Buster Scrimbo's Card Profile #4: Death Pit of Djoser

Type:  Stronghold Upgrade (Right Side)
Set:  Necropolis Park

Text:  "You may place one Undead creature face-up in the Death Pit during the Draw and Organize Phase.

Command Ability: Spend one Power Stone to add the Undead from the Pit to your Combat Hand, but only if the combat takes place on one of the two spaces directly in front of this upgrade."

Buster Scrimbo's Analysis:

"If yer ever wanderin' through Necropolis Park and ye take a wrong turn into the Death Pits of Djoser, ye best beat a hasty retreat. That Death Pit be a nasty place fer sure. Ye don't wanna be pokin' around there at night, by cracky! Zombies, Vampires, Witch Lords, Wraiths...there be some scary folks hangin' out around  them parts, and the howls and screams in that place might even make a Paladin a little weak in the knees!

But the Pit has its uses...in fact, the only thing that keeps this card from breakin' the game is that it be limited to the two spaces in front o' it. Addin' a card to yer combat hand usin' the Pit is a sneaky way to get around the 30 Vitality Limit of a Shield. Remember that when combat begins, ye pick up the creatures under yer Shield and, if desired, all yer Storage Depot cards. At that time, various card effects from Spells to Command Cards be in play, and ye cease to be bound by the Shield Vitality Limit durin' combat. So playin' the Pit as yer Command Card allows ye to choose some pretty heavy hitters to add to yer Combat Hand, like Arms o' the Earth, Barrow Wight, Eternal Witch Lord, or Wraith. The Pit text don't say much o' anythin' about what happens to the creature after combat if it survives. Well, just know that it becomes part o' the Shield, so it counts towards winnin' the space, but it also might force a discard o' a creature to get the Shield back under the Vitality Limit.

These be just a few examples o' what be possible with the Pit. Some folks say this place be way too powerful, but remember that a Command Card can be dispelled with Dispel Magic, so ye might want to keep a few handy. Say, did I tell ye about the time I had a wee bit too much to drink and wandered into the Pit, where I ran into a Shadrune? I had to change me shorts later and quit drinkin' fer a month..."

Buster Scrimbo's Card Profile #3: Captain South America

Type:  External (O-Men)
Set:  Drifter's Nexus

Text:  "When the Captain is played as a primary attacker, add your Shield's Up-card number to the Captain's Base Vitality."

Buster Scrimbo's Analysis:

"The Captain is one o' five O-Men that appeared out o' the Drifter's Nexus. Why do folks call 'em O-Men, yer askin'? Well, legend has it that X-Men were already took, and since X's and O's go hand in hand in game strategy, O-Men were good alternative. Plus ye can't ignore the fact that it sounds like the word "omen" when sayin' it out loud. Pretty darn clever if ye ask me!

When stacked up against the other O-Men, the Captain probably be the most useful, just ahead o' that Woolverine character. Captain only has 1 Vitality but stacks as a 10, so there be a pretty stiff penalty fer puttin' him under a Shield. Since ye wanna use Shields that have high Up-card numbers (at least 9 or higher to make it worth the stackin' penalty), ye gotta decide if losin' LUC (from all the high Up-card numbers ye'd be puttin' in yer deck) be worth havin' the Captain around.

The best fit as far as Shield sets to use has gotta be Dem Bones. With high Shield Up-card numbers (14, 16), high Standard Bearer numbers (15, 19) and the highest Shield/Terrain value of 15, the Captain will always have a Vitality o' 15 to 20 while stackin' as a 10! The Standard Bearers also be pretty darn helpful, 'cause the Captain has a lot o' vices (Babes, Beer, and Gold!), so one o' the Dem Bones Standard Bearers gives him +2 Vitality, while the other allows ye to change any one bribery icon - so ye could change a lips to a beer mug if he's about to be bribed by Babes, and it don't matter none if Captain already has a beer mug icon - yer allowed to change any icon to another icon, period...nothin' says ye can't have two o' the same!

Another Shield set that works good be the Dark set. Although the highest Shield and Shield/Terrain Up-card values ain't great (9-13), the Dark Standard Bearers have a value o' 14 and 16, and the one with 16 not only gives the Captain a 17 Vitality, it also keeps him from bein' bribed. Nice!

If ye can't stop the Captain from being bribed, ye may want to keep some Shadow Bank Job, Shadow Beer Heist, and Shadow Panty Raids handy, to prevent and steal opposin' bribery cards, which ye could combine with a Mighty Tiki God to pump up yer primary matchups.

Say, did I ever tell ye that I considered bein' a O-Man when I was younger? They was callin' me 'Pubcrawler'..."

Buster Scrimbo's Card Profile #2: Bellaret, Third Called

Type:  Elemental (Traithe)
Set:  Necropolis Park

Text:  "2 pt. ranged attack. Add the sum of the unmodified point values of any other ranged attacks already played on this match-up to Bellaret's ranged attack."

Buster Scrimbo's Analysis:

"What in the Nexus are ye doin' back here again? More learnin'? I should charge ye tuition! Anywho, this Bellaret gal be one o' the three Elementals known as Traithes, and they all come from the Necropolis Park area. The artist that drew 'em, Elmore, be a fine fellow - his Snarfquest be one o' the funniest tales ye ever heard spun.

The Traithes like to take other folks' ranged attacks and add 'em to their own. Bellaret, bein' Third Called, be the weakest o' the bunch with a 2 point ranged attack and a 4 Vitality. There be a total of 25 folks with ranged attacks, and Bellaret works well with all o' 'em, but perhaps none more so than Thunder Hawk, Tavinmoor, Doomwing, and Pirates. When workin' with Thunder Hawk, Bellaret adds the Hawk's 13 point range attack to her own, resultin' in a total 28 point range attack between the two! That be enough to take out biggies like Ba'tes, Titans, and even most Guardians, from two creatures that only stack as an 11, and that ain't countin' the primary matchup creature! And she be good with Doomwing too, creatin' a total 14 point attack. When combined with Tavinmoor, Bellaret's attack be 7 fer a total range attack o' 12 'tween the both.

Another good use fer Bellaret be to have her hangin' out with those scurvy Pirate folk. Eagle Eye McFinney gives her +2, and Gunner and Master Gunner give a good boost to her range attack, too. Put her under either one o' the Ox Standard Bearers fer even higher ranged attack values.

But where Bellaret really shines be as a sniper on a Ranged Attack Platform attached to yer Stronghold, where she can use her ability while shootin' into a combat happenin' up to two spaces away! With her on the Platform instead o' under the Shield, the 4 Vitality she woulda taken up can go towards a Cabin Boy, Gunner, or Scurvy Dog instead.

Sure, her ranged attack value ain't as good as Tavinmoor's or Jinshade's. But it ain't her ranged attack value that be special, it be her ability, and that ability be exactly the same as 'em other two Traithes, while only takin' up 4 Vitality under a Shield. That be downright impressive!

Say, did I ever tell ye about the time I mistaked Jinshade fer a Babe on the S.S. House o' Babes? That were a prickly affair fer sure! It all started when Jibber made me a dare..."

Drifter's Nexus & Necropolis Park cards on eBay - update

12/5/14 UPDATE:  The first 20 cards are gone, including a some that I only had 1 copy of. Don't procrastinate!

I dropped my price on eBay for DN & NP cards, they are now 20 cards for $10, that's $.50 per card!!! Where else are you going to see these hard-to-find cards? Be sure to check it out...

Buster Scrimbo's Card Profile #1: 10 Gallon Voodoo Hat

Type:  Hand Magic Item
Set:  Drifter's Nexus

Text:  "Play face-up next to an opponent's Guardian during the Draw and Organize Phase. Each 10 Gallon Voodoo Hat next to a Guardian reduces the maximum size of that player's Storage Hand by 1 card. The hat may only be removed or dispelled by burning 2 Power Stones."

Buster Scrimbo's Analysis:

"Denial ain't just a river in Necropolis Park, by cracky! Ye all know how Dispel Magic and Summon Gravity Well can disrupt an opposin' player's plans? Well, this funky lookin' hat be a pretty big pain too.  Remember that a Storage Hand is yer draw, plus yer Creature Pen, plus yer Storage Depot. Normally 7 cards be the maximum ye can have in yer Storage Hand after placin' cards on Strongholds, and anythin' more must be discarded, but this card reduces that number to 6.

Early in the game this don't have as much impact, as there usually be plenty o' room fer Creatures and Shields to be placed. As the game wears on, however, Stronghold spaces fill up with Creatures, Creature Pens fill up with bribed creatures, and players be forced to discard more and more cards. This card be especially effective if yer deck relies on bribery to force Creatures back to an opponent's Creature Pen, or fer "heavy hitter" decks that have lots o' high vitality Creatures, which start to logjam on Strongholds and rely on Creature Pens fer overflow.

Get 2 or 3 of these next to an opposin' Guardian and ye really put on the squeeze with a maximum 5 or 4 card Storage Hand. What an albatross! And dispellin' it costs a Guardian big time - 2 Power Stones usually be 25% - 33% o' a Guardian's total Power Stones, so dispellin' 3 cards would be a real pain in the keister! Note that the card also be immune to Dispel Magic and Sikura's ability, as it can only be removed or dispelled by burnin' 2 Power Stones.

It also be a good way to even the playin' field if yer opponent be winnin' MDL and LUC and outdrawin' ye. Don't say I never did learn ye nothin'! Say, did I ever tell ye about the time I was playin' dice with Barnacle Bazulee' and Cactus McFingers? Well, let me tell ye..."

New Feature Coming: "Buster Scrimbo's Card Profiles"

Something I've been wanting to do for a long time is talk about those super-rare Guardians cards from the Drifter's Nexus and Necropolis Park sets. The Traveler's Guide to the Mid Realms and CJ's site have a wealth of information on the Revised set and Dagger Isle, but there really isn't any coverage that I can find anywhere on the Internet regarding the two hard to find sets, and let's face it - the game is probably not going to see a bunch of websites springing up to discuss the game, let alone cards that are difficult to find.

As a result, I've taken it upon myself to consult with someone for his thoughts about these profiles, Buster Scrimbo. Mr. Scrimbo, a Wanderer by trade, is quite the colorful character and has a wealth of knowledge to share, covering the many years in which he's been a resident of the Mid Realms. At first he was reluctant to dish out the dirt, but a couple of Beers had him babbling like Slimwit Man. After sending out feelers to other residents of the Mid Realms and getting few responses (there is a conflict going on, after all), Buster was in my opinion the best choice...I don't trust Jambo Slick any further than I can throw him, and I turned down an interview request from Eternal Witch Lord - man that guy gives me the creeps!

So this new feature, which I've entitled "Buster Scrimbo's Card Profiles", will appear from time to time on this site. Look for the first post in a day or two...