Dead Stop Rules!

by Ross Fertel, A King Without his Crown

31st October 2017

Happy Release Day! Make sure you download Dead Stop for free! It'll give you something to look at while you wait for trick-or-treaters. Speaking of treats, there's a fun little surprise for you on the cover page!

Not just that but everyone's favorite Android is back in the latest Second Edition Expansion. Donning a cloak and walking amongst his subjects, Data, Masquerading Monarch offers a lot to the table for The Next Generation decks.

One of the first things you'll notice is the cheap cost. Three counters is nothing short of a bargain for Data. All right, he's not the cheapest, but Data, Loyal Brother has the upkeep of constantly discarding events. Three counters is two (or three) cheaper than any other one out there as of this writing. It's no longer play Data and one other card or get a couple draws. We've got a cheap Soong-Type Android for our mission solving needs.

Why is Data normally so expensive? The attributes are the problem. See, attributes factor into cost so when a number gets high, the others have to make up the difference. Or raise the cost, although that's a number as well. It's why Klingons are dumb, to compensate for their naturally high strength. You can have high attributes, but you'll pay accordingly and that's not even factoring in the skills. Data is a super strong super smart virtuous personnel, and frankly, that's a problem. It's similar, though to a lesser degree, with Worf and Odo, but it is a problem.

So getting him six-six-six attributes solves that, right? Wrong. You still have a Data in play, but with five skills, none of them doubled, there's really nothing to write home about, certainly not worth the two counters you'll save. You might be better of looking elsewhere, until you look at that special skill. He is boosted by your non-uniques. And we all know that you've got non-uniques in your deck.

Yes there are limitations. Yes, they have to be different and yes, there is an upper limit since a 6-12-12 is beyond too good, but those are totally reasonable. Heck, even 6-8-8 is pretty easy to get with the various skill matrices available, and that's the lower end of the spectrum. They're in your deck to give you a boost, might as well have them pay off in dividends.

Wait a second. A TNG main from a boutique product helping out non-unique personnel. I swear I've heard something this before…

Right, Beverly Crusher, Encouraging Commander. She boosts your non-uniques as well. Again, she has some limitations; must be on the Enterprise-D and they must be TNG, yada yada. Sounds like a good personnel with whom to match Data. The deck is starting to come together, especially since your Enterprises are generally point boosters.

His skill matrix isn't that bad, either. Who knew that so few officers and diplomats in the fleet were into anthropology? Although that field does seem to have a lot of honorable company.

By lowering the cost without a huge drawback, this latest Data brings a lot to the table. It helps get other personnel out there to make him better and a good mix of skills to get missions solved. Make sure you celebrate the season with an undercover king.

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