I really like set 10. Defender and Arrogance worry me, and so does Shooting Capoeira to a lesser extent. Ways of Punishment will probably push discard to the forefront of the meta again, particularly as it is a powerful ability that Evil was up to so recently lacking. Military Rank will probably be more of a nuisance than ever, but at least it rotates very soon. So, what about the rest of the set?

I haven’t been back for too long, so I haven’t really gotten a chance to really stare closely at the intricacies of set 9 (that and the two releases were practically on top of each other), but I really like how the support for each character matches all three symbols with that character. The symbols are diverse enough to keep any one in particular from being grossly buffed by this set, and yet they are common enough to be able to attempt a sealed event or a draft. Well done, I must say.

Arrogance

It’s easy to see that a lot of care was taken to make this a ‘fixed’ version of Noble Scion. The first thing you think of when you look at this card is ‘how can I use this?’ It’s not the immediate, ‘this card is broke sauce’ response that Noble Scion brought along. Controlling the number of abilities/cards an opponent can play is very interesting design space that is relatively untapped, but it can only be described as playing with fire. This ability is very powerful, and any future cards that either gain life or hack checks need to take Arrogance into consideration. Thankfully, the best version of Alba will rotate out as Block 3 rolls in, but I can’t help but have a sense of dread that someone has found a terrible way to break Arrogance, and the next couple of months will be pure hell. If you listened to the podcast from Worlds that was made by your friendly neighborhood forumites, they toss about some ideas for Arrogance that are quite realistic and powerful. I recommend you listen to it, because hidden amongst all the playful banter is some serious tech discussion. You can find the thread that links to it here. 

Set aside some time, though, it’s over 2 hours long. I recommend you listen to it in the background of something else so you can get past all the chit chat.

Defender

The second card that worries me is probably the first on everyone’s list. People have already begun to compare this card to Kubi Ori, but I would take it a step further and say that it’s far worse. Here is a small set of infinites and loops we’ve found just in my own playgroup:

• Infinite Absurd Strength
• Infinite Rejection
• Semi-Infinite Broken Leg
• Infinite Blocks
• Infinite Throws
• Tag Along Loops
• Infinite Discard
• Infinite Foundation Destruction
• Infinite Momentum Generation
• Infinite Mill
• Revitalize Loops
• 1-Attack Infinites 

Most of these require one other card. To further the comparison between Defender and Kubi Ori, Kubi Ori required one card from the hand; Defender requires one card from momentum. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you which price is steeper.

The Ways of Punishment

Ouch! I really like this card, but unfortunately, it has to have the Evil symbol. This is going to make a lot of really good Absurd Strength plays happen for the next couple of months, which means Evil is now a bit better than it was before, if that makes any sense. I really don’t want to count this as a strike against the set, especially since the designers were really careful to make this the absolute best Evil card in the set, but this is enough to really solidify Evil as the peerless symbol that it is. Any advances the other symbols have made on that territory in the past releases have been pushed back with this card.

Shooting Capoeira

I don't like my opponents readying Roam the World, particularly if they can do it multiple times. Our best defense is the amazing Red Lotus of the Sun, but even that card won’t survive too long against Shooting Capoeira. This card is nowhere near as worrisome as Defender or Arrogance, but it does make me worry that something down the line is going to come out that Shooting Capoeira is going to break. For now, however, this is just a really, really good card with some potentially game-breaking applications. If nothing else, at least our Hwang’s are not completely useless with Higher Calibur gone.

I’m not a fan of Super Rare ‘solution’ cards. I don’t mind the Scourge of Zeus’ or the Defenders of the game, a.k.a. the ‘problem’ cards being Super Rare. For the most part, I may never ever need to own one of those cards to be successful at this game, as I can just turn to any one of the common/uncommon problem cards to fill the gap, like Absurd Strength and Chain Throw. Here, the designers knew we were having trouble with assets, and that we want to destroy Defender more than anything else in this life, so they gave us an answer that many of us can ill-afford. And so, the price of playing UFS goes up, yet again.

Gravity Storm/Yuri’s Super Upper

I really, really like these cards. Not because they’re amazing, or because I’m a fanboy, but because they are creative. They give the player options and interesting decisions to make. This coupled with the fact that each character matches every symbol with his/her support makes for some really synergistic possibilities in deck design. It’s possible that these cards will be able to really come into their own in block 3, as players look for new attacks to replace their old ones.

I also really, really like these cards. A couple of months ago you could’ve easily caught me complaining that there was no fundamental way to control your opponents resources and threats like you could in other games. Some excellent steps have been taken to rectify that situation, like Thunderbolt and Windstorm. Olcadan’s may be a bit much though, as reusable destruction tends to be. These cards, and the set of Darkstalkers attacks with similar abilities are excellent ways to create games of cat and mouse. Where a missed block, or an overextension could cost you a key foundation. Not an overwhelming loss, mind you, but a potentially crippling one. This is the recipe for exciting, interactive games. As a bonus, the abilities on both Windstorm and Thunderbolt have stipulations that have to met, and that are very easy to control right now, before the final payoff can be achieved. Again, this is an excellent way to keep both cards at a powerful, but manageable level; very excellent design choices, if you ask me.

While not as flexible, or powerful, or even exciting as Defender, Checkmate can prove to be just as deadly. As I alluded to earlier, momentum is not an expensive cost. There are plenty of ways to generate it on the cheap, and anyone that can find a reliable way to make Checkmate connect is the proud wielder of an infinite damage loop. It costs a fair bit at a hefty 6 difficulty, and the 2 check is none too attractive, which makes this one of the more balanced infinites this game has, if the word ‘balanced’ can be applied to infinite loops at all.

Surprise! You got Drifter’d. It’s going to happen, you might as well resign yourself to the fact right now. It’s not broken, or overpowered, but it is ridiculous when you die to a Moonbeam Slicer as you are in the middle of your Defender combo. You were that close. This is quite possibly the most fun card of the set.

Forethought

This card has already created a nice little stir. I personally think the cost can be a little too expensive at times (committing three foundations for -2), but ending a turn should be an expensive business, and so it’s just right. Some agree, some don’t, such is life. While Forethought is absolutely awesome in the early turns, it loses a lot of bang later on, and can actually be useless in the later turns.

Inhuman Perception

What was that I was saying about solution cards? I may bemoan my losses, but I count my blessings and this card is just that. While it will never be more than the poor man’s Addes Syndicate, it is the Addes Syndicate that I always wanted and I find it to be nothing less than a love letter written personally to me, and a promise of more such cards to come, so I might as well stick around. Smiley faces all around, here.

Lizardman 4

It’s not often that I review the potential of characters in sets, but I find Lizardman to be a special case. This is Military Rank 2.0, the not so overpowered version. By nailing down more restrictions the card is more balanced. It’s just as reusable as Military Rank, but it’s no longer a ridiculous problem. More than anything else, Lizardman and his support shows definite signs of the game’s progression. It shows that the staff is listening and working hard to give us the balance we want in such a competitive game. Balance coupled with interesting design will ensure the future of this game, and that’s exactly why I like set 10 so very much.

Hmmm… Where do I start? I guess this is an excellent way to protect yourself from being handless on your opponent’s turn, if their one attack doesn’t kill you, but then it’s possible for you to end up with 12+ cards in hand on your turn. It’s really easy to mill yourself with this card (I’ve done it), but then again it’s really easy to flat out win the game the next turn thanks to your massive hand (I’ve done that too). There’s not really any downside to enhancing on your opponent’s turn, so it makes for the interesting decision of deciding when to use it’s enhance, but it could at least make you discard down to handsize... I’m really undecided about this one, come back later.

Momentum Control
Set 10 has a lot of momentum control, which is a useful thing to have with Defender around. I imagine it will become more useful as block 3 rolls in, which makes for a nice set of  cards to have around just in case. However, the existence of this set of cards makes the absence of the next sets of cards all the more apparent.

Life-gain Control

Where is it? With Yuri, Maxima, and Terry support setting up block 3, and not to mention Revitalize, we seem to be at the mercy of life gain. This makes decks that rely on residual damage almost obsolete. Life gaining cards are excellent tools for mill and control, but aggro seems to be left out in the cold, and this wouldn’t be the first time.

I wouldn’t be the first to mention that we need more of this as a well, especially with the Ways of Punishment bursting onto the scene in a big way. As one of the players that never stopped playing discard, I can attest to you first hand that there aren’t enough options to stop discard. There never was, and as block 3 comes in, it will only get worse.

Conclusion

Any set with Terry in it, is good enough for me, heh. Seriously, however, I think set 10 is a massive step forward in terms of general set design. As I already mentioned, the distribution of power seems to be about even in the featured symbols, which leaves me a very satisfied player, and a very satisfied customer. Hopefully, your experiences have been similar.

-ceejay