So wait, the power described in the image in the post you linked is not the actual final power on the PW Captain Cosmic promo?
"Until the start of your next turn, whenever a construct card is destroyed, you may either draw a card or play a card." <– this is not the final text?
Nope. The actual text is " Until the start of your next turn, whenever a Construct card is destroyed, you may shuffle it into your deck instead and either draw a card or play a card. " It was changed because multiple uses of the power (using Grampa Legacy, Embolden, or Ardent Adept) made it too easy to create an infinite loop of drawing, playing, and destroying constructs.
Thank you, but that just means all the more reason to test with him now, to make sure it isn't broken! The only interaction that I can think of would be with Prime Warden Haka, if he uses a Haka card on the Scholar… and Scholar gets to draw and discard for the Haka effect. But, I think that's unlikely. Haka probably draws and discards his own cards, and then applies the effect to the hero. And now I thought of another question, but it probably requires its own thread.
The promo cards have undergone some testing and were already revised from the intial playtesting file before they were put out to the public. I would expect less revisions this time, but it's still possible. Freedom 6 Wraith also got a change after initial viewing.
The new variant has been public for about 2 months now, and I want to discuss it. I think it changes the way I play him a lot, even if I don't know his incapped powers.
Scholar of the Infinite
Channel: The Scholar deals himself and 1 target X infernal damage, where X = the number of cards you've discarded since the end of your last turn plus 1.
This power is very attractive, and I tend to use it alot as soon as I have a form in play. Combined with Flesh to Iron, this is usually 2 damage to any target, 3 if you played a one shot that turn. This power makes him better at the Tank n' Crank Strategy mentioned above, because it lets him deal more damage.
But his Counter Punching strategy makes him burn himself down much quicker, and doesn't work all that well when he can't reliably heal himself every turn. Get out of the way is only good with minion based villains, while transmutive recovery, proverbs and axioms, and expect the worst are only 7 out of his 40 card deck. 2 discards for MftE and StL +1, +1 for a one shot you play that turn = 3 damage per power use that suddenly isn't quite so easy to heal from - unless you're playing a minion based villain, in which case, go for it. Losing health, and then rocketing up quickly again is pretty dang fun, and now John can do it almost as much as Nightmist, with 31 health to begin with! (Get out of the way brings the good heal cards to 10/40, which feels more forgiving, though that might be me being biased by round numbers)
WIth normal Scholar, FtI doesn't combo well with the other 2 forms, since I ignore most of the damage I take. WIth Infinite Scholar, I'm more likely to combo FtI with the other 2 forms, since I can ignore the first couple points to me, and then heal/use the rest. It's also a game changer to start counting how many cards you've discarded in a turn. Know when to turn loose is slightly more attractive now, since that damage can be doubled +1, and it's useful with a small hand. (3 cards in hand, 1 is turn loose. 2 damage, and then 3 more damage to the target with my power use) Keep Moving and Don't Dismiss anything can be an extra card discarded this turn, while Expect the Worst and Alchemical Redirection are an extra card discarded the next one.
Infinite Scholar has a bigger weakness than normal Scholar, because I don't like to use his power without a form in play. It combos so well with them, but without them, just means I'm taking as much damage as the target, without a way to use it to my advantage, while decreasing my tanking cababilities.
I think that's everything I've discovered about him so far. Critiques?
Edited to correct my misunderstanding.
Thank you much. None of the versions I've seen online have that text so it's good to know.
So with Scholar of the Infinite available now I'm curious how this changes people's strategy with him. So far I find I mostly hope to find Truth Seeker or Bring What You Need to use instead of this new power. While nice to have a base damaging power I dont find myself using it too much.
Haven't had the chance to use it yet, but I'd imagine the best strategy with it is to have Flesh to Iron and something else out and discard two or three cards total -- that way you can do damage without taking it.
I've been finding with regular Scholar that my strategy depends largely on how many enemy targets there are in a deck. Grace Under Fire and Get Out of The Way are dynamite against guys like Matriarch, but against Spite or Plague Rat, they're more or less useless.
While blowing everything on a Know When To Cut Loose is great, I've found much more consistent success with two or three Mortal Form to Energy cards out -- preferably, I'll use Take What You Need to put them on the bottom and stockpile Keep Movings. Then, once there's a lot of targets out, play them all at once, put out three Energies, then Get out of the Way -- with a big enough set of targets, that translates to three huge attacks, especially if you manage to have a Solid to Liquid or two out (or other buffs).
Otherwise I go for tanking and support.
I haven't gotten to play Scholar yet, but it sounds like he discards cards to find l his forms. If that's so, then TL Tachyon and Visionary would both combo well with him.
Scholar discards to keep his forms in play at the start of his turn. So this new base power with Scholar of the Infinite can be fed by that and I'm just wondering with that new power on the variant if anyone has changed their strategy with Scholar.
Yeah, he has to discard at the start of his turn. If you focus on his drawing abilities (Bring What You Need's and Truth Seeker's powers, Transmutive Recovery, Proverbs and Axioms), you can generally sustain two or three with a net card gain without outside help. What I've found he benefits from the most, however, is out-of-turn card plays. That lets you play Know When to Hold Fast, which lets you draw five cards, without the drawback of having to skip your power and draw phases.
One fun trick is to try and get out as many Mortal Form to Energy cards as possible in one turn (Keep Moving is key for this, since it lets you draw an Elemental out of the deck, put it into play and then play another card), and have a team of healers spam them at Scholar until his turn comes up again: For preference: Greatest Legacy (Gung Ho+Motivational Charge), Tempest (Cleansing Downpour) and Argent Adept (Apply the strategy here, swapping Rhapsody of Vigor for Scherzo of Frost and Flame) are the best for this kind of nuke turn, especially if Legacy has Inspiring Presence out.
The one hurdle to this strategy is that you might heal him back up to full before you're finished, especially if you have any Solid to Liquids out.
With the promo, I use Flesh to Iron far more than I previously did, as it reduces the damage I'm doing to myself with the base power while still feeding/increasing the base power. It definitely changes how I play him, but some of that is also dependent upon the cards.
Reminder: He also has a card that lets him discard his hand to do damage, making that card twice as useful with the variant and more likely to see play. (Not remembering the name right now, though -- is it Know When To Cut Loose?)
That would work well with the Sentinels – Dr. Medico can heal a target for 3, and then Sage would turn it into 6 or so damage?
Yep. There's three of each elemental and three Keep Movings. In theory, you can use all three to spam MFtE's and let rip. That 3 healing from Dr. Medico would turn into three 3HP attacks with three MFtEs out.
Positive Energy Field in the Realm of Discord is also good for this.
Rabit - It's Know When to Turn Loose :).
I've had fun with the Liquid-and-Energy combo, having a couple of each in play and lots of card draw from various sources, then getting healed as often as possible, not just by myself but by teammates if applicable (Tempest and the Adept, for example, are great at this :D). You add on the bonus hp for however many copies of Liquid you have out, then deal that much damage as many times as you have copies of Energy in play, or more if you have a damage buff from somewhere. The problem comes when you inevitably end up getting healed back to full, at which point healing does nothing and therefore you can't deal any damage. But you just try and make yourself the centre of attention and look to your fellow heroes who can hit multiple targets of their choice to try and whittle you down a bit so you can carry on with the wrecking :D.
Thanks! Posting from work can have its disadvantages… 
Nah, it's because you don't play enough SotM! I suggest upping it by 30 minutes every day.
Yeah, I've ended up having to target Scholar myself once or twice. Fun combo? Deck him with Motivational Charge.
No arguments here. I'm lucky I get in a game every two weeks! 
Just my $.02 (and maybe not news to anyone here):
(1) My favorite Scholar combo: Keep Moving + Know When to Hold Fast. Lets you put out an instant Flesh to Iron for tanking, then immediately draw the five cards needed to sustain it for a while. You have to skip using a power, but early in the game, the loss of 1 HP in exchange for a quasi-permanent -2 DR every turn, plus five new cards in your deck, is a great exchange. I almost never want to see Flesh to Iron actually in my hand, since Keep Moving will allow me to pull out a Flesh to Iron whenever I want, *plus* play another card.
(2) Scholar + Nightmist. Alchemical Redirection, plus 1-2 Flesh to Irons, can make the Scholar Nightmist's best friend -- she gets to use all of the cards that would cause her damage, but the damage gets directed to Scholar, who absorbs it with Flesh to Iron. Makes Scouring Mists, Heedless Lash, and Enlightenment *much* more powerful.