Wesley's STCCG card of the day #307

so much email volume to reply to... I'd need more time all the way, but somehow it still works out. Except when my mailer screws and I can't get through with my COTD. Hopefully my little time-slowing experiments don't one day result in an

(Classic COTD #21)

ANTI-TIME ANOMALY

,gnortS .elbarenluv ylbidercni dna gnorts ylbidercni htob si tneve sihT
... esuaceb

[.niaga drawrof og emit ekam ot evah ll'I !tiaw ,huH]

[nottuB hsuP]

Ahhh, that's better. Now redo from start.

This event is both incredibly strong and incredibly vulnerable. Strong, because it can take out a larger number of cards on the table than any other STCCG card. Vulnerable because it needs to spend several turns on table before it takes effect and can be nullified quite easily during that time. Your opponent will often have enough time to even solve another mission in order to get a Betazoid Gift Box or similarly potent stuff.

And more than most other cards, this card interacts directly with quite a number of other cards:

• Kevin Uxbridge. Of course, he nullifies the anomaly. But I mentioned him because he'll be responsible for most of the fuss with the Anomaly.
• Time Travel Pod and/or Temporal Rift. Saves a crew. Only problem is your opponent can do it too.
• Horga'hn. Gets your opponent down from three turns to react to one lousy turn if used correctly (i.e. you play the Anomaly on the first turn of a double turn).
• Samuel Clemens' Pocketwatch. Not as good as the Horga'hn, but at least gets you from 3 down to 2 and can also compensate the eventual need for suboptimum play timing in the Horga'hn / Anomaly combo.
• Rishon Uxbridge. One of the few sensible applications of the Event protector. That guy over there might have one Kevin, but does he have two?

Plus indirectly, a number of other cards gets involved.

• Q's tent. Always good for a Kevin.
• Amanda Rogers. Who said Temporal Rift?
• End Transmission. Get your opponent on the wrong foot if he played his Temporal Rift too early.
• Betazoid Gift Box. Another Kevin or Rift source when you need them.
• Goddess of Empathy. Did he learn from the End Transmission disaster? Good. Play the Goddess next time around. Grin.

Ya see, enough possibilities. And as you have to consider the fact that this card affects both sides, you will have to make sure that you don't accidentally lose more than your opponent. In most cases, a single Anomaly will lead to a major interrupt war unless one player has no counterspell ready.

And you can of course put this to a good use: Drive out all those Kevins and Amandas and finally let the anomaly go. Then play the stuff you really wanted to get out.

• Anti-Time Anomaly + End Transmission + Goddess of Empathy. Regardless when they try to Rift away, they'll be screwed.
• Opponent's ATA + Amanda + Temporal Rift. He's gonna blow up his own crew.
• ATA + Horga'hn. Just plain nasty. Add a Q2 or two for extra protection.

Wesley's rating:                8.0
Cole's rating:                  7.5
Drew's rating:                  6.7
Gowron's rating:                7.1
Hal's rating:                   5.3
Jack's rating:                  7.0
Mot's rating:                   8.5
Nanite's rating:                9.0
Nog's rating:                   7.0
Nouwa's rating:                 7.0
Picarde's rating:               8.0
Q's rating:                     6.0
Ranger's rating:                8.8
Rothspar's rating:              7.99
Tania's rating:                 6.5
Tebok's rating:                 5.0
Tony's rating:                  9.5
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AVERAGE RATING:                 7.3

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Wesley Crusher
Primary member of the STCCG Players' committee

"A couple of lightyears can't keep good friends apart"