Flashing Blade - Alan Murrell EDGE: Dodges will not avoid multiple attacks you play this turn. Here is probably my favorite card from Watcher's Chronicles. First, let's deal with the game mechanics. Although it is not obvious from the wording, you can play Flashing Blade without having to make any attacks whatsoever (i.e., if you need to get cards out of your hand). However, no benefit comes from it unless you play two or more attacks during your turn. Simple enough, eh? So, just who benefits from Flashing Blade? Well, let's take a look... Amanda: She lacks Combination/Extra Shot (editor's note: unless she uses the "generic" Quickening). However, her special ability allows her to make two attacks per turn. Flashing Blade will make her opponent play two separate defenses against them (assuming they're going to two different separated areas, of course!). This card will definitely help Amanda out. Extra Shot/Combination: Any Persona with the "standard" Extra Shot and/or Combination that allows a second attack will benefit, since these are the cards Flashing Blade was primarily designed to help. So, instead of your opponent using one dodge to get out of both attacks, he will have to use _two_ separate defense (again, assuming they're going to two separated areas). Flashing Blade is particularly nasty with Extra Shot, since a worst-case scenario is that your opponent Exerts past five cards, and finds a defense, and the best-case scenarios is that he Exerts past five cards and finds _no_ defense, thus taking damage. The Prize (Attacks): Anyone who uses The Prize/Attacks can get use out of Flashing Blade. Of course, there's no added "benefit" (e.g., Hidden attack, defense from Exertion, etc.), unless a Special is used (e.g., Trip), but at least your opponent will have to play two separate defenses! Or three if you're Amanda. Master Race: Same as The Prize/Attacks. Kern: Kern is probably the best Persona to be able to utilize FB. With his ability to play multiple attacks from an Exertion, and to "extend" those Exertions through the use of various cards (Bowie Knife, Heather, Collect), he can become quite nasty. Imagine fifteen or so attacks coming at you, each able to do two damage, _and_ you can't dodge multiple attacks . . . Although it is probably obvious, it should be noted that Flashing Blade is useless when used in conjunction with cards or a Persona ability that already have the "dodges will not avoid multiple attacks" clause. Now that we've covered the usefulness of FB, now is the time to get into some strategy with it. Well, first off, I think standard strategy dictates that when making multiple attacks, you should make them to two different areas (unless one of the attacks is Hidden, in which case you may want to bluff your opponent, but I digress). One thing to keep in mind when using Flashing Blade is this: If I play, say, an Upper Right Attack and a Middle Right Attack against you, you can stop them with _one_ Upper Right Block (or one Right/Upper Guard). However, if all you have available are dodges, then you will have to play _two_ dodges to avoid both attacks (one per attack). This is key to using Flashing Blade. Now, with this in mind, really, the only strategy I have found is that you _should_ include at least two, preferably three Master's Advances in your deck. With the Master's Advances out, and making multiple attacks whenever you can, you eat through your opponent's defenses pretty quickly, particularly those dodges. And if you have a Location, such as Catwalk out, then your opponent's options are suddenly quite limited. Although your opponent _can_ use those non-Back Away dodges to "pay" for the Back Aways... Now, what can you do against Flashing Blade? Well, admittedly, not a heck of a lot. Being an Edge, it can't be countered by Forethought, or removed by Xavier. However, it _can_ be countered by ripping a TCG, or even better, Rachel Ellenstein. So, with all of this in mind, Alan gives Flashing Blade an _8_. It is one of the most useful cards in the game which should go into _every_ swordfighting deck. What Our Other Raters Say: Jeff - Another great Edge card, this one making any multiple attacks mini- Battle Rages. Great with Amanda (especially) and other multi-attack types. Play it with Berkeley Games for real fun. Rick - Abstain Hank - Flashing Blade is going to prove more and more useful as time goes on, and more Immortals have cards or abilities that involve multiple attacks. It's a great example of what "Edge" cards should do, adding a new degree of complexity to swordplay. Steve - I'm not quite as impressed with this card as other reviewers. It's a good card, make no mistake. However, Lunge is more versatile. Most of the things you can do with Flashing Blade, you can do with a well-placed Lunge. Rather than play a Flashing Blade before having Kern Exert to make five attacks, just play a Lunge and modify the third attack. Instead of playing Flashing Blade + Extra Shot, play a Lunge on the first attack of Extra Shot. And so on. However, as a supplement to Lunge, FB combines to totally crush the "single Dodge/Back Away/Master's Dodge/Distract avoids all attacks" syndrome. Also, FB works on non-Basic attacks, while Lunge doesn't. Jim - Flashing Blade is an excellent card for use with multi-attacks which are not already endowed with the anti-dodge enhancement FB provides. Flashing Blade is a good card to use with the standard Combination and Extra Shot, but also works wonders with cards such as Berkeley Games, Master Race, and The Prize/Attack. It also works well with Amanda, Kern, and other Immortals who have the ability to inherently make more than one attack. Flashing Blade can be combined with Master's Advance to make dodging very costly. Wayne - Flashing Blade makes multiple attacking viable. This is another good card to help bring the sword back to this swordfighting game. I like this particular card. Prodipto - Flashing Blade is going to be an incredible boost for attack oriented decks that don't rely on the 3-B's (Battle Rage, Berserk, Bloodlust). Cards that are going to benefit a lot from this will be Berkeley Games, Combination, Extra Shot, Master's Advance, Master Race, and The Prize: Attacks. Flashing Blade will also give a boost to Amanda decks, as well as adding a nasty twist to Kern decks. This is an Edge that should be in almost any attack deck. Allen - Flashing Blade is another of the WC cards which attempt to give you better odds of scoring sword damage on your first pass through your deck. The use of FB is obvious; play it when you intend to attack more than once. Used with Extra Shot you almost guarantee that your opponent must exert to defend. Make the second attack a power blow! Use in conjunction with Lunge and Master's Advance and you can really convince your opponent that he should plan to stand and fight. Amanda, Combination, and Berkeley Games all get boosts with Flashing Blade. Ratings Overall: Steve 7 Jeff 7 Rick N/A Hank 8 Alan 8 Jim 9 Wayne 8 Prodipto 8 Allen 9 Average: 8.00 ------------------------------------------------------------------
Flurry Strike ATTACK: If this attack is successful, it does an additional point of damage for every other Flurry Strike played this turn. If the previous attack you played this turn was Flurry Strike, this attack may not be blocked. [There are three different Flurry Strikes: one is Middle Left, one is Middle Right, and one is Middle Center] If our last two WC-related cards were combat-enhancing Edge cards (Lunge and Flashing Blade), and the WC-related card before that was a combat-enhancing Special Attack (Master Swordsman), here we have a combat-enhancing non-Special attack. Flurry Strike is the only generic non-Special attack found in Watcher's Chronicles. Game mechanic questions first. Flurry Strike is limited by title, so you can't have more than six, no matter which location(s) on the grid those six attacks cover. Flurry Strike meets the criteria for being an unblockable attack. Thus, Alertness/Block can be used against it. However, keep in mind that Alertness/Block modifies an attack, not a block you might play against that attack. So make sure to modify the second or subsequent Flurry Strike _before_ you play a block against the earlier attack(s). Also, you can't use Alertness to allow a Guard already on the table to protect you. A Flurry Strike does normal damage: two points (four for a Power Blow), or for Amanda, one point (two for a Power Blow). The Kurgan adds his extra 1 damage normally. On top of this you add one additional point for each other FS played that turn. The MC Flurry Strike receives no additional bonus to damage, unlike a Thrust. Only one Flurry Strike needs to hit. The extra damage added to it is from each other Flurry Strike _played_, not each other Flurry Strike that successfully hit. However, if two or more hit, each adds damage to the other(s). A Flurry Strike can be Hidden, played from an Exertion, and made a Power Blow. Although it is not a "basic" attack, it is not limited like a Special Attack. It cannot be modified by cards like Hideo Koto or Lunge that affect basic attacks only. A block played against a second or greater Hidden Flurry Strike has no effect. And you must play Alertness/Block on the FS _before_ you play the appropriate block. If you miss the first block against the Hidden FS, you may still Exert and play that block: the FS still remains modified by Alertness and can still be blocked. So, Flurry Strike looks like a tricky card. However, these are tricks that make it harder to defend against, not harder to play. In fact, a properly augmented FS is a good way to sneak in an unblockable attack that does a fair amount of damage. Obviously, Flurry Strike is only useful to Personas that can make multiple attacks. Thanks to The Prize/Extra Attack, anyone can do that. However, the most common way is to make two attacks using Combination, Extra Shot, or Follow-Up/Kurgan. This may not seem that effective, since a Lower or Upper Guard, Duck, Jump, Master's Block, and Master's Dodge will avoid both attacks. In and by itself, correct. Keep in mind that, ideally, you want to play at least two Flurry Strikes. Flashing Blade (CotW #37) can lower the effectiveness of those dodge-based strategies, requiring them to at least play two dodge cards against your two Flurry Strikes. As always, the second attack of an Extra Shot, enhanced by Flashing Blade, means your opponent has to work for a defense. An opponent in this case must Exert for a defense, any blocks will be unusable, and if he fails to draw the right defense he takes at least three points of damage (normal 2 damage for a Flurry Strike, plus 1 more for the first one). If you made it a Power Blow they take 5 damage, if you're the Kurgan they take 4 damage, and if you're the Kurgan making a Power Blow, they take 6 damage! Speaking of the Kurgan . . . let's look at Follow-Up. The second attack of a Follow-Up is undodgeable. And if you played a Flurry Strike as your first attack, the second Flurry Strike is unblockable. Congratulations! You just created a Stalk that can be Power Blowed, does a potential 6 damage if the Kurgan wants to try a Power Blow (4 if he doesn't), and he can use three times rather than once (a two-Flurry Strike combo x 3). The standard Combination, used in conjunction with Flashing Blade or other anti-dodge cards like Master's Advance, provides some nice bluff potential. Play a ML Flurry Strike, then a Hidden attack. Watch them scurry to block that Flurry Strike/right . . . and get nailed by your Lower Left Attack. Once they catch on to that, switch back to using a Flurry Strike for your second attack. Useless against Connor, unfortunately. Heck, don't even bother playing an opposite-side Flurry Strike. Just play a ML Flurry Strike and then a Hidden ML Flurry Strike. You get an extra point of damage this way. That's what you can do with just two attacks in a turn. Let's take a look at folks who can play 3+ attacks per turn. Annie Devlin, if she is successfully attacked, can make three attacks. If she uses Run Through, she can make all three attacks Hidden, and she has an inherent ability which duplicates Flashing Blade. Take the strategies mentioned for Combination above and apply generously. Alternately, Annie can let herself be hit, and then use Fitzcairn's Fast Talk (with Darius), making it impossible for her opponent to play any cards. She may then play three Flurry Strikes and make one a Power Blow. Thanks to her inherent ability, an opponent Exerting for a defense and getting a dodge can only use it against one attack (guess which one?). Still, this means she will do eight points of damage - fourteen if they fail to draw a dodge! Only a Master's Block will save them here. Battle Rage provides five attacks. If you can make these Hidden (via Mountain Cave), better still. A Connor/Mountain Cave deck employing Flurry Strikes should do serious damage. Play just half of your six allotted Flurry Strikes, and if just one hits you'll do four points of damage. Kern tends to get about five attacks in an enhanced Exertion. He needs Flashing Blade (unless he uses Rage, which also gives him extra Power Blows). Employ the same strategy for him. Slan get ten attacks with Berserk, but he has to count on randomly drawing his Flurry Strikes. Unless he uses Dr. Alan Neyman or a well-timed Fortune Teller, that's probably not going to happen. The Kurgan gets 15 attacks with Bloodlust, and several Flurry Strikes scattered throughout can be just as painful. Which cards supplement the use of Flurry Strike? Ruins, Dead-End Alley, and Catwalk, since they prevent the play of defenses that simultaneously cover the ML and MR areas. Watcher/Involvement will stop Master's Blocks. Granted, second and subsequent Flurry Strikes can't be blocked anyway, but using Ruins and Watcher/Involvement will guard against Alertness/Block as well. Anti-Holy Ground cards like Carl are good for when your opponent tries to escape. Since Kalas has the "standard" Extra Shot, he can use the two-Flurry strategy outlined above, and keep a nervous opponent from playing Holy Ground because of his Stalk/Head Shot combo. Dojo (CotW #34) lets you tuck away a Flurry Strike until you have other Flurry Strike(s) to play with it. This means you can still attack your opponent, keeping the pressure on, without having to do the worst thing possible: waste a single Flurry Strike attacking. It also lets Kalas store a Stalk & Head Shot in case his opponent plays Holy Ground/ME. Flurry Strike is a way for Amanda to do two points of damage with a Seduce, without having to wait for a Thrust. Simply play two Flurry Strikes, and use Seduce on either one. So overall, Steve gives Flurry Strike a _8_. It's an okay card when simply used as part of a multi-attack sequence. However, there are some _very_ sneaky combinations tucked away in the game which represent the swordfighting aspect of Highlander at its best. What Our Other Raters Say: Jeff - Oodles and oodles of fun, these attacks were just made to be played with the Kurgan. Bloodlust with Ruins and a Master's Advance out, play a few of these, and rip (or use Carl) on their Holy Ground. Or, if you feel like having more fun, try it with any multi-attack Persona using Flashing Blade. Lots and lots of possibilities. Rick - An amazing card. Put several of these in a row and you have something very deadly. Even Master's Block won't stop them all. Hank - Another card that's designed to be useful in decks that play multiple attacks in a turn. In the decks I've used them in, or seen them used in, they haven't had the impact one would want, though. There are better attacks to put in a deck. Alan - Flurry Strike's dual "ability" makes it one of the best attack cards available. It enhances Combination, Extra Shot, Battle Rage, and my particular favorite, Bloodlust. Flurry Strike should be in _every_ swordfighting deck that relies on making multiple attacks in a turn. Jim - Flurry Strike is best played within a multi-attack sequence like Battle Rage, Bloodlust, or Berserk. Flashing Blade is also a good Edge card to use with these. Kern can make very good use of these as can Kurgan, Duncan and any Immortal with multi-attack capabilities or cards that grant multiple attacks. Wayne - Great card for attack decks using multiple attacks. Cards like this and the new edge cards may make Bloodlust one of the most powerful cards in the game. I would rate it higher but it really doesn't help anyone not playing multiple attack decks. Prodipto - Flurry Strike is a very useful attack to put into multiple attack decks. These would include the 3-B's (Battle Rage, Berserk, Bloodlust), or Amanda or Kern decks. When used with Flashing Blade, or anti-dodge cards (like Master's Advance, Challenge/SE, Kiss Your Butts Goodbye, Nefertiri's Seduce, etc), playing more than one Flurry Strike is very effective. Allen - Another card that boosts multiple attack sequences, Flurry Strike grants them extra teeth. The more of them you play at once, the more teeth each attack carries. Battle Rage can conceptually grant you five attacks each doing six damage. Given BR's dodge-restricting ability, this can prove effective for a Lean and Mean deck (especially in Renaissance style). In any multiple attack sequence, forcing your opponent to defend several non- consecutive Flurry Strikes can force them to let many other attacks through. Ratings Overall: Steve 8 Jeff 7 Rick 9 Hank 5 Alan 9 Jim 7 Wayne 7 Prodipto 6 Allen 5 Average: 7.00 ------------------------------------------------------------------
Immortal Wound SITUATION: Play in your Attack Phase. If none of your attacks this turn are successful, discard Immortal Wound immediately. For each Immortal Wound you have in play, your opponent must discard a card at the end of his Draw Phase. Well, after several weeks of reviewing WC attack cards, we're back to Specials. Like the last few cards we've looked at, this card modifies an attack in a new and different way. First, the game mechanic questions. The sequence described on Immortal Wound seems to be unclear to some people, so let's review it here. The attacker plays Immortal Wound during his Attack Phase. It is not required that he play multiple attacks, or even any attacks. Immortal Wound counts as his one Special for the turn, as per normal. Currently, there is no way for anyone to play a second Special while still attacking. The attack(s) are dealt with normally on the defender's Defense Phase. At the end of the Defense Phase, if none of the attacks were successful, Immortal Wound is immediately discarded. If at least one attack was success, Immortal Wound remains in play. Beginning with that turn, the defender must discard one card at the end of his draw/discard phase, after he has drawn or discarded normally. This is similar to how Kalas' power works. Immortal Wound, despite its name, is anything but. As a Situation, it is as vulnerable to removal as any other Situation. Thus, the Police can "heal" your wound, and the attacker may remove it from play due to Simple Mind. An Immortal Wound can be the target of Focus, and thus does not cause discarding the turn it is Focussed. As specifically described on the card, the effects of multiple Immortal Wounds _are_ cumulative. Like Collect, Immortal Wound is an exception to the normal Situation "stacking" rules due to card wording (i.e., Ability-modifying Situations stack, no others do). So that's how Immortal Wound works. What can you do with it? The main limitation on Immortal Wound is that it is the only Special you can play in a turn. Thus, you are deprived of the ability to pay an attack- enhancing Special. You can still play an attack-enhancing Edge(s) such as Lunge or Flashing Blade. So what we have to look at is which attacks have a good chance of hitting without the play of other Specials. The obvious one is Stalk/Xavier. With a few Forethoughts backing it, only Alertness will stop this attack. Not quite as obvious a choice is Kalas' Stalk. One thing that is occasionally overlooked is that this card is unblockable and undodgeable after your opponent plays a Holy Ground, even if you do _not_ make it a Head Shot. It s still a 2-point upper center attack that cannot be blocked or dodged. If you don't have or draw a Head Shot due to Holy Ground/SE, or don't get a Head Shot when you take a new hand due to Holy Ground/ME, you can still play Kalas' Stalk. While you cannot play another Special the turn you play Immortal Wound plus an attack, you can rely on Specials already in play. Master's Advance is useful here. If you've forced your opponent to use a number of dodges, a Master's Attack at the right time might force them to take a 2-point hit and suffer the effects of an IW. Against heavy dodge-reliant opponents like Amanda or Duncan, a normal attack/Lunge (CotW #36) plus an Immortal Wound might actually hit if they don't have the right block at the right moment. At the least you might force them to Exert for a dodge. The use of Battlefield (CotW #3) and Factory (CotW #23) can help to deprive your opponent of defenses by depriving them of the ability to redraw, or force them to lose more then average. This gives you a better chance of playing Immortal Wound plus an attack and hitting successfully. Situations and Persona abilities that let you make multiple attacks (Berkeley Distributors, The Prize/Extra Attack, Amanda, Kern, and Annie) have a better chance of giving you at least one successful hit. Use of Flashing Blade is a must in this case. Connor and Duncan's cross-corner diagonal Slashes have a better-than-average chance of hitting, particularly in conjunction with anti-dodge Situation/Locations or against the WC Immortals who lack the extra 9-grid coverage of Dodge. One thing you should consider when using Immortal Wound is that, in the first half of the game, one or two IWs may actually _help_ your opponent. Like Kalas' power, IW lets your opponent discard whatever cards he wishes. This means that they can get rid of "useless" and/or unplayable cards . This can cause more rapid deck-cycling, but that's typically a good tradeoff for the ability to dump trash. Three or more Immortal Wounds, or Immortal Wounds used in conjunction with Kalas, can cause card loss/redraw to such a degree that it becomes a major problem. Typically, however, IW's full effects don't become painful until later in the game when an opponent has a small Ability. At that point, they actually have an ability greater than 0 and still have no cards in their hand. This is a good time for those Head Shots. So who should use Immortal Wound? As indicated above, Xavier and Kalas probably have the best chance of hitting, thanks to their ability to play inherent unblockable/undodgeable attacks. Xavier further benefits because he relies heavily on Situations anyway. An opponent might be too busy dealing with his Plots and Forethoughts to remove an Immortal Wound. Early in the game this may not be a bother. However, later this could prove a fatal mistake. Kalas benefits because Immortal Wound augments his own power. The cumulative affects of several Immortal Wounds in play, plus a successful attack of his own, can force an opponent to lose 4+ cards at the end of a turn. This will hurt even a defender who wants to get rid of cards, and force them to cycle through their deck more quickly. Kern, Amanda, and Annie all have the ability to make multiple attacks without the additional play of a Special the same turn. Although Kern and Amanda require Flashing Blade, this is a small price to play. With Kern's potential to make 5+ attacks in a single turn, one of them is bound to hit if skillfully managed. Amanda's 1-pt. attacks might seem trivial, but the Immortal Wound that it can inflict is just as potent as one accompanying a 4-pt. Slan/Power Blow. Slash users have a better chance of scoring an Immortal Wound. This suggests Connor and Duncan. However, under the right circumstances, even Personas like the Kurgan and Nakano have reason to use the regular Slash. Nakano, like Xavier, relies heavily on Situations, and can use camouflage Immortal Wound among his other Situations. So overall, Steve gives Immortal Wound a _3_. There are a few Personas and strategies that IW helps. However, it has three major drawbacks. The first is that it is relatively easy to remove: Katana will never be seriously bothered by it. The second is that in the early-to-mid stages of a game, it can help the target. And third, it is difficult to use because it is somewhat hard to successfully make an otherwise unaugmented attack. It can be done, but you might better devote space in your deck to cards that make sure you do hit, rather than cards that enhance your attack once it does hit. What Our Other Raters Say: Jeff - Abstain Rick - This is a good card if you can be assured to do some damage. An excellent "finisher" card since they will have fewer and fewer cards in their hands to defend with. Too bad they get the choice of which cards to discard. Hank - Immortal Wound is interesting, but I must confess that I haven't used it in a deck yet. I could see a Master's Block/Master's Lunge Connor deck using it, or any other deck that has a non-Event way to make an attack unstoppable... and once a few Immortal Wounds are in play, it's going to severely frustrate an opponent to toss cards at the end of a turn. Alan - Abstain Jim - Immortal Wound will give a boost to most attack decks. It works well when used in conjunction with Factory. This is definitely not a card to use if you are using a denial deck and are trying to force your opponent into a hand jam situation. Since many occasions result in no attacks succeeding early in a game, Immortal Wound is best used early and often. Wayne - Abstain Prodipto - Useless against Nefertiri, this card is well suited for unstoppable attack type decks (a good example is Catwalk-Ranged Attacks). Once Immortal Wounds start falling (particularly in the early game), then burn type strategies work particularly well (Nefertiri-Battlefield or Khan-Desert decks will have a lot of success with Immortal Wound). This is not a card that should be in a lock deck, as it allows your opponent to start cycling cards. Allen - Abstain Ratings Overall: Steve 3 Jeff N/A Rick 5 Hank 7 Alan N/A Jim 7 Wayne N/A Prodipto 6 Allen N/A Average: 5.60