Your Premier Site for the Transformers Trading Card Game
Combo? maybe?
Welcome back everyone! We have some new toys for you today, but just like waiting for Christmas we’re going to have some anticipation build a bit. There are things to discuss before we jump into not one, not two, but THREE unique battle cards provided in this latest Alpha Trion Protocols offering.
There’s a funny history attached to the Transformers TCG for me. Obviously much of it is public but I don’t know how much is actually emphasized. To really get to the heart of it and do justice to the previews I’ve been provided I need to explain that I really do like doing broken things in card games. I am most likely known for a few different things. Sure people remember Tech Talk, the auditory assault that was me rambling for a few hours each week, or maybe they recall Blaster who ironically was also all about the ear focused attacks. However the third is likely my affinity for the big boogey-man within the Transformers TCG and that’s of course Daring Escape.
[Look, I’m not worried about your fun]
I’ve been asked before what my favorite archetype in card games is - aggro, control, midrange, combo. Truthfully it doesn’t matter. It’s whatever allows me to feel powerful. I want to draw a billion cards, play 80 cards a turn when I should only be able to run out two, make an enormous attack that pulverizes the defender! Playing strong cards so you can do powerful things is fun, and I’m looking to enjoy each game I play. It’s why I’m playing these guys for example:
All of this really just sets the stage for me to say that when I was presented with these three previews the cold spike-y parts of my heart jumped a little bit because the wheels started turning. Some coal got thrown into the furnace and the and the choo-choo is-a-rollin’. Other weird metaphors that have suddenly gotten away from me!
Don’t ask where I was going with it. That train has left the station. The real point is this: doing powerful things is fun. Breaking the rules of a game is fun. Speaking of breaking the rules, let’s talk about the first preview card
Follow through
Follow Through has a number of unique things going for it. There’s a somewhat strange drawback of denying pierce to your turn barring some weird shenanigans, but the important parts are in the second and third parts of the card. This Impulse-like effect allows for some search to find specific tools to address the situation. We’ve seen it way back when with Treasure Hunt digging for equipment and more recently Perceptor and a slew of other effects enabling potential toolbox approaches (no not that Toolbox). Follow Through presents you with the ability to go find the silver bullet of choice to put down what whatever monstrosity happens to be revving its engines on the other side of the board.
Similar to my monologue above about how I enjoy the powerful things, the broken things in card games, I am not really someone who is about the journey. It’s about the destination. The payoff is what matter.
In the case of Follow Through that pay off means not just filtering to find a specific card but also getting to replace your play. What’s better than free amirite? I mean sure you are minus one card, but that’s only a light feather on that side of the scales. One the other is a juggernaut offering you potentially any card in your deck combined with a play of your choice.
Seems OK.
Still there’s one more hoop to jump through.
You need to complete a mission.
Wait…what’s a mission? Well funny you should ask.
Time to Complete that Mission!
Side 1
Side 2
Follow through
Missions call to mind a number of different ideas from other games but notably they provide in game incentives. Alternative avenues to exploit as you try and out maneuver your opponent. A simply numbers game? Au contraire there are objectives to claim and goals to achieve and schemes to fulfill and….well missions to complete.
What can I say that isn’t simply repeating the somewhat astonishing card text? I think there’s actually a lot to dissect and digest here, but I’ll try to keep my (in)famous rambling short. It deserves a call out that this mission encourages such a unique play pattern. Occasionally you’ll have decks that leverage multiple cards a turn but clearly this rewards ones that manage a particular feat and rewards in spades. At minimum you get a personal Howling Mine, however it also allows you to potentially string together further explosive turns by allowing you to break the rules by playing multiple actions a turn. Could it be some insane combo to blow someone out? Maybe. It could “just” be loading up an attack with double bold actions and inflicting somewhere around eleventy billion damage.
Why eleventy billion? Because it’s not just simply the buffs from the cards themselves, oh no. Get ready for your best Billy Mays impression because there is absolutely more! You also get to stack an additional +1 attack on just because those specialists are such nice guys. I mean it’s only helping our their own, but those nerds need to stick together right?
There’s a lot to be hyped about with these cards. The synergy between the two is painfully obvious but it goes beyond the superficial. Enabling plays via cards like this allows for having another axis to fight on and presents the high-risk/high-reward gameplay pattern which not only gets the johnnies of the world amped up, but also creates more unique experiences whether you are at the tournaments tables or the kitchen table. Both ends of the spectrum will find ways to enjoy these cards as a direct result of the puzzle it presents. It isn’t simply “play a bunch of action ya dummy!” You’re going to need to carefully thread the needle and commit at the appropriate time to ensure you are getting the correct payoff whether that be the furious flurry of actions to close out a game or just simply cheating each turn and getting to play extra cards.
Either way, let’s see what sort of mischief players are going to get into after these are in people’s hands. I hear it is their specialty.
There’s a lot to be hyped about with these cards. The synergy between the two is painfully obvious but it goes beyond the superficial. Enabling plays via cards like this allows for having another axis to fight on and presents the high-risk/high-reward gameplay pattern which not only gets the johnnies of the world amped up, but also creates more unique experiences whether you are at the tournaments tables or the kitchen table. Both ends of the spectrum will find ways to enjoy these cards as a direct result of the puzzle it presents. It isn’t simply “play a bunch of action ya dummy!” You’re going to need to carefully thread the needle and commit at the appropriate time to ensure you are getting the correct payoff whether that be the furious flurry of actions to close out a game or just simply cheating each turn and getting to play extra cards.
Either way, let’s see what sort of mischief players are going to get into after these are in people’s hands. I hear it is their specialty.
(Editors Note -) The Alpha Trion Protocols would like to give a huge thank you to our old Friend Vin De the OG Tech Talk Host himself. Were always happy to have him involved with anything TransformersTCG.
If your looking to see What Vin has been up to check out where ya can find him here -
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