this one is just a classic. I've never seen a deck without it. (Okay, the one where its player just had a starter and a warp pack doesn't count...)
The problem here is not what to do with it. That is obvious. The question is, is it worth starting a major interrupt battle about your opponent's Red Alert ?
If your opponent is lucky enough to draw a Red Alert on the first turn and then instantly plays it, do anything you can to get rid of it. Uxbridge is fine, but Yellow Alert is even better, as it cannot be countered before it hits the table and destroys the Red Alert. If you hold both a Yellow Alert and an Uxbridge, lucky you. Play the Yellow and wait for a Red one of your own, then kill the Yellow and go ahead.
The different case is when your opponent holds 3 or less cards when playing a Red Alert. At best (with a Traveler) he's going to play 4 cards next turn and that's it. In such a case, save your Uxbridge for something better or shoot that Traveler which will soon reduce him to only one card per turn anyway. By the way, that is the killer setup #1 anyway. Traveler plus Red Alert. Lots of cards and a way to get them onto the table. Can't beat this by much.
Oh, and if you hold the Traveler and a Red Alert? I told you, play the Traveler first. Not only do you get an extra card, you will also have a good chance at drawing out the only Uxbridge and getting your Red Alert into play uncountered. And you need it for only one turn if you get it in the very beginning. Six personnel and ship cards is enough to start doing something constructive in turn 2.
But then, a good STCCG deck is not one that wins because of its Red Alert, but the one that even wins if the Red Alert is the bottom card of the draw deck. So don't rely on it. If you run up against an Uxbridge-heavy deck, you'll never get anything from a Red Alert even if you throw in three of them.
(BTW: That's why Wrath of Wesley is so effective. It works with 5 crew on the table and if you get an outpost bluff past your opponent, you can even get a turn one Gift Box (requires your opponent to play either Investigate Time Continuum or Evaluate Terraforming). Seed the Gift Box and The Higher... He'll never know. Uh, didn't get that deck listing? Try Decipher's web site or InQuest #16)
- Red Alert + Traveler:Transcendence. Plain eeevil.
- Yellow Alert + (later) Uxbridge + Red Alert. Hoard some crew while denying your opponent the opportunity to play his, and play several events. Once you have no more events, Uxbridge the Yellow Alert at the end of his turn and play Red Alert!
Wesley's rating: 10.0 Cole's rating: 8.0 Conner's rating: 5.0 Data's rating: 9.0 Hal's rating: 10.0 Jack's rating: 7.0 Nanite's rating: 9.52593 Nouwa's rating: 8.0 Q's rating: 8.0 Ranger's rating: 8.5 Ray's rating: 9.0 Rothspar's rating: 9.99995 Tania's rating: 8.5 Tony's rating: 7.0 Wa'Qah's rating: 7.0 ---------------------- AVERAGE RATING: 8.3
Good news: There will soon be a new web page for the STCCG COTD. I will be able to use Conner's designs and re-install the webboard. You should get the URL within the next two weeks. For a sneak preview at the new maintainer, try http://wizlink.iserver.com/conner/stccg/ccgdnnis.jpg ;-)
Please direct all email concerning card of the day to: crusher@kiss.de
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Wesley Crusher, the new STCCG Lord
"A couple of lightyears can't keep good friends apart"