And she always puts Jack on Tilt :p I use the foil one from Duel Deck Divine Demonic.
Reya Dawnbringer
She may be expensive, but if she lives to see and upkeep I start getting my other creatures back. I use a normal one.
Planeswalkers 4
Garruk Wildspeaker
My favourite Planeswalker. He helps with mana, makes me creatures and casts Overrun. What isn't there to love? I use a normal one.
Nissa Revane
She gets me her Chosen every turn, gains me a small amount of life, and her seldom used ultimate finds me the small amount of Elves in the deck. So, I generall just use her for the first one, but the others crop up occasionally. I use the foil Duels of the Planeswalkers promo.
Liliana Vess
My second favourite Planeswalker (despite my love of Elves). She makes an opponent discard, she tutors up stuff for me and she can animate all graveyards for me. I use the Duel Deck Garruk Liliana foil promo.
Sorin Markov
The dark horse of the deck. People always seem to forget he exists. He can gain me life, kill annoying small creatures, set an opponent to 10 life or Mindslaver someone. He is feared like real vampires should be. I use a normal one.
Instants 9
Wordly Tutor
I run few creatures, and the ones I do run are mostly for utility. This allows me to find the one I need, when I need it. I use a normal one.
Vampiric Tutor
For the cost of two life, I can tutor up any card to the top of my deck. Yes please. I use an Italan one.
Realms Uncharted
It pulls four lands out of my deck, at instant speed, and puts two of them in my hand. Given that I often search for four Fetchlands, it effectively pulls six lands out of my deck. I use a normal one.
Krosan Grip
Split Second Enchantment/Artifact kill. Always useful. I use a FNM foil promo.
Putrefy
Kill a creature or an Artifact. Again, always useful. I use a full art promo.
Mortify
Kill a creature or an Enchantment. It's almost like I've seen this spell elsewhere in the deck. I use a full art promo.
Unmake
Exile a creature. Can stop really degenerate creatures from coming back. I use a full art promo.
Consume the Meek
This instantly kills swarms of tokens and leaves the big boys to play. I use a foil one.
Fracturing Gust
So I get to destroy all Enchanments and Artifacts at instant speed. That's kewl. Oh, and I gain two life for each one? Can I cheat and run two please. I use a normal one.
Sorceries 20
Crime/Punishment
Using Crime I can steal the best dead creature or Enchantment. Using Punishment I get a Ratchet Bomb-style effect. Using this card, I get my choice of either when I need it. I use a foil one.
Dwell on the Past
I can either use this to get dead cards back into my deck, or occasionally use it to get scary recursion targets away from the graveyard. I use a foil Asian one.
Regrowth
Gets me a card back. Simple recursion. I use a normal one.
Gaea's Blessing
Anti-Mill insurance. If I draw it I can use it like Dwell and draw a card. I use a Time-Shifted one.
Demonic Tutor
The best tutor, two mana gets anything straight to your hand. I use the alternate art one from Duel Deck Divine Demonic
Maelstrom Pulse
My favourite removal spell ever. I use a normal one.
Chain of Acid
I love this. Destroy something annoying, then see if the controller wants to destroy something else. Thus far no one has sent it onto another target, so it usually just functions as spot removal. I'm waiting for the day that it kills everything :) I use a foil one.
Harmonize
Simply four mana, draw three cards. Never a bad thing. I use the full art promo one.
Wrath of God
Destroy all creatures. Okay, if you insist. I use the full art foil promo.
Damnation
Deja-vu. Even down to using a full art foil promo.
Day of Judgment
And again. Though they can Regenerate from this one. Still use the full art foil promo though.
Diabolic Tutor
For when you can't run two Demonic Tutors. I use a normal one.
Primal Command
My favourite command. Gains life, puts away something annoying, puts my graveyard back and/or tutors me a creature. I love it. I use a foil one.
Rebuking Ceremony
Some Artifacts refuse to die due to Darksteel. This gets them out of the way temporarily. I use a normal one.
Akroma's Vengeance
Sweep the board or Cycle. This card is really good. I use one from the Planechase decks.
All is Dust
Because sometimes regular sweepers aren't good enough. I use a normal one.
Praetor's Counsel
This card is insane. So it puts your graveyard into your hand and removes your maximum hand size? By the time you can afford to cast it, that's Ludacris. I use a normal one.
Profane Command
My second favourite Command. It usually finshes games, or at the worst kills something annoying. I use a normal one.
Genesis Wave
With a little mana acceleration, this is insane. It can flood the board with stuff and put me miles ahead of the competition. Sometimes it can miss though. I use a normal one.
Death Cloud
I use this to end games. Main plan is to get into a position where I'm so far ahead I can either cast this to win, or cast this and put everyone else to virtually dead. I use a normal one.
Enchantments 10
Mirri's Guile
A free Top every upkeep sounds like a plan. I use a normal one.
Bloodchief Ascension
This can happily sit there doing nothing, but then suddenly become active and put opponents in a precarious position, which can lead to me winning. Works well if it is active and I use Death Cloud too. I use a foil one.
Prismatic Omen
This fixes my mana, brings Emeria online and makes me weak to Landwalk creatures. I'll take that downside for those upsides. I use a normal one.
Cream of the Crop
It rises to the top. It never eats a pig cause a pig is a cop. Or better yet a Terminator like Arnold Schwazenager, here to play me out as if my name was Sega. I use a normal one.
Oblivion Ring
Spot removal. Might be permanent, might be temporary. I use a FNM foil promo.
Phyrexian Arena
Draw an extra card every turn. What else is forty life for? I use an original one.
Pernicious Deed
The threat of sweeping can often be enough. And it sweeps what I want it to sweep. I use a normal one.
Mirari's Wake
Doubles my mana and pumps my creatures. Allows me to get pretty silly pretty quickly. I use a normal one.
Mana Reflection
Makes my mana silly, especially with the Wake. If I get both out I should be in a ridiculously good spot. I use a normal one.
Debtors' Knell
If I see an upkeep with this in play, I get the best dead creature back on my side. Consequently, it rarely survives a round. I use a normal one.
Artifacts 7
Sensei's Divining Top
You know this card. Everyone runs it. I use a foil From the Vault Exile one.
Voltaic Key
Untap my more powerful artifacts for one mana. Leads to awesome stuff. I use and original one.
Relic of Progenitus
Nukes all graveyards. There are often people doing sillier stuff with thiers than me, so I'm happy with that. I use a normal one.
Contagion Clasp
It might kill a creature. But Proliferate is uber-powerful, especially with Planeswalkers. I use a normal one.
Lux Cannon.
If this starts getting active, things start dying. Proliferate gets it active quicker. So does Voltaic Key. I use a normal one.
Contagion Engine
If Proliferate is uber-powerful, then what is double Proliferate? I use a foil one.
Mindslaver
Because just having Sorin do it isn't enough. This is awesome fun to do. I use a normal one.
Lands 31
Murmuring Bosk
Doran's home, taps for all three colours. I use a normal one.
Dual Lands
I only use a Scrubland. It's a French revised one.
Ravnica Dual Lands
I use Temple Garden, Overgrown Tomb and Godless Shrine. They are all normal ones.
Gilt Leaf Palace
It usually comes into play tapped, but it taps for two of my colours, so it is fine. I use a normal one.
Filter Lands
I use Wooded Bastion and Twilight Mire. They are both normal ones.
Pain Lands
I use Brushland, Llanowar Wastes and Caves of Koilos. They are all normal ones.
Fetch Lands
I use Misty Rainforest, Arid Mesa, Polluted Delta, Verdant Catacombs and Marsh Flats. They are all normal ones.
Basic Lands
I use three Forests, three Swamps and 4 Plains. They are all foil.
Terramorphic Expanse
This is for extra basic fetching. I use a foil one from Premium Deck Slivers.
Emeria, the Sky Ruin
If I get this active, my creatures are near immortal. It also taps for white mana. I use a normal one.
Volrath's Stronghold
My main Necrotic Sliver engine, shame it's Legendary. I use a normal one.
Miren, the Moaning Well
Good with the Stronghold out, also gains me life and can save creatures from exile. I use a normal one.
Mystifying Maze
It may cost more mana to activate than Maze of Ith, but it taps for mana and it also blinks the creature which is great with Taurean Maulers and other creatures with counters on them.
There is my deck and reasons behind my card choices.
Wednesday, 16 February 2011
Valentine's Rage
So, the tournament only had 2 players due to Uni schedules and sickness. Still this allowed me to get in two games with the Red Lantern Corp.
To remind you:-
Atrocitus 202
Guy Gardner 110
Mera 85
387 Red Lantern Corp theme team.
One player was running late, so Round one I played the other (he walked in just as we started)
Larfleeze 202
Lex Luthor 160
362 point team
The Orange Lantern Corp need 400 points for you to play them both, but then refuse to theme. That's pretty exasperating. Also, both pieces need to be used carefully as our game attested to.
To remind you:-
Atrocitus 202
Guy Gardner 110
Mera 85
387 Red Lantern Corp theme team.
One player was running late, so Round one I played the other (he walked in just as we started)
Larfleeze 202
Lex Luthor 160
362 point team
The Orange Lantern Corp need 400 points for you to play them both, but then refuse to theme. That's pretty exasperating. Also, both pieces need to be used carefully as our game attested to.
We fought on the Hawkworld map and the game was over pretty quick. Gardner shot Luthor when he came into range, then Atrocitus Charged him with a Heavy Object to finish him off. A couple of turns later I caught Larfleeze with a Charge from both Atrocitus and Mera.
Round 2 they played each other to see who won Gleek.
Round 3 I played the winner:-
Dr. Strange 149
Green Lantern 145
Detective Chimp 62< Jason Blood 44
400 point Mystical team
This one took longer, and illustrated the weak defenses of the Red Lanterns. The new Alan Scott is pretty good and he threw Atrocitus a kicking. Dr. Strange fell to the combined effort of the team, but Gardner single-handedly took down Green Lantern with a well timed Charge after a fumble had put him on his second click (to be fair, the attack that fumbled was targeting Jason Blood, sohe would have been on that click if I had succeeded). Then, after a few turns chasing him down the conveyor belt, his final attack knocked Green Lantern onto his final Regeneration click. Luckily, I rolled doubles and the was knocked back into the edge of the map for the kill. My opponent then scooped, as he felt Detective Chimp and Jason Blood couldn't deal with my Guy Gardner on their own.
Dr. Strange 149
Green Lantern 145
Detective Chimp 62< Jason Blood 44
400 point Mystical team
This one took longer, and illustrated the weak defenses of the Red Lanterns. The new Alan Scott is pretty good and he threw Atrocitus a kicking. Dr. Strange fell to the combined effort of the team, but Gardner single-handedly took down Green Lantern with a well timed Charge after a fumble had put him on his second click (to be fair, the attack that fumbled was targeting Jason Blood, sohe would have been on that click if I had succeeded). Then, after a few turns chasing him down the conveyor belt, his final attack knocked Green Lantern onto his final Regeneration click. Luckily, I rolled doubles and the was knocked back into the edge of the map for the kill. My opponent then scooped, as he felt Detective Chimp and Jason Blood couldn't deal with my Guy Gardner on their own.
All in all, I feel that the Red Lantern Corp are a great team at 400 points. They can deal out a lot of damage between them, so their only fear is Super Senses, as Atrocitus' trait deals with Impervious. However, their dwindling defense values mean that as they take damage, they are going to take more damage. Use carefully, and don't get swarmed.
Sunday, 13 February 2011
Heroclix Valentines Tournament
Tomorrow I'm running a Clix tourney on Valentines day. The format is simply 400 points modern age. I tried looking at Titans, but couldn't find a build I was happy with in the short time I was allowing for building. I only play during the bye and my matches only count towards personal pride. So I built the following instead:-
Atrocitus 202
Guy Gardner 110
Mera 85
387 Red Lantern Corp theme team.
Shame I had no room the the Red Lantern special object. The plan is simple; hit things until they die from it. Gonna try and hold Gardner back as a cannon for his few shooty clicks before sending him in to support the other two monsters. All three are starting attack 11, damage 4. Add Atrocitus's trait and this could be an awesome team.
Equally, it could get out-manouvered and shot to pieces. I'm hoping theme bonus gives me the map choice, which will allow the Hawkworld map to really shine. An all flying team should let me choose where and when the fights happen.
We shall see...
Atrocitus 202
Guy Gardner 110
Mera 85
387 Red Lantern Corp theme team.
Shame I had no room the the Red Lantern special object. The plan is simple; hit things until they die from it. Gonna try and hold Gardner back as a cannon for his few shooty clicks before sending him in to support the other two monsters. All three are starting attack 11, damage 4. Add Atrocitus's trait and this could be an awesome team.
Equally, it could get out-manouvered and shot to pieces. I'm hoping theme bonus gives me the map choice, which will allow the Hawkworld map to really shine. An all flying team should let me choose where and when the fights happen.
We shall see...
Saturday, 12 February 2011
The Road to Worlds
This current weekend is Magic Weekend.
It's being held in Paris, France and sees back to back both a Pro Tour and a Grand Prix. It also held the play-off for last years Player of the Year race (spoiler alert - Brad Nelson won)
That coincides with the announcement of the local Nationals Qualifiers, and Plymouth's one is in 6 weeks. This means the next few posts will largely be dedicated to my quest for Magic fame and stardom.
Step 1 - qualify for the GB Nationals
Step 2 - qualify for the World Championships
Step 3 - Win and bask in the glory :D
While my chances of qualifying via rating look pretty good, I'm still going to enter the local qualifier as it is practice. It's pretty high risk/reward though.
If I qualify, then I don't have to worry about my rating between now and Nationals, allowing me to find more events to play in for practice.
If I fail, then the high value of the event could devastate my rating, making it harder to get it back up via WNM.
Still, no risk, no reward.
I will detail playtesting efforts as and when they happen :)
It's being held in Paris, France and sees back to back both a Pro Tour and a Grand Prix. It also held the play-off for last years Player of the Year race (spoiler alert - Brad Nelson won)
That coincides with the announcement of the local Nationals Qualifiers, and Plymouth's one is in 6 weeks. This means the next few posts will largely be dedicated to my quest for Magic fame and stardom.
Step 1 - qualify for the GB Nationals
Step 2 - qualify for the World Championships
Step 3 - Win and bask in the glory :D
While my chances of qualifying via rating look pretty good, I'm still going to enter the local qualifier as it is practice. It's pretty high risk/reward though.
If I qualify, then I don't have to worry about my rating between now and Nationals, allowing me to find more events to play in for practice.
If I fail, then the high value of the event could devastate my rating, making it harder to get it back up via WNM.
Still, no risk, no reward.
I will detail playtesting efforts as and when they happen :)
Comparing the Lanterns - part three
Better late than never, here is the artist formally known as Ion:-
Kyle Rayner
Crisis gave us Rayner at Rare. DC75th also gave us Rayner at Rare. This made them both relatively easy to get within their respective sets. Fans of the character will probably have both versions by now, allowing them the choice of which one to field, if like me they care about Highlander during team building.
Both figures are ranked as Veteran. The Crisis version represents Rayner as Ion, while the DC75th version is once again Rayner during the Blackest Night storyline, like many of the lanterns in the set.
This gives neither much of an edge in themery, as both seem to be Rayner not really doing anything specific.
Like with Sinestro and Gardner, this only denotes two important things about the pair. You can run multiples of either figure, and you can't run them in Rookie-only tournaments.
Both figures have the following Keywords; Green Lantern Corps and JLA. This allows you a choice when fielding thematic teams with either of these keywords. Equally, they are the only keywords they have. This continues to make them seem equal and can put them in direct competition when looking for that last figure to go in your team.
Crisis Rayner is 182 points. DC75th Rayner is 169.
This is only a differance of 13 points. Interestingly, this is the same amount as the two Gardners. It's not much of a clincher when deciding which one to fit in a team. So the decision, if not based on Keywords, comes down to capability.
Both figures are Fliers with one lightning bolt, range 8 for DC75th, range 10 for Crisis. They also both have the Green Lantern Corps team ability. DC75th Rayner has two advantages. Firstly he is Indomitable and secondly he has a trait;
The Artist Once during your turn, if Kyle Rayner has no action tokens, he can use Telekinesis (option 2) as a free action.
This allows him to act two turns in a row without pushing, which is a hallmark of the current Green Lanterns. The trait allows him to reposition friendly figures or objects whenever you can meet it's conditions. This is a powerful ability when used properly as he can make sure your figures are where you need them when you need them there, all by planning ahead a little.
On his starting click, Crisis Rayner is the more powerful. Move 10 is paired with a special ability;
Ion Kyle Rayner can use the Quintessence team ability.
This makes him immune to Outwit and lets him push for no damage, negating his rivals Indomitable advantage. Attack 11 Telekinesis (Power Ring expect a lot of this name again), Defense 18 Impervious (Ion) and Damage 3 Perplex (Torchbearer).
He has no move and attack but makes a very good static cannon. He can fire team mates at your opponents force or he can shoot opposing figures directly with decent attack and damage, augmented by Perplex. This is a fine starting click for any team to have on it. The special power is what really makes it stand out, and gives you a reason to try and keep him there, as it's the only place it appears.
DC75th Rayner's starting click is more normal by comparison, though they both lend to the same purpose. Move 12 Phasing/Teleport (Green Lantern of Sector 2814.4), Attack 10, Defense 18 Energy Shield/Deflection (Green Aura) and Damage 3 Perplex (Lingering Ion).
Again no move and attack ability, and lack of soak can be a problem, though it is ofset by a high defense. Again, he is a static cannon, filling the same role as his counterpart. It's only the Quintessence and soak that make the other one better.
Crisis Rayner loses Ion and switches to Running Shot for two clicks, then has no power for two clicks before Phasing appears on his last three clicks. The value slowly drops til it hits 7.
From his second click, he gains Energy Explosion (Power Ring) for two clicks before switching back to Telekinesis for two clicks. He then has Incapacitate for his last 3 clicks. His values steadily drop to 8 though.
His second click brings us another special power;
Constructs Kyle Rayner can use Barrier. Any opposing character adjacent to a Barrier terrain marker placed by Kyle Rayner that attempts to move (or would be moved by a power, ability, or effect used by another character) must attempt to break away; this effect ignores powers, abilitys and effects that allow a character to break away automatically.
This is an interesting power, as it can trap opposing figures where you want them for a turn. However, it gives Rayner no defensive options. It lasts for 3 clicks before 2 clicks of Toughness (Power Ring) and finally 2 clicks of Energy Shield (Power Ring) end the dial. His values drop to 17, have a mid dial return to 18 before rapidly dropping to end on 15.
Perplex stays for 3 clicks, before being replaced with Ranged Combat Expert (Power Ring) for 2 clicks. Then there are 2 more clicks of Perplex and a final click of Ranged Combat Expert. His values stay 3 for a few clicks and then remain 2 for the rest of the dial.
DC75th Rayner switches from his second click to 3 clicks of Running Shot (Defend the Power Battery) before 2 empty clicks and a final click of Phasing. His move drops slowly, never dropping below 9.
His only attack power is on his forth and fifth clicks; Incapacitate (Giant Green Lasso). His values fluctuate wildly, going as high as 11 before ending on a 9.
His two clicks of ranged defense become three clicks of Invulnerability (Honor Guard) then two clicks of Regeneration (Unexpected Return) making him quite resiliant. His defence stays at 17 until his last two clicks which are 16.
He keeps Perplex for three clicks, with values switching between 3 and 2 at various points.
The Crisis version has an extra click of health, but the Regeneration on his counterpart can give him more life on the table top. Their values are pretty comparable down the dial, again, both figures appear to be built to do the same job. I guess that's what Rayner does in the comics.
In summary, I believe that the DC75th version is slightly superior down the dial, with better defense powers and values. However, don't discount the Crisis Ion click. If you can keep him there, he might do enough heavy work that youur other figures can do the rest.
I think both figures are good, and would play either based on points left. They are so close that if I wanted a team with a Kyle Rayner in, I would leave choosing which one until I have built the rest of the team and then choose which ever one complements the rest of the team best.
Sorry for the gap between updates, I'm a busy man. Will continue to try to post as often as I can.
Kyle Rayner
Crisis gave us Rayner at Rare. DC75th also gave us Rayner at Rare. This made them both relatively easy to get within their respective sets. Fans of the character will probably have both versions by now, allowing them the choice of which one to field, if like me they care about Highlander during team building.
Both figures are ranked as Veteran. The Crisis version represents Rayner as Ion, while the DC75th version is once again Rayner during the Blackest Night storyline, like many of the lanterns in the set.
This gives neither much of an edge in themery, as both seem to be Rayner not really doing anything specific.
Like with Sinestro and Gardner, this only denotes two important things about the pair. You can run multiples of either figure, and you can't run them in Rookie-only tournaments.
Both figures have the following Keywords; Green Lantern Corps and JLA. This allows you a choice when fielding thematic teams with either of these keywords. Equally, they are the only keywords they have. This continues to make them seem equal and can put them in direct competition when looking for that last figure to go in your team.
Crisis Rayner is 182 points. DC75th Rayner is 169.
This is only a differance of 13 points. Interestingly, this is the same amount as the two Gardners. It's not much of a clincher when deciding which one to fit in a team. So the decision, if not based on Keywords, comes down to capability.
Both figures are Fliers with one lightning bolt, range 8 for DC75th, range 10 for Crisis. They also both have the Green Lantern Corps team ability. DC75th Rayner has two advantages. Firstly he is Indomitable and secondly he has a trait;
The Artist Once during your turn, if Kyle Rayner has no action tokens, he can use Telekinesis (option 2) as a free action.
This allows him to act two turns in a row without pushing, which is a hallmark of the current Green Lanterns. The trait allows him to reposition friendly figures or objects whenever you can meet it's conditions. This is a powerful ability when used properly as he can make sure your figures are where you need them when you need them there, all by planning ahead a little.
On his starting click, Crisis Rayner is the more powerful. Move 10 is paired with a special ability;
Ion Kyle Rayner can use the Quintessence team ability.
This makes him immune to Outwit and lets him push for no damage, negating his rivals Indomitable advantage. Attack 11 Telekinesis (Power Ring expect a lot of this name again), Defense 18 Impervious (Ion) and Damage 3 Perplex (Torchbearer).
He has no move and attack but makes a very good static cannon. He can fire team mates at your opponents force or he can shoot opposing figures directly with decent attack and damage, augmented by Perplex. This is a fine starting click for any team to have on it. The special power is what really makes it stand out, and gives you a reason to try and keep him there, as it's the only place it appears.
DC75th Rayner's starting click is more normal by comparison, though they both lend to the same purpose. Move 12 Phasing/Teleport (Green Lantern of Sector 2814.4), Attack 10, Defense 18 Energy Shield/Deflection (Green Aura) and Damage 3 Perplex (Lingering Ion).
Again no move and attack ability, and lack of soak can be a problem, though it is ofset by a high defense. Again, he is a static cannon, filling the same role as his counterpart. It's only the Quintessence and soak that make the other one better.
Crisis Rayner loses Ion and switches to Running Shot for two clicks, then has no power for two clicks before Phasing appears on his last three clicks. The value slowly drops til it hits 7.
From his second click, he gains Energy Explosion (Power Ring) for two clicks before switching back to Telekinesis for two clicks. He then has Incapacitate for his last 3 clicks. His values steadily drop to 8 though.
His second click brings us another special power;
Constructs Kyle Rayner can use Barrier. Any opposing character adjacent to a Barrier terrain marker placed by Kyle Rayner that attempts to move (or would be moved by a power, ability, or effect used by another character) must attempt to break away; this effect ignores powers, abilitys and effects that allow a character to break away automatically.
This is an interesting power, as it can trap opposing figures where you want them for a turn. However, it gives Rayner no defensive options. It lasts for 3 clicks before 2 clicks of Toughness (Power Ring) and finally 2 clicks of Energy Shield (Power Ring) end the dial. His values drop to 17, have a mid dial return to 18 before rapidly dropping to end on 15.
Perplex stays for 3 clicks, before being replaced with Ranged Combat Expert (Power Ring) for 2 clicks. Then there are 2 more clicks of Perplex and a final click of Ranged Combat Expert. His values stay 3 for a few clicks and then remain 2 for the rest of the dial.
DC75th Rayner switches from his second click to 3 clicks of Running Shot (Defend the Power Battery) before 2 empty clicks and a final click of Phasing. His move drops slowly, never dropping below 9.
His only attack power is on his forth and fifth clicks; Incapacitate (Giant Green Lasso). His values fluctuate wildly, going as high as 11 before ending on a 9.
His two clicks of ranged defense become three clicks of Invulnerability (Honor Guard) then two clicks of Regeneration (Unexpected Return) making him quite resiliant. His defence stays at 17 until his last two clicks which are 16.
He keeps Perplex for three clicks, with values switching between 3 and 2 at various points.
The Crisis version has an extra click of health, but the Regeneration on his counterpart can give him more life on the table top. Their values are pretty comparable down the dial, again, both figures appear to be built to do the same job. I guess that's what Rayner does in the comics.
In summary, I believe that the DC75th version is slightly superior down the dial, with better defense powers and values. However, don't discount the Crisis Ion click. If you can keep him there, he might do enough heavy work that youur other figures can do the rest.
I think both figures are good, and would play either based on points left. They are so close that if I wanted a team with a Kyle Rayner in, I would leave choosing which one until I have built the rest of the team and then choose which ever one complements the rest of the team best.
Sorry for the gap between updates, I'm a busy man. Will continue to try to post as often as I can.
Saturday, 15 January 2011
Comparing the Lanterns - part two
So, now it's on to the Green Lantern of sector 2814.3:-
Guy Gardner
Justice League gave us Gardner at Super-rare. DC75th gave us Gardner at Rare. This means that not only is the earlier Gardner (called Green Lantern in that Justice League) from an out of print set (2007), but that he was hard to get within that set. This might be mitigated by the 5 weeks of sealed tournaments held at the time, meaning potentially more boosters were opened. Meanwhile the DC75th version is not only current but easier to get than the likes of Sinestro.
Both figures are ranked as Veteran. The Justice League version represents Gardner as a member of the Green Lantern Honour Guard, while the DC75th version is Gardner while he was wielding both a Green and Red ring.
This gives the DC75th version an edge in themery as it has become an iconic, recent image of him that has proven popular with the fans of the Blackest Night storyline.
Like with Sinestro, this only denotes two important things about the pair. You can run multiples of either figure, and you can't run them in Rookie-only tournaments.
Both figures have the following Keywords; Green Lantern Corps and Justice League International. This allows you a choice when fielding thematic teams with either of these keywords.
DC75th Gardner only adds Red Lantern Corps to his list. This allows him to theme with 2 other figures at the moment (not including White Lantern Hal Jordan), which doesn't add a huge amount of scope. Especially since their point values mean that he and Mera are a 200 point team, or the two of them and Atrocitus are a 400 point team. They do look good when fielded together though :)
Justice League Gardner instead adds Super Buddies and Warrior to his keywords. This not only gives him another team to work with that fans of the character will probably be familiar with, but it also gives him a generic one. This gives him a much wider range of figures he can theme with.
Justice League Gardner is 133 points. DC75th Gardner is 110.
This is only a differance of 13 points. Thats not much of a clincher when deciding which one to fit in a team. So the decision, if not based on Keywords, comes down to capability.
Both figures are Fliers with one lightning bolt, range 8. DC75th Gardner has two advantages. Firstly he is Indomitable and secondly he has a trait;
The Antagonist If Guy Gardner has no action tokens, he can use Close Combat Expert.
This allows him to not only act two turns in a row without pushing, but also gives him the option of being able to do more damage on the first of those actions, if he is already based by an opponent. Combine that with his other powers and he is not someone you want to be facing in close combat. Not sure why it has the same name as DC75th Sinestro's trait though.
However, it's not all in his favour. Justice League Gardner has the Green Lantern Corp team ability. This traditionally appears to be quite expensive, but makes him very useful as a taxi, especially as more of his keywords have characters that can't fly. This seems counter-intuitive for the character though, putting him in a support role compared to his counterparts beatstick incarnation.
On his starting click, DC75th Gardner seems the stronger. Move 12 Phasing/Teleport (Green Lantern Of Sector 2814.3), Attack 11, Defense 17 Energy Shield/Deflection (Green And Red Auras) and Damage 4 Exploit Weakness (Guy, Are You Ok?, remember this can be 6 with careful positioning).
He has no soak, but high move ignoring terrain and high defense against range allow him to move up to the close combat position he wants to be in. Don't be too quick to rush him in though, as this is one of the few clicks he can make ranged attacks from.
Justice League Gardner's starting click is "interesting". Move 10 Charge (Bring It On!), Attack 10 Energy Explosion (Power Ring), Defense 16 Invulnerability (Power Ring) and Damage 2 Close Combat Expert (Troubleshooter).
Gardner here wants to be doing many things. He wants to be based so he can do more damage, but his Charge doesn't quite go with his bare damage value. He can damage grouped swarms at range though, and he does have decent soak. Shame his defence value is so low.
Dc75th Gardner switches to Charge (Reckless Attack) for two clicks, then Flurry (Rage's Red Light) for two clicks before Phasing returns on his last click. The value steadily drops til it hits 8 and stays there.
From his third click, he gains Quake (Chainsaw Swipe) for two clicks before switching to Blades/Claws/Fangs (Oh, This Chainsaw Really Works) for his last three. 10 Attack for the Quake and 9 Attack for the Blades makes him a decent close combat attacker.
His defence values steadily drop however, this Gardner doesn't care if he his hit, reaching 15 before a final click return to 16. This is accompanied by soak though. Second and fourth click Toughness (I'm The Greatest Green Lantern) sandwiching third click Energy Shield is followed by a final three clicks of Invulnerability (Honour Guard). He will get hit, but he will take plenty of damage before he falls.
Second click Exploit is accompanied by a drop to 3, from his third click he gets Battle Fury (Rarggh!) which he finally loses for his last click. This only gives him 3 clicks to take advantage of his range of 8, before he becomes a close combat maniac.
Finally, he can benefit from the Green Lantern special object for 7 of his 7 clicks and the Red Lantern special object for 4 of his 7 clicks, making either or both of these objects useful to him.
Justice League Gardner keeps his Charge for four clicks before picking up two clicks of a special power;
In Your Face Green Lantern can use Flurry. If both attacks using Flurry target a single opposing character, modify Green Lantern's damage value by +1 for the second attack.
This is an interesting variation on Flurry, as it allows him to do more damage against one character. Shame his damage is low on these clicks, but it allows his second attack to beat soak. His last two clicks have no power, and his move ends on a very low 6.
On his third click he gains three clicks of Super Strength (Power Ring, a lot of his power have this name) before the final three get Telekinesis (Power Ring) giving him some options. His values yo-yo dropping to 8 then back to 10 then back to 8 again.
His two clicks of soak drop to two clicks of Toughness (Power Ring) then two clicks of Willpower (Arrogant) and finally two clicks of Energy Shield/Deflection (Power Ring, final time). His defence stays low with the second Willpower click spiking at 17 and his final click has a very low 14.
His initial click gives way to three clicks of Enhancement (Lantern Honour Guard) which again makes him more of a support figure and his final two clicks have Ranged Combat Expert (Beware My Power) which can give him a final bit of punch, if he isn't already based.
Finally, he can only benefit from the Green Lantern special object for 2 out of his 9 clicks, making it not worth including for just him.
This means that Justice League Gardner has 1 more click of health than his counterpart. That and his team ability means that his combat values are on average lower compared to the DC75th version than their point values would suggest.
In summary, I would much rather run the DC75th version. His focus on doing one thing means that he does it well, whereas his counterpart is trying to do so many things he does none of them reliably. He is a support figure, but because he is also an attacker he costs too much for that role, but isn't good enough to be the main attacker. At nearly half the 300 point build, he isn't up to the job. His combat values make him not even worth taking in higher builds.
Red Lantern Guy Gardner is far superior. With careful use he can tear apart figures that are twice his cost, and in 300 points you still have two thirds of your team to build with. His sculpt is also really good :)
Next time, a review of an artist.
Guy Gardner
Justice League gave us Gardner at Super-rare. DC75th gave us Gardner at Rare. This means that not only is the earlier Gardner (called Green Lantern in that Justice League) from an out of print set (2007), but that he was hard to get within that set. This might be mitigated by the 5 weeks of sealed tournaments held at the time, meaning potentially more boosters were opened. Meanwhile the DC75th version is not only current but easier to get than the likes of Sinestro.
Both figures are ranked as Veteran. The Justice League version represents Gardner as a member of the Green Lantern Honour Guard, while the DC75th version is Gardner while he was wielding both a Green and Red ring.
This gives the DC75th version an edge in themery as it has become an iconic, recent image of him that has proven popular with the fans of the Blackest Night storyline.
Like with Sinestro, this only denotes two important things about the pair. You can run multiples of either figure, and you can't run them in Rookie-only tournaments.
Both figures have the following Keywords; Green Lantern Corps and Justice League International. This allows you a choice when fielding thematic teams with either of these keywords.
DC75th Gardner only adds Red Lantern Corps to his list. This allows him to theme with 2 other figures at the moment (not including White Lantern Hal Jordan), which doesn't add a huge amount of scope. Especially since their point values mean that he and Mera are a 200 point team, or the two of them and Atrocitus are a 400 point team. They do look good when fielded together though :)
Justice League Gardner instead adds Super Buddies and Warrior to his keywords. This not only gives him another team to work with that fans of the character will probably be familiar with, but it also gives him a generic one. This gives him a much wider range of figures he can theme with.
Justice League Gardner is 133 points. DC75th Gardner is 110.
This is only a differance of 13 points. Thats not much of a clincher when deciding which one to fit in a team. So the decision, if not based on Keywords, comes down to capability.
Both figures are Fliers with one lightning bolt, range 8. DC75th Gardner has two advantages. Firstly he is Indomitable and secondly he has a trait;
The Antagonist If Guy Gardner has no action tokens, he can use Close Combat Expert.
This allows him to not only act two turns in a row without pushing, but also gives him the option of being able to do more damage on the first of those actions, if he is already based by an opponent. Combine that with his other powers and he is not someone you want to be facing in close combat. Not sure why it has the same name as DC75th Sinestro's trait though.
However, it's not all in his favour. Justice League Gardner has the Green Lantern Corp team ability. This traditionally appears to be quite expensive, but makes him very useful as a taxi, especially as more of his keywords have characters that can't fly. This seems counter-intuitive for the character though, putting him in a support role compared to his counterparts beatstick incarnation.
On his starting click, DC75th Gardner seems the stronger. Move 12 Phasing/Teleport (Green Lantern Of Sector 2814.3), Attack 11, Defense 17 Energy Shield/Deflection (Green And Red Auras) and Damage 4 Exploit Weakness (Guy, Are You Ok?, remember this can be 6 with careful positioning).
He has no soak, but high move ignoring terrain and high defense against range allow him to move up to the close combat position he wants to be in. Don't be too quick to rush him in though, as this is one of the few clicks he can make ranged attacks from.
Justice League Gardner's starting click is "interesting". Move 10 Charge (Bring It On!), Attack 10 Energy Explosion (Power Ring), Defense 16 Invulnerability (Power Ring) and Damage 2 Close Combat Expert (Troubleshooter).
Gardner here wants to be doing many things. He wants to be based so he can do more damage, but his Charge doesn't quite go with his bare damage value. He can damage grouped swarms at range though, and he does have decent soak. Shame his defence value is so low.
Dc75th Gardner switches to Charge (Reckless Attack) for two clicks, then Flurry (Rage's Red Light) for two clicks before Phasing returns on his last click. The value steadily drops til it hits 8 and stays there.
From his third click, he gains Quake (Chainsaw Swipe) for two clicks before switching to Blades/Claws/Fangs (Oh, This Chainsaw Really Works) for his last three. 10 Attack for the Quake and 9 Attack for the Blades makes him a decent close combat attacker.
His defence values steadily drop however, this Gardner doesn't care if he his hit, reaching 15 before a final click return to 16. This is accompanied by soak though. Second and fourth click Toughness (I'm The Greatest Green Lantern) sandwiching third click Energy Shield is followed by a final three clicks of Invulnerability (Honour Guard). He will get hit, but he will take plenty of damage before he falls.
Second click Exploit is accompanied by a drop to 3, from his third click he gets Battle Fury (Rarggh!) which he finally loses for his last click. This only gives him 3 clicks to take advantage of his range of 8, before he becomes a close combat maniac.
Finally, he can benefit from the Green Lantern special object for 7 of his 7 clicks and the Red Lantern special object for 4 of his 7 clicks, making either or both of these objects useful to him.
Justice League Gardner keeps his Charge for four clicks before picking up two clicks of a special power;
In Your Face Green Lantern can use Flurry. If both attacks using Flurry target a single opposing character, modify Green Lantern's damage value by +1 for the second attack.
This is an interesting variation on Flurry, as it allows him to do more damage against one character. Shame his damage is low on these clicks, but it allows his second attack to beat soak. His last two clicks have no power, and his move ends on a very low 6.
On his third click he gains three clicks of Super Strength (Power Ring, a lot of his power have this name) before the final three get Telekinesis (Power Ring) giving him some options. His values yo-yo dropping to 8 then back to 10 then back to 8 again.
His two clicks of soak drop to two clicks of Toughness (Power Ring) then two clicks of Willpower (Arrogant) and finally two clicks of Energy Shield/Deflection (Power Ring, final time). His defence stays low with the second Willpower click spiking at 17 and his final click has a very low 14.
His initial click gives way to three clicks of Enhancement (Lantern Honour Guard) which again makes him more of a support figure and his final two clicks have Ranged Combat Expert (Beware My Power) which can give him a final bit of punch, if he isn't already based.
Finally, he can only benefit from the Green Lantern special object for 2 out of his 9 clicks, making it not worth including for just him.
This means that Justice League Gardner has 1 more click of health than his counterpart. That and his team ability means that his combat values are on average lower compared to the DC75th version than their point values would suggest.
In summary, I would much rather run the DC75th version. His focus on doing one thing means that he does it well, whereas his counterpart is trying to do so many things he does none of them reliably. He is a support figure, but because he is also an attacker he costs too much for that role, but isn't good enough to be the main attacker. At nearly half the 300 point build, he isn't up to the job. His combat values make him not even worth taking in higher builds.
Red Lantern Guy Gardner is far superior. With careful use he can tear apart figures that are twice his cost, and in 300 points you still have two thirds of your team to build with. His sculpt is also really good :)
Next time, a review of an artist.
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