I was just going through threads, and I read that Spider-friends need a good attack pump. Now of course, because of my inability to listen to any smack to any team I like (which is more than half of them) I took a few more seconds to think about a response and prove him wrong. Soon, I fell flat. So I went along and then a second later I remembered the card...

So hey, how many of you like Shape Change? It's a good card really. Especially if you play a lot of high cost characters, and one plops right out of your deck and gives you a +5 defense boost or so. It's really amazing.

So then, what about the opposite? Something that can give you an amazing attack boost but lower your defense, so it's sorta like a suicide mission? How could anyone then forget about Unexpected Mutation?

Considering the fact Spiderfriends runs so many high drops anyway because of 7 drop Spiderman, this card can give you a pretty good attack pump. Plus, with Nice Try! and Ricochet blocking overload, you can effectively go rushing in with that +5 attack, or even more. It has all the advantages and disadvantages of Shape Change, except that you're more than likely to make a double stun instead of the character just bouncing off of you.

Ok, so Shape Change isn't a really really uber card, but still, can't you give it a chance?

Well i'd prefer Savage beatdown of course but hey not everyone can get one : ( (i need 3 : ( )
So i'd rather screw Unexpected mutation and throw in a mega blast or Flying kick for a garentied +4 or +3 becuase remeber you could get +1 attack with unexpected mutation.

Just my Two Cents

then again, the only card I can recall Spiderfriends having giving a +1 is another Unexpected Mutation...

I have to double check my deck, but most of the time you will be getting at least +2 or +3 if you don't hit a character.

yeah but still Flying kick gives you auto +3 Garentied and you could always discard a card you need so i'd stick with
Savage Beatdown
Flying kick
Mega Blast
+ you may be able to get extra break through

Aileo, yes, if you are playing GOLDEN then you should use Beatdowns.

However, there is this format called Marvel Modern Age that only lets you use cards from WSM and MMK. That is where you could use Unexpected Mutation, when you don't have access to those other cards.

Anyways, Prolink, you may be onto something. But I would rather use CAP, because you don't lose a card, and you don't get -X DEF. Still though, for those who prefer it it isn't a bad card. Neither is Shape Change. It's just that you already have Spider Senses and Acro Dodge that you don't need any more DEF pumps. But maybe Shape Change is better then Dodge. Who knows.

Unexpected Mutation would be much better if one of two things were true:

1) UM could be readily used with a team that likes cards in the KO'd pile; or,

2) The Spider-Friends really liked cards in the KO'd pile.

It could be cool in a SF/TT or SF/UW team-up, but it's not that great in pure SF decks currently.

To tell you the truth, if Spider Friends had anyway whatsoever to get cards back from the KO'd pile, they'd be broken. It's unfortunate, but it's the only way to keep 7-drop Spidey from being way too insane. So for now, it's only one card per turn with Avalon Space Station, and only in Golden Age.

Although, considering all the copies of Spiderman, Scarlet Spider, and Black Cat (I still want to use her for some reason), you could make an interesting team up with Brotherhood. Considering also the fact that you'd have access to both Costume Change, and that Brotherhood card that lets you replace a 3 or lower with a 6 or higher. I forgot it's name, I keep thinking of Misappropiation when I think of it.

ProLink: I think you're thinking of Rise to Power...

Unexpected Mutation is too risky, not only are you using up an extra card, but the -X to DEF may result in stun back...

Double post...

Darn triple post, please delete mods

I think something is being missed. An important factor in attack pumps is the knowledge of how much damage you can do potentially. Attacking up the curve, for example, requires very specific calculations. A Savage Beatdown means 3 drop Spider-Man can stop a 4 or 5 drop. A Flying Kick means he can stun a 4 drop. With Unexpectated Mutation, who the heck knows whats going to happen? We'll assume that with UM you reliably hit anywhere from 3-7. Well, in this case, imagine you desperately need to attack up the curve and hit your opponent's Varnae with your Spider-Man: Alien Symbiote (it could be any two characters really). All you have face down is Unexpected Mutation. Your other option is a team attack with your 6 and 5 (your 7 bit the dust to Varnae's effect) into Varnae, but that wont clear his board, giving him initiative next turn and a chance to win. So you gamble, sending your 5 into Varnae and flip UE. You need anything from 4 up, preferably 5 or higher as a powerup could ruin you. You flip...Ricochet. Spiderman bites the dust, and Varnae laughs and moons you. Your 6, Iceman, who could've team attacked and taken out Varnae, is no longer strong enough on his own. You pass and lose the next turn.

Second example. Say I know my opponent is playing Acrobatic Dodges and the only pump I have, again, is UM. Let's say I have a 3-drop Spider-Man and 4 drop Luke Cage out. My opponent has 4-drop Inivisible Woman and 3-drop Thing, both up front. Can I UM over a dodge if I attack with Cage? Can I attack up into IW with Spider-Man? Who knows? Forgoing a team attack, you take your chances sending Cage directly into Sue. He dodges, you play UM, and hit a 7 drop. Nice! However, Sue is reinforced by her effect, and your paltry 1 defense goes down to her miniscule 3 atk. Spiderman does not have enough to stun Thing, so you pass and get clobbered.

I think UM sounds like a fun card to play with (the first example sounds pretty exciting) but it restricts your combat options too much in my opinion. Most often the high boosts it will give you will only mean 1-2 more BEL, as you will always have to "play it safe" when using it to avoid a potential suicide.

For the first example, I would have used Iceman to attack into Varne with Unexpected Mutation.

And then again, the Spiderman was one away from stuning, why wasn't there a powerup on him already?

Ok, leaving hypothetical terms, I just wanted to mention Unexpected Mutation. The merits I do see from it is that if you have a large amount of high drop characters (for 7 drop Spidey) then you can have a couple of them come into use earlier on and get them out of the way without having to waste a potential draw. (I've had four 5 drops in my hand come turn 7, and it's annoying).

But, if we're going to talk Golden Age, as some people want to, how about we talk about it in other ways. Like in the Super-Spider Longshot deck along with Night vision, you could find some use in Unexpected Mutation as you know exactly what you're pumping with. Or, in a mixed Limited game, you can use it with Base of Operations.

Or maybe I'm just a poor fool, trying to support a card that still, no one will use, and I'm just still searching for that one card to bring Spider-Friends from great to uber...

If you're running Longshot with NightVision/Base, I think Shape Change and UM would be worthwhile. Still, I think their main purpose are to serve as fun cards.

Don't forget about reconstruction program, only gets you one back, but so does Avalon.

There's a lot of us searching for that one card that'll turn SF into Tier 1 :D

Actually, no, I don't want SF to become Tier 1 and then end up getting netdecked all over the place like Curve Sentinels :grin:


Unexpected Mutation can yield a lot of "unexpected" results which can really ruin your strategy, it's too uncontrolled for me to consider it as a reliable card for my SF deck...