Frontier Justice Card Review
1-5 scoring. 5 is high, 1 is low. Most cards should come in at 2 or 3.
The remarks will generally be kept brief. It is assumed that the reader has access to another resource (e.g., doomtown db) to view card text.
Funtime Freddy - 2
Freddy provides a wide variety of keywords and a grifter ability, but he's got pretty significant limitations. He is a stud (but only one bullet), is cheap and has no upkeep (but has no influence, so is just a body), and is a grifter with a tutor ability (but the opponent selects the spell you attach, and it aces freddy and the unselected spell). And he is a huckster, but not a good one (0). He's basically a more offensive Travis Moone.
One way to use the grifter ability is to select spells which share some sort of common feature, so that you aren't at your opponent's mercy of the choice. For example, if the opponent has to choose between Puppet and Paralysis Mark for a The Fourth Ring (TFR) control deck, both spells will allow for noon control. Furthermore Puppet and Soul Blast are particularly good choices because of their terrible value. Another way to use the grifter ability is to pair a particularly dangerous spell with a less obviously dangerous utility spell like fetch, to guarantee that you get the second spell.
The grifter ability is also useful to gain tempo, such as to avoid the possibility of a first turn kidnappin'. However, being forced to ace freddy is a significant cost; the spell you get essentially cost +3 GR and a starting dude spot.
With no influence, terrible grit and value, and low bullets, Freddy can be destroyed by basically any sort of combat effect (shotgun, Point Blank, Takin' Ya With Me). And with 0 influence and 0 huckster, he isn't an effective backup huckster.
Freddy is however a good splash into other factions. 3 value is on value for most shooter decks, and can be used to attack intruders on your deeds or other harassment. Freddy is also obviously useful in Oddities of Nature, being an upkeepless stud. Otherwise, he isn't a bad purchase for 3 GR but won't contribute much to your winning or losing the game.
The Flying Popescus - 4
Very strong card insofar as it answers some TFR- and huckster-specific problems. TFR generally has few 0 upkeep influence options, much less 0 upkeep hucksters. Furthermore huckster decks tend to be more vulnerable to dude removal, because hucksters tend to be inefficiently statted and have poor influence/bullets/value. Moreover cheap hucksters tend to have poor value and are consequently vulnerable to value and grit based effects (more so since they have to have spells stacked on them).
In response, note that The Flying Popescus are a 4/0 1 influence huckster with further influence upside if you stack 2 or more spells. Value 8 also lets them resist value based removal like shotguns while being on value for paralysis mark and strong actions and deeds. Consequently TFR can use them to effectively start (if afraid of early dude removal) or leave them in the deck (for example, if the starting posse needs to focus on stronger spellcasters).
If The Flying Popescus are being used as a starting backup huckster, remember that they have 0 huckster value - they aren't a great candidate for grit based spells or low-success spells. This will affect deck construction
Finally, while their stud ability is hard to activate, it can be built around (most likely via stone idol or doyle's hoyle). More likely this will be relevant in the future with new mystical goods. Being able to become an extra stud is one way to make up for their otherwise poor base combat abilities.
While TFP aren't a powerhouse on their own (draw bullets and huckster 0), they are an easy way to get 2 influence for 0 upkeep, and the ability to recover from early aggression gives TFR decks more options vs aggro.
Andrew Burton - 4
Incredibly useful grifter ability, and the keywords provide a lot of flexibility. The blessed keyword is a nice bonus for use as a backup. He is virtually unusable outside of Law Dogs due to ace value and poor statting. Deputy keyword and natural draw 2 make him fantastic for Law Dogs (LD) running 6 values, as he can be easily made a stud via Faster on the Draw and Winchester Model 1873.
Note that you do have to add the bounty to another player's dude - no adding it to your own.
Elmore Rhine - 1
He provides a 3 influence option for LD (thus joining the rare ranks of Sheriff Dave and Judge Harry), but costs a ton of GR for it and has essentially no combat applicability. Moreover his high upkeep means that he is essentially only useful for stalling (similar to Tallulah or Androcles Brocklehurst, his GR generated only makes up for the amount he's costing). He is on value for 5 value cards, so he may have some usefulness as a midgame or late game influence bomb from the deck.
Howard Aswell - 1
The problems with Howard's grifter react are manifold: it only works if you have a bad hand (i.e., no deeds), you have to show your hand to your opponent, it only checks the top 10 cards of your deck, it only can be used to draw ranches/improvements, and if it actually finds something you still have to discard a card to retrieve it, thus giving you no card advantage. And if you don't find a ranch or improvement it does nothing. At least ranches are very playable.
Even his strengths, (0 upkeep mad scientist; nonzero draw bullet rating) are essentially duplicated by Kyle Wagner, who is in the same faction and has a superior MS rating. Therefore until Morgan is in a situation where they can afford to start two 0 influence mad scientsts while locking out other grifters, Aswell likely won't see much play. 4 value is on value for ballot counter, for the curious.
Louis Pasteur - 2
If you can somehow pay for his cost, upkeep and ability, he's pretty strong. The ability counters noon boot effects and allays the costs of abilities and jobs that leave you booted such as mad science; he also has a strong mad scientist keyword. But he's just very expensive, and does not even have high influence relative to his cost. Furthermore, while he has high grit and is a stud, he's terribly bullet inefficient. Moreover his ability may restrict deck construction (he'll only succeed on an 8 or higher; at least it is repeat).
Queen value is fine for mad science decks, and with his upkeep he'll probably be played from the deck.
He might be more playable in metas with heavy noon booting (TFR base faction, Oddities of Nature, Law Dogs base faction, The Arsenal, horse control out of Morgan Cattle Company base faction), or if there is some way to avoid him getting dropped first turn by a kidnappin'. Otherwise he's likely going to get crushed.
Note the adjacent location restriction, there to prevent you from abusing the MCC base faction unless you can somehow prevent him from dying in town square. At least he has the novelty value of being a historical figure?
Benny McGill - 3
Let's get it out of the way: his strict wording allows you to call out your own dude, but you can't make a choice that will lead you to have dudes on both sides of the shootout. I am unclear what happens when you utilize his ability on your bowed dude.
An unrefusable call out is extremely strong; even though hucksters out of the Sloane factions aren't really a thing - dwarfed by the power of other Sloane archetypes - there's really no reason that they can't become more common. McGill has no influence compared to Maria Kingsford but plays more of a supportive offensive and noon role (compared to Maria who should be casting combat spells). Other than that, he's a huckster 1 for 3/0 and is therefore he's the best base pure noon casting huckster at that price. However, at 2 value he really needs to start and not be played from a hex deck.
Marion Seville (Exp.1) - 1
The ability would be fine if there were more melee weapons, but at the moment the only melee weapon is Evanor. And while a base stud 3 is really good, without being able to start with melee weapons in play, Marion's usefulness depends almost entirely on drawing into your deck's weapons. It might be possible to mitigate the costs out of desolation row, but there's no particular reason to start runs with him.
Weirdly he does interact with melee weapons really well (potentially shutting down a non-melee weapon in the opposing posse). He does have 12 grit, so in a deck running 7s he has some meta value.
J.W. Byrne - 3
The main benefit that he gets +1 bullet with a weapon attached. The bonus is applied to him directly not to the weapon, so he can mitigate Unprepared. Note that even with the weapon bonus he's still just a 3/1 2 stud 0 influence, which is equivalent to Angelica without the ability. He may see play in gadget decks (where his extra bullet bonus may be even more useful) or to meta value based effects decks.
The attire bonus is difficult to trigger at the moment (either outlaw mask or fancy new hat). The horse upkeep reduction is hard to trigger unless J.W. is a starter because the horses themselves are mostly mid-value and don't particularly work with Qs. He is tanky but doesn't really do anything unless you have attachments ready to go.
Shane & Graves Security - 4
Powerful ability, at 5 value and efficient (2GR for 1 production). Note that the gunslinger comes in unbooted (thus enabling him to be used for cards requiring booting). Note also that while the ability is not usable for fights in town square or your home, but that it is usable at the same or adjacent deed (i.e., there's little benefit to putting it near your home).
Gomorra Jail - 3
There is little reason to play this in anything except LD; maybe aggro job decks? Government keyword gives potential upside for use with Rafi Hamid. It can be booted with Too Much Attention if the opponent is desperate to shut down the react. Other than that, it exists solely to speed the game up.
Diable en Boite - 1
Per rulings on the AEG forums, this can be used to evade a casualty on your part (after assigning casualties, you resolve casualties; the dude with the attachment is resolved as a casualty first; you can send home your dude who was assigend as a causalty; you have no more unresolved casualties in your posse).
Incredibly hard to get out because it is a gadget, likely ruins any other pulls you may have in the deck, and occupies a weapon slot. But ultimately the effect is more discouraging for your opponent than actually useful. May combo with Incubation but there are usually easier ways to send someone home booted.
It could be used to get free GR out of gadgetorium?
Legal Instruments - 2
Obviously this card has no reason to be played out of anything except law dogs. And it doesn't help your aggro, requires a deed in play to attach to, is expensive, and doesn't help you win the game. And it doesn't help you win shootouts.
With that said, +3 value and +2 influence for all deputies at that location is an incredibly powerful way to stall the game. Perhaps working it with Establishin' Who's in Charge or using Rafi Hamid to be able to bring your deputies into a Legal Instruments'd deed?
Recursive Motion Machine - 1
It's an extra GR from gadgetorium. Otherwise very slowly generates GR for use with flamethrower, mechanical horse, plasma drill, teleportation devices and so on. It's a drip economy which doesn't drip unless the dude is moving at least once a turn. Bad.
Winchester Model 1873 - 5
The fact that it requires your dude to boot is a pain, but at worst it's a 1 bullet weapon for 1 GR. With the ability it's a 2 bullet stud weapon, which is amazing efficiency. Great on job leaders if the job doesn't require booting. One of the best weapons in the game for both heavy-draw bullet decks and decks that need to protect their studs.
Fancy New Hat - 2
I don't think it does enough. In a vacuum, a 1/0 for 1 influence dude would normally be fantastic deal, but goods have to obey equip restrictions, don't have the overall utility that extra bodies provide, and reward the opponent even more for killing that dude. King value does it no favors. Meta play for slower decks to combat influence reducers, but slow doomtown decks don't seem to have a strong endgame at the moment.
Confession - 1
To start, the spell fails itself. Moreover it does nothing to directly move you towards victory or save you from loss (except the latter versus desolation row). So this card is essentially totally dependent on wanted punishment, and while some decks absolutely require making other people wanted (The Arsenal; decks starting Clyde), the fact that the base Law Dogs faction does exactly that while being a start in play card means that Confession is pointless.
Humorously, the first ability does literally nothing on blessed 0s.
Shield of Faith - 3
Great value and succeeds itself. It metas against some of the most dangerous effects in the environment, and the secondary effect of reducing your casualties is also very powerful as a preventative measure. The problem is that you have to win lowball because otherwise the opponent can usually either ace or send home whoever they need to remove, often the shield of faith wielder since most current blesseds are low value and/or grit. More playable with your controlled Pearly's Place in play, less playable with opponent's controlled Pearly's Place in play.
Rope and Ride - 4
Very powerful card with a janky effect that the opponent will rarely see coming. Sadly at 3 value it's competing with some of the most powerful shootout actions in the environment, and it only affects callouts, not jobs. Use with bounty hunter, the aforementioned benny mcgill, or noon boot effects to keep your opponent's studs or powerful shootout actions away from the shootout.
Incubation - 4
Another noon influence reducing action, like Rumors. Very expensive but a huge negative value and grit effect (-3 value, -5 total grit). High potential for obnoxiousness with noon boot cards to keep the other dude booted; puppet; unrefusable home callouts; or targeted jobs. Shares a value with kidnappin'.
Appropriately enough Louis Pasteur helps your dudes get rid of their Incubation.
Flight of the Lepus - 3
I don't think it's that easy to fit J values into decks, but the effects are fine. It works as both a send home against the opponent and an eject for your dudes. No other non-cheatin' ability limits its overall usefulness. The lowball effect is more annoying than useful. Competing vs other "cheatin' only" cards like Bottom Dealin or Coachwhip this is OK, but has an entirely different focus - those other cards help you win shootouts or at least attrition the opponent whereas this is used to either retreat and avoid casualties or set up a situation for your later benefit. Lack of immediate benefits hurts this card.
Comments