Top Gun

by Paddy Tye; Guest Writer, UK Ambassador, and Warden of the North

12th September 2015

"Screw you Outgunned! Screw you Kazon battle deck!"

Having just recently ventured into the online arena commonly known as "The Dojo" and having experienced the pain of being on the receiving end of a Kazon-based smackdown, this is a counter card I'll definitely be wanting to add to many decks!

In addition to a RANGE boost to help outrun that enemy fleet, you gain the ability to maneuver and dodge your way past those dastardly interrupts Loss of Orbital Stability and Outgunned! You can also call up some defensive tactics in battle and it toughens up one of your piloting related dilemmas. It doesn't outright protect you from battle, but it helps you move largely unhindered between safe havens, and it combines well with the old classic of Asteroid Sanctuary to help you avoid battle! 

But at what cost? Firstly, you need a unique ship. Not a massive issue, although the Bajorans and Vidiians might struggle! And with universal ships so easy to download, it might require a change to many decks to make sure you draw into a unique ship early on. Of course, certain decks where you start with a seeded unique ship have an advantage in that regard!

Secondly, you need a good pilot. Specifically, someone with Navigation x2. While every affiliation or faction has at least one of these, they aren't always the easiest people to get out of your deck when needed. Kira Nerys is already a staple of Bajoran decks - often downloaded early on to ensure you have enough Resistance for Bajoran Resistance Cell - well, now you have another reason to fetch her! Gibson is a popular choice in Federation decks for one of your mission specialists already - and she's just become even more useful. There's even support personnel like Ranjen or Rukor, and other SECURITY options like Amat'igan, Maihar'du, K'Vit, and T'Kar. And if you've not got an easy to access pilot in the right colour, there's always Non-Aligned: both Thomas Paris, and Tosk are downloadable with Defend Homeworld (quadrant permitting).

But now, while you work out which Trek pilot is your "Top Gun", it wasn't an easy choice for the Creative Team to pick a preferred pilot to picture in this card! Although we opted for the Space Boomer himself, Travis Mayweather, there were many options to pick from. What are your favourite Trek Pilots and Piloting Moments? Riker's Joystick in Insurrection? Tom "let's pretend Threshold never happened" Paris, the Delta Quadrant's own Maverick? Deanna taking the helm in Generations? Escaping the Dyson Sphere? "Emergency Landing Plan B" from The Final Frontier? Let us know your thoughts!

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