A Hero's Guide to Absolute Zero

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#41

The "skip the rest of your turn" was just one possibility of a payoff, but for now we can run with it.  The idea was that you take one turn to play the two most crucial cards (arguably) in AZ's deck, but you don't get to do anything else that turn.  That frees up your next turn to play outwardly-beneficial cards like Hoarfire, Frost-Bound Drain, Thermal Shockwave, etc., most of which have an effect that deals AZ cold and/or fire damage.  However, said damage is now also beneficial because you were able to put both modules in play at once. 

The idea is a short term loss (no powers, no drawing on the turn you would play both modules) in exchange for a long term gain.  We all know how survivable and hard-hitting AZ is with both modules out, and he is obviously designed to have both on the field most of the time.  (Why else would they include 4 copies of each in his deck, with a bunch of other cards that deal him fire and/or cold damage?)  Under that mentality, most of us probably want to get both modules out before doing much else since many of the other cards in the deck end up giving us a net-loss without the modules.  But AZ has to spend 2 rounds before he can really start being beneficial.  (This is where I think EWAZ has the advantage.)

Some may argue that such a card/effect would make AZ overpowered, and that may well be true.  Again, going back to his design, AZ can perform some pretty stellar turns, but the payoff for that is that he takes a couple of turns to get set up.  At the beginning of the game, that makes sense to me, but it is when something like Citizen Dawn's "Devastating Aurora" is dropped mid-game (or worse, late game when hero HP is likely in the single digits) that AZ being incapacitated for 2 full rounds can really harm the team's chances.

I don't think it will ever happen, that is just my one idea on how to improve his reputation.

 

#42

I hope you're aware that NPCU says "If Absolute Zero would be dealt cold damage, he regains that much HP instead".  Thusly, if he hits himself for 2 cold damage, he didn't actually deal that cold damage, and thus doesn't deal himself fire damage for it.  You might want to reword the example to make this distinction clearer for newbs.

Also you list Glacial Structure as the worst card, but I've found it to be extremely useful.  At the beginning of the game, before you get your modules online, using your whole turn to draw four cards (having effectively discarded one) instead of two is pretty good; it can also come in very handy if the game stalls due to equipment destruction, a "you cannot deal damage" effect, or the like.  I'd have said his worst cards include Sub-Zero Atmosphere (occasionally a lifesaver but often useless), Cryo-Chamber (in and of itself, does nothing), and Onboard Module Installation (with four copies of each Module in your hand, it's extremely common to draw them both early and be left with Installation a dead card).  He also has a lot of cards that are situationally useless - Coolant Blast and Thermal Shockwave CAN be all-stars, but often turn out as duds instead, while Glacial Structure is always a solid option.

#43

OMI is a dead card?

I suggest you read the card again, you get a free module, a card draw and a play. It is a very rare turn that I do not play it if I have it in my hand

#44

This, you don't need to play the module, it replaces itself with the draw and the second card play, the module pull often just thins the deck of cards you don't need.  It is an automatic play for me, and you can play it even if there is no module in your deck.

I don't have a problem with Glacial either, but it is his weakest card.  There is no situation where it is game changing, and a lot where it is unwanted.

It is a +1 on the traditional draw two turn.  It costs you one card to get 4 back, net gain of three instead of two.  Not bad but if you don't need to skip your turn it has negative value.

#45

Okay, scratch that.  I forgot that it lets you play a card, so technically it's never "bad".  That said, I find it underwhelming if I have both modules out.

#46

I would say that being able to draw and then play a card is always good, because the card you drew might be something really cool which you might want to play immediately. Any card that lets me draw and play will get used ASAP - Onboard Module Installation, Summon Staff, Eye on the Prize, Reset, Impromptu invention...all those and any I forgot. Yay for extra cards and the chance to play them :D.

#47

Having a spare module in hand is never a bad thing, especially when there are villains that wreck equipments out. The extra draw and play in amazing. Even if I'm not plsying the game with both modules out, I may deliberately hoard them for when they're needed.

#48

ohhhhhh never realized this! Guess I'll just ignore it for simplicity but still, it changes some situations where you wouldn't be able to use Thermal Shockwave to be able to.

#49

Thanks so much for this review.  I am new to the game but am loving it.  I was going to ask the question to make sure I played correctly, "Can Absolute Zero target himself?" for IT to heal, but found the answer.  Will be looking for other strategy guides as well.

 

What about Cryo Chamber?  If Fire Damage of 1 is dealt to AZ with Cryo Chamber in play, is it Fire Damage of 0, or no damage at all?  IA, FA, and NPCU all in play would allow him to heal one if it is 0.  Apologies if the question is in the wrong place.

#50

That's no damage to AZ, 0 can be raised and lower but you still need to deal damage to yourself for the modules to trigger.

#51

Been tinkering around with Termi-Nation AZ, so…

TNAZ, if there was a 4 for complexity, would be a good candidate. The complications of base AZ are amplified, and to an extent he’s even more dependent on his equipment. That said, the priority on card plays changes a little – Violent Shivers makes Coldsnap and Impale even more attractive, and Fueled-Freeze becomes devastating. The rub, of course, is that you have to spend a round vulnerable. Villains and environments that hit multiple times a turn are going to kill him, so avoid, for instance, The Matriarch and avoid Plague Rat like, well, the plague.

The biggest upshot is that it drastically multiplies the amount of damage AZ can put out a turn – a self-hit with Violent Shivers is at a +4, and the resulting cold response is at another +2, meaning any of AZ’s cards where he does himself 1 fire damage becomes a 7 in cold damage. Hoarfire goes from a good attack to a devastating onslaught… provided you’ve got the HP to survive it, which is where his 25 base health really hurts him, as it puts a pretty hard limit on how much damage he can do before he keels over.

The real key to TN AZ is knowing when not to use his base power; that or having teammates who can get him out-of-turn uses or tank for him. Visionary is his best friend with Twist the Ether, while Legacy, Mainstay, the Scholar and Stealth Bot can all keep him from getting hammered. Try to manage his HP and, frankly, keep your fingers crossed at all times because one bad flop when you’re vulnerable could be it.

#52

I'd also note that more than ever you need to be careful about using Thermal Shockwave. 

#53

On the other hand, the rewards can be much greater. With Thermal Shockwave, AZ can deal the villain 18 damage (3 from one of the cold spikes, and 15 reflected fire) on the second turn with only two cards, which is pretty impressive, even if it requires 13 self damage.

#54

Just don't use it on a turn where you have Cold Snap and Impale already dealing damage.   Those gets costly with the base version.  

#55

Yeah, I can't tell you how many times I forgot that, double clicked the card and saw something like, "Absolute Zero has done 15 Cold Damage this turn."

#56

The upshot is, Coolant Blast becomes, if nothing else, a fairly reliable 2 damage if you've got Violent Shivers in play. It's doubly-good for those turns when you've just played a self-damaging one-shot and don't want to VS for the next round.

#57

I’m very interested in the even newer absolute zero variant, freedom 5, whose power is as follows:

Pilot Light: Absolute Zero deals himself 2 fire damage. If he takes damage this way, search your deck for an ongoing card and put it into play. Shuffle your deck.

This sounds like a great way to put impale, cold snap, and thermal shockwave into play quickly, while looking for your modules. How does it change his play in practice though?

#58

It'd definitely make him quicker to set up and play -- most versions of AZ, you want the modules out first thing, so his Ongoings tend to be later plays. This would let him get those out and contribute to damage even as he's getting set up.

The one caveat seems to be that it's mandatory -- so I imagine it's possible to, for instance, use the power against Dreamer and be forced to put Cold Snap into play.

I can see the power making Glacial Structure a little more useful -- you could essentially get it out there as a free play and leave it as a decoy for destruction, or get the card draw without sacrificing a whole turn to it.

#59

F5 Absolute Zero is a monster. You want to be able to get a Isothermic Transducer on your first turn, which isn't always possible, but being able to pull out Cold Snap and Impale immediately and consistently means he's pouring out the damage. In fact, with him, I usually find myself wanting for ongoings to play, because I'll get him set up so quickly!

And then you play him alongside Completionist Guise and switch him to Termi-Nation after he's all set up...

#60

Thanks for that info, and on that note, how does he do against ongoing destruction? He’s good at dealing with equipment destruction with his modular alignments, but since he can’t pull his ongoings out of his trash, does that feel like a weakness?