We wrap up our look at the horror of resources with the latest (but alas, not the last):

POWER BATTERY

A distressing and growing problem seems to have cropped up where resources are concerned: How does one defeat them?

• How do you beat the Gauntlet? Beat the character before he becomes a god. Good luck with that.
• How do you beat the Belt? Beat the character, IF you can find her Stealthed next to a wall. Not easy.
• How do you beat the Book? Beat the ones with hammers, if you don’t get hammered first. Unlikely.
• How do you beat the Plant? Hope they burn out the rings before you die. Depending on your opponent to overreach is NOT a winning strategy.
• How do you beat the Phoenix? Beat every last one of them. There’s just no other way.

No wonder facing resources can be such a horror.

With the Power Battery, it appears that WizKids is trying to give players a way to fight back against resources directly. Not only is it designed to give itself damage, but the Battery actually exists on the map and can be damaged by enemies.

But it’s still a horror.

First, it’s all the way over in the enemy start zone. That’s a dangerous path to travel.

Second, it’s pretty difficult to deal enough damage to get it off the board. It doesn’t take damage like characters (’cause it isn’t one) and you can’t fight it on the move with the moving attack powers (Charge, HSS and the like).

Third, in the meantime it’s granting any number of extra stuff to its Corps Members via constructs, making them extra dangerous. Maybe you better fight them instead.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, there’s one more wrinkle: because the Battery isn’t a character, it isn’t even affected by Pulse Wave! So it’s the first resource that can’t even be fought THAT way, even.

Sigh. Even when they try to make it better, they make it worse.

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Resources don’t HAVE to be horrors. As we saw a couple days ago, the Power Plant really isn’t so bad. And there are a couple more out there:

THE BATCAVE

Although it’s pretty strong, it’s also very expensive [85 to 100 points] and, like the Power Battery, it can be directly fought if one desires.

THE PENGUIN

Unlike every other resource, this one is fraught with actual risk along with its benefits, when used. It should be the template by which resources are designed in the game.

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But the simplest answer to the horror of all resources is a small upgrade to an existing power: OUTWIT.

Give this character a free action to counter a power or a combat ability possessed by a single target opposing character until the beginning of your next turn. Any game effects with a duration specified by the countered power or combat ability are removed. A character using this power must be within range (minimum range 6) and line of fire to the target and can counter use of an attached resource or relic as though it were a combat ability.

Outwit has lost some of its teeth lately, what with “can use” powers showing up more on traits rather than special powers, and worse, resources granting such powers to whomever. But this small change to the black damage power suddenly brings resources’ power in line with their very-low-for-their-benefit cost and, more importantly, makes them an actual risk to field instead of the “no-risk-all-reward” ratio they offer now.

 

So c’mon, WizKids. Resources are here to stay; they’re great for enabling flexible teams at the highest levels of play. But they should not be able to be played without a great risk to go with their great reward.

OUTWIT RESOURCES.