Welcome back to SG Protocol where we’ll do another Team Tactics Card focus for an upcoming card in Hold Still:
The card has had very mixed reception in the community with well known X-Men expert Nate Horn aka Ghostdear very clearly stating how much he dislikes the card for example. But Nate has a specific reason why that is: the major effect you’d want from this card is the extract steal. And it doesn’t guarantee it. Nate’s understandable argument is that he wants his TTCs to have a reliable effect. He obviously comes to this discussion from an X-Men perspective and I agree with their selection of fantastic TTCs, Hold Still would have a really hard time to make it into the 10 and 5 for me as well.
But this is MCP after all and Hold Still is unaffiliated so let’s see where we could get to work especially well:
First of let’s remind ourselves who the actual user of the card is:
The combination of Long Movement, Stealth and the place is what really stands out for an objective runner. She is, in that regard, the same as Viper (unloved by the greater community, absolutely and rightfully beloved by most Hydra players) and Black Cat (still the “best” of the three in most situations). Kitty probably has the best offensive abilities of the three (but of course Cat has the Stagger).
So what is the craziest thing we could theoretically do with Kitty’s card and Hold Still?
She has to start on a massive 6 power to pull it off but she could: start her activation by playing the card from Range 3, getting both triggers on the attack, place the enemy character in a worse position (this is the least important step by far),grab the dropped extract, Place herself within 2 and Long Move away, and thus well into Stealth range.
Essentially it is a conditional action steal that is also a charge making it situationally stronger than Black Cats or Enchantresses steal because you don’t need a move action to get within 1 of the target.
The big knock against it is obviously the needed wild on 6 dice. Without outside help it is only a 60% Chance. Probably not worth the gamble for a TTC. But where could you play Shadowcat where her odds would be increased?
My first place I want to try her is Hydra. Zooming around the board invisible with her, Spider-Woman and Viper plus Baron Zemo who isn’t invisible but still another Long mover sounds like a lot of fun. Hydra, for example through Zemo, also has a lot of potential rerolls available. One reroll increases the likelihood of a wild to 65%. Still not amazing to be fair. Adding a second reroll would increase it to 66,7%. Still in 1/3 rolls you’d be very sad. Adding a dice to the roll does more here. With 7 dice you start at 65% and go up 70% with a single and 72% with a couple of rerolls. Kitty and her card might be interesting in Killmonger, Usurper Wakanda where she can have the additional dice on demand and Shuri provides some rerolls.
There is one leadership that can create wilds without rerolls though and that is Steve 3. Getting the needed hit on 6 dice is a 92% chance. It does bring up the cost of the perfect play to 7 power though.
If these numbers have put you off using the card I totally get it. Nate’s argument that a TTC has to have a reliable effect is totally valid. But does the card really do nothing if you don’t get the wild?
Ignoring the trigger for a second it is at minimum a range 3 place. It can be much farther than that because you place yourself in range 1 of the target and depending on the targets base size this can get closer to a range 4 place quickly. It is a 6 dice energy attack on top of it. There is a good chance that you wouldn’t even need the trigger to drop the extract because you just phase-punched them out anyway.
Is that enough to make your 10 and 5? That’s a question you’ll have to answer yourself. I think you have to be OK with the cards floor being just a long range place for Kitty to put it into your roster. Don’t expect it to be a reliable steal like This is a Robbery. You’d be disappointed.
I will definitely try it out once my Box comes to me in late March (German delivery delays…) .
Tell me what you think about the card!
Cheers from Germany 🍻
MCP Germany: