Kergy’s Korner #15: Kergy’s Definitive Guide to the Spider-Man Starter - Volume Two

Bizarro #98’s pleas notwithstanding, here is the 2nd (and final!) article on the Spidey starter – I’ll get back to DC next week, I promise!!

This week is a look at the Sinister Syndicate side of the starter, and I’ll also look at the handful of non-affiliated cards.

A few words about the Syndicate:

-They’re vicious! They like to exhaust, stun and KO. Sort of like the Punisher – but in their case, it’s just about the entire team you have to worry about!
-They’re also the opposite of the Spider-Friends – whereas the Spidey team were all about working together as a team to defeat the opponent, the Syndicate have a built in social Darwinism, and often toss aside teammates to climb the ladder and surf the power struggle.

Dr. Octopus - Doc Ock
Cost: 7; ATK: 15; DEF: 15
Sinister Syndicate defenders you control have reinforcement. Whenever Dr. Octopus stuns a defender, you may stun target support row character.

A good start to the Syndicate – Doc Ock is the team ‘captain’, and who better? While Doc Ock won’t hit the table all that often, the auto-reinforce puts a BIG target on his forehead. If he’s properly protected, he can save you a hassle during your opponent’s initiative and possibly prolong your game another turn,with a shot at a stomp-fest.

His other ability is okay, but hardly brilliant. Sure, a bonus stun is never a BAD thing, BUT, I’d rather have a Blastaar - he has a drawback (you know, the whole Negative Zone thing…) but also gets the auto-stun. Add in Annihilus (who has bigger, better stats, plus range and flight – as Blastaar also has) and you get a double-auto-stun.

Still, the good Doc will be a staple in SS decks just for his reinforcement, if nothing else.


Dr. Octopus – Otto Octavius
Cost: 4; ATK: 7; DEF: 7
Whenever Dr. Octopus attacks, you may exhaust target unprotected character.
Activate -> Target Sinister Syndicate defender has reinforcement this attack.

Reinforcement appears to be a theme among the Octopi – I wonder if the third version (assuming there IS a third version) will also have a reinforcement power…? That aside, a nice little boost – especially when it’s your opponent’s initiative. AND, he can use it on himself, as well.

I actually like his other power a little better than Doc Ock’s. I guess I’m just a sucker for exhaustion (perhaps because it’s a fundamental truth in my life…?). Being able to exhaust any unprotected character reduces the number of potential attackers, and allows you to focus on other characters with your own attacks, and it combos nicely with Crushing Blow. Otto is definitely a solid 4-drop, with decent stats and two very nice abilities for his cost.


Electro – Maxwell Dillon
Cost: 2; ATK: 2; DEF: 2
Ranged Combat
Activate, discard a Sinister Syndicate character card from your hand -> Stun target character with a cost of 3 or less. Use this power only during your attack step.

Look, another stunner! Electro’s stats are just below average, but his power is pretty strong. I think he’s a little overrated, however, as the cost of character exhaustion AND character discard is pretty fierce. Still, stunning a character never hurts – especially early on, when board control is very important. I’d rate Electro just above average, but I’d stop short of calling him a staple.


Green Goblin – Norman Osborn
Cost: 5; ATK: 9; DEF: 9
Flight, Ranged Combat
Activate, discard a Sinister Syndicate character card from your hand -> KO target unprotected support row character. Its controller loses endurance equal to that character's cost. Use this power only during your attack step.

Now HERE is a staple card. The Goblin also has a discard cost and a restriction, but his ability is much more worthy than Electro’s.

1) GG *KO’s* a character, he’s not merely a stunner.
2) The controller STILL takes SEL, even though the character is KO’d.

He’s a good reason not to worry about even-turn initiative, as he’s a nasty little jack-in-the-box to pull out on an opponent – especially when that opponent has no formation step to remove his targe…erm…victi…er -characters out of the way. AND you can always machete through the front-row protection to clear up a tasty snack for the GG’s pumpkin bombs.

Oh, and did I mention the nice numbers and the flight/ranged combo? Even if you can’t use his ability, he has brutal attack prowess.


Kraven the Hunter – Sergei Kavinoff
Cost: 4; ATK: 6; DEF: 6
At the start of the combat phase, you may choose a character name. Kraven gets +4 ATK while attacking a character with that name this turn.

What I like best about Kraven is the reflection of his hunting credo – that after every successfully bagged trophy, there is another prize to be stalked. The fact that his power is re-usable, and not a one-hit wonder, makes him a nasty bugger.

As well, the ‘name’ factor is nice as well - versions matter not. I have a feeling that this may make a difference at some point in the game.

Kraven’s base stats are average, BUT the +4 boost makes him a formidable foe when he’s after his prey. 10/6 stats are second only to Sabretooth: Feral Rage, and Kraven doesn’t have the pitch drawback. Kraven is definitely a solid asset to a team where fighting is at a premium.


Lizard - Dr. Curtis Connors
Cost: 3; ATK: 3; DEF: 4
Pay 4 endurance ---> Lizard gets +2 DEF this attack.

The weak link in the Syndicate – Curt got shortchanged! He deserved better than to be a 2nd-rate Lorelei – at least Lorelei doesn’t slurp up endurance while lowering her opponents’ attack.

His stats are average, and to be honest, I’d give this one a miss and move on to the next (and MUCH better) 3-drop:


Rhino – Alex O’Hirn
Cost: 3; ATK: 7; DEF: 4
At the start of your recruit step, pay 4 endurance or KO Rhino.

Now RHINO is a brutal 3-drop. He has the highest attack of any 3-drop in the game, and a higher attack than the majority of 4-drops.

His restriction is much friendlier than Logan’s (the only character to have higher combined stats at Cost: 3); not having any team-related restriction makes him the perfect stomp-box splash for non-SS decks (I’ve already popped 2 in my non-aff deck!) and I predict that Rhino will be a FAVOURITE in draft.

The trick is to keep him through Round 4, where you use him to take out the 4-drop, and then use YOUR 4-drop to mop up the weenies. It will be well-worth the 4 endurance you spend on him. He likely won’t be worth a spot in the 5th turn, but even then, depending on the board, he might be a nice booster. Rhino is definitely one of my fav cards on the SS side of the starter…


Venom – Eddie Brock [uncommon]
Cost: 6; ATK: 12; DEF: 12
Whenever Venom stuns a character, KO that character unless its controller pays 6 endurance.

The Syndicate get their ‘Powerhouse’, and with no recruit restriction. Many jaws dropped when Venom was first discussed, and with good reason. Granted, he doesn’t have the flight that Rogue does, but his higher defense is nice – and on a team where KOing characters appears to be the rule rather than the exception, he fits in VERY nicely. He will cause many a tough decision – I predict a few long faces when they pay their 6 endurance only to have the character KOed by some other devious means.

He’ll also be vicious in draft – I can’t imagine anybody passing him, even on the first pick!


Vulture – Adrien Toomes
Cost: 1; ATK: 2; DEF: 1
Flight
As an additional cost to recruit Vulture, reveal another Sinister Syndicate character card from your hand.
Whenever Vulture causes breakthrough, you gain that much endurance.

I’m not as much of a fan of this card as others seem to be, if only because breakthrough powers on 1-drops seem a little ridiculous to me. Sure, you can use your pumps – but I don’t predict many people wasting a Flying Kick, let alone a Savage Beatdown, on a 1-drop – even for the sake of gaining 3-5 endurance. He DOES combo well with Doc Ock’s Lab, however (see below).

As well, the reveal restriction is a little harsh, and ensures that Vulture will never be seen outside of Syndicate decks.

On the other hand, as far as 1-drops go, Vulture’s the man – there aren’t THAT many 2/1 1-drops out there – especially not with a decent ability. And you’re almost guaranteed 1-2 points of excess endurance every game that you get him in your opening hand.

So, he’s a solid Syndicate card, and will likely be included in just about every SS deck, but he’s not as staple a card as Green Goblin or Venom are.


Doc Ock’s Lab
Location; Cost: 1
Activate, pay 3 endurance -> Target Sinister Syndicate attacker gets +3 ATK this attack.

This is a nice card – and works VERY nicely with the Vulture. Because one wants to keep their pumps for later, more important rounds, having a 1-cost, reusable pump is ALWAYS a good thing. And with Vulture, you’re regaining the endurance you – but your opponent is STILL losing it.

So now, on the first turn, you have a 5/1 flyer! No, I’m not changing my apathetic opinion of Vulture, but it does make him look better…I’m sure they had him in mind when designing this card (or vice-versa).

Another use for this card is to ensure that your opponent is stunned. 3 endurance is a wee price to pay when pumping your Venom to KO your opponent’s Berzerker Rage…


Osborn Industries
Location; Cost: 1
Activate, discard a Sinister Syndicate character card from your hand -> Draw a card.
Activate, discard two cards from your hand ---> Draw a card.

Drawing a card is ALWAYS a good thing. In a game where you only see, on average, 1/4 to 1/3 of your deck per game, take any deck advantage you can find. This is why I love team-up cards – the draw. It’s why Genosha is so popular – you draw up to FOUR cards!

And now, we have a new draw card. It keeps with that theme of social Darwinism– pitching your characters to use an effect. Round 6, drew a Vulture? Need that Venom? Toss him and draw again.

This also combines nicely with Night Vision, Base of Operations – or Madame Web in Spidercate decks. And, in times of desperation, or to get that one card you need for the killing blow, you can pitch two cards to draw, and, again, ‘drawing a card is ALWAYS a good thing’.

It should soon be possible to build a deck that allows you to cycle easily through your entire deck. With a little help, it should someday be possible to build a draw, cycle, return deck – a deck capable of continuously milling through your deck for the cards you need, and retrieving them from the KO’d pile once you’ve used them.

Now, I just lie in wait for a plot twist or location that readies locations!


Sadistic Choice
Plot Twist; Cost: 3
Play Sadistic Choice only if you control a Sinister Syndicate character.
KO target stunned character unless its controller discards two cards from his hand.

Greater Of Two Evils just got better. Three important things about this card:

1) It can be played outside of the Recovery Phase.
2) It targets the character, not the player.
3) It has a threshold of 3, not 4.

The restriction is a small speed bump, which basically stops people from abusing this card by using it in any deck (and come on, who wouldn’t play this card in non-SS!)

And this card follows the ‘exhaust, stun, kill’ mentality of the Syndicate. At this point, you should be able to do one of the three every other turn!


Sinister Salvo
Plot Twist; Cost: 1
Ongoing
As an additional cost to play Sinister Salvo, exhaust a Sinister Syndicate character you control.
Target player loses 3 endurance.
Ongoing: Characters you control have range

The only Ongoing card in the starter, and this one is a doozy. I wish this was like ESU Science Lab, and I could use the first power in a non-SS deck. Imagine if only SS characters got range, but anyone could use it as a one-shot burn?

BUT this card goes well with the Syndicate. If there is one drawback to the Syndicate, it is a major lack of flight and range – only three characters have either of them. So a cheap, mass range boost is not a bad thing. But the restriction is pretty harsh, even with the burn – I’ve found that character exhaustion is not often easy, and I’m just not sure that this card is good enough to warrant it. Only testing will tell – and my mind may change when we see the set…

So that’s the Syndicate – the potential to be VICIOUS; just needs a little tinkering – and 2 starters should provide most of the tools.

(continued next post)

So now, I’ll look at some of those tools:

Alley Oop!
Plot Twist; Cost: 1
Target support row defender gets +1 ATK and +2 DEF this attack.

Almost a reverse of the one-two punch – but it has a little drawback: it can only be used on support row defenders. This is what makes Alley Oop! decent instead of GREAT, as that limits its playability. Still, some decks will favour this kind of card, and the attack bonus on a defender is very nice.

Still, it doesn’t hold a candle to Spider Senses – but decks outside of Spider-Friends may want to give this a solid look.


Crushing Blow
Plot Twist; Cost: 2
Target attacker gets +3 ATK and +3 DEF this attack while attacking an exhausted defender.

It fits VERY nicely into both of the starter teams, as each can exhaust opponents. And there are SO many other characters that combo nicely with this – Dazzler, Puppet Master, Rogue: Anna Raven, etc – and when an opponent exhausts to reinforce, you may well get that breakthrough back when you Crushing Blow the reinforcement!

This is definitely one of the top 5 cards in the starter, and one that should see a lot of play in the future – I wouldn’t be surprised to see it lacing decks at Origins.


Jetpack
Equipment; Cost: 0
Equipped character gets +2 ATK and has flight.

Not much to say here. 0-cost equipment is rarely bad – you can use it in any recruit phase, as long as you have a free character. And those decks that are filled with range now have an alternative to Dual Sidearms, gaining flight and keeping the ATK boost.


No Fear
Plot Twist; Cost: 1
Choose one: Target attacker gets +3 ATK this attack while attacking a character with a higher cost; or target defender gets +3 ATK this attack while defending against a character with a higher cost.

Another very nice twist – now everyone can be Daredevil! And I really like the ability to use this card on an attacker OR defender.

Definitely a card to use in weenie decks, and I think we may see this start to seep into B-Hood rush and in Sentinel swarm…perhaps even replacing a Flying Kick or two, which doesn’t favour the defender (restriction or not). Either way, a nice addition to many deck types that need help against the curb-stompers.


Smoke Screen
Equipment; Cost: 1
KO Smoke Screen -> Target attacker cannot be stunned this attack.

Last – but definitely not least – we come to a very interesting card. Smoke Screen has the potential to be a make or break card. It will be BRILLIANT in FF equipment decks, where the cost won’t hurt the curve. In other decks, it will be harder to use – although I can envision Lost City or TNB decks having a field day with it.

The two factors that one has to consider with this card are the cost – is it worth playing a lesser character, just to get a one-off, stun-free attack? And the fact that it IS a one-off, stun-free attack – so use it wisely.

Again, in an FF equipment deck – especially with Salvage – this card will be brutal. Especially with bathtubs on the field. Now, if they come up with a card that allows one to equip outside of the build phase…

NEXT WEEK: Back to DC, to look at the Teen Titans and League of Assassins.

Great Update Kerg. I allways look foreward to these. Appreciate it.

Yeah mang your articles are quite nice. I always like the rundowns of cards, so I don't have to look them over myself ;)

great article (as always)

one additional point: suprise attack works REALLY well with these guys (esp. on thurn 5)


hey are you the same Kergy from savage worlds?

Tom

Thanks for the kind words =)

Grendal: Savage Worlds? Not sure what that is, so I'm probably a different one =)

Great Article, Kerg!

Does anyone else find No Fear to be not so great? Used offensively, it's a Flying Kick without flight. Defensively, it's a weaker Nasty Surprise (-2 ATK). Yeah, it's versatile and that gives it some merit, but I don't think it's so overwhelmingly good.

As far as the Syndicate helpers go, all I've got to say is Avalon... Electro and Green Goblin's best friend.

Except for one thing: It's a restricted Flying Kick AND a weaker Nasty Surprise - instead of needing 2 separate cards to do approx. the same thing, you get it all in one package.

Of course it's worth it to exhaust a character. I think the best way to use Sinister Salvo is in Pyro Style... I.E., got a defender about to be stunned with nothing else to do? Burn'em! This is just nice enough to leave you with a cool bonus hanging around, casting a shadow of doom over your opponent's head for next turn.

-Mike

hrm - an interesting way to play it...

Great article, as always!

The way I like to use Sinister Salvo is right before you pitch that Rhino of yours, like during the draw step, right before the build phase! Dunno if this is really the way to use it, but I find it to work most of the time!

Both are valid ways to use Salvo. As for myself, when I'm having a good game, I find that I sometimes still have a now useless Vulture or something on turn 3/4. Makes for good Salvo fodder.

Hey JoFo, how's that DC number list coming? Arsenal's number is clearly visible.

Well thanks al three of you for different ideas on the ways to use the Salvo - honestly, I hadn't put much into ways to find the exhaustion. Now that I think about it, turns where one DOESN'T have initiative are generally the perfect moments.

Still, I'm not sold on the exhaustion factor as a worthwhile payment for the Salvo - have those who've played Spidey found it to be a majorly worthwhile card? Or is it just 'there'...?

DOR-051 ;)