Still new to the game, and we saw AZ at the table three times this weekend. I've read some basic strategies for everyone, but haven't had an opportunity to play alot until now. I knew he bounced damage but nothing else.
First game was aweful. Bad Shuffle hurts everyone, but we never got any cards throughout the game that allowed AZ to do anything. We kept making fun of him for being the most EMO character with the super power of cutting... it was pretty bad. "On my turn, I look into the Baron's eyes and wish for him to see the seeting angst ridden torment of my life. Ok, draw card and my turn's over." He did Absolutey Zero damage the whole game.
His next two showings went much better. While on the john (where all great consideration takes place) I read all of his cards and got pumped. In both games he drew both the Fire and Cold equipment cards he needed in the opening hand. Eventually*, I was able to setup his equipment in both games and lay down the law.
• On his damage output: Lets assume I have +2 cold damage and both of my required module cards in play. If RA hits me for 5 fire damage, I have two options: take it as fire damage, and shoot myself with cold +2 for a net of +2 health, or take the damage and bounce it back out as cold +2 damage to someone else accepting the net of -5 HP for me? If a card globally boosts damage, can I double dip? EG: Ra hits me with 5 +1 global fire, I take 6 and shoot it out as 6 +1 global +2 Equipment?
• Is Imaple as simple as it seems? It's just a 2 Cold damage DoT, buffed by +1/-1s per normal?
• Ditto with Cold Snap?
*Game 3: Citizen Dawn was a pain. Her initial draw had two people in synergy that made everyone discard two cards a turn. We played in [Metrocity] and our first card prevented us from drawing cards. We couldn;t play ongoings, or they'd get wiped and we'd take damage. We were bonned for ~6 rounds before Fanatic was finally able to break the discard death combo. That game took forever, but we finally took down the citizens. Tempest didn't make it though. RIP. Fanatic, Ra, and Tacheon all finished at 1-3 health. AZ was in the mid 20s.
In this situation, you would draw two cards, not one. Greatly increases the chances of getting a useful card…
On his damage output: Lets assume I have +2 cold damage and both of my required module cards in play. If RA hits me for 5 fire damage, I have two options: take it as fire damage, and shoot myself with cold +2 for a net of +2 health, or take the damage and bounce it back out as cold +2 damage to someone else accepting the net of -5 HP for me? If a card globally boosts damage, can I double dip? EG: Ra hits me with 5 +1 global fire, I take 6 and shoot it out as 6 +1 global +2 Equipment?
Yes, but how are you getting +2 cold damage from AZ's equipment? Focused Apertures is +1, but it's Limited. Cryo Chamber would give you another +1, but only to damage dealt to AZ, not if you bounce it elsewhere.
• Is Imaple as simple as it seems? It's just a 2 Cold damage DoT, buffed by +1/-1s per normal?
• Ditto with Cold Snap?
Yes and yes. There are some synergies with other cards, though.
*Game 3: Citizen Dawn was a pain. Her initial draw had two people in synergy that made everyone discard two cards a turn. We played in [Metrocity] and our first card prevented us from drawing cards. We couldn;t play ongoings, or they'd get wiped and we'd take damage. We were bonned for ~6 rounds before Fanatic was finally able to break the discard death combo. That game took forever, but we finally took down the citizens. Tempest didn't make it though. RIP. Fanatic, Ra, and Tacheon all finished at 1-3 health. AZ was in the mid 20s.
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It took you six rounds to deal the 10 damage to Traffic Pileup? And what was wiping your Ongoings so often? Citizen Dawn has only two of those cards in her deck.
Impale and Coldsnap are very simple. They just deal damage at the start of his turn and that damage is modified normally.
Absolute Zero does effectively double dip on damage increases and decreases. The reason he does this is that the first damage actually gets modified and dealt normally, then this causes a new instance of damage based on the final amount of the first damage. That second damage is then modified normally, and doesn't care that part of its base amount was already due to the damage modifier.
Then when you start using abilities which deal damage based on the amount he has taken in a round or dealt in a turn he can end up effectively factoring in a bonus five or six times easily.
All of this is through the haze of a memory of a frustrating game, but…
Traffic Pileup: We saw this card at lesat two times. With next to no cards inhand we had a hard time dealing it down. Also, we ran into the card with a sniper looking guy on it. I think it made it so we couldn't use powers.
Ongoings: A citizen has a combo that wipes ongoings.
Citizens I remember on the initial draw: Winter, 2 of (blood, sweat, tears), and citizen Truth, aka "El Jerkface." Turn 1 we drew citizen "I heal everyone for 1 every turn."
I'm not saying that this was broken or insurmoutable, we did beat it afterall. I'm only saying it felt like the perfect storm while we were going through it. And it didn't all happen at once, but there were always at least 2 "you can't do this" style bans in play. It stacked pretty bad untile Fanatic dropped a Wrath Of God style card and destroyed everything. Eventually, we won because AZ DoTed everything.
…and I misread Cryochamber as a +1 to all cold. Opps.
I've been doing a lot of self-play games lately, and Advanced Citizen Dawn just owns me 1/2 the time from start, I barely win 1/4, and the other 1/4 she just explodes when 5 citizens makes it into trash (usually enviroment or End of Days from Fanatic if I'm desperate).
I also see a lot of Summer and Hammer at the same time, and they quickly reduce the heroes in 1 or 2 turns.