So now I'm working on a Purist deck as the next in my playlist. I have Purist cards available from Dark Future, SSG, and now I'm adding Critical Shift.
Let's take a closer look at the Purist Cards from Critical Shift and see if anything comes to mind.
True Believer and Symphonic Disciples are good foundation which I need. Up to now, I've only had Purist Initiate, Purist Aspirant, and Arcane Scientist available. Since the only out of faction Purist cards in my card set are the Architect Purist and Rhys Engel, the Purist Initiate basically has no text. So it will be nice to have a 1 cost magic provider that does something, even if it's not much. The Symphonic Disciple will usually be better than the Aspirant. In my metagame, the Aspirant is not usually around when his ability would be useful.
Christine Winter is a 2 for 3 which is OK, and when she is smoked can be returned for the sacrifice of a 1 cost character. Again this is OK. If I mix Lotus for stealing other characters it can be better. I, however, don't want to build a deck around a 3 Fighting character.
The Blind is 3 cost for usually at least 5 Fighting and sometimes much more. Since the Art of War is common in my metagame, it could be 7-8 Fighting fairly often. Not bad, but not exciting.
Keeper of the Echos is another variable Fighting card. It can be really good, but to do so, you have to toss two hitters from your hand. Without the ability to recycle smoked hitters, this could be a major liability in a deck. If you aren't discarding big cards, you will only see fighting 4-6 which is OK, but kind of bland.
Probability Soldiers look like they can be fun to abuse. See how many times you can get one to unturn. My first thought was Occult Kung Fu to copy their ability on to a hitter. Add LaGrange Four and unturn the hitter to see how many additional attacks you get. I'll have to keep this in mind for a possibility.
Impossible Men look like a good control card. If it could get Superleap somehow, it would be very strong. Someone already pointed out the Tracer Implant combo, which is strong. The only real problem, it that at 4 for 6, I really like Mutator. And I don't see where the Impossible Men replace them.
The Gray looks like a strong character. A 5 for 7 is a little below the curve, but it will probably be a 4 for 7 or better because someone is going to pay to cancel his ability. I just don't see his as often hitting the board and being a threat to go for the win. Good, but not great.
Mystical Cosine is a card for various tricks - Twisted Horror, Netherworld Vet, Violet Meditation - but I don't have most of these cards in my card set. I'll shelve this card for now.
Temporal Anomaly could be good. I don't have any edges in my play set that look like naturals for recycling, but getting to play an opponent's Shield of Pure Soul for 1 power after my Symphonic Disciples get rid of it could be worth it. A high opportunity cost though.
Delay the Inevitable seems like a good card to either go for the win or stop a winning attack, but since it is only a delay, I don't have a strong feeling for it.
Echo Distortion looks like an expensive version of Chi Syphon. For the same cost, you copy a site for only one turn. But as I think about it, it has two huge advantages. One, it is an event so is much more flexible for a surprise factor. Two, the original text of the site remains. So copying a Feng Shui Site with a good ability when it turns on to a City Hospital which can unturn itself can be very good. This is the angle I'm going to work on.
Delay the Inevitable is a potent stoppage card. It takes a lot of surprise out of the card being played, and really punishes any card with a high opportunity cost, like say Heat of Battle or Dark Soft Whisper.
ReplyDeleteThe Grey is nasty. It kills X fighters, can be a pain against decks where the hitters provide their own punch-through. It definitely draws hate.
Don't discount The Blind. A regular 3 for 6 with Assassinate is definitely putting you above the power curve.
I don't disagree that Delay the Inevitable is strong denial for Purists, but it's less than Confucian Stability that just outright cancels the event. That said, good, but not great.
ReplyDeleteThe Grey will kill X fighters, but I don't see many in my metagame. Other than that I often see it as a 4 for 7 causing one opponent to lose one power.
The Blind will often be above the cost/fighting curve, but it is just a thug. Good, but not exciting.
A plus I hadn't considered is that if you use Delay the Inevitable to stop punchthrough/stoppage on your own attack for the win, it might be available to stop the next player's attack for the win. It can take the heat away from you, and focus it on the next guy.
ReplyDeleteWillow, I think I understand what you are saying. When at a end game where most everyone is at or near victory conditions, you can feel more secure throwing everything at a winning attack knowing that you can delay removal. That way if you attack still fails, there will be removal still available for the next win attempt. This works provided the delayed event wasn't played by the next player to go for victory.
ReplyDelete