No Turning Back Card Review
A review of the just released No Turning Back. Stolen completely from stim hack, the follow metric will be used:
5 – Great
One of the strongest cards in the game: it’s powerful and always useful. It’s surprising to see a deck that doesn’t play this card in-faction.
4 – Good
A good card that sees plenty of play. It’s not necessarily the best choice for every deck, but you can put it in your deck and know that it will do something for you.
3 – Playable
You can’t just throw this card in any deck and expect it to do something for you, but it can be good in the right context.
2 – Weak
This card isn’t good enough to be worth playing. The decks it fits tightly into are not well suited for competitive play. The stars might align such that it fits into a competitive deck, but even then it’s generally worse than a more straightforwardly good card.
1 – Bad
This card sucks.
doomtown db should eventually have the full spoilers up.
Avie Cline
DG - 5: If anything L5R taught me that Harpoons are good. She is a great answer to some meta problems that the clown can run into, especially as she works on booted dudes too. Her ability is kinda hilarious with Puppet. As a bonus she is also on value.
HO - 5: Avie is a pretty good finisher and influence bomb. She's The Fourth Ring's second 3 influence dude, after Ivor Hawley.
High influence, high value (although her value actually went down), high grit. Note that she is not an abomination. Harrowed keyword is essentially pure upside.
Also her ability harpoons people. True harpoons, as opposed to anti-dude jobs, are pretty rare in Doomtown Reloaded, and for good reason – even with the deed and influence limitations on her ability, she can pull almost anyone to her for subsequent puppeting/shootouting. However, with her poor combat stats and the high priority her opponent will put on her removal I doubt she’s a good starter.
Judge Harry Somerset
DG - 5: PKing wanted people with a repeatable job is solid, especially if you bring along your own 2 stud to help out. The higher value is also incredibly useful as he was shotgun bait before. On a similar note he is on value too.
H0 - 5: High influence, high cost; at 8 value he can be played from the deck, or he can start as a very aggressive initial play. Since he generates a free stud body, the odds will be in the favor of Somerset’s side. Note that the gunslinger enters play booted.
Still has deputy keyword for Faster On The Draw, Legal Instruments and Rafi Hamid. Great value and grit means he might actually not get shotgunned on his jobs.
Obvious uses in Law Dogs Base, and some use in The Arsenal (if they can get people wanted). No uses for anyone else except as a poor meta play vs Desolation Row.
Ebenezer Springfield
DG - 2: Blessed dudes have a sad tendency to be bad. You would think being blessed would give you some influence?
HO - 2: Another 0 influence blessed? No combat ability but incredibly tanky (13 grit for 4/0). See http://tinyurl.com/oyyrv55 for examples of what “affects” mean (must have a direct effect on the dude). Poor blessed ability means you should keep deck construction in mind when using him. Adequate starter material but not great due to lack of influence; could be played out of the deck due to Q value. Good combat caster.
Elander Boldman
DG - 3: Really depends on how well a clubless deck can come together. Seems designed to combo with Asyncoil Guns.
H0 - 2: Powerful combat support ability tied to a terrible shooting body. See http://tinyurl.com/p7tz5xa for rulebook errata as to affecting attached cards in a shootout. It’s unclear if the extra use must be during the shootout; shootout effects typically last until end of the shootout.
His cost is prohibitive, but Mad Science 3 and 2 influence give him strong non-combat usefulness. Plasma drill will finally succeed itself! However because he shoots so poorly, he needs a lot of support himself (another strong dude and gadget to buff).
He’s objectively good but has the usual problems with mad science: overcosted bodies, booting to use abilities, poor statting, upkeep. At least he has influence. Not high enough value by himself to use Huntsmen’s Society.
Antheia Pansofia
DG -3: A better value Huckster for sloan to play with. Playable in a Sloan huckster deck but I will be surprised if it is used elsewhere.
HO - 4: A 3/0 1 influence huckster 0 with upside in combat should see play. Note that the trait requires that Antheia be in a posse (i.e., she is a poor noon caster). Also note that the trait affects herself. Good value lets her enter combat in places that Maria Kingsford would be unable to for fear of value based effects, and lack of upkeep gives her more long term viability than Jose Morales.
Harry Highbinder
DG -2: Not really feeling it. Can't fight, has a expensive upkeep, and can't attach weapons all for the ability to control town square? Eh.
HO - 2: He has the statting of Dr. Ashbel/Lula Morgan (4/2, 3 influence, no combat abilities), but out of SG which is unique – he’s their second 3 influence dude. Controlling town square is good for Sloane Gang Base and mostly irrelevant for DR. He may have applications in a Sloane Gang Base Control hucksters archetype (the hucksters will be able to equip hexes in town square, taking advantage of the adjacent area range of spells). Not a great starter due to high cost and no bullets. At least he has cool looking artwork?
At J value it’s plausible he could get played from the deck as an influence bomb, particularly out of the aforementioned hucksters archetype.
Max Baine
DG-4: With the right deck built around him, experienced Max is a rather potent 3 free ghost rock a turn. Without it he is an expensive piece of influence, with a bonus ability to hose Ranch control points. Being on value for Fourth Ring Hucksters is important.
HO - 5: Excellent econ for TFR (both The Fourth Ring and Oddities of Nature), and some LD and SG decks. Inefficient but strong influence for the price being paid; he is most likely a starter due to the value of the ability. The trait is mostly meaningless and can actually hurt vs deed aggro (deed aggro will have plenty of ways to gain control points other than ranches).
Since the vast majority of the time he’s being played for the free money ability, he skews towards slower, higher pull decks. Spell and mad science archetypes are the obvious beneficiaries.
El Grajo
DG -3: Cheap high value 1 stud without influence. Shootout ability requires a melee weapon he has skornegy with.
HO -2: Makes melee weapons useful even if there’s a weapon against him. J value is on value with rapier. Upkeep and no influence make him annoying to start, but natural stud gives him some use. Between him, Jacqueline and JW Byrne, there are now plenty of starter non-shotgunnable stud options at drifter.
Jacqueline Isham
HO - 2: He has the statting of Dr. Ashbel/Lula Morgan (4/2, 3 influence, no combat abilities), but out of SG which is unique – he’s their second 3 influence dude. Controlling town square is good for Sloane Gang Base and mostly irrelevant for DR. He may have applications in a Sloane Gang Base Control hucksters archetype (the hucksters will be able to equip hexes in town square, taking advantage of the adjacent area range of spells). Not a great starter due to high cost and no bullets. At least he has cool looking artwork?
At J value it’s plausible he could get played from the deck as an influence bomb, particularly out of the aforementioned hucksters archetype.
Max Baine
DG-4: With the right deck built around him, experienced Max is a rather potent 3 free ghost rock a turn. Without it he is an expensive piece of influence, with a bonus ability to hose Ranch control points. Being on value for Fourth Ring Hucksters is important.
HO - 5: Excellent econ for TFR (both The Fourth Ring and Oddities of Nature), and some LD and SG decks. Inefficient but strong influence for the price being paid; he is most likely a starter due to the value of the ability. The trait is mostly meaningless and can actually hurt vs deed aggro (deed aggro will have plenty of ways to gain control points other than ranches).
Since the vast majority of the time he’s being played for the free money ability, he skews towards slower, higher pull decks. Spell and mad science archetypes are the obvious beneficiaries.
El Grajo
DG -3: Cheap high value 1 stud without influence. Shootout ability requires a melee weapon he has skornegy with.
HO -2: Makes melee weapons useful even if there’s a weapon against him. J value is on value with rapier. Upkeep and no influence make him annoying to start, but natural stud gives him some use. Between him, Jacqueline and JW Byrne, there are now plenty of starter non-shotgunnable stud options at drifter.
Jacqueline Isham
DG - 3: The most interesting part about her is that she opens up the K slot. Before that your only choice of dudes was the clan champs, as they were, who are too expensive to reliable see the field. The ability is somewhat relevant in a kidnapping heavy meta and she has a awfully high grit. Still only alright.
HO - 3: Great meta play due to 13 value and 15 grit for 3/0 – she is the clearly tankiest dude available at her price. However due to poor other stats (draw bullets, no influence, no proactive ability), she has to be heavily supported – weapons like Shotgun, Pearl Handled Revolver, or Peacemaker. Might be useful as a body to do This Is A Holdup! Great vs grit based effects (Soul Blast, Puppet).
For her cost and stats, she’s the clear best at Hot Lead Flyin'. There are lots of other cards this set that also buff HLF (and one that seriously hurts it).
By herself, she won’t be sufficient to stop or slow Desolation Row jobs without other studs or a naturally good shooting deck. Because of the nature of the faction, Desolation Row decks have to shoot well enough and have strong control/shootout elements anyway to win their faction job against (essentially) any potential competitor, and a blank 2 stud isn’t going to help that unless you already shoot well. Furthermore starting her and a grifter will only leave 3 spots left to get influence and a real stud.
Ironically she has great uses in both Sloane Gang Base and Desolation Row. For Desolation Row, high bullets and innate tankiness make her a great candidate to store bounty. For Sloane Gang, she's an upkeepless alternative to Angelica for defending Allie or other targets.
Huntsmen's Society
DG -3: A 1 for 3. Really depends on how much value you can get out of the trait. Still, if played in the right spot it can affect both your home and town square.
HO- 2: Inefficient econ card that can’t start in play. Note that this is the fourth J deed, thus making J (like K and 10) able to play four unique cards. Still better than Undertaker.
Secured Stockyard
DG - 3: A 2 for 0 in the the Gagetorium. Seems good there, not sure about anywhere else.
HO - 4: Essentially free out of Gadgetorium. Some minor uses with Kyle for free money. Howard can search for it and since he doesn’t boot for his grifter, can invent it! But Howard is still terrible. No use for non mad science decks. Fourth K deed. Unique for being able to produce more than it costs.
La Quema
DG -1: Way overcosted and off suite for Horse decks. Not a fan of horses thus far and this doesn't change anything.
HO - 4: Obviously combos with melee weapons and is a good meta play vs grit/value decks. Rather expensive. Value buff and low value makes this the third best card for Hot Lead Flyin’ decks (second only to Hot Lead Flyin’ and Jacqueline) and adequate for Legendary Holster decks, due to added tankiness. Also a mystical good for The Flying Popescus and Richard Slavin!! fans.
This rating is almost entirely because of its usefulness in Hot Lead Flyin' decks.
Asyncoil Gun
DG - 4: I really love this card as it's the first rather potent gadget shootout ability. Playing clubless, or close to clubless is difficult but this makes me want to try.
HO - 4: Effectively a better, riskier shotgun out of mad science. A 2 bullet bonus on a weapon is humongous. Since it succeeds itself by quite a bit, it’s very good out of Gadgetorium. This is the bomb mad science has been waiting a while for.
Hidden effect is to annoy your opponent when you quote Dirty Harry every time you're about to pull to use the effect.
Scoop Hound
DG - 2.5: While I've come to appreciate both sidekick and the ability to trap people at a shootout I worry that it is too narrow a card to regularly see play.
HO - 2: Expensive meta card. Consider running Pearly’s Place as support. I dislike that this card exists, but it fulfills a need in the meta.
Rapier
HO - 3: Great meta play due to 13 value and 15 grit for 3/0 – she is the clearly tankiest dude available at her price. However due to poor other stats (draw bullets, no influence, no proactive ability), she has to be heavily supported – weapons like Shotgun, Pearl Handled Revolver, or Peacemaker. Might be useful as a body to do This Is A Holdup! Great vs grit based effects (Soul Blast, Puppet).
For her cost and stats, she’s the clear best at Hot Lead Flyin'. There are lots of other cards this set that also buff HLF (and one that seriously hurts it).
By herself, she won’t be sufficient to stop or slow Desolation Row jobs without other studs or a naturally good shooting deck. Because of the nature of the faction, Desolation Row decks have to shoot well enough and have strong control/shootout elements anyway to win their faction job against (essentially) any potential competitor, and a blank 2 stud isn’t going to help that unless you already shoot well. Furthermore starting her and a grifter will only leave 3 spots left to get influence and a real stud.
Ironically she has great uses in both Sloane Gang Base and Desolation Row. For Desolation Row, high bullets and innate tankiness make her a great candidate to store bounty. For Sloane Gang, she's an upkeepless alternative to Angelica for defending Allie or other targets.
Huntsmen's Society
DG -3: A 1 for 3. Really depends on how much value you can get out of the trait. Still, if played in the right spot it can affect both your home and town square.
HO- 2: Inefficient econ card that can’t start in play. Note that this is the fourth J deed, thus making J (like K and 10) able to play four unique cards. Still better than Undertaker.
Secured Stockyard
DG - 3: A 2 for 0 in the the Gagetorium. Seems good there, not sure about anywhere else.
HO - 4: Essentially free out of Gadgetorium. Some minor uses with Kyle for free money. Howard can search for it and since he doesn’t boot for his grifter, can invent it! But Howard is still terrible. No use for non mad science decks. Fourth K deed. Unique for being able to produce more than it costs.
La Quema
DG -1: Way overcosted and off suite for Horse decks. Not a fan of horses thus far and this doesn't change anything.
HO - 4: Obviously combos with melee weapons and is a good meta play vs grit/value decks. Rather expensive. Value buff and low value makes this the third best card for Hot Lead Flyin’ decks (second only to Hot Lead Flyin’ and Jacqueline) and adequate for Legendary Holster decks, due to added tankiness. Also a mystical good for The Flying Popescus and Richard Slavin!! fans.
This rating is almost entirely because of its usefulness in Hot Lead Flyin' decks.
Asyncoil Gun
DG - 4: I really love this card as it's the first rather potent gadget shootout ability. Playing clubless, or close to clubless is difficult but this makes me want to try.
HO - 4: Effectively a better, riskier shotgun out of mad science. A 2 bullet bonus on a weapon is humongous. Since it succeeds itself by quite a bit, it’s very good out of Gadgetorium. This is the bomb mad science has been waiting a while for.
Hidden effect is to annoy your opponent when you quote Dirty Harry every time you're about to pull to use the effect.
Scoop Hound
DG - 2.5: While I've come to appreciate both sidekick and the ability to trap people at a shootout I worry that it is too narrow a card to regularly see play.
HO - 2: Expensive meta card. Consider running Pearly’s Place as support. I dislike that this card exists, but it fulfills a need in the meta.
Rapier
DG - 3: A cheap bullet and value buff. Against hexes that check against grit in the noon phase they both are on too.
HO - 3: Cheap J good to replace Buffalo Rifle. The value bonus is useful for dudes who are barely in or barely out of value/grit effect range. Due to high value not good for Hot Lead Flyin’ decks. Finally, Marion Experienced will get the respect he deserves!
Due to the prevalence of value/grit based effects and how deadly they can be, this card got a 3. Weapons are extremely playable now so the bullet bonus is iffy.
Vitality Tonic
DG -3: Expensive and potentially risky for the unboot. Abomination is so far a negative and I'm not sure how much value I would get out of the react. A low 3.
HO - 3: Great out of Gadgetorium, useless out of Oddities of Nature unless starting mad scientists for some reason. See http://tinyurl.com/na7sc95 for brief rules explanation about the react ability. Note the differences between keywords and abilities as to paying costs. Also note that Dr. Dawn/Eve will be able to trigger when Vitality Tonic’s react is used.
The straighten ability is the usual "throw money at things" for mad science, with more risk. Might make Motion Machine good? (Just kidding, nothing will make Motion Machine good).
Consecration
HO - 3: Cheap J good to replace Buffalo Rifle. The value bonus is useful for dudes who are barely in or barely out of value/grit effect range. Due to high value not good for Hot Lead Flyin’ decks. Finally, Marion Experienced will get the respect he deserves!
Due to the prevalence of value/grit based effects and how deadly they can be, this card got a 3. Weapons are extremely playable now so the bullet bonus is iffy.
Vitality Tonic
DG -3: Expensive and potentially risky for the unboot. Abomination is so far a negative and I'm not sure how much value I would get out of the react. A low 3.
HO - 3: Great out of Gadgetorium, useless out of Oddities of Nature unless starting mad scientists for some reason. See http://tinyurl.com/na7sc95 for brief rules explanation about the react ability. Note the differences between keywords and abilities as to paying costs. Also note that Dr. Dawn/Eve will be able to trigger when Vitality Tonic’s react is used.
The straighten ability is the usual "throw money at things" for mad science, with more risk. Might make Motion Machine good? (Just kidding, nothing will make Motion Machine good).
Consecration
DG -1: The lord doesn't provide. Requires your opponent to cheat to trigger its effects. If used for lowball it only partially triggers. During shoot outs it's telegraphed and blocks use of stronger anti-cheating cards.
HO - 4: Pure cheatin’ card. Succeeds itself and is free, so even if the effect won’t trigger in lowball, can be used effectively with the “boot a blessing” effects. All of the effects are good, although it seems most useful as lowball punishment, where the opponent has no way to avoid cheatin’. As lowball punishment, it fixes the serious stud/bullet/influence problems most of the blessed dudes currently have.
Mark of Pestilence
DG -3: Another solid Hex. Worse in that it boots you too and has a somewhat high requirement to go off.
HO -3: Succeeds itself, is free. Not as good as it seems because only the dudes in the shootout will be booted. Competing vs Phantasm for deck slots due to value.
Cookin' Up Trouble
DG -2: I like both effects(looking at your opponent's hand and discarding a card), but it requires cheating to go off. I'm not certain of discard effects in a game where you redraw you hand every turn, but scalpelling out the right card can and seeing what they have up their sleeve can still be really powerful.
HO - 4: Pure cheatin’ card. Succeeds itself and is free, so even if the effect won’t trigger in lowball, can be used effectively with the “boot a blessing” effects. All of the effects are good, although it seems most useful as lowball punishment, where the opponent has no way to avoid cheatin’. As lowball punishment, it fixes the serious stud/bullet/influence problems most of the blessed dudes currently have.
Mark of Pestilence
DG -3: Another solid Hex. Worse in that it boots you too and has a somewhat high requirement to go off.
HO -3: Succeeds itself, is free. Not as good as it seems because only the dudes in the shootout will be booted. Competing vs Phantasm for deck slots due to value.
Cookin' Up Trouble
DG -2: I like both effects(looking at your opponent's hand and discarding a card), but it requires cheating to go off. I'm not certain of discard effects in a game where you redraw you hand every turn, but scalpelling out the right card can and seeing what they have up their sleeve can still be really powerful.
Really wish it just cost more to use in non-cheating turns. :/
HO - 1: Weird semi-cheatin’ punishment card. Note that it’s reveal, therefore will not trigger if opponent used hand manipulation (e.g., Doyle’s Hoyle) to enter into a cheatin’ hand. “Illegal draw hand” and “cheatin’” are essentially equivalent terms. At 4 value, and competing vs coachwhip, hard to justify more than a one of.
Ol' Fashioned Hangin'
HO - 1: Weird semi-cheatin’ punishment card. Note that it’s reveal, therefore will not trigger if opponent used hand manipulation (e.g., Doyle’s Hoyle) to enter into a cheatin’ hand. “Illegal draw hand” and “cheatin’” are essentially equivalent terms. At 4 value, and competing vs coachwhip, hard to justify more than a one of.
Ol' Fashioned Hangin'
DG -4: A great answer to kidnapping for law dogs. If it didn't require wanted it would be a 5. Still it earns you a control point and doesn't boot the dude starting the job.
HO - 5: Great control card. Note that the leader only needs to be in play after the job succeeds for the control point (e.g., leader can have been sent home). Also note that while this is not often a good play, you can mark your own dude (and a correction to something I said a while ago: You can mark your own dude with kidnappin).
No Turning Back
DG - 2: Reminds of me of Vivisectors in Shadowfist. Just like there, it may be worth it to gain tempo by sacking a Dude to play a new Dude to act that turn. The Resolution may be potent in a clown Abomination deck, or any other deck with plenty of Dudes.
HO - 3: “Own and control” means no Puppet shenanigans, although it does leave the door open for Gunslinger shenanigans (like the ones produced by Shane’s or Bounty Hunter). The noon effect is mediocre but the resolution effect is strong, particularly if you want the combat to last longer, like some Blesseds do.
Concealed Weapons
HO - 5: Great control card. Note that the leader only needs to be in play after the job succeeds for the control point (e.g., leader can have been sent home). Also note that while this is not often a good play, you can mark your own dude (and a correction to something I said a while ago: You can mark your own dude with kidnappin).
No Turning Back
DG - 2: Reminds of me of Vivisectors in Shadowfist. Just like there, it may be worth it to gain tempo by sacking a Dude to play a new Dude to act that turn. The Resolution may be potent in a clown Abomination deck, or any other deck with plenty of Dudes.
HO - 3: “Own and control” means no Puppet shenanigans, although it does leave the door open for Gunslinger shenanigans (like the ones produced by Shane’s or Bounty Hunter). The noon effect is mediocre but the resolution effect is strong, particularly if you want the combat to last longer, like some Blesseds do.
Concealed Weapons
DG -1: While I appreciate them reprinting cards, I would prefer if they reprint cards people actually play first.
Average Values:
3.08
Most Controversial:
La Quema
Consecration
Best:
Average Values:
3.08
Most Controversial:
La Quema
Consecration
Best:
Judge Harry Somerset
Avie Cline
Worst:
Ebenezier Springfield
Harry Highbinger
Overall comments: Interesting and powerful cards. Lots of high value cards (La Quema is the only one below 4, and only three cards are at 5 or lower) Playable dudes with higher overall grit means the meta may disfavor grit and value based effects. Ironically, mad science finally gets the bomb it was looking for and it’s a value based effect. Nevertheless I think mad science is a lot stronger now and wouldn’t be surprised to see it competitively.
Depending on your meta watch out for No Turning Back; this card both hurts and helps Hot Lead Flyin’. I predict NTB gets overplayed.
Sloane Gang and Desolation Row get indirect boosts via new huckster tech. LD gets massive boosts from blessed, mad science and wanted punishment. TFR gets a harpoon!! and better econ via Max Baine. MCC gets mad science boosts and hurt by Scoop Hound.
Fic: Lawrence Blackwood gets hanged by the Law Dogs (not clear if it’s an Ol’ Fashioned Hangin’ or Judge Harry’s ability). Makaio Kaleo Esq's attempts to redirect bounty were not timely. RIP Lawrence, maybe you'll be back as a zombie or something.
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