Editor: Webmaster. Monday 1st November 2004.
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Editor: Webmaster. Monday 1st November 2004.
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Superman, Red In the TCG world, there are nothing like new cards. Although TCG gamers play for different reasons, new cards inspire that unique event where gamers of different creeds and cultures come together to salivate in unison. At the moment of conception, we are together in awe, before the elation and O-faces diminish into the familiar cacophonous hum of gamers gaming. It is important that the multifaceted pleasure of this experience is recorded in detail. Individual lines of interest and inquiry will no doubt be pursued in great length at later dates. For the new card review, quantity wins a rare legitimate victory from quality, with it being imperative that as many angles as possible be canvassed, rather than dwelling too long on too narrow an idea. Forever will aesthetics and mechanics battle for supremacy in the hearts of minds of gamers; the new card is one of the few places they share billing. Luckily, the first VsParadise.com preview card is, in deliberately ocker terminology for our international audience, a cracker. Without further ado:
The story behind Red Superman, and Blue Superman is a little complicated. Although the title may have alluded to the controversial communist Superman of Superman: Red Son, the artwork clearly indicates that Superman, Red originates from the split in Superman’s energy form, resulting in two separate, but identical except in costume colour, Supermen. This innovative alteration to the Superman identity can be discovered in Superman #123. The artwork on the card is awesome, and I think it does well to represent the changes in Superman, namely his altered form as more of a body of energy. For those not yet in the know here is an explanation of the new mechanic Cosmic from Danny Mandel @www.metagame.com: Cosmic: Some characters have the keyword “Cosmic” in their text box. A character with cosmic comes into play with a cosmic counter. As the character becomes stunned, it loses its cosmic counter. While a character has a cosmic counter, all game text after the word “Cosmic” is active. Think of cosmic as an on/off switch. While a character has a cosmic counter, its cosmic power is turned on. While it doesn’t have a cosmic counter, its cosmic power is turned off. As a character becomes stunned, it loses its cosmic counter. While a character is stunned it cannot receive a cosmic counter. A character that already has a cosmic counter cannot receive an additional cosmic counter. Once it loses its cosmic counter, it can later receive a new one. A character that does not have the cosmic keyword cannot receive a cosmic counter. This card is almost certainly going to be forced into Constructed play. The first ability gives away the potential for a deck based on recruiting various incarnations of Superman. Like Spiderman in Web of Spiderman, Superman will be represented in different modes in Man of Steel. Superman, Red has good, if not exceptional, stats for a 3-drop. Although we need to be able to put this character in its proper context (i.e. with total knowledge of the set) before making conclusive judgements, certain features stand out for an assessment of the Constructed value of Superman. The cloning effect, already seen in different form with Scarlet Spider, Ben Reilly, opens up interesting, but quite narrow, ideas for deck construction. Such decks are narrow in that they rely heavily on the card that facilitates the “cloning”. Scarlet Spider, Ben Reilly is often overworked in that archetype, and Superman, Red brings his own vulnerabilities. The makeup of the deck will determine how much stress is brought to bear on these vulnerabilities. For now, the major concern seems to be how to keep the 3-drop alive so that his first ability becomes game-winning. The 1 endurance cost is negligible. The second ability is deceptive. Superman, Red has decent stats without the Cosmic bonus, but the Cosmic bonus, if maintained, makes him amazing. However, I think this to be a difficult endeavour. Attacking up the curve is of the most prized abilities, but can Superman, Red provide this consistently? In short, I am not confident he can. His attack bonus demands he be in the front row. Combined with his low Defense, I find it difficult to imagine plausible scenarios where this character will be able to survive a turn without being stunned. Superman, Red becomes distinctly average sans Cosmic. He would seem at his best attacking up the curve on your turn 4 or turn 5 initiative, yet this seems an unlikely proposition. Perhaps the threat of his Cosmic attack will delimit the options of an opponent, but without greater set knowledge this remains to be seen. Superman, Red seems like a decent pick in Limited. The urgency at which
you seek to acquire him will depend on the other commons in the set, but
I am confident he will be a mid-range pick for most Team Superman decks.
The gap between 3 and 4 drops is quite larger than most other one level
gradations in Limited, where curve jumping is of the most serious importance.
Flight and Range are nice, but the real issue is whether common defensive
plot twists are available. An unstunned Superman, Red at the end of turn
3 would be very valuable indeed. Overall I think Superman, Red is a solid
card with a few deceptively weak abilities, but I am notoriously conservative
with my card evaluations and I challenge you all to prove me wrong! |
