Editor: Anthony Macali. Tuesday 17th May 2005
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Editor: Anthony Macali. Tuesday 17th May 2005
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Power Cards In Retrospect: Savage Beatdown by Marc Conad
Note: These series of articles are for those of you just getting into the game. It can be quite daunting for any first timer to pick up a game and try it out, especially against people they do not know. It is my hope that this and subsequent articles give you ideas with which to build your decks. Savage Beatdown first made its appearance in Marvel Origins, and since then it has gone on to become arguably the most used card in VS today (barring Modern Age format), with a lot of the Meta-decks sporting three or four as standard in their makeup. If the formidable teams in the Golden age and their synergistic effects weren’t enough, they have to throw a card like this in to deal that extra damage needed to cut the opponent down. With an asking price of US$30.00, it’s a wonder how some of these people obtain 4 in their deck as it’s a heavy price for the boost, but obviously people think its worth it if they’re willing to pay that much. As is said in commerce, demand drives the price, so this card’s price (as well as its number one ranking on VSUniverse.com) pretty much says it all. You could say go for Nasty surprise instead. Sure it definitely has its uses and combinations, but that card can only be used on Defenders, and has no real advantage, given that it only allows for a stun-back. What about Mega Blast? The support row restriction and 1 less ATK point in its boost put Savage Beatdown ahead of it. What made Savage Beatdown the card that it is?
“Target attacker gets +5 ATK this attack” You can already tell from the text that this card is made for power. The +5 boost pretty much makes this the steroids for VS (not that I advocate the use of that illegal drug). The text also gives no restriction other than using it on an attacker. Even the attacker is not specified, (whether your opponent's attacker or your own makes no difference) leading to this card’s incredible versatility in both offensive and defensive applications. An obvious application for Savage Beatdown is to power up your character to demolish your opponents’ characters. The +5 ATK boost will definitely give you the edge in battle when it comes to the initial drops. It's especially devastating if you have cleared your opponent’s field and then play the card to deal out extra breakthrough damage. Be aware though that at this moment you would be at serious risk of an Overload if your character is powered up to more than twice their attack capacity. Is it your drop and your opponent is intending on doing you serious harm? Do not fret, for Savage Beatdown can be used in combination with Overload if it is your opponent’s initiative. This is especially good if you’re in a compromised situation and need to keep your field filled up as much as possible. It also allows you to steal at least a part of the opponent’s initiative. Say on the fifth drop your opponent has the initiative and puts out Sentinel Mark V (7 ATK, 7 DEF) on the field with its boost, making it 9 ATK and 9 DEF. Normally you’d be hard pressed to find an solution to it, as the only solution is to put out a 5 drop to withstand the attack. Wait for your opponent to make the first move to confirm their attack power, then if it falls short of Overload’s “more than double ATK” requirement, then use Savage Beatdown to push the opponent’s attack power above double, then play Overload to stun that character. A pretty effective strategy on the first four drops as they will be most susceptible to this tactic. Another of its applications lie within team attacking. When the opponent decides to go for broke and team attack you, play Savage Beatdown on the attacker which is at about mid-range; a character with just enough attack power to be Overloaded, while at the same time taking as much power away from the opponent’s strike as possible. This way, you can get 2 stuns in as well as save your own character. Savage Beatdown in a team attack situation should be pretty self-explanatory. The idea is to use Savage Beatdown only as a last resort in a team attack as there is no breakthrough bonus. Situations of when this arises is when you’re team attacking an opponent (who in this hypothetical situation is playing Big Brotherhood) who then plays “Insignificant Threat” which will stun one of your attackers in the process. At this point you may want to play Savage Beatdown to make up for the lost attack power. The reason this is so is because you already made an attack, you might as well follow through because you will lose 2 attackers in the process (one from Insignificant Threat and one from the usual team attack stunning rules). Unless of course you have a pressing tactical issue which needs two characters to be stunned for nothing. Adversely, as was explained previously, you too could fall victim to Overload if you become over zealous and careless in your attack. Think very carefully before using Savage Beatdown on a character that you know has the chance of being Overloaded. If you want to take a gambit (no pun intended) on such a maneuver its your choice, but always have a backup plan in case you get Overloaded. Its not a nice thing to lose two of your attackers at once, and it will give the opponent the initiative to take you down hard and fast. Having a board advantage is another facet of a winning strategy in VS, and losing two characters at once does not help further this objective. It is better to err on the side of caution than recklessness. As Savage Beatdown has no card tutor to accompany it, it may not always come to your hand consistently. But with four copies of this card in your deck, you maximise the chances of it coming to your hand in the game. Do not make the mistake of relying on this card solely to get you through the match though as that will limit your thinking and strategy. Savage Beatdown unfortunately falls victim to its own combination with Overload, for the opponent can turn the tables on you. By Overloading your character, the opponent has taken a part of your initiative and it may demoralise you. Demoralisation is its own problem as it may cause you to make hasty decisions so be careful. It is moot to argue that Savage Beatdown will fall to fizzle, as pretty much every non-ongoing plot twist is at the mercy of that card. Savage Beatdown certainly has its place among the most powerful cards in the
VS Universe due to its versatility and sheer brute force. Currently in the number
one spot, its position is well deserved barring one restriction. It can pretty
much be used at any time but beware, for if you use it on yourself, you put
yourself at risk of Overload. [ Email the Author | Discuss this Article ]
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