Homebrew deck: Scorn, a complete reworking of Mr. Fixer

[KellyR]

So... Maybe this is a bit pointless to do since I don't have the physical card game anyway, and it'll never get added to the digital game... But, well... I really like the *idea* of Mr. Fixer, and I just always hate that he's sort of meh at best. He has one or two good tricks, but you often can't get them in play, and without support from others he's just... sub-par.

I mean, he's an OK striker, but then you look at characters like Tempest who are at *least* as good at dealing damage, AND bring amazing support to the table, and... Fixer just doesn't seem like a very good choice.

So... I couldn't resist trying my hand at a "better" version. Here's a link to the spreadsheet that has all the card text: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_HExomekgYcExBRbHK4Ulxnle1plBV57_tizTnN6dWY/pubhtml

I wanted to stick with the idea of him being a toolbox hero, and stick with his role as a striker. As a martial artist, I don't really see him as a support hybrid, so his toolbox is mostly about disrupting the villain(s) in various ways.

The reason for his name is, I envisioned him as an alternate timeline version of Fixer, where the killing of his students didn't happen, and he didn't close his dojo. He maintained a teacher-student relationship with The Operative for longer, and felt utterly betrayed when he realized what she was using his teachings for.

He confronted her, but she refused to mend her ways, and he couldn't bring himself to hurt her. So he closed his dojo and became a vigilante, in an effort to counterbalance the harm that his student was causing. He took the name "Scorn" as a way of expressing his disappointment in his student, and his utter rejection of her actions.

He still uses a tool+stance setup, but I've changed them around a bit, and Harmony is gone.

Tool Box is now a very different card, as is meditation.

Basically, his only permanent cards are his tools, stances, and the tool box. The rest of his deck are "Technique" cards, which are a mix of one-shots and ongoing/equipments that expire at the start of his next turn. His Tool Box causes him to, at the end of his turn, put Technique cards from his deck into his hand until he has at least {H} Technique cards in hand.

That's his tool box, the Techniques. He has 10 Technique cards, with two copies of each.

Anyway... Comments, critique, suggestions?

[powerhound_2000]

This might be bette suited to post here https://www.boardgamegeek.com/forum/1051076/sentinels-multiverse/variants
Interesting but I think it might get a bit overpowered being able to use all those stances.

[KellyR]

Uhh... oops. I seem to have forgotten the "When this card enters play, return all other Stance cards to your hand" clause on the stances >_>

I'mma go fix that riiiight now.

[Edit: Fixed. Obvious oversight is obvious. Can't believe I missed that.]

[KellyR]

Hmm... Already found an issue... I've got 4 Technique cards that include "Immediately end your turn", which is OK, because they're strong-ish, but that would prevent Tool Box from triggering, which is less OK, because the tool box of Technique cards is sort of his core mechanic.

I have a couple options for dealing with that... I could change the wording of those cards to something like "Scorn skips his play phase. Scorn skips his power phase", or "Scorn cannot play cards or use powers"... Both have their advantages and disadvantages. The former still allows card plays and power uses if they're granted by a teammate or environment effect... The latter prevents those.

Alternatively, I could have Tool Box trigger at the *start* of Scorn's turn, but I chose the end of turn because I was concerned it would otherwise be too strong against Villains that like to force discards. However, that might not be a terrible thing, it could be his unique schtick, that you can't strip his hand unless you prevent drawing cards, or prevent card plays entirely.

I'm also considering swapping one or two of the One-Shot Techniques for more self-destructing Ongoings, to reduce the number of turns you're likely to be getting extra attacks in... It's of especial concern since the Dual Crowbars+Driving Rain or Forked Lightning combo can add up to a LOT of attacks if he has two one shot attack cards in hand.

Alternatively, given the standard version's inherent power, I could reduce to only 1 copy of each tool and stance card (Which would allow me to expand the number of stances a bit too), but then the Dark Watch variant starts looking pretty damn weak... Even if I remove the "destroy a card" portion entirely it still looks strictly inferior if the tools and stances are only 1/5 of the deck. Though if I add a few stances it might not be so bad... And I could convert the DW variant to "Scorn does {H} damage to 1 target. Draw a card" or something like that to help...

[Jean Of mArc]

This is pretty cool; have you tried print-and-playing it?

[KellyR]

Not yet, it's still pretty much a draft! I posted it on the site that powerhound_2000 recommended, and I've been refining it quite a bit.

I'm glad you like it!

I'll have to try playing it at some point, but I'd need the actual card game to do it :D

Though since it'd just be solitaire play for testing purposes maybe GtG won't send ninja lawyers after me if I print a minimal set of decks >_>

[DMAN222]

Originally posted by DOLT Paladin:

I really like the *idea* of Mr. Fixer, and I just always hate that he's sort of meh at best. He has one or two good tricks, but you often can't get them in play, and without support from others he's just... sub-par.

I mean, he's an OK striker, but then you look at characters like Tempest who are at *least* as good at dealing damage, AND bring amazing support to the table, and... Fixer just doesn't seem like a very good choice.

I can't say that I disagree that there are characters who deal as much damage and do other stuff to help the team. What I do question is why that makes Fixer not seem like a good choice. I think that every hero is unique and the devs did a great job with that. Specific heroes (like "S-listers") are quantitatively better suited than others 96% of the time. But does that make Mr. Fixer a bad choice? If you are going for effictiveness, sure. But I enjoy Fixer beyond just the idea of him, I enjoy his mechanics as is. Even though Ra and Tempest, to name a few, are flat-out a more efficient choice; they don't have Grease Gun, they don't make the villain hit him/herself, and they aren't as versatile, albeit they don't need to be. That is part of what makes Fixer a fun play. And while winning is certainly fun, I enjoy the thought process and if I lose, I still enjoyed it nearly as much.

Conclusion: Great job with the deck, I'm glad that people are so passionate about the game to add their own work to it (unofficially). You have a point about other heroes are "better", but I don't see why that makes Fixer not "seem like a very good choice."

[Ghost in the Machine]

The only problems I've ever had with fixer is that he is very vulnerable to bad-shuffle syndrome (like in the current one-shot), and conceptually the idea of a stance destroying the present stance (as opposed to return to hand) seems odd - it's not like entering a stance makes you forget how to use the previous stance.

That being said, you've got some interesting ideas here - well worth discussion (and toying with game mechanics is a hobby of mine). I think it might be better developed as a stand-alone fan-hero instead of a re-make of Fixer for various reasons, though.

On to the cards. Overall note: Scorn is WAY too powerful. Just the tool/stance combos alone make him more powerful than any other damage dealer (except maybe Hunted Naturalist). Add in the techniques and he surpasses HN with ease.

Setup: The two-deck mechanic is interesting, but it has some weirdness, like them sharing a discard pile but reshuffling the decks separately. It might be better to have them all in one deck but use search effects to get what you are looking for. Splitting them creates very thin decks, so you'll almost always have the best card for whatever situation you are in... which to my mind diminishes the card-game aspect of SotM.

Powers:
Being able to search for any card you want is too much as a power. Two turns and you have a super stance/tool combo. Third turn adds a tool box. That you are doing potentially massive damage at the same time is just crazytown. More on that in combos.

Bitter strike is only bitter in that you can't search. It's basically just a souped up version of base Mr. Fixer, but with a much thinner deck so you get your tools and stances much faster anyway. Makes the super combos harder to set up, but makes them even more powerful when you do.

Tools:
Mop Handle - As powerful as Scholar's Iron Body, but with no discard or other cost to it. No other hero has anything close to this... and it still probably wouldn't see much use, because other tools combo so much better.

Dual Crowbars does exactly what Pipe Wrench did. Seems odd not to just keep Pipe Wrench.

Sledgehammer is basically a Bloody Knuckles that doesn't hurt and doesn't self destruct - I don't think any hero has a flat +2 damage mod that is not either targetted (Tempest's Shackles), is single use (Expat's Hollow-Points) or comes at a cost (Ra's Solar Flare, Fixer's Bloody Knuckles, etc.)

Wrecking Bar: Dealing damage to targets immune to damage is game-breaking. Seriously. Persistent irreducible on demand is overpowered enough as it is. Also, isn't 'wrecking bar' another term for a crow bar?

Plumb Bob: I see how this is supposed to be a 'fix' for Riveting Crane, but the limitations on RC are, in my opinion, justified. See combos for more. Thematically doesn't quite fit, as (afaik) plumb bobs are not used by mechanics, more in construction/home repair.

Stances:
I still dislike the idea of destructing stances. It's a bit better with Scorn though, as you can just search for the other copy of the stance, and with the heavily thinned deck it will be rare that both copies are in the trash. Still, putting in hand like Fixer's tools or Omni-X's platings makes more sense to me.

Driving Rain/Forked Lightning: These effects were tools for a reason, see combos for more on that. Thematically, the weather stuff doesn't really fit the kung fu mechanic schtick.

Alternating Tiger Claw: Overdrive made persistent... and the ultimate first turn play (you can always be fully set up in 2 turns, no matter your starting hand). It's OP for setup, and overmatched by Forked Lightning the rest of the time. Here's how I see it playing out:
First turn, Play: In priority order play ATC, or your prefered tool, a Tool Box, or a "junk" tool/stance. You will always have something useful to play, and about a 45% chance of something other than a "junk" tool/stance.
First turn, First Power: If ATC is not in play, put ATC in play. If it is, grab your preferred tool.
First Turn, Second power: If you do not have a Tool Box in play, grab one. If you do, and your preferred tool is not in play, grab that. Finally, if (due to out-of turn effects) you have both a toolbox and your preferred tool in play, grab your prefered stance.

In short, By the end of the first turn you will always be able to have ATC and a tool box out on first turn, have about a 45% chance to have your preferred tool out, and you will always be fuly set up by the end of your second turn.

Tool Box
First off, rather than specifying that the effect can only be used once, just make it limited. Having so many copies is also unnecessary when you can just pull it out with a power.

Drawing 5 is too much. Scorn will already have their full pick of tools and stances, with only 22 techniques, you are drawing almost 25% of them every turn. Odds are you are going to get "just the right one" about half the time, and are almost guaranteed to get something almost perfect. Again, that takes a lot of the "card game" element out of it, you almost always have what you want when you want it. So much of this game is figuring out how to deal with the situation at hand with what you have available. If you stick with the split deck idea, I'd limit it to 2 or maybe 3, put 1 in hand, and discard (not shuffle) the rest.

Thematically though, a tool-box of techniques seems weird when you have actual tools involved. A tool box... holds tools. Something like 'Power: reveal the top X cards from your deck. If one of them is a tool, you may put it into play now. Discard all other cards revealed this way'. Would be better thematically and help get the right tool into play sooner without being as OP as Scorns current power.

Techniques:
Most of these are okay on their own, but many are ridicuous in combos. More on that in combos.

Disrupting Strike: Too much control. It's better deck control than Parse's Guage, and deck control is her thing. I'd make the control effect on par KNYFE's Wrecking Uppercut or Tempest's Into the Stratosphere.

Meditation: A selfish grease gun; it feels a bit redundant. Remniscent of Scholar's Expect the Worst, but more powerful - the healing is instant, immune rather than reduce to 0, so it blocks irreducible as well - but also has a much higher cost.

Scornful Reply: Needs to be limited to once per turn. All similar effects are limited that way.

Calculated Provocation: I like the concept, but way too powerful. 'On Play' effects work against heroes because heroes have the option of skipping their play; villains do not. On the Matriarch this could easily be 20+ damage from one card with no build-up. And that's just the "hit yourself" part, the second hit is like Expat's Hairtrigger Reflexes on steroids. Maybe take out the second hit and put a cap on it? "If 4 or more damage is dealt this way in a single turn, destroy this card." If you want it to be able to trigger more than twice, I would lower the damage.

Expert Redirection: Like a mix of Driving Mantis, Caliginous Form, and Wrest the Mind. Too powerful though - like with Scornful Reply all similar effects only work once per turn (or like Wrest the Mind has a significant cost). Further, the way damage resolution works on a technical level, I don't think you can redirect just part of the attack. You might be able to do something similar to The Sentinel's Caliginous Form, though. "The first time each turn that Scorn would take damage, reduce that damage by 3. If Scorn takes damage this way, the card dealing the damage deals a target of Scorn's choice 3 damage."

Battlefield Coordination: Even without tools or stances this is way too powerful. I would limit it to once per turn like Captain Cosmic's Autonomous Blade, and reduce the damage to 1.

Grease Gun: I'm not sure I like the changes. Even if you limit it to destroying Scorn's cards, he can play it, destroy his toolbox, then use his power to put another toolbox out. There's effectively no cost to it.

Combos
Here's where things go from crazy to bat!@#$ crazy. Just a selection of the most egregious.

Hoist Chain/Driving Rain: Reduce everything's damage by 1. Not too bad... but then you play techniques. Now you are reducing everything's damage by 2 to 4 every round, which is crazytown. Reason #1 that the jack handle effect is a tool, not a stand.

Sledge Hammer/Driving Rain: 3 damage to everything, every turn, is a lot. Then you add in techniques. Bull Rush does 6 to everything. Sweeping Heel Strike you do 3 hits of 4 to everything. Shattering Blow destroys anything with 5 or less health. Then you use your power for 3 more to everything. Ooh, use this combo with Battlefield Coordination on anyone with AoE. They hit some one, you hit everyone for 4. They hit someone else, you hit everyone for 4, and so on. It's like the Jack Handle/Blackout combo but you can do it with just about anyone, not just the Sentinels, and can do it multiple times per round in some cases (KNYFE, Sky-Scraper, Tachyon, Tempest, and I'm sure some others can do mutiple AoE attacks in the same turn).

Wrecking Bar/Driving Rain: Ok, I think you might be getting the sense of how this is going to go... only now you wipe all of Voss's minions no matter how many Gene-Bound Guards are out. Oh, and Citizen Truth isn't so much as a speed-bump anymore, you kill everything anyway. Oh, but that's bad, you might keep Dawn from flipping back... except you are hitting her, too, even though she's immune to damage!

Plumb Bob/Driving Rain: DR? What's that? With this combo none of your opponents can ever have DR, against anyone. That's... ridiculous. Fixer's Riveting Crane strike has trouble pairing with Jack Handle because of the low damage; he needs Harmony or some other damage add to make it work. On the other hand, Crowbars/RC can work quite well, but not apply to everything. See how that makes for a tactical trade-off? That's why I think RC is fine as is.

[tool]/Forked Lightning: Pretty much the same as the Driving Rain examples, but less spread out and more concentrated; great for The Dreamer or for stacking negative damage on Matriarch or Operative to prevent retribution attacks. Note that you can do most of this with Alternating Tiger Claw or Grease Monkey Fist, but the former won't double-dip on techniques and the latter won't double-dip on powers, so unless you think you won't be able to one or the other, Forked Lightning is better.