W5 Stratagem Review - Google Drive


1	Playability	Stratagem	Target Type	Style	Star	Impact	Comments	Card Text

2	1. Meta	Sky Shadow Sync	W5 Char	Character Ability	1	14->15	No one would have both Sky Shadow components and NOT have this.	When your Sky Shadow (Tank) or Sky Shadow (Plane) is KO'd and you have Ominus outside the game -> Combine them into Sky Shadow, Elite Warrior with Ominus in head mode.
3	1. Meta	More Guns	General + Retrogem	Tribal One Time	1	n/a	A great patch, this fixes the Weaponizers, costing (9->10, 10->11, and 11->12), and has already been shown to lead to strengths with Cog.	Once per game, when one of your Weaponizers in Upgrade mode is put into your KO area -> Return it to the battlefield upgrading one of your characters. Flip this.
4	1. Meta	Heroic Spotlight	General	Deck Upgrade	1	n/a	Every 24 star Autobot deck loves this.	If your starting team is only Autobots -> Your deck can have up to 2 extra Stars of [B] cards.
5	1. Meta	Villainous Spotlight	General	Deck Upgrade	1	n/a	Every 24 star Decepticon deck loves this.	If your starting team is only Decepticons -> Your deck can have up to 2 extra Stars of [O] cards.
6	2. High	Data Protection	W5 Char	Character Ability	1	7->8	Protecting from hand scrapping is powerful. An 8 to 9 star change is not a deck deal-breaker.	While you have Crankcase, Data Collector on the battlefield -> Your opponent's card can't cause you to scrap cards from your hand.
7	2. High	Sabotage	W5 Char	Character Ability	1	7->8	Excellent opponent disruption; a good sideboard card. A 7 to 8 cost change is not great, but as an 8-star sideboard pairing, it works well.	While you have Autobot Gears, Transport and Reconnaissance on the battlefield -> Enemies being upgraded can't cause abilities of your opponent's cards to trigger.
8	2. High	Science Officer	W5 Char	Deck Upgrade	1	6->7	Gaining extra stars is powerful. If Beachcomber is in a deck, the stratagem will be a strong consideration.	Your deck can have up to 1 extra Star of Actions and up to 1 extra Star of Upgrades.
9	2. High	Stealth Mission	W5 Char	Deck Upgrade	1	5->6	Gaining extra stars is powerful. If Nightracer is in a deck, the stratagem will be a strong consideration.	Your deck can have up to 2 extra Stars of Secret Actions.
10	2. High	Systems Enhancement	W5 Char	Character Ability	1	6->7	Going from 6->7 is an acceptable cost change, and this helps to search a deck. If Outlook is on the team, this will be a tempting consideration.	When you upgrade Autobot Outback, Gunner -> Draw a card. Then scrap a card from your hand.
11	2. High	Orbital Strike	Retrogem	Character Ability	1	11->12	Cosmos is a fringe character, but one who will always have the potential to surprise. This was a great patch, and going from 11->12 is not horrible.	Replace the text '12 Stars or fewer' on your Autobot Cosmos, Recon and Communication with '21 Stars or fewer.'
12	2. High	Swap Heads	General	One Time	1	n/a	This is a nice deck idea that provides potential for decks. It feels like it might have originally been an Action battle card that proved too powerful.	Once per game, when you flip one of your characters that has a character on it in head mode -> You may swap that head with one of your other character's heads. When you do, flip this.
13	3. Medium	Infiltration	One Time	One Time	1	8->9	Paying 1 star for a +4 attack is a very believable design choice.	Once per game, when you flip your Decepticon Pounce, when you flip your Decepticon Pounce, Infiltrator to alt mode -> You may play up to 2 Secret Actions. If you do, flip this.
14	3. Medium	Resilience	W5 Char	Character Ability	1	5->6	Integrates well with Brawn's concepts, applies to both sides, and 5->6 is not a horrible cost change. Probably useful in sideboards.	When your Brawn, Demolitions defends -> He gets +1 [DEF] until end of battle equal to the attacker's Bold total.
15	3. Medium	Saturation Bombing	W5 Char	One Time	1	10->11	Paying 1 star for a big repair and Armed Hovercraft is a tempting design choice, and a 10->11 star change is not horrible.	Once per game, when you flip your Windsweeper, Air Defense to alt mode and he has a number of damage counters equal to or greater than the number of enemies on the battlefield -> Move 1 damage counter from him to each enemy. Flip this.
16	3. Medium	Strategic Airlift	W5 Char	Character Ability	1	8->9	This suffers from Wingspan being a weak character. It speeds up Wingspan's defense effect nicely, but loses Playability rating because Wingspan is not highly playable.	When you have Wingspan, Data Processor on the battlefield and an Upgrade is scrapped from one of your characters -> Put that Upgrade under Wingspan.
17	3. Medium	Weapons Cache	W5 Char	Deck Upgrade	1	11->12	Gaining extra stars is powerful, though as a pricier character, Roadbuster's 11->12 might use up a star you'd rather spend on a character.	Your deck can have up to 1 extra Star of Weapons and up to 1 extra Star of Armors.
18	4. Low	Duty and Honor	W5 Char	Character Stats	2	12->14*	Two stars is very expensive. Given he needs a head, being three-wide is tricky to get it so the Brave does anything. Will a Pierce meta give his Focus 1 and Tough 1 much value?	As long as one of your characters other than Optimus Prime, Legendary Warrior has been KO'd this game -> Your Optimus Prime, Legendary Warrior has Brave, Focus 1, Bold 1, and Tough 1.
19	4. Low	Revenge	W5 Char	Character Ability	2	11->13*	Two stars are expensive, though it does feel like there is a concept here where they were trying to encourage a blue/pierce deck. The idea that a Stratagem is transformative to the deck is an interesting one if that was the case.	Your Megatron, Fallen Hero has Bold based on how many damage counters he has: 1-5 -> Bold 1, 6-10 -> Bold 2, 11+ -> Bold 3
20	4. Low -> Gimmick	Master Converter	Retrogem	Character Traits	1	11->12	A weak stratagem, though 11->12 is not a major cost. It feels like this was a gimmick for Two-Pronged Attack, while providing a workaround for Windsweepers "Two Planes on your Starting Team".	While your Blitzwing, Relentless Foe is in either alt mode -> He has the Tank and Plane traits.
21	4. Low (Fair Effort)	Bike Gang	Retrogem	Tribal Ability	1	8->9	There was effort here, however it flails against the general lack of direction that is the Motorcycle tribe. It has the advantage of being Tribal, which allows future Motorcycles to redeem it.	When one of your Motorcycles attacks while you have Chromia, Special Ops on the battlefield and you flip at least [W][W] -> That Motorcycle gets +2 [ATK] until end of battle.
22	4. Low (Good Effort)	The Usurper	Retrogem	Character Ability	1	13->14	Going from 13->14 is extremely painful, and while the Health increase is valuable, having to play a card you'd rather flip forces player-decisions into what should be a character fix.	While your Starscream, Decepticon King is upgraded with Decepticon Crown -> He has +4 [HEALTH].
23	5. Gimmick	Me Grimlock, You Grimlock!	W5 Char + Retrogem	Character Trait	1	4->5*	The cheapest Clobber+Stratagem approach costs 11 stars. That's a lot and this is primarily a fun way to encourage more Dinobot play.	While your Clobber is in head mode -> The character he's on has the Dinobot trait.
24	5. Gimmick	Aerial Enhancements	W5 Char	Character Trait	1	9->10	Thinking about the canon over-dominated the thinking here, spending a star for a Trait in one mode is expensive.	While your Tracks, Autobot Warrior is in alt mode -> He has the Plane trait.
25	5. Gimmick	Better Things To Do Than Die	Retrogem	Character Ability	1	12->13	Going from 12->13 is expensive, though as a stratagem this is nicely designed to give W2 Springer something he lacks, and to fit into the flipping he's expecting to do.	When your Springer, Aerial Defense is on the battlefield and you flip him to another mode -> Repair 1 damage from him.
26	5. Gimmick	Jurassic Punch	Retrogem	Character Ability	1	n/a	A great card for the marketing team, it doesn't "rescue" Volcanicus as a deck, but at least gives him something. The star cost however is painful as it further constrains the deck.	When your Volcanicus, Fiery Champion attacks an enemy that has fewer Stars than him -> Your Volcanicus gets Bold until end of battle equal to the Star difference.
27	5. Gimmick	Who's Next?	Retrogem	Character Ability	1	7->8	Another good marketing effort. It was a good effort to turn a joke character into a combo. Fortunately it was under rather than over powered.	When your Sergeant Kup, Veteran Sergeant is upgraded with a Weapon, an Armor, and a Utility, and he does enough attack damage to KO a defender -> Untap him.
28	6. Fail	All-Out	W5 Char	One Time	1	7->8	This is a nice idea that feels intended to be powerful, but primarily it's just paying a star to put a target on Windcharger's back. Moving from 7 to 8 is a big jump.	Once per game, when your Windcharger, Autobot Warrior attacks and is your only character on the battlefield -> He gets +3 until end of battle. Flip this.
29	6. Fail	Metallikato Stance	W5 Char	Character Ability	1	11->12	This idea was out of sync with Bludgeon's character. Conceptually going from 11 to 12 is fine, however by adding this card you're giving yourself a lot of deck decision issues for an ability that happens once per wheel turn.	When your Bludgeon, Electric Warrior attacks and you don't flip a battle card that has more than 1 battle icon -> Put one of the cards you flipped into your hand after the battle.
30	6. Fail	Pop-Up Attack	W5 Char	Team Ability	1	12->13	Going from 12->13 is expensive, and it's assumed that a later Wave would have provided the Helicopters to make this stratagem a consideration.	When one of your Helicopters attacks and you have Autobot Whirl, Aerial Assault on the battledfield -> Plan 1.
31	6. Fail	Camien Toughness	Retrogem	Character Stats	1	12->13	Going from 12->13 is painful, and offers little value.	Your Windblade, Combiner Hunter has +1 [DEF] and +1 [HEALTH].