In Depth: Bunker

This guide is an in depth, card by card look at the hero deck of Bunker. If you're new to the deck or you still haven't fully grasped all of his mechanics, this isn't a bad place to start.

Introduction and Classifications

Bunker is all about economy. If the trading pieces are your play, power and draw then Bunker is very good at interchanging these, it's generally good for Bunker to have multiples of one at a time rather than all of them spread out all the time. While his variants are, well, varied, two of them are more situational than the others. All in all, I believe that Bunker generally does better in the long game rather than the short game.

For Bunker I don't have anything that I need to shorthand, but I do mention a shopping list here and there which is just a list of cards I'll talk about in full at the end.

Lastly, I say "Num: X" in the card descriptions, X is the amount of that card in the deck.

Oh, and shoutout to jagarciao for the hero icons I'm using, they can be found here: http://spiffworld.com/sotm/non-spiff.cfm along with some other cool print and use resources

Most Important Cards

Recharge Mode

Ongoing, Mode
When this card enters play, destroy all other mode cards.
You cannot play cards or use powers. You may draw an additional card during your draw phase. Reduce damage dealt to Bunker by 1. At the start of your turn, you may destroy this card.
Num: 3

The cost of playing this card is thus: the play that you used to play it and the power it prevents you from using afterwards. The benefit for playing it is an extra card draw this turn and the one damage resistance doesn't go far if you can't do damage while you have it. The real reason to play it is for your next turn, when the cost of keeping it is the same, one play and power, but the result is a third card draw because, remember, at the draw phase if you haven't played a card or used a power, you may draw an additional card, so staying in recharge mode for a while will give you all the cards you should ever need at three cards per turn. My personal strategy is to use this to get a shopping list of cards in hand for upgrade mode, more on that later.

Upgrade Mode

Ongoing, Mode
When this card enters play, destroy all other mode cards.
You may play an additional card during your play phase. You cannot use powers. At the start of your turn you may destroy this card.
Num: 3

Important note: you can still draw, for the first forever I wouldn't play this card because I thought you couldn't draw with it. Playing upgrade mode costs the power of your turn but pays for its own play with another. The speed at which this allows you to get setup makes this the second part of the game arc. The goal at this point is to get your shopping list into play, once you've done so you can use the second play to change to turret mode, which is the best way to swap from this mode. You can also use the second play to swap back to Recharge Mode if someone (Miss Information) makes you discard a lot of cards.

Turret Mode

Ongoing, Mode
When this card enters play, destroy all other mode cards.
You cannot play or draw cards. You may use an additional power during your power phase. Increase damage dealt by Bunker by 1. At the start of your turn you may destroy this card.
Num: 3

When you have the shopping list in play this lets you crank out the damage to the max. This is the only mode that prevents card draws. The increase in damage and double power leads to a lot of damage or healing in an emergency. The benefits are better the longer it's in play but don't be afraid to revert to another mode if needed.

Ammo Drop

Ongoing, Limited
Whenever a villain card is destroyed, you may draw a card, even if a mode card says you cannot.
Num: 3

The value of playing this depends on the villain. For example, the Ennead never play a card that can be destroyed, so you'd never get to draw any. Whilst The Matriarch can play like 15 birds in a turn that can all be destroyed at once so keep that in mind but generally a lot of card draw for one play is a good deal.

More Cards

Auxiliary Power Source

Equipment
At the start of your turn, you may destroy this card to use an extra power this turn.
Power: Draw 3 cards. Destroy this card.
Num: 3

This card works as a temporary Turret or Recharge mode. I don't use it often, but it actually works out as a more efficient version of both as with Turret Mode, here you trade 1 play for 1 power vs Turret Mode's play and draw for one power, and with Recharge Mode you swap a play and power for three extra draws vs Recharge Mode's play and power for 1-2 extra draws.

Omni-Cannon

Equipment, Limited
At the start of your turn, you may put up to 3 cards from your hand beneath this card.
Power: Destroy all cards beneath this card. Bunker deals 1 target x energy damage, where x = 2 times the number of cards destroyed.
Num: 2

Omni-Cannon is the card in the deck that can end the game with a theoretical 78 damage (all 39 other cards under it). If you have enough cards in hand then a lot of the cards in your hand become less useful, because they are either limited and already in play or they are a mode that you don't want to swap into so that leaves a lot of fodder for the cannon. Cannon fodder, one might say. I find that a good target to aim for is 12 cards under as that'll take out a few mini villains and any of them with a little help, though vengeance style games tend to last a very few rounds and this can take a while to charge up (the fastest possible time to get to 12 cards requires Indestructible (Initialize) Bunker, Omni-Cannon turn one and recharge mode turn two, and you'll be charged on turn 5 if you pour all your cards into it).

Gatling Gun

Equipment, Limited
At the start of your turn, Bunker deals one target 2 projectile damage.
At the end of your turn, discard 1 card or destroy this card.
Num: 2

The most common innate power is "Deal 1 target 2 [type] damage", so discarding a card for what is essentially a power is a great deal, especially if you have the cards to spare as fodder. You can use this in Recharge Mode or Upgrade Mode to get a little damage out, but I wouldn't depend on it in turret mode unless you've a full hand and/or Ammo Drop is providing plenty of cards for it.

Heavy Plating

Equipment, Limited
Reduce damage dealt to Bunker by 1.
Num: 3

If you can get this out with Recharge Mode, you'll not be forced to take yourself out of Recharge Mode to heal as easily without it, otherwise, damage reduction in general is really good the longer it stays in play.

Decommissioned Hardware

One-Shot
Select 1 equipment card in your trash and put it into play.
Num: 3

This card also varies with the villain and environment. If you never have to discard or destroy equipment, it does nothing, as it's only as good as the cards in your trash. Makes it easier to sacrifice things for the team, but only when you haven't hit turret mode yet. Although with Termi-Nation Bunker specifically, this card is a lot better as you can use Modulize to destroy something and bring it back later with this (or immediately, if you feel like it).

Maintenance Unit

Equipment
Power: Bunker regains 2 HP
Num: 3

These aren't limited but you'll only be able to use two of them without the help of Auxiliary Power Source. Two of these and turret mode makes for an emergency healing mode, though the problem doesn't go away unless you take less than 4 damage before your next turn, so it might be better to just destroy what's harming you so much.

External Combustion

One-Shot
Bunker deals himself 2 fire damage and deals each non-hero target 3 fire damage.
Num: 3

This can feed Ammo drop like you wouldn't believe, but besides that is can clear up the board and potentially save everyone from impending doom. Most importantly it breaks the misconception about upgrade mode by allowing you to do damage while upgrading.

Adhesive Foam Grenade

One-Shot
Environment cards cannot be played until the start of your next turn
Num: 3

Effectiveness varies with environment but delaying the environment for a turn can save lives, although it means that anything that asks for the environment to play a card as an option or cost won't work, the cost can't be paid so the effect won't trigger, or playing the card won't work as an option so whatever the other option is must be chosen.

Grenade Launcher

Equipment, Limited
Power: Bunker deals one target 2 projectile damage. Bunker may deal a second target 2 projectile damage. Bunker may deal a third target 1 projectile damage.
Num: 3

With Turret mode out this spread damage will fuel ammo drop well. Remember that the second instance of damage isn't mandatory even if you want to use the third for something (1 point of damage is perfect for hitting a construct from Captain Cosmic's deck that reacts to it)

Flak Cannon

Equipment, Limited
Power: Bunker deals one target 3 projectile damage.
Num: 3

While this power deals less damage than Grenade Launcher overall, it works a lot better against a single target villain like Spite or Chokepoint. 3 damage is able to get over quite a bit of damage reduction as well, which can come in clutch.

The Shopping List

If you're planning on playing a long game where you only play each mode card once and you aren't expecting any (or much) equipment destruction. You can spend the first bit of the game in Recharge Mode gathering a shopping list. This is my one, but you might want to add or remove some things, but it's a good idea to have something in mind as a checklist of what you need.

• Ammo Drop (avoid if unusable)
  
• Omni-Cannon (avoid if the game won't be super long, like Plague Rat)
  
• Gatling Gun
  
• Heavy Plating
  
• Grenade Launcher
  
• Flak Cannon
  
• 2 Maintenance Units (unless you don't think healing will be needed)
  
• Upgrade Mode (to play all the cards)
  
• Turret Mode (to use all the powers)

Keep in mind you may be feeding the Gatling Gun and charging the Omni-Cannon as well so set aside a number of cards for that.

Variants

Regular Bunker: Initialize (28HP)

This Bunker is good for getting used to the deck. If you don't get the recharge mode required for speedy supply the base power has you covered, but you need to remember that you can't use it with any mode.

G.I. Bunker: Panzer-Buster (27HP)

This Bunker is brought to battle specifically for games where you'll see damage reduction, such as with Apostate or Grand Warlord Voss. (Bonus Trivia: This suit is pictured on decommissioned hardware)

Freedom Six Bunker: Locomotion (27HP)

This bunker needs things to destroy, but also works better in a quicker game as he doesn't generally plan on spending time with the modes if he needs to use them as ammo. I consider him a must have for Iron Legacy.

Termi-Nation Bunker: Modulize (26HP)

This power is the best way to change modes, as you get all the bits of turn you miss at that time and you can even pay the cost with turret mode. Keep in mind though that early game use is limited as you need to play a card to sacrifice to use it, but that just makes decommissioned hardware more viable as a play (consider the cost and effect). This is one of the only times I'll talk about the incapacitated side of a hero, as I don't believe in intentionally incapacitating a hero for strategy but TN Bunker has a very unique ability: Put a deck in its trash. Very situational and very strong in those situations, like with Tachyon or even against Gloomweaver.

Freedom Five Bunker: Tactical Uplink (29HP)

This Bunker is a lot more co-operative, and the out of turn play can be a great boon to some players if they get a card that would end their turn, and seeing how your turn is about to end the only time this can be a bad thing to do is if you're in turret mode and don't want to change, though normally you'd have a spare at that point. Natediggadoggity points out in the comments that, if you know the top card of your deck isn't a mode card, then you can use Tactical Uplink at will while in Turret Mode without worrying about getting a mode card as you can't draw that card so it'll remain at the top. You can also do it if you know where all six of the other two mode cards are (hand or trash) if you don't yet know what's on top of your deck or if Ammo Drop gives you a draw.

Synergies

Hero Synergies
I'm having some trouble thinking of heroes that synergise well with Bunker, and I feel that the reason for that is he doesn't particularly need to synergise because most of the synergy things he would want he can do, like extra draws, plays, or powers. Nobody can help him get cards under Omni-Cannon any faster than 3 per turn.

So for synergies look for the following things:
Ongoing/Environment destruction. (Only Freedom Six Bunker can do either of these)

Area Damage. I mean more consistent area damage, I know External Combustion and Grenade Launcher do this, but if against the Matriarch is can be best to do 1 damage to each non-hero target, grenade Launcher won't always cut it so heroes like Tachyon, Tempest, and Sky-Scraper can help with that.

Other than that, some damage increases or Parses ability to make your damage irreducible are (almost) always good for Bunker.

Hero Anti-Synergies
Not much here, but things that destroy your stuff like Setback's "Whoops! Sorry!" and Dark Watch Fixers Bitter Strike are bad, avoid Fanatic's End of Days like the plague. (Side note: "Whoops! Sorry!" can use cards under Omni-Cannon instead of other cards in play. It still hurts just less than it would otherwise)

Villain Synergies
Villains that have lots of stuff to destroy for Ammo Drop are good to see. What's better (sometimes) is villains that destroy their own stuff like Deadline (though that can cause a game loss so watch out). Matriarch has a consistent way of putting 1HP targets into play, and destroying them gets lots of cards. Team Villains work well for this too.

Otherwise, Bunker does well against one target villains like Spite or Chokepoint, or villains that don't put many targets into play but he can still handle a few targets.

Villain Anti-Synergies
Avoid Villains that make for short games like Plague Rat or Iron Legacy if you're not playing a variant for that. Also, you like your stuff but don't need it all to play (unlike Absolute Zero), so approach villains that break stuff with care but don't be too worried about it (the exceptions are Citizen Dawn and Omnitron).

Team Villain Synergies
In general there will be a lot of cards in play to destroy, which is good for Ammo Drop, but the games either don't last long or come down to the wire. It's still hard to find specific synergies here, but if you can charge up the Omni-Cannon then you can get rid of any one villain with it.

Team Villain Anti-Synergies
Try stay away from villains that'll destroy Omni-Cannon, or use Omni-Cannon when you think it'll be destroyed, so Hammer and Anvil, Miss Information, and Ermine are the few to step back from or focus on if you're up against them.

Conclusion

At the end of the day Bunker isn't that complicated, he does have a few failings if he draws the wrong cards or if you're not used to some of the little things in his deck like committing to a mode or the Auxiliary Power Source you can fall behind. Otherwise Bunker is a good safe choice for most scenarios.

[emeramber]

I never took to Bunker originally, but I'd say that I've preferred each iteration more than the previous. The second and third weren't "liked" per se, but were insanely useful against specialized targets, Termi-Nation was the first one I considered fun, and F5 Bunker is easily my favorite version, one I'm always glad to get in random and even will pick when selecting heroes.

I don't tend to stay long in modes, so DW Fixer isn't a problem for me. If I like my mode, destroy something else, otherwise I was probably tanking it (sorry) on my turn anyways.

[Forlorn]

Actually a decent overview and breakdown of a character. Reminded me of the time I had no idea how to play him, so I generally avoided modes and went for damage / healing routine. Plans on making overviews of other heroes, perhaps?

[Meemitone]

Thanks for the comment (it's good to see people are actually reading these) I've added the FF Bunker note and credited you there.

[Natediggadoggity]

Good guide.
I find I like Termination Bunker the most, It speeds up his play so I rarely need to sit in recharge mode for more than 1 turn, because it allows me to cycle through his deck that much quicker and get to the stuff I specifically need for each villain.

I try to use Modulize every turn if at all possible, and I get to my shopping list all the quicker for it.

One other note, as Freedom Five Bunker, since you don't draw cards, as long as your top card ISN'T a mode card, and you don't have ammo drop, you can still stay in Turret Mode indefinitely, since you'll never draw that top card until you decide to get rid of Turret mode.