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Well it's a regular Cyberverse news-spolsion in the Seibertron news room! We've got sightings of the regular assortment from one of our own members, then a sighting of the Tiny Turbos Series 1 up in Canada, before we get to a quick peek of the Tiny Turbos Series 2.
First off from our own Seibertronian ScottyP comes sightings of some of the new Cyberverse Basic Assortment at a Target in North Carolina. Scotty learned that basics are $14.99, and Elite are $24.99. The case breakdown for Basics looks to be 2x Starscream, 2x Sky Byte, 1x Prowl and 1x Jetfire. Elite seems to be 2x Optimus, 1x Bee, and 1x Megatron. (Also spotted at the same Target was the new Siege Micromaster 10 pack so make sure and check your local stores they're definitely making their way across the nation)
Then thanks to a member named terrific over at TFW2005 we've learned the new Tiny Turbo Changers Series 1 has hit the shelves of at least one WalMart in Ottawa, Canada. They've also learned a way to decode which character is in which blind bag! The code starts with a letter of the alphabet and it’s this letter that tells you who is inside. terrific has also provided us the full list of codes.
Tiny Turbo Changers Series 5 Identification Codes list:
A – Bumblebee
B – Optimus Prime
C – Grimlock
D – Autobot Hot Rod
E – Jetfire
F – Autobot Drift
G – Blackarachnia
H – Decepticon Shockwave
I – Soundwave
J – Megatron
K – Starscream
L – Prowl
Then lastly thanks to a listing at Amazon Mexico we have an image of the lineup for Series 2 of the Tiny Turbo Changers. In it we see Starscream, Megatron, Drift, Prowl, Grimlock, Jetfire Hot Rod, Shockwave, Black Arachnia, Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and Soundwave.
As always enjoy the images and share your views with the Seibertron crew in the forums, and stay tuned to Seibertron for the ultimate in Transformers news!
Our own troops were at the 'Con this last weekend and got some great video of the Hasbro brand panel going over the 35th anniversary of Transformers. Here's some highlights from the panel:
Panel Members:
Ben Montano, Michael Hauser, John Warden, Ran Sun, Takahashi Kunihiro, and Flint Dille.
New Licensed Products featured:
Snowboards and skies from Gilson
Transformers art book from VIZ.
3A Bumblebee Movie Optimus Prime
Hasbro Pulse T-Shirts will look at the past, present, and future.
Hall of Fame
Flint Dille has been inducted into the Transformers Hall of Fame.
Takahashi Kunihiro inducted into the Transformers Hall of Fame.
Cyberverse
Power of the Spark is new focus, showing a video clip about Spark Armor.
Skybyte wants to defeat Jetfire in the clip showing.
New video showing Cyberverse TV Commercials.
New Character designs:
Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Skybyte, Jetfire, and Grimlock.
SDCC Convention Exclusives:
Ghostbusters crossover MP Optimus Prime and BotBox Con Crew
War for Cybertron: SIEGE:
New figures coming same day.
Wave 5:
Crosshairs - Deluxe
Spinster - Deluxe
Apeface - Voyager
Astrotrain - Leader
Refraktor Reconnaissance Team - 3-Pack
G1 Colors Reflector Homage.
Krezmeek is a blast accessory (genius)
Amazon Exclusives
WFC Fan Vote Battle 3-Pack Box Set
Impactor, Mirage, and Power dasher
Decepticon Phantom Strike Squadron Siege Battle Pack
Autobot Alphastrike Counterforce Siege Battle Pack
Greenlight Deluxe
Walgreen Exclusive
SIEGE Ratchet
Entertainment Earth Exclusive Generations Selects
Lancer
Galactic Man Shockwave Recolor
Pre-orders for all of these begin TODAY at 5:30 pm PST at most online retailers where otherwise noted exclusives.
2020 WFC Fan Vote
Winner is Runamuck.
Transformers: Galaxies Comic
Previews of new comic series coming September 2019.
Unicron - The Making Of...
Flint Dille wants the head of Unicron to be removable, but its not going to happen.
Flint also wants a Junkion planet for Unicron to eat.
Takahashi Kunihiro talking about working on Unicron, in Japanese. Showing plans and designs.
With Unicron they could physically sketch it out on a desk, so he did it at 1/3 the size and enlarged it.
One of the challenges of making the sphere if the planet mode was being able to hide the robot parts.
Later he made models out of Styrofoam to decide on the right sphere size.
The front has 12 teeth and they open and close in one phase.
They need backers to make this happen. Please support the project.
Hasrbo will be giving away Unicron posters at 3:30pm in the Hasbro booth.
End of panel.
The video runs at about 43 minutes so pop some pop corn, grab some bots to fiddle with and buckle up for some sweet 'Con action! Now close your eyes, excellent. That's it, deep breath, it's like you're pratically there. Enjoy the view and share your thoughts with the Seibertron crew in the forum. And stay tuned to Seibertron for the ultimate in Transformers news!
Greetings and happy San Diego Comic Con 2019 fellow Seibertronians! Our top agents are on the floor grabbing pics of everything worth seeing from just about every angle imaginable.
You will see reveals for:
-The entire upcoming Siege line including Thundercracker, Galaxy Upgrade Optimus Prime, Impactor, Springer, Omega Supreme, Micromaster Combiner team, Micromaster Frenzy and Ratbat, Astrotrain, Spinister, Ape Face, Crosshairs, the Micromaster ten pack, Jetfire, Mirage, Barricade and Battlemaster Rung.
-New Bot Bots Series 3 assortments.
-Transformers Generations Selects exclusives Galactic Man Shockwave (he even has it written on himself), Red Wing, and Lancer.
-Super Cyborg clear action figures.
-Cyberverse Spark armor Optimus Prime, Cheetor, and Bumblebee.
-Cyberverse Prowl, Alpha Trion, and Grimlock.
-Rescue Heroes Mega Mighties Bumblebee and Hot Shot.
-Masterpiece Movie Megatron.
-MP10 Optimus Ecto-35 mashup.
-G1 Reissue of Soundwave with Cassettes two packs of Frenzy/Laserbeak and Rumble/Ravage.
-Rescue Bots Rescue Crew 4 pack with Whirl, Hoist, and Hot Shot.
-New Studio Series Figures on their way such as car mode Bumblebee Dropkick, Dark of the Moon Hightower and Long Haul, and Leader class Dark of the Moon Optimus Prime with jet trailer.
-Haslab's Unicron from multiple perspectives.
-The new Transformers Trading Card Game Blaster vs. Soundwave decks and the convention exclusive Omnibots pack.
-Also take note of the Gilson snowboard and ski manufacturer's exclusive 35 pairs of skis and 35 snowboards each with G1 classic art work, and 3A's dark chrome Decepticon repaint of BumbleBee Optimus Prime.
And that's just to start! There's plenty to see from all aspects of our amazing hobby and fanfamily. We will continue to keep posting new images from each of the Transformer subseries and various properties as news comes to light.
Enjoy the views and share your thoughts in the forum and be sure to stay tuned to Seibertron for the entire length of the #SDCC2019 for all the latest in Transformers news!
That's right folks Han Cholo has hacked their way into our favorite fandom and is bringing some style to your collection. Yes, you too can look like the collector who spends their time in limousines when not dining with Kings and Queens. With a showing at the San Diego Comic Con this year San Diego Comic Con - Booth #1720, July 18-21 they are having a wide assortment of both obvious and obscure characters to reference, and pieces from other favorite retro fandoms as well. And to crown the collection and commemorate the 35th anniversary of Transformers they have made an Optimus Prime #35 pendant that will bring you that Flava Flave flavor you savor, you know, when playing with Transformers. Enjoy the images and don't hesitate to check out their collection if you're like me you're bound to find at least one thing in your price range that makes you say 'Oop, gonna have to have that one.'.
What's that rumbling I hear? Why it's the sound of another Combiner rushing to the fight in Wizards of the Coast's Official Transformers Trading Card Game! Thanks to fellow Seibertron users, Survivefan23 and #Sideways#, we have scans and card details (and an in-depth analysis of the new cards) to share!
The Transformers Trading Card Game Facebook page is back at it again with these reveals, with card scans courtesy of VectorSigma.info and this time, we have Menasor! But that's not all, Menasor doesn't come alone -- he comes with all his composite parts, and more! But don't just take my word for it, let's take a look!
__________CHARACTER CARDS__________
Whoa! Yeah! Kickstart my Spark; hope it never stops!
Motormaster is the leader of the group, and he's arguably the most interesting of the bunch. He has painfully average stats when it comes to combiners, especially when you consider Motormaster is a rather powerful brute in canon, but his stats are definitely not what makes him special.
He has a very special ability in his Truck mode that keeps your entire team safe from indirect damage, from -- at least insofar as the wording of the card -- pretty much everything. Character Card, Action Cards, Upgrades, nothing can touch your team. Sadly, the only thing he can't protect is himself, as he states "other characters" instead of "all characters". This means that your opponents can target him with Plasma Burst, One Shall Stand and other indirect damage to try to remove him from the field if you're facing something spread-based.
Of course, that's fairly uncommon, with Planes and Double Prime being the only things that can effectively pull it off consistently. A lot of other decks seem to dead draw a lot with them, or worse. Although, as a side-note, Insecticon decks that play Barrage do play a bit of indirect damage in them to trigger his robot ability, which could be enough reason to play Motormaster in itself, but that's just pure conjecture.
But that is only in terms of his splashability in other lists, or perhaps in the mirror-match.
What makes him great for his archetype is his robot mode ability, which can redirect not the damage, but the entire attack to another one of your characters so that they can take the attack instead. Now, generally, it might be for the best if you just let Motormaster just take the hit, but in some cases, when you have a high defense partner for him on your team, you can definitely allow them to be the fall guy.
It's worth noting that in his Truck form, he is not technically Melee, Ranged or Specialist -- he's just... There. Whereas this shouldn't be a deal-breaker, it should go into your play as you wouldn't want to accidentally play a Power Sword when you couldn't.
All in all, his stats might not be the best, but his utility -- albeit meta dependent -- is great at keeping your team alive. Several decks will find him to be a high-priority target, which in Stunticon decks you'll find it easy to redirect that damage to one of your pawns. But who could possibly fit that "fall-guy" bill?
This whole character-swapping thing is a real... Wild-ride. Eh? Ehhh?
Hey, look, a fall-guy!
But in all seriousness, Off-Road has the highest defense out of all the ne'er-do-wells and that makes him all right in my book. Whereas he also has the lowest HP out of the whole group while also being tied for the lowest attack in vehicle mode, something you can easily pull off with him is the ol' switcheroo. With Motormaster attacking first, you can swing for more damage with him and still have the high defense that Off-Road can supply.
Ability-wise, he has a fascinating kit that makes him another anti-meta pick. Whereas his robot mode leaves a bit to be desired, his vehicle mode is as anti-Car as I've seen in this game, directly dealing damage specifically to them, damaging them through their "extra attack" playstyle. Of course, this is one thing that makes him annoying in the mirror, as he deals damage indirectly to Car lists, something that Stunticons have in spades.
But the thing is, that's also what makes Motormaster so important to keep alive in the mirror, as his ability and his ability alone keeps Off-Road and other oppressive anti-Combiner spread cards from dealing too much damage to your field.
Off-Road's robot form isn't nearly as impressive as his vehicle form, as it heals one damage from you when you Transform to robot mode. But, that being said, there is a time and place for that ability. You see, when you have as high of a defensive stat as Off-Road does, you're probably not going to get one-hit, especially with a Reinforced Plating on his person. That's what makes him impressive in terms of survivability. Being a Truck, and in a list that plays Cars, you can abuse Team-Up Tactics to its fullest extent.
In the case of Off-Road, you can use it in tandem with his robot form ability and heal a total of 3 damage, half his health pool. Now, that won't come up all the time -- remember, having three damage on you implies that you blocked at least six damage, not counting flips -- but having the ability to heal three damage is definitely better than not having any ability at all. Speaking of which...
A nervous wreck.
Hey, a vanilla!
Well, not exactly. See, whereas Motormaster, Off-Road and all his other compatriots expand their palate of exotic spices with flavors of keywords and interesting abilities, Breakdown is something approaching British food. Not overtly bland per se, but he comes really, really close.
He's a lot like Divebomb in that he's a Specialist with low stats and a vanilla form. The good news is, like Divebomb, he's just as useful as a Specialist in the list. Field Communicator remains a very good card in Combiner lists, same with Multi-Mission Gear, and anyone that can use those cards are automatically boosted in my book. But the problem is, he just has no incentive to Transform into robot mode at any time other than last in line, likely in the KO pile.
I can't help but think that it was from design that all the power was in his vehicle mode, boasting an impressive ability that can turn an extremely dismal offensive flip that has two blue pips in it into a considerable offensive. Of course, this is one of only a few decks out there that can and will need to play a balanced pip number to supplement this ability and Drag Strip's, which will be discussed below.
In more ways than one, Breakdown adores all the Car support that you can play in Stunticons as he can bolster his own offensive abilities while still keeping in his car form. He thrives off balanced lists, as flipping both blue and orange make him deal damage that can't be ignored by most decks of the trade.
He's not very splashable in pretty much any list whatsoever, but he's great in Stunticons.
On his way to kidnap Penelope Pitstop. Again.
Remember when I said that this list thrives on balanced pips? Drag Strip aims to please in that regard, as he boasts some powerful draw in regards to his vehicle mode. His stats are also some of the highest in regards to attack amongst his peers, making him a powerful attacker for the deck in his robot mode.
Naturally, "powerful" is relative when he has 4 Attack compared to titans like Optimus Prime or Inferno's 8, but that's neither here nor there.
The real power that Drag Strip has is in his draw. He's another great attacker in his vehicle mode, like Breakdown, because of that potentially massive draw that you can have for more or less free. You're going to have a large hand quite quickly with this deck, and that's accentuated by Dead End, as well, but we're going to get to him.
Sadly, his robot form still is the weakest part to his kit despite it having the highest base attack of his teammates. Pierce 1 is low, and whereas Pierce stacks with -- potentially -- Scoundrel's Blaster, it's worthy of note that his virtually nonexistent defensive capabilities make him extremely unlikely to survive getting hit, so one might have to think twice about giving him a weapon that isn't a Grenade Launcher.
I mean, if it's going to get discarded anyway when he gets KO'd, why not just attach something that gives you more bang for your buck, right?
As for his splashability in other lists, I think he could definitely get a place in a Cliffjumper list. Cheap, disposable cars is what Cliffjumper thrives on, and when you're a five star Car that draw cards that can be used to boost Cliffjumper's damage? That's just too hard to pass up. Cliffjumper is a very uncommon deck to face, though, so Drag Strip might not find too much use outside of Cliff and Stunticons, but his draw effect is utterly nutty. Heck, I even want to try him in Sunstorm to give a draw boost, but that's an article for another time.
"Doomed Loner"? Big mood. Big. Mood.
If you thought that Drag Strip was the best car for Cliffjumper, let me introduce you to Dead End.
This guy is a depressed nihilist, but his draw ability only fills me with bubbly optimism. The guy has an easily accessible draw power that combos well with Drag Strip's draw, potentially netting you three cards on top of the cards you're already drawing with Actions, for turn and all the like.
He's such a good Transform target on the first turn, and to make sure you get the draw effect off, he has Tough 1 in his car mode. Whereas this won't save you in the long run, especially given the higher damaging counterparts we've seen especially out of the Volcanicus variety, it will at least save you turn one and that's really all that matters when we're talking about this doomed fellow.
Dead End is great at getting you into that card-advantage state so treasured by many decks by combining him with Drag Strip. Outside of that, he's not the greatest. Despite that, another deck that loves him is Cliffjumper, who already draws a card when you transform your Cars to robot mode. Using him, you draw two cards when you transform Dead End into robot form. Not bad if I do say so myself.
Like Drag Strip, Dead End will see limited use outside of Stunitcons, perhaps even less than Drag Strip in general. Despite my high praise of his draw effect's ease of use, his stats are about as dismal as his personality. Sadly, the only effect to play him is his draw effect -- you can sack him with Motormaster after that.
More used cars than Uncle Bobby B's.
Menasor is a big chungus. He's not as big as Volcanicus by far -- not even close -- but he's comparable to Metroplex in many ways. In fact, he's only slightly beefier than Metroplex insofar as having one more defense than him. But his abilities aren't just radically different than the metrotitan, but in a way, better than him.
Here's the thing: Playing extra Actions on your turn is really insane. Much better than playing multiple Upgrades, especially when some Action cards can literally resurrect the dead, you can pull off some really cool combos with multiple Action effects. You can, for instance, play a Supercharge, then a Reckless Charge to deal frankly disgusting damage, or multiple disruption cards like Disruptive Entrance. I'm honestly fascinated by the prospects of playing multiple Actions in a turn without needing to play Brainstorm first, and I can't wait to find out what kind of broken combo you can do with that ability alone.
That double Action ability, combined with the fact that you draw two cards when you combine make Menasor's disruptive abilities potentially extremely powerful. Especially when you consider that you have been drawing extra cards with Dead End and Drag Strip, your hand will likely be Optimal at this point to allow some interesting plays.
Of course, that's not where it ends with this absolute unit. The immense thickness of Menasor's neck allows him to have Bold 1, Tough 1 and Pierce 1 all stacked on the same character. Whereas we care extremely little about Pierce 1 when you have a base attack of 6 and the potential to stack some heavily damaging Action cards, we do care about Bold 1 and Tough 1 stacking with our Power Sword and Body Armor already, giving him potentially Bold and Tough 4. With that amount of Tough on him, and hopefully enough remaining HP to give you some leeway, you can probably pull off some pretty long stands as Menasor while giving your opponent disruption of the likes they've never seen before.
That, combined with his already high Bold make him someone I'm very interested in seeing whether or not he takes a spot in the metagame up until now reserved for Metroplex. They are pretty similar, after all, but I think Metroplex is about to get a much-needed boost...
__________BATTLE CARDS__________
I must go! My people need me!
Escape Route is an intriguing Common Battle Card that's coming out of Wave 2, and I can't help but to wonder to what extent it'll be played if at all. There are certainly niche uses for it, for instance Dinobots might like the idea of digging for it with their massive Bold numbers to pull off some Grimlock flips on himself or perhaps some speedy Sludge plays.
But you know someone who would love this card way more than anyone else? Metroplex. Metroplex's playstyle requires you to play maximum copies of anything to net you multiple transformations in one turn. Roll Out, Rapid Conversion, they're all there -- but the problem was, if you whiffed them turn one you're pretty much at a massive disadvantage for the rest of the game given the fast-paced environment of Wave 1.
That's where Escape Route comes in. You see, not only do you get to dig for it with Metroplex's inherently high Bold numbers, you also get to make your turn one double flip that much more consistent by playing a third transformation card. I couldn't be more ecstatic -- Metroplex is a low-key favorite of mine. Something about playing with a card the size of an iPad makes me swoon, I guess.
But this card has limited use outside of Metroplex and Dinobots. Although, we haven't seen everything this set has to offer, so I can't exactly pass final judgement on it right yet, but it has enough potential to be a great card in certain niche scenarios. Most of the time you're going to want to transform into robot mode, but you never know what else this set has to offer to make this even better.
"Mr. 'E'. Mystery. A mystery can also be called an enigma.
Enigma. E. Nygma. Edward Nygma. The Riddler!"
An Enigma card is an Enigma card. Most of them are kinda useless in many circumstances outside of combination, as I have noticed. This one doesn't do too much that's special unlike the Predaking Enigma that drew a card and then played an Upgrade. The Stunticon Enigma draws two cards instead, which is cool, but I don't really think that makes it worth over-emphasizing on, especially since early game the card is a dead card in your hand. Only when you combine does the effect of having the card in your deck really begin to shine, and that's a shame.
But that being said, it's the most important card in the deck as if you don't Combine, you usually end up losing the game with your low offensive and defensive composite stats.
All in all, I'll give it a solid score of: Enigma/10. It's an Enigma -- it already merges five or six of your dudes into a bigger dude! What, you want it to do more than that?
They see me rollin' / They hatin'.
Stunticon Swagger is so freaking good. Okay, I know, it doesn't have a pip and that makes it kinda "meh" to put in your deck, but when you have an effect that's pretty much a pocket Acid Storm, you're going to get your value back multitudes of times over.
So, let me give you the lowdown on this card. When it says, "your opponent can't use Bold or Tough against the upgraded character" they mean it literally. You can't use Bold in an attack against the Stunticon that you're attacking, and conversely, you can't use Tough against the Upgraded Stunitcon, either. This card makes Dinobots cry even more than they do now that Acid Storm is being slid into certain decks to counter them. Even Insecticons hate this card, especially since Barrage is taken purely for his own Bold stacking ability.
Here's the thing, though. Menasor is also a Stunticon, if you couldn't already tell. That means that his huge self can swagger like the rest of his composite parts, and that means he's just that much harder to take down. His massive defensive abilities have a perfect capstone with Stunticon Swagger, forcing your opponent to rely on boosting their attack stats instead of relying on Bold to do their dirty work for them.
It's worth noting that this card is also great against Nemesis Prime decks that rely on Bold and Tough to mill their decks faster. Whereas it probably won't really help as much as attaching a weapon would in the early game, it's certainly a great card to have attached to your Stunticons and it takes the cake in terms of my favorite support for a Combiner as of yet. It's just that good. Pip or not, this card makes me impossibly intrigued to see if Menasor can be as big and powerful as I think he can be.
"Careful. A cornered beast is where they're at their most dangerous."
As the developers described it, "Cornered!" is an anti-Combiner card. Being able to flip one of your opponent's hard-earned transformations back to their vehicle mode over and over can reduce even the most hardened Combiner player to tears as their entire deck seems to slow down to a crawl. But that's not all, you can also use it to trigger certain effects on your opponent's characters prematurely.
As per their weekly "Rules Roundup" that the guys over at Wizards of the Coast are doing, they recently answered a bunch of questions over a variety of topics. One of such questions was whether or not a flip ability triggered on your turn when you used Cornered! on one of your opponent's characters. That answer was an unequivocal "yes", which opens up a new can of worms in terms of potential play strategies to mess up your opponent's life.
You see, you can force them to flip when they don't want to. For instance, Nemesis Prime when they are about to reshuffle their deck, or perhaps Skrapnel where you can punish his low HP without his annoying robot mode ability. But more than that, you can abuse cards like Chop Shop too soon, discarding all their hard-earned Upgrades and avoiding the massive draw and healing-fest that was about to happen. There are countless levels of interplay that have come out of this new ruling, and it's definitely something to keep an eye on especially with a potential combiner meta.
This brings up an interesting point, though: Why would they counter something so quickly upon release? Combiners already have quite a few problems with speed, especially against aggro decks like Insecticons -- so why make things even more complicated for them? It's unfortunate, really, but it begs the question if we're going to see even more support for them in the future that the developers thought it a good idea to nerf them before release.
Just food for thought.
Either way, I think that this card is really great, if you couldn't tell. It memes hard on Combiners, despite only being able to target living members instead of the ones in the KO pile. It doesn't seem to be all that useful for aggressive decks (unless you think that teching it in might change an Insecticon matchup more than teching in indirect damage), but the usefulness of the green pip make it very interesting in decks like Double Prime or Cars with their very disruptive playstyles.
It'll almost definitely see play, especially with how powerful combiners can be -- but don't expect every deck to play it.
__________CONCLUSION__________
I, for one, welcome our new Car overlords.
In all seriousness, though, I do think that Car Control might make a massive comeback into the metagame with the advent of Cornered! and the Stunticon support. Whereas frail, Cars are untargetable half the time and it makes it very annoying for tall decks especially to try and beat.
I am slightly concerned that Cornered! might make Combiners unplayable unless they have a unique way of spamming out parts like Volcanicus can, but that remains to be seen and is really only a knee-jerk reaction I had when reading the card and the developers' intent behind it.
But all in all, I think the game is definitely going into a more diverse direction, and that is a very good thing for the metagame. I mean, no one wants to face the same three decks over and over, right? I can definitely see some impressive abilities to try and change up the metagame, especially on the part of the Stunticons. I can't wait to see what they can do with Stunticon Swagger, and I can't wait to see how Menasor will do under pressure.
Anyway, that's all for my ramblings. If you'd like to hear more of my ramblings, check out my YouTube channel where I upload content for the Transformers Trading Card game among other things.
Thanks for reading, and who do you think will come to the game next? Computron? Victorion? Superion? Bruticus? Let me know in the comments below!
__________
Is Menasor the Combiner for you? Let us know in the Energon Pub and stay tuned to Seibertron for all the latest news and reviews!
Yesterday, we revealed the newest combiner to hit Wizards of the Coast's Official Transformers Trading Card Game Wave 2: Rise of the Combiners, Volcanicus(also the newest combiner to hit Transformers fiction in general!)
Well today fellow Seibertron user, #Sideways#, has prepared a full in-depth look at the combiner, and all his components, his special enigma card and a few other reveals...
"Whenever Earth settles, God chucks a stone at it. And believe me, he's winding up."
W-Wait, is that the--? The Beast!? Wait, what? It's Volcanicus? Oh, thank God. I thought I was going to have an aneurysm.
Anyway, the Transformers Trading Card Game group is back at it again with the reveals. This time, they've revealed an entire team of Combiners -- and they're all rare! That, and they teased the reveal of something even further beyond our imagination, with a Battle Card that references a "Sentinel". Let's dive in!
__________Character Cards__________
"Watch me swooce right in!"
Swoop here is actually really good, and I'll tell you why in a few seconds. But first, let's take a look at the stats. His attack is low, his defense is abysmal, his HP is good but with his low defense it will burn through pretty quickly, but something that I'd like to point out about Swoop is the fact that he is, in fact, a Specialist. Specialists in this set have gotten a good boost with Field Communicator. Field Communicator can play a lot of "free" cards, and has a power level in my opinion close to Multi-Mission Gear in terms of usefulness, and decks that can run are always the better for it.
But there are plenty of Specialists in the game, and two of them are Dinobots already! So, by now, it should be obvious why this card is good, then. You see, his robot ability has the effect that puts extra Green Cards in your hand. Like all Green Cards, you have to choose who you're going to let in. To your hand, I mean.
Unfortunately, you can only choose one Green Pip to put into your hand, and as such, if you happen to have -- for instance -- a Focus Fire and a Dinobot Enigma in your top flips, you can only choose one to put into your hand. The good news is that Swoop can put them both, and without discarding a card to do so. That is a great effect, as the discarding effect generally forces you to discard things you might not want to.
Now, when we compare him to his previous iteration from Wave 1, we see that whereas his stats are slightly better in some regards, he's also one more star in order to play, which kind of defeats the purpose of playing Swoop in your Dinobot list. Let's be clear, here -- playing Swoop in a Dinobot list is really only viable when you're trying to cut points in order to play a Mounted Missiles Upgrade or something similar to put those nice pips in the deck. Since this guy is a 7-Star and not a 6-Star, I can't really recommend playing him outside of the Volcanicus list.
All in all, I don't think that he'll ever replace his previous iteration -- but I do think that the Volcanicus lists that can play him, probably should if for no other reason than his Specialist support.
Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.
This version of Slug isn't as full of cesium salami that his previous iteration was, but let's be fair here, this version isn't that great either. Looking at the stats alone, we have a large point count with rather mediocre stats. I mean, he has great defensive abilities, for sure, but when you have a low attack along with it, you aren't going to be dealing a lot of damage at all.
But, there is a silver lining. His robot mode ability does give you a "soft" Bold effect when you flip a White pip, which can add to his damage moreso than not having that ability, but let's face it, he's a Dinobot, and that one extra card that you're going to see off the White pip isn't going to do much. It is nice, though, to combine it with your high Bold numbers that you're sure to run in a Volcanicus deck.
But what about outside of a Volcanicus deck? Well, in short, being 8 Stars could make him interesting to play instead of Sludge, but Sludge is so good at keeping your Grimlock and Snarl alive that you're kinda crazy not to play him. Sludge is just that good -- he's even a Specialist! -- so it's not that Slug is an overtly bad card, it's just that there are so many better options that it's not worth it to try and fit him in a list.
I mean, you could try making a list without Grimlock, but at that point, why are you even playing Dinobots in the first place?
"Draw, you yella-bellied low-life!"
Hey, what'ya know, it's the draw power of this archetype! In all seriousness, however, you can definitely tell that this card is "get out of jail free" card that you use after using a Dino-Chomp. Out of all the newly revealed Dinobots, this one synergizes the best with a Dino-Chomp. See, whereas your stats are low like all Combiner bits, you have that draw ability which gives you a way out of your potential "dead draw" mode after discarding your hand with a Dino-Chomp, all the while dumping raw power into your attack to deal much-needed early damage before you combine.
You see, the combination game can be volatile. Once you combine and you don't win by a decisive margin, to be perfectly frank, you're probably going to end up losing. You need to defeat several characters on your opponent's field (depending on what they're playing, of course) before you combine, unless you want them to gang up on your combiner. This is accentuated with the low defense of The Bea-- Er, Volcanicus' combined form.
I think that playing Dino-Chomp is the only way you're going to get that value in the early game, and who better to use it than a guy that draws you two cards when you do?
So, what about Sludge outside of the Volcanicus list? Well, I doubt you'll find too much use out of him. Wave 1 Snarl is just better value in terms of both offensive power and draw power, and Sludge is 8 stars to Snarl's 7, so there is very little reason to take him over Snarl. Sadly, the only home he has is in Volcanicus -- and Volcanicus is all-too happy to have him.
Well, hit or miss, I guess you never miss, huh?
This Snarl is straight up better than the previous Snarl. Why, you ask? Why do I think that this folded potato chip is better than the best Dino in Dinobots? Well, let's make like Lucio and break it down.
Okay, so this Snarl has one less attack than the Wave 1 Snarl in both modes, and lacks the draw ability that the previous Snarl had, but when you look at the draw power that he had before, you begin to realize that you are seldom going to be at zero cards in hand, especially with a Data Bank in play. Beyond that, Snarl from Wave 1 had essentially Plan 1 without the keyword -- and this Snarl has twice that, with Plan 2.
Early game, you're making more use of the less useful cards in your hand with his Planning effect, and making the most out of the cards in your hand before a Dino-Chomp makes me happy. The other Snarl almost discorded with Dino-Chomp in a few ways, being that his Dinosaur mode was the only thing that you can use to draw with, and that you're generally going to want to invest a Dino-Chomp in a higher attack target like Grimlock, it meant that most of the time you were Transforming and attacking with Grimlock instead of having the time to set up a Snarl draw play.
So, for that reason, I like this Snarl better than the previous one. You just make more use out of him early on than the other Snarl, and in this fast-paced game, you really need early value, and that goes for both Volcanicus and standard.
"And I shall call him... 'Mini-Me'."
This tiny version of Grimlock is one of the most fascinating cards I have ever seen.
First off, you might have noticed something. All of these Dinobots can combine into Volcanicus, and despite that, you can't play all five Dinobots on the same team. How is this possible, you ask? Well, look no further than Grimlock -- Powerful Commander.
You see, Combiners don't really care whether or not you've been killing all of their friends. Just so long as they're in robot mode, you can combine all the same. Sure, you're still going to have the damage carry over, but you're combining all the same. So, when you use Grimlock's ability to put some Dinobots outside the game -- i.e. His missing teammates -- you get to combine, albeit damaged, without having to play all five Dinobots in the same list.
That makes this Grimlock not only the most important character in the list, but also one of the most powerful. Looking at his stats, you have a considerable HP stat and some of the most powerful attack stats of his brethren, being tied with Snarl at 4. Of course, his defense is actually the worst out of his teammates, but, uh, we don't talk about that.
Of course, that means you probably won't get too much longevity out of him, but that's what I STILL FUNCTION! is for, right?
Speaking of, I would like to point out that it says "Dinobot" not a specific Dinobot card. Meaning, you can put one of the Wave 1 Dinobots in your KO zone, which brings up some fascinating -- and in some cases, absolutely absurd combos. For instance, you can put Grimlock into the KO zone and I STILL FUNCTION! him into play for some potentially game-winning Trample plays with his effects.
Of course, there is an even more absurd and -- dare I say broken? -- combo that you can pull off, but more on that later.
You can also put this guy into non-Volcanicus lists. You can deal small amount of damage in terms of his bigger brethren, but you can put some cool I STILL FUNCTION targets into the KO Pile to mess around with which makes that deck archetype even more interesting than it already is. But perhaps another interesting way to play him is to play him without any of his Volcanicus friends, and play a standard Dinobot list that, with his effect putting his Volcanicus friends into the KO zone, you can potentially combine with your other Dinobots on the field.
Unlikely, for sure, as it requires attacking with him four times in a row at least, but still an interesting thought.
So in closing, I'll leave you with two questions: One, what I STILL FUNCTION! combos can you think of? And two, why the heck does he have an Autobot logo on his, uh... Codpiece?
"I think a lot about meteors. The purity of them. BOOM! The end. Start again. A world made clean for a new man to rebuild."
This combiner is super nutty, and I like him way better than Predaking at least thus far. Predaking is probably a "baseline" combiner, with very little special happening with him (in terms of combiners, that is). Volcanicus, however, is the antithesis of that, with the most interesting way to combine. But here's the thing: They all have the same end result.
Predaking has a strategy that essentially follows the rhythm of "transform, attack, die" until you eventually combine into Predaking to take your last KO or two. Thing is, Volcanicus takes that and dials it up to 11. See, when you combine, your orange Battle Cards are all essentially treated as double, with each orange card you flip dealing extra damage indirectly to your quarry. You can do so much damage with that single attack that I'm not sure anything can survive it.
Volcanicus also has access to the staggering support of Dinobots, being a Dinobot himself. You can use Dino-Chomp! and Jaws of Steel -- heck, you can use I STILL FUNCTION! to return a Grimlock -- Dinobot Leader to the field and Transform him, giving you more Bold! Obviously that's probably a bad idea, but you get what I'm saying here. You can pull off some absurd numbers if you happen to have a card that allows you to play multiple Actions in a turn.
Here's the thing, though: Volcanicus has zero defense, and all damage from your composite parts remain on the finished product. That means your monstrous 56 HP isn't going to last too long when you're probably already sitting at 40 Damage when you combine. Remember, at least two of your characters are going to be KO'd when you combine thanks to Grimlock's effect, and that's not counting the potential one to two other characters that will be joining them before you get a chance to combine.
So, the end result is that you're going to be at a very high damage when you combine, and with zero defense, you're probably going to end up taking one KO anyway before you get a retaliatory KO, whether a Force Field is there being a big player in his survivability.
But there is a remedy for that problem, and it relies on Baby Grimlock (i.e. Volcanicus Grimlock) bringing in someone pretty special: Sludge from Wave 1.
How Sludge's healing works is that when you Transform him to Dino mode, you can move as much damage from your Dinobots as you want to him -- even if you go over his 12 HP. So, that being said, you can end up using an I STILL FUNCTION! to return him to play, and Transform him while he's in play to move all of the damage from Volcanicus to Sludge and completely heal off all 56 HP on that behemoth.
That's freaking insane, and it means that your opponent is probably going to scoop to you when that happens because there is no way they're going to be able to chew through 56 freaking HP. To put it in perspective, Metroplex has 36 HP. To say that Sludge healing off this guy is absurd if you can pull it off is a bit of an understatement.
Granted, pulling off that combo is unlikely, especially if the board state doesn't allow you to have that kind of leeway. In some cases, it's just better to bring out a Big Grimlock and hit somebody with him like a beatstick, just to avoid all of your opponent's characters from ganging up on Volcanicus. But to be frank, if you haven't killed something by the time you combine, you've probably lost anyway.
I could go on talking about this guy for ages, with so many different ways you can play him, but I think I should boil down my thoughts so you don't die of old age before I get to the point: Volcanicus is very good, and Baby Dinobots should not be underestimated. You deal a lot of damage early game with these Dinobots, and when you combine into Volcanicus, you are almost gifted a free KO with how much damage he can do. He's the definition of a glass cannon, so you're probably going to end up combining to take your last KO or two, but with spicy effects like Sludge, you can potentially combine and remain on the field almost indefinitely.
All in all? I'm terrified of this mad lad. This absolute unit has unbelievable potential in the metagame and I can't wait to see where he goes from here.
__________Battle Cards__________
"Life... Uh, finds a way."
There isn't too much to write home about when it comes to Enigmas. I mean, they do what you expect them to do -- like Spirit Links from Pokemon, they allow certain larger strategies to be played effectively, and the Dinobot Enigma is no different. But one thing I love about these Enigma is that even after you've combined with them, that they still serve a purpose after you're done using them.
Predacon Enigma allows them to attach another Upgrade, essentially a Green-pipped New Designs which is welcome in my book. This, however, is a slightly worse Supercharge, which makes me a little less excited. You see, when you live in the world of Dino-Chomp!, Supercharge and Focus Fire, Bold 2 just seems too small on an Action Card!
But it's not like you're playing this card for this secondary effect -- playing three Enigma in almost all circumstances we've seen at the time of writing is a big mistake, as they will just end up cluttering your hand and flips too much near the end of the game. We're at the point where we see something fascinating in terms of list building: A one-of.
Unlike Pokemon, there are no Prize Cards in this game that pull cards out of your list and put them in an unreachable state. There are no cards that disrupt Green Cards that we know of, so a one-of simply makes sense. I mean, you are a deck that still stacks Bold, here -- you get to mill your deck so easily that you're bound to find the Enigma when you need it. Of course, that's just a theory -- things could be different in practice, but again, theorycrafting is my job here.
All in all, it's just kind of... An Enigma card. I don't really expect anything out of these cards, so when I get something, I'm always glad.
This card is like me at parties -- just kind of... There, you know?
This next card is coming straight out of VectorSigma.info with a great dive-in on the card from Scott Landis. He puts some good effort into his math for this card. We don't agree on this card's playability in certain regards, but if you have the time you should definitely check his article out as well as he has some good points he brings up.
Anyway, despite having arguably the coolest artwork out of all Star cards, I would probably wager that this card is the worst Star card of the bunch. You might look at the pips and say, "Boy howdy, this is the maddest lad of the bunch! Another orange/blue split!" and I would agree that it's always nice to see color combos in this game, but let me ask you, when you read this card, does it seem good?
You might say "yes", and that's fine. But look again. Doesn't this seem, I dunno, familiar? Look at it a third time. You're flipping an extra card on your attack and on your defense... Sounds like Bold and Tough, dunnit?
I have a very strong opinion on this card in particular, but for the sake of this article's length I won't bore you with the details. Well, most of them, anyway.
So let's look at this in terms of what it's meant to do. When you attack, you flip your three cards and you find that one of them is, in fact, not the color you were looking for. You scrap it, and you wind up with an optimal flip. Then, on your defense, you do the same, right?
Well, that's not exactly the case. You see, in this fast-paced game, the general gist is you should typically keep to a mono-color deck -- either orange or blue -- with very few decks playing the mix well or effectively. Metroplex gets away with it, but only barely, and he can't use this card thanks to his massive point pool.
Put it this way, when you attack, sure, you're going to make use of that Bold effect. But when you defend, you're flipping an extra card that could have been drawn or flipped later. In defensive lists, you're milling more cards than you need to on the attack flips. It's like attaching a Power Sword in a blue list -- not very helpful unless you're digging with Battlefield Legend Optimus Prime, right? That's what this card does in mono-color decks.
It's really not that great in them, and honestly, I would rather just attach a Weapon or an Armor in a balanced list. This meta is very fast-paced, so when you spend a turn attaching something that is essentially a combo of Bold 1 and Tough 1, it's just a "feels bad" moment like attaching a Data Bank, but unlike Data Bank, you aren't seeing that much return on your investment in the long run.
It's just better in your deck to flip, and in that case, wouldn't you just rather play a Mounted Missiles to flip and give yourself +2? Or even attach it to also give yourself +2? There are so many better Star Cards that I can't in good conscience recommend playing this card unless you have a very specific list in mind, and even then.
Cool artwork, good pips, bad card. Simple as that. But hey, they can't all be winners, right?
Okay, okay, why is Optimus crossing the Delaware!?
This card is brought to us by Wreck N' Rule, another YouTuber-in-arms of mine who also produces TFTCG content. If you'd like to check out their channel and their thoughts on this card, check their video out with that link!
There has been so much discussion around this card that it's actually a little startling. So many people have so many different ideas -- it's tough to keep track of them all. There are so many implications for this card alone that made people lose their minds for a 12-hour period.
Basically, the gist of it is, first off, that you put it on "Sentinels only" which is baffling since we have no idea what a "Sentinel" is or what that would be. This brought up several instances of lore digging, with several bringing up that Omega Supreme was part of the Omega Sentinels, who could be described as "Sentinels" in the card game.
Something that discounts this is the artwork, which has Victorion in the background. This might bring forth the idea that the Torchbearers could be renamed into the Sentinels, but that's the only evidence one way or the other in that regard.
Another thing that brought up massive discussion was the fact that it mentioned flipping your robots in the KO pile to Robot, then back to vehicle. This could imply that effects when characters Transform in the KO pile still take into effect, like Battlefield Legend's Action recycling ability. Or perhaps it's a simple effect for these enigmatic "Sentinels" we keep hearing about. Either way, if it's for combination, that simply won't do much for the archetype unless someone's ability is actually broken. Remember, transforming into robot mode is the optimal end result.
All in all, I can't pass judgement on this card because its mere existence brings up more questions than concrete answers. It's interesting, that's for certain! But other than that, I can't say one way or another. It's fascinating, and I find myself agreeing with George R. R. Martin when he remarked, "The question is usually more exciting than the answer."
Be careful not to build yourself up, for you may be preparing yourself for a fall of disappointment.
__________Conclusion__________
TFTCG Wave 2, Rise of the Combiners keeps getting more and more interesting. Whereas I don't think Predaking will make it into the metagame without better support, I do think that Volcanicus will take the meta by storm. I firmly believe that -- without playtesting, mind you -- that Volcanicus has massive potential to be a mainstay and a real contender for the top decks.
We have more questions than answers, though, in terms of Combiner support, and whether certain interactions with the KO pile make them better or not remains to be seen. Heck, certain KO Pile interactions still remain to be seen for that matter.
So, what do you think? Will Volcanicus take over the metagame? Will he be a niche deck that will be straight to the bargain bin? What are Sentinels? Let me know what you think in the comments below, and stay tuned for my next breakdown of the next Transformers TCG reveals, and be sure to check out MY CHANNEL for deck profiles and competitive discussion. Thanks for reading!
__________
What do you think about these new cards? Will you be playing them? Let us know in the Energon Pub and stay tuned to Seibertron for all the latest news and reviews!
Thanks to Seibertron member, Survivefan23 – we have had our optics directed towards the official Transformers Trading Card Game Facebook page and its reveal of another combiner. This time its the Fiery Champion Volcanicus! Costing a whopping 39 (thats thirty-nine, count 'em) stars, this Melee combiner sports 6 Attack and 56 Health. Volcanicus will be joining the previously revealed Predaking hitting the shelves in the USA on March 1st.
Transformers Trading Card Game wrote:What's cooler than five huge robots that turn into dinosaurs? One gigantic robot made out of five robots that turn into dinosaurs.
Introducing five fearsome Dinobots and...
VOLCANICUS, FIERY CHAMPION!
Find them all in RISE OF THE COMBINERS, tearing shelves asunder March 1st!*
*In the US and other territories. Check with your preferred retailer for availability.
**For some insight into how this terrifying team operates, check out Grimlock's ability!
Are you stoked for this combiner feast coming your way or do they have you quaking in your boots and reaching for your Windblade Combiner Hunter? Let us know in the discussion right here on Seibertron.com's Energon Pub!
Date: Sunday, January 13th 2019 6:43pm CST Categories:Game News, Collectables Posted by:ZeroWolf | Credit(s): #Sideways# from Seibertron, WTF@TFW and Wossy Plays on YouTube
Thanks to fellow Seibertron user, #Sideways#, we have some new cards to show you as well as #Sideways# look at how the card fares. Included in his run down is a look at the rules change that is coming with this set and some surprises we can look forward to.
The reveals listed here come from multiple sources (Links contained in article):
WTF@TFW podcast
Wossy Plays YouTube Channel
Without further ado, over to you #Sideways#!
#Sideways# wrote:It's the most wonderful time of year -- in other words, it's time for more spoilers for the next Transformers Set! Of course, with a new set means new stuff, and in this case, we have new characters, rule changes, new keywords and an official statement on the use for the green pips!
__________Rule Changes__________
So, normally, the rules read that once a character is KO'd, you can't use them for anything. Generally, when they're KO'd, you can't transform them, attack with them or use any ability. Before, you had to use "I STILL FUNCTION!" to bring someone back to life, then transform them, and let them die at the end of the turn.
Now, though, when you transform for the turn, you can transform a KO'd character. This is phenomenal news. Cliffjumper requires Cars to be in the KO Pile, where -- and chiefly of these -- combiners require all members to be in their robot modes in order to combine in the first place. This means that, once a character is KO'd in their vehicle mode (for instance, a character with Brave like Headstrong), then you can transform them in the KO pile to finally get that combination off.
It's actually fantastic.
No longer do you have to spam "I STILL FUNCTION!" to get your characters how you want them, now you can just transform whenever, wherever you want!
__________Green Pips__________
Everyone's going green these days.
Okay, so, if you didn't read my edited post the other day, you would not have seen what green pips do. So, very recently, WTF@TFW did an hour-long interview with the developers, who revealed some very interesting information, including a new character (which we'll get to later). One of these things was a clarification on the green pips.
Green pips activate when you flip them, and when you do, you may choose to scrap a card from your hand. If you do, you may put that green pipped card into your hand.
This is fantastic news because it makes the game more consistent and way less reliant on draw to get some specific cards, like Combination Enigmas which are confirmed to be all at least in part green pips.
Have you ever had a moment where you accidentally mill the card you've been digging for all game? This is the effect that seeks to curb that. Sometimes, it was horrible where you could discard two out of three Cargo Trailers and suddenly your deck falls apart. It gets worrying when you discard your important cards.
When you need it and you need it now, green pips are your answer.
__________Characters__________
Bringing flip-flopping to a whole new level.
Bluestreak was one of two cards that Wossy Plays, a fellow YouTuber, got an exclusive on. If you'd like to hear his impeccably British opinion on the matter, check out his video HERE!
But you're here for my opinion, and who am I to withhold that?
Well, sorry to say, I'm just not impressed by Bluestreak here. He has a cool gimmick. If you flip one of each, you get to flip to your alternate mode, swapping your zero defense for a whopping four defense in your alternate mode. This defense is probably the best part about him, I'm not gonna lie. His attack is middling, his ability is daunting at times and his eight-star cost makes him a hard sell in comparison to other Cars.
Maybe it's just me, but when I have a car on my team, it has to hit hard and draw harder. Bluestreak does neither of those. That being said, he has access to all the Car support which is honestly the best support in the game, at least at this time of writing. But Bluestreak does have potential.
If you whiff with him, he's dead, but something fascinating about him is the ability to play him in a Cliffjumper deck. There are several effects that can rig your topdeck, and even if you do whiff, then Bluestreak will end up fueling Cliffjumper's high attack stat.
Of course, there are probably better cars to play, but Bluestreak isn't the worst one. In other words? He's no Deadlock!
"I don't like that word, 'insane'. I prefer the term 'visionary'."
For the second exclusive that Wossy got, he got access to the second common Megatron card! Again, you can see his thoughts on it HERE.
So, as for my opinions, what do I think of this new common? Well, I think this card is probably the best Megatron second only to Living Weapon. He's lightyears better than Decepticon Leader, despite Decepticon Leader's innate Upgrade scrapping ability and ability to gain high levels of Pierce. But here's the thing. This Megatron is insane -- pun intended.
First off, in his robot form, you have a draw ability that is always good in Transformers, and even better in the Tank archetype. Megs here can attack, pitch an Armor and then draw two new cards, potentially one of those pesky Hunker Down you've been digging for the entire game. But the scrapping of Armor is always good in Tanks thanks to that Hunker Down, and it's even better with this Megatron.
Megatron can use his alternate mode ability to play an extra card, probably a weapon or a Crushing Treads to make your offensive capabilities skyrocket. But the best part is, you can use that with Hunker Down. You can use it to attach that armor you scrapped (and probably the other Armor that you flipped), then flip Megatron to play a second Upgrade onto one of your characters and then finally attach a third Upgrade, fully upgrading someone potentially, with one card play.
Tanks got a massive buff with this Megatron alone, and I cannot wait to see what else that gets brought to the table for them in the future. After all, they are one of my favorite archetypes at the moment.
Acid Storm -- Toxic Terror
Alternate Mode:
Plane - Ranged
3 Attack / 10 HP / 0 Defense
"When you flip to this mode --> Heal one damage from Acid Storm for every Double Orange card in your opponent's Scrap Pile."
6 stars
>>>>>>>>>FLIP>>>>>>>>>
Acid Storm -- Toxic Terror
Robot Mode:
Ranged
2 Attack / 10 HP / 0 Defense
"Your opponent cannot use Bold."
Whoa, that's toxic!
Acid Storm was one of my first G1-themed toys back in the day. It was the Universe mold for Starscream, and he remains one of my favorite Transformers toys. He was well-painted, and I had a thing for camo back in the day so he got all the sweeter. So, when I heard that there was going to be a Transformers TCG, I got my hopes up for my favorite toy to finally make it into the lime-light. Wave 1 was a tease, but wave 2, thanks to the WTF@TFW podcast, has made my dream come true.
Unfortunately, we don't have a single picture for Acid Storm, but the developers revealed his stats and text in the interview and I've transcribed them here.
Acid Storm is the killer of Dinobots. Dinobots use a massive amount of Bold to deal a massive amount of damage, but Acid Storm's corrosive weaponry stops that from happening. No amount of Bold will keep you down -- this 6-Star splash-in is going to ruin Grimlock's day. Planes got a huge buff with this guy, as Skywarp was depressingly average in the deck. But Acid Storm takes the normally bad matchup of Dinobots and has the potential to make it a fantastic matchup. Really and truly, I am excited to see what Acid Storm can do when put to the test.
Sure, his stats aren't too much to write home about, and his plane-mode's ability is mediocre given his awful defensive capabilities, but his robot mode is invaluable. I recommend placing Heroism on someone else, like Starscream, to keep Acid Storm alive during the game, lest you want to give Grimlock his Bold powers again.
But it's not just Dinos that hate him, it's Bugs. Insecticons make use of high bold as well, dealing usually low damage until their Bold racks up. If you end up facing off against an Insecticon swarm, make the switch to Acid Storm and watch as they start to flounder in their hopelessness.
I can also see using Acid Storm in a Nemesis Prime or Cosmos deck, where the big strategy revolves around a singular entity to pull out wins. All in all, I think this guy is the best card I've seen in Wave 2 as of the time of writing. He's just so good.
__________Battle Cards__________
Thunderbolt and lightning! Very very frightening!
Bolt of Lightning is an interesting addition, and I love it. Bolt of Lightning deals 3 damage straight with nary a downside. You normally only see that on One Shall Stand, One Shall Fall, which deals 3 damage back to you in recoil.
See, I misspoke about the "nary a downside" thing because it does have a "downside": Taking up a Star value. You see, Bolt of Lightning is one of several new cards we're getting that actually cost points to put in your list. Normally, you would have a team that maxed at 25 stars, but your characters could only reach 22 stars. This remedies that lost value in spades, filling out points and filling out your deck with more powerful cards.
As for Bolt of Lightning, I can definitely see it getting played. We don't know how many cards have these star costs, and it would only be logical to assume that there are more than two in this set, and this is one of the better ones I've seen. Sadly, it has no pip so I am a little reluctant to play it, but the rewards of dealing three indirect damage to something without taking any yourself is going to be a hard sell not to play in lists that can spare the point values.
Mounted Missiles is the second battle card revealed by Wossy Plays (revealed HERE!) and might I say that this card is one of the nuttiest Battle Cards I've ever seen. Remember when I said that it would be a hard sell not to play Bolt of Lightning in your list when you have spare points? This is what I meant.
See, unlike Bolt of Lightning, Mounted Missiles is a third -- count them, third card that has double orange pips. This is absolutely absurd. Being able to play a third card that has a double pip like this is one of the craziest things I've seen. Aggressive decks that can spare the points are going to be doing so much damage now that they have access to another double orange.
What's that? I haven't even spoken about the card's bonkers effect? Oh, sure. See, this card can be in your Utility, Armor and your Weapon slots, which means (if I'm not mistaken) you can stack three of them on the same character and reap their rewards. Best part is, it has a static +2 damage effect, so it's never a dead card in your hand because you're not losing that double orange effect.
Mounted Missiles is absolutely bananas. Unfortunately, not every deck can play it to its fullest potential. In fact, most lists can't play it at all. But the ones that will rise up and make the space will love every moment of this card, and all that sweet, sweet damage they're about to deal.
__________Conclusion__________
Rise of the Combiners is looking to shake up the meta, and I can think of no better way to do that than Acid Storm and the point costing Battle Cards. There are so many potential uses for these cards that it's insane. Imagine, playing three of each and simply dropping a character from your list.
These reveals change everything, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that.
But that's not all. There's one more reveal from the WTF@TFW interview that is monstrous -- it's that there will be one combiner that won't be 25 stars in total, and others that won't be five or six-man rosters. Meaning, you are going to be able to play either these new Battle Cards or another character in your list and make out to be the easiest combiner to pull off. The only question is, who is it? Sky-Lynx comes to mind, but there are other options on the table.
What are you hoping to see in this set? Let me know in the comments below!
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Whether you like it or not, the Holidays are upon us, Seibertronians. If you still think you need something TF-related to spruce up your tree, drop into a Hallmark store, as their new Transformers Ornaments are now available. We've previously reported on Starscream a couple times, (this year's entry in a series of non-transforming ornaments based on the original G1 toys that included Optimus Prime, Megatron, Soundwave, and Grimlock in year's past), and now we have in-hand images courtesy of yours truly. We also have in-hands of a Transformers "Customizable" stocking ornament that we hadn't seen before, featuring an image of Optimus Prime on the front. Check them all out below!
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