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Games & Competitions, My Transformer Collection Showcase, Transformatorium

Transformers Collection – TCG Cards

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A few years ago Wizards of the Coast, in conjunction with Hasbro, released the Transformers Trading Card Game.

Though the game has come to a close now, it was very popular for quite a while, and WOTC/Hasbro were even kind enough to send me a few different sets to review when the game was at its height.  Even if you no longer play the game, the artwork on the cards makes them well worth keeping.

 

Transformers Trading Card Game Cards

 

Decepticon Character Cards

*Item #TTCG0001: Megatron (Decepticon Leader)

*Item #TTCG0002: Megatron (Arrogant Ruler)

*Item #TTCG0003: Starscream (Decepticon King)

*Item #TTCG0004: Starscream (Air Commander)

*Item #TTCG0005: Flamewar

*Item #TTCG0006: Specialist Flamewar

*Item #TTCG0007: Major Soundwave

*Item #TTCG0008: Skywarp

*Item #TTCG0009: Dirge

*Item #TTCG0010: Raider Ion Storm

*Item #TTCG0011: Raider Flamefeather

*Item #TTCG0012: Seargent Sparkstalker

*Item #TTCG0013: Decepticon Venim

*Item #TTCG0014: Ruckus

*Item #TTCG0015: Raider Runabout

*Item #TTCG0016: Raider Runamuck

*Item #TTCG0017: Seargeant Skrapnel

Exclusive Cards Reveal: Dirge and Defensive Driving. Transformers: TCG

 

*Item #TTCG0018: Bonecrusher

*Item #TTCG0019: Hook

*Item #TTCG0020: Scrapper

*Item #TTCG0021: Longhaul

*Item #TTCG0022: Mixmaster

*Item #TTCG0023: Scavenger

*Item #TTCG0024: Divebomb

*Item #TTCG0025: Predacon Headstrong

*Item #TTCG0026: Torox

Devastator Pack Review: Part 1 – Transformers TCG

 

*Item #TTCG0027: Motormaster

*Item #TTCG0028: Breakdown

*Item #TTCG0029: Decepticon Drag Strip

*Item #TTCG0030: Offroad

*Item #TTCG0031: Dead End

*Item #TTCG0032: Dead End (2nd unit)

*Item #TTCG0033: Dreadwind

*Item #TTCG0034: Blackwing

*Item #TTCG0035: Raider Laserbeak

*Item #TTCG0036: Raider Ravage

*Item #TTCG0037: Raider Storm Cloud

*Item #TTCG0038: Raider Visper

*Item #TTCG0039: Raider Detour

*Item #TTCG0040: Raider Road Hugger

 

Autobot Character Cards

*Item #TTCG0041: Metroplex

*Item #TTCG0042: Optimus Prime

*Item #TTCG0043: Bumblebee (Courageous Scout)

*Item #TTCG0044: Bumblebee (Trusted Lieutenant)

*Item #TTCG0045: Bumblebee (Brave Warrior)

*Item #TTCG0046: Dinobot Swoop

*Item #TTCG0047: Six-Gun

*Item #TTCG0048: Scamper

*Item #TTCG0049: Slammer

*Item #TTCG0050: Red Alert

*Item #TTCG0051: Private Red Alert

*Item #TTCG0052: Grapple

*Item #TTCG0053: Ironhide

*Item #TTCG0054: Major Prowl

*Item #TTCG0055: Seargent Hound

*Item #TTCG0056: Private Trailbreaker

*Item #TTCG0057: Private Arcee

*Item #TTCG0058: Seargent Chromia

*Item #TTCG0059: Autobot Novastar

*Item #TTCG0060: Sergeant Kup

*Item #TTCG0061: Blurr

Review – Metroplex Pack: Transformers TCG

 

*Item #TTCG0062: Autobot Hot Rod

*Item #TTCG0063: Optimus Prime

*Item #TTCG0064: Prowl

*Item #TTCG0065: Autobot Mirage

*Item #TTCG0066: Autobot Mirage (2nd unit)

*Item #TTCG0067: Alpha Bravo

*Item #TTCG0068: Skydive

*Item #TTCG0069: Fireflight

*Item #TTCG0070: Air Raid

*Item #TTCG0071: Dinobot Snarl

*Item #TTCG0072: Dinobot Sludge

*Item #TTCG0073: Private Top Shot

*Item #TTCG0074: Private Flak

*Item #TTCG0075: Private Mudslinger

*Item #TTCG0076: Private Tote

*Item #TTCG0077: Private Stakeout

*Item #TTCG0078: Private Red Heat

Exclusive Card Reveal: Private Stakeout – Transformers TCG

 

Decepticon Cards

*Item #TTCG0079: Fusion Cannon of Megatron

*Item #TTCG0080: Tooth and Claw

*Item #TTCG0081: Stunticon Swagger

*Item #TTCG0082: HV Electron Breacher

*Item #TTCG0083: Decepticon Crown

*Item #TTCG0084-86: Builder’s Tools (x3)

*Item #TTCG0087-88: Scoundrel’s Blaster (x2)

*Item #TTCG0089-91: Heavy Loading (x3)

*Item #TTCG0092-93: Reclaim (x2)

*Item #TTCG0094: Tower

Exclusive Card Reveal: Electro-Optical Visor. Transformers: TCG

 

Autobot Cards

*Item #TTCG0095: Combat Commands

*Item #TTCG0096-97: Noble’s Blaster (x2)

*Item #TTCG0098: Electrified Spikes

*Item #TTCG0099-101: Protected by Metroplex (x3)

*Item #TTCG0102-104: Height Advantage (x3)

*Item #TTCG0105-107: Rally the City (x3)

 

Double Orange

*Item #TTCG0108-122: Improvised Shield (x15)

*Item #TTCG0123-124: Mounted Missiles (x2)

 

Double Blue

*Item #TTCG0125-137: Handheld Blaster (x13)

*Item #TTCG0138: Energized Field

*Item #TTCG0139: EMP Wave

 

Orange & Blue

*Item #TTCG0140: Recon System

 

White & Green

*Item #TTCG0141-147: Spare Parts (x7)

*Item #TTCG0148-149: Secret Dealings (x2)

*Item #TTCG0150-152: Attack Drone (x3)

*Item #TTCG0153-158: Escape Route (x 5)

*Item #TTCG0159: Espionage

*Item #TTCG0160: Personal Targeting Drone

*Item #TTCG0161: Inverted!

 

Orange & Green

*Item #TTCG0162-165: Enforcement Batons (x4)

*Item #TTCG0166-167: Reactive Armor (x2)

*Item #TTCG0168-169: Focus Fire (x2)

*Item #TTCG0170-174: Bashing Shield (x5)

*Item #TTCG0175-176: Sparring Gear (x2)

*Item #TTCG0177-178: Scrounge (x2)

*Item #TTCG0179: Press the Advantage

 

Blue & Green

*Item #TTCG0180-182: Backup Beam (x3)

*Item #TTCG0183: Extra Padding

*Item #TTCG0184: Sturdy Armor

*Item #TTCG0185: Reflex Circuits

*Item #TTCG0186: Dismantling Claw

*Item #TTCG0187: Master Plan

*Item #TTCG0188-191: Smelt (x4)

*Item #TTCG0192: Covert Armor

 

Green

*Item #TTCG0193-200: Rest & Relaxation (x8)

*Item #TTCG0201-202: Sonic Scramble (x2)

*Item #TTCG0203-208: Tech Research (x6)

*Item #TTCG0209-211: Enemy Combat Analysis (x3)

*Item #TTCG0212: Metal Detector

*Item #TTCG0213-214: Cornered (x2)

*Item #TTCG0215: Battlefield Scan

 

Blank

*Item #TTCG0216: Hiding Spot

*Item #TTCG0217: Bad Attitude

*Item #TTCG0218-220: Ready For Action (x3)

*Item #TTCG022`: Dismantle

*Item #TTCG0222: Calculated Strike

*Item #TTCG0223: Crash Landing

*Item #TTCG0224: Smokethrower

*Item #TTCG0225: EM24 IR Laser Launcher

*Item #TTCG0226: Repurpose

*Item #TTCG0227: Steamroll

*Item #TTCG0228-234: Fling (x7)

*Item #TTCG0235: Medic!

*Item #TTCG0236-237: Plasma Burst (x2)

*Item #TTCG0238: Medic! (2nd type)

*Item #TTCG0239: Strafing Run

*Item #TTCG0240-241: Bolt of Lightning (x2)

 

White

*Item #TTCG0242-243: Piercing Blaster (x2)

*Item #TTCG0244-248: Data Pad (x5)

*Item #TTCG0249-250: Delibitating Crystal (x2)

*Item #TTCG0251: Force Field

*Item #TTCG0252-259: Force Field (2nd type) (x8)

*Item #TTCG0260-262: Superior Jetpack (x3)

*Item #TTCG0263: Intelligence Mission

*Item #TTCG0264-266: Backup Plan (x3)

*Item #TTCG0267: Diagnosis

*Item #TTCG0268: Frag Toss

*Item #TTCG0269-285: Rapid Conversion (x17)

*Item #TTCG0286-291: Surprise Attack (x6)

*Item #TTCG0292-296: Field Communication (x5)

*Item #TTCG0297-299: Work Overtime (x3)

*Item #TTCG0300-302: Leap of Faith (x3)

*Item #TTCG0303: Fog of War

*Item #TTCG0304: Combat Training

 

Blue

*Item #TTCG0305: Battlefield Report

*Item #TTCG0306: Reclaim

*Item #TTCG0307-313: Pep Talk (x7)

*Item #TTCG0314: Brainstorm

*Item #TTCG0315: Steady Shot

*Item #TTCG0316-320: Underhanded Tactics (x5)

*Item #TTCG0321-322: Universal Network Access (x2)

*Item #TTCG0323-328: Vaporize (x6)

*Item #TTCG0329: Bumpers

*Item #TTCG0330-334: Energon Slingshot (x5)

*Item #TTCG0335: Urban Camo

*Item #TTCG0336: Smoke Cloak

*Item #TTCG0337-347: Primary Laser (x11)

*Item #TTCG0348-352: Blast Shield (x5)

*Item #TTCG0353-355: Bravery (x3)

*Item #TTCG0356-357: Evasive Manoeuvres (x2)

*Item #TTCG0358-360: Leap into Battle (x3)

*Item #TTCG0361-366: Inspiring Leadership (x6)

*Item #TTCG0367: Start your Engines

*Item #TTCG0368-380: Armoured Plating (x13)

*Item #TTCG0381: Drill Arms

*Item #TTCG0382: Reinforced Plating

*Item #TTCG0383-385: Superior Plating (x3)

*Item #TTCG0386: Marksmanship

*Item #TTCG0387: Brainstorm

*Item #TTCG0388: Inferno Breath

*Item #TTCG0389: Heavy-Handed

*Item #TTCG0390: The Bigger They Are…

*Item #TTCG0391-392: Team-Up Tactics (x2)

*Item #TTCG0393: Collateral Damage

 

Orange

*Item #TTCG0394: Mining Pick

*Item #TTCG0395: Superior Cannon

*Item #TTCG0396-400: Flamethrower (x5)

*Item #TTCG0401-402: Combat Dagger (x2)

*Item #TTCG0403-407: Scrapper Gauntlets (x4)

*Item #TTCG0408-409: Power Punch (x2)

*Item #TTCG0410: Basic Combat Protocol

*Item #TTCG0411: Bolster

*Item #TTCG0412-413: Defensive Formation (x2)

*Item #TTCG0414-418: Field Repair (x5)

*Item #TTCG0419-421: Reckless Charge (x3)

*Item #TTCG0422-426: Swindled (x5)

*Item #TTCG0427-432: Testify (x6)

*Item #TTCG0433-435: Rapid Ascent (x3)

*Item #TTCG0436-439: Ramming Speed (x4)

*Item #TTCG0440-441: Repair Bay (x2)

*Item #TTCG0442-446: Supercharge (x5)

*Item #TTCG0447-453: Grenade Launcher (x7)

*Item #TTCG00454: Swarm!

*Item #TTCG0455-456: Incoming Transmission (x2)

*Item #TTCG0457-458: Vandalize (x2)

*Item #TTCG00459: Treasure Hunt

*Item #TTCG0460-464: Confidence (x5)

*Item #TTCG0465-469: Erratic Lightning (x5)

*Item #TTCG0470-471: Body Armor (x2)

*Item #TTCG0472: Ancient Wisdom

*Item #TTCG0473-474: New Designs (x2)

*Item #TTCG0475: Stealthiness

*Item #TTCG0476: Battle Ready

*Item #TTCG0477: Tackle

*Item #TTCG0478: Cooling Vents

 

Enigma Cards

*Item #TTCG0479-481: Constructicon Enigma (x3)

*Item #TTCG0482-483: Stunticon Enigma (x2)

*Item #TTCG0484-485: Predacon Enigma (x2)

*Item #TTCG0486: Sentinel Enigma

*Item #TTCG0487: Dinobot Enigma

*Item #TTCG0488-490: Aerialbot Enigma (x3)

ROTC Booster Packs. Part 2: Gameplay – Transformers TCG

 

Boxes

*Item #TTCG0491: Starter Pack (MISB)

 

*Item #TTCG0492: Rise of the Combiners Booster Box

Rise of the Combiners Booster Packs. Review Part 1 – Transformers TCG

Games & Competitions, Transformatorium

Exclusive Card Reveal: Electro-Optical Visor. Transformers: TCG

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Thanks to Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast, BigAngryTrev.com has once again been given an exclusive reveal for the Transformers: Trading Card Game to share with the world! Rather than a new character, this card is an Upgrade – Armour card from the new Titan Master packs that will be available later in the year.

Note: Neither Hasbro nor WOTC have paid for this reveal and have in no way tried to dictate the content of this review. BigAngryTrev would like to thank both companies for the continuing opportunities to share facets of this card game with the public.

 

So let’s have a look at the Action Card Electro-Optical Visor. 

 

Using the card in game

The usefulness of the card will rely heavily on what cards you and your opponent are sporting. If you are sporting a team of all Autobots, when you place this on a character and it adds 1 Defence point via an Armour Upgrade to its stats and the cards usefulness stops there.

However, if you have any Decepticons in your team, putting this card on one of them will not only add 1 Armor Upgrade point, but also:

*Makes your opponent reveal their hand

*Your opponent must scrap an Autobot card of their choosing from their hand

Of course, your opponent could quite easily have no Autobot cards in their hand, which means they don’t have to scrap any card at all. But even if this is the case, it still means that you get to have a good look at their hand, see what cards they are sporting and prepare yourself accordingly.

 

The Artwork

The artwork is lovely, showing Soundwave wearing what one assumes to be an Electro-Optical visor. Oddly I don’t recognise the origin of the artwork, so I am making the assumption it is from the IDW Transformers comics reboot, as I have not read all of them yet. If I am in error, or you know which exact comic, please pop it in the comments section below and I will be sure to credit you.

Note: According to reader ‘Flip Flip Bang Bang’ this is probably new artwork as WOTC no longer uses IDW comic art.

 

So all in all, depending on the cards you and your opponent have, this could prove to be either an average or a very useful card to pick up. I look forward to getting a physical copy in my hands and trying it out in gameplay.

The new Titan Master Packs for Transformers: TCG are slated for a release on the 17th of April, 2020.

  

Related Articles:

*Exclusive Card Reveal: Private Stakeout

*Exclusive Cards Reveal: Dirge and Defensive Driving

Games & Competitions, Transformatorium

Exclusive Card Reveal: Private Stakeout – Transformers TCG

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A few months ago, bigangrytrev.com was privileged enough to be given an exclusive reveal for the new Transformers Trading Card Game. In that instance it was Dirge and Defensive Driving from the Rise of the Combiners cards.

Well now courtesy of Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast, we have been given another exclusive reveal. And this time it is from the latest iteration of the game – War For Cybertron Seige.

For those unaware, the current Transformers Generations toyline for 2019 is indeed War for Cybertron Seige and indeed it appears many of the upcoming cards will be based on said toyline. The exclusive card reveal we get to do today is definetly based on one of those toys, a Micromaster character who hadn’t had a new figure for nearly 30 years – Private Stakeout.

Coming in at 4 Stars, Stakeout – whose roles are Infantry and Communications – doesn’t appear to be the most powerful of characters, but then as a Micromaster he isn’t expected to be.  But this little Autobot can still prove quite useful.

 

Patrol Car Mode

 

3 Attack, 5 Health, 0 Defense

The artwork from this has been taken from the Siege packaging for Stakeout, which I quite like as I’m really enjoying the more gritty artwork that has been accompanying this line. In his Patrol Car mode, Stakeout has only 5 health and absolutely zero shielding. However this sneaky little bot has got that covered. Despite appearing quite vulnerable, his skill is Stealth, which means that unless every other one of your Hero Cards has been KO’ed by your opponent, any attack on this card while it is untapped can be deflected onto another one of your characters, keeping him safe from being killed before he can even get in the fight.

 

Robot Mode

 

2 Attack, 5 Health, 1 Defence

Once again, the artwork has been taken from the great packaging art of the new toy. In robot mode Private Stakeout sacrifices one of his attack points in order to get at least a bit of defence going. But once again, it’s less his stats that are important bur rather his special ability. Stakeout has the ability to, via you sacrificing one of your white-square cards, to flip another Hero Character Card to it’s other mode. This can be invaluable depending on who you are flipping. For instance if you have another character who has a lot more health and defence in one of its modes and is near death, you can flip it to its more resilient mode in order to survive your opponents next attack on you.

 

Teams Private Stakeout may be useful on

Stakeout is most definitely a supporting character. With 4 Stars he is designed to fill out a team full of stronger/higher star ranking characters where you have already used up to 21 of your 25 star limit. Stakeout will be most useful in a team with characters where it is imperative to be able to get that extra Hero Card flip in so as to facilitate either attack or defence. This suits Stakeout in the grand scheme of the Transformers universe; Micromasters are small, not particularly powerful in of themselves and are often used to support bigger robots. For instance in the new toyline Stakeout combines with Red Heat to form the “Binerboost Salvage Blaster”, a gun used by regular sized bots.

 

So I hope you have enjoyed another Exclusive Card reveal from bigangrytrev.com. Many thanks to Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast for the chance to show this card to the world, which will be available when the Transformers TCG War For Cybertron Seige sets get released on June 28th 2019.  Also check out the reveal over on Life…With Sprogs to see another new card – Searget Skrapnel.

 

Related Articles:

Exclusive Cards Reveal: Dirge & Defensive Driving

Devastator Pack Review – Transformers TCG

Toy Review – Siege Micromasters Wave 1

Games & Competitions, Transformatorium

Devastator Pack Review: Part 2 – Gameplay. Transformers TCG

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Last week we got to have a sneak peek at the Devastator Deck, courtesy of an advance copy from Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast, and look at the cards contained within in detail.

Now officially released, these are available for purchase, and over the past week I’ve gotten a chance to really put the pack through its paces.  So let’s have a look at the Devastator Pack in gameplay.

And the usual spiel: Neither Hasbro or Wizards of the Coast have paid for this review nor have they tried to dictate the contents of this blog.  Bigangrytrev.com would like to thank both companies for their ongoing generosity.

Since all the cards have been already examined in great detail in Part 1 of the review, we wont rehash what we already know.  If you need a reminder, go check out that post.  Instead I’m going to give you some top tips for using Devastator to… er… devastate! In particular we will look at pitting the Constructicons against other Combiner Teams, such as the Stunticons and  Menasor.

 

GAMEPLAY TIPS & TRICKS

Get Scrapper into Robot Mode

This should be your very first action!  Not only does it get one of the 6 characters into robot mode which you will need to make Devastator later, but it means every time another Constructicon gets KO’ed you will get a point for your Tower Card.

Get Bonecrusher in the mix

As your best offensive Constructicon, get him into Robot Mode next.  You want to try and inflict a fair bit of damage with him and his Pierce 2 on your opponents cards before he gets KO’ed due to his low Health Stats.

Flip Scavenger next

You want that Bold 1 and the extra card it garners you every time you are attacked.

Keep the others in vehicle mode until KO’ed or needed

The other 3 Constructicons don’t have particularly useful Robot Mode abilities so I suggest keeping them in Vehicle Form until KO’ed.  Their stats remain exactly the same and every time you attack with them it will give you another point for your tower.

If any character gets KO’ed in vehicle mode, flip them at the first opportunity. 

Their ability to get you extra points for your Tower is gone once they are KO’ed, so if you come across a card like Rapid Conversion, use it to flip a KO’ed vehicle into Robot Mode so they are ready to combine when required.

Build that Tower to at least 6 before combining!

I played several games both as and against Devastator and I’ll tell ya, you will really want those extra 2 Bold points Devastator gets when his Tower is at 6. They do make a difference when trying to knock out another Combiner like Menasor or a Titan like Metroplex, characters that have huge stats.  Also it means that it’s 6 damage points that you get to remove from Devastator, which also makes a huge difference!

Getting your Tower to 10 before combing is often unrealistic.

While it would be great to have your Tower at 10 before you form Devastator, unless you have a good run of luck with the cards it is probably not going to happen.  If you can achieve it, great!  It means you loose 10 whole damage counters and get extra attack power right off the bat, but again, it’s likely not to happen.  Hope to get your tower to 8 and then pick up some Builders Tools and Enigma cards to take you the rest of the way.

If your opponent makes a Combiner first, get combining!

Gotta Combin’em all!

The likes of Menasor are pretty damn powerful and you don’t want to give them free reign for too long, because your individual Constructicons aren’t going to be very effective against the behemoth.

Keep track of your Builders Tools and Constructicon Enigma Cards

These two cards are the only way to add extra points to your Tower after you build Devastator.  You get three of each card so keep track of where they are and how many you have used.  Once or twice I had to form Devastator when only having 4 points on my Tower, and coming across those cards enabled me to bring my Tower up to 6, helping turn the tide of battle.

If you get your Tower to 10 – get ready to bask in victory!

If you can get that Tower up to 10, getting an extra 4 Attack Points and your overall attack rating going up to 10 means that you are going to decimate your opponent!  As someone who has played both sides when this has happened, I can attest that the opposing Combiner/Titan/Team goes down very quickly under an onslaught that strong.

 

So there ya go, some top tips & tricks to playing as and winning with the Constructicons and Devastator.  A lot of it will depend on the deck your opponent has built.  Given that the other Combiners special cards are only found in Booster Packs, it’s unlikely they  will have 3 of each like you will be sporting, so if you find yourself destroying every opponent in sight you might even be magnanimous and take a couple of yours out to make things more even.  Until you reach that winning streak though, devastate away!

 Got any other tips to playing with this pack?  Would love to read them in the comments section below!

 

Related Articles:

Devastator Deck Review: Part 1

Rise of the Combiners Booster Packs Part One and Part 2

Metroplex Deck Review

Games & Competitions, Transformatorium

Devastator Pack Review: Part 1 – Transformers TCG

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With the Rise of the Combiner Booster Packs hitting shelves all over the country, it is nearly time for the first dedicated ROTC Box Pack to hit the shelves.  Due for release on March 29, this pack will have arguably the most popular and recognizable of all the Transformer Combiners – Devastator!  And once again bigangrytrev.com had been lucky enough to be given a pack in advance so as to bring you all the goss regarding these new cards.

Before we continue, the usual spiel: This pack has been given to bigangrytrev.com for review purposes by Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast.  Neither company has paid for this review or tried to dictate the content of this blog.  Bigangrytrev.com would like to thank both companies for their ongoing generosity.

Despite the average rate of finding a Combiner Character card to be 1 in 2, a lot of people have been struggling to make their first combiner, even when purchasing a whole box of the Booster Packs.  Personally I was able to make Menasor and Dreadwing right off the bat but many others have not been so fortunate.  So with the release of the Devastator Pack, it is going to bring a lot of joy to those yet to make one of these colossal characters!  In the Devastator Pack you will find not only all the cards to go with it, but all the characters you will need.  So no endless searching – all your Constructicons can be found in the same place – right here!  Lets take a look at them:

Oh and another note, like when looking at the Combiner Booster Packs, there is SO MUCH information to be shared here, this will most likely be another 2-part Blog, with part one being information and the second one gameplay.

 

Constructicon Character Cards

Scrapper

Leader, Melee

5 Stars

Hook

Surgical Engineer, Ranged

4 Stars

Mixmaster

Materials Fabrication, Melee

4 Stars

Bonecrusher

Demolitions, Melee

4 Stars

Long Haul

Transport, Melee

4 Stars

Scavenger

Mining & Salvage, Melee

4 Stars

So we are noticing a few things straight off the bat.  Firstly Scrapper as the leader has 5 stars but the rest only have four.  Whilst this makes them fairly weak characters, it does mean you get to have all 6 Constructicons on the board at once.  Also you will only have one ranged character, Hook, whilst the rest are melee.  All characters have the same amount of damage, health and shield points in both their modes, making no difference in stats whether you be rocking a robot or construction vehicle.

Now to their special abilities.  Again, nothing staggering either offensively or defensively.  Bonecrusher has the best offense capability with Pierce 2 in his Robot Mode, with Hook sporting Pierce 1 and Long Haul Bold 1.  The only character to be sporting anything defensively is Scavenger with Tough 1 in his robot mode.   So what are nearly all the other special ablitities geared towards?  Towards your Tower Card, which is going to be crucial when playing as Devastator.

 

The Tower Card

This seemingly innocent little card is going to dictate so much of your gameplay when playing with the Devastator Deck.  It has made me extra glad that this is the first Transformers TCG pack that has come with instructions included.  Unique among the Combiner Characters, Devastator’s abilities are tied directly to the height of his tower.  And your individual Constructicon’s abilities are aimed towards building that tower as much as possible before combining.  As well as powering up Devestator, the height of your Tower will also affect the strength of some other cards which we shall look at a bit later.

Scrapper’s abilities are both directly tied to the Tower.  His alt-mode means you put your tower into the KO area at the start of the game (which you get to do anyway) and having him in robot mode means that every time a Constructicon gets KO’ed, you get to add another height counter to the tower.

All 5 other Constructicons have the same ability for their Alt-Mode

So this makes your individual Constructicons geared primarily towards construction, making that tower as big as possible!  Of course there are other cards to assist them offensively and defensively, several of them exclusive to the Devestator Pack, and some of these too are geared towards your tower.

 

Exclusive Cards

Note: The pack contains 3 of each card.

Builders Tools

Can be used by Constructicons only.  Gives you an extra counter on your Tower whenever a character sporting the card attacks.  This makes this card very good to put on Bonecrusher in particular, as well as being one of only two cards that you can use to build your Tower further after combining.

Reclaim

Lets you access the scrap pile for upgrades, but if your Tower is 3 or higher then you get an extra card as well.

Heavy Landing

Gives you an extra point of damage to deal, but if your Tower is 6 or higher then you do 3 damage instead.

Work Overtime

The only exclusive card that does not involve the Tower, it allows you to draw extra cards until you have four in your hand.  This makes this card very useful for most any deck you construct!

Constructicon Enigma

Like the Enigma cards for the other Combiners, you need this card to form Devestator and all your Consturcticons need to be in Bot Mode.  Unlike the other Enigma cards however,  this card does not immediately become redundant after combining.  If played when you already have Devestator on the battlefield, you get to Repair 1 damage to him, as well as putting a height counter on your Tower.

 

Devastator

Towering Warrior, Melee

25 Stars

Here he is, the big guy!  No searching through endless booster packs, you get him in one shot!  His stats are similar to the likes of Metroplex and Menasor.

As you can see, his special abilities are directly related to his tower:

* When you first combine him you get to remove an amount of damage from him equal to the height of your tower.  This means that you can allow your individual Constructicons to get pummelled to a certain extent, because as long as you keep that tower going higher and higher, by the time you form Devastator a lot of that damage will disappear!

* If your tower is 6 or higher you get Bold 2

* If your Tower is 10 or higher, your attack rating goes up from 6 to a whopping 10!

It is for the above abilities I highly recommend you do not combine Devestator until you have a minimum of 6 height on your Tower, because once Devestator is formed you cant make it any higher, unless employing another enigma card.

 

Other Cards

This pack comes with 9 other types of card, both common & uncommon and ones we have already seen before.  The one of most use to you will definitely be Rapid Conversion, since you have 6 separate characters you need to get into bot mode.  I find it funny we got Scrapper Gauntlets, since it doesn’t seem to be Scrapper sporting them.  You get two to three of each of these 9 cards.

 

So is the Devestator Pack worth getting?

Yes, oh my yes!  Not only do you get to make a Combiner Character in one go without having to search through endless Booster Packs, but it comes with a ton of exclusive cards that you cannot purchase anywhere else.  Add to that the unique playstyle the Tower brings to the game and this really is a purchase that I can’t see any big Transformers TCG players bypassing.  I highly recommend going out and picking yourself up a pack when they come out at the end of this month!

 

Related Articles:

Rise of the Combiner Booster Packs Part 1 and Part 2

Metroplex Pack Review

Games & Competitions, Transformatorium

ROTC Booster Packs. Part 2: Gameplay – Transformers TCG

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Last time we looked at the plethora of new cards to be picked up from the Rise of The Combiner Booster Packs for the Transformers Trading Card Game, along with their abilities and drop rates.

Well as promised, this time we will see the cards in play!  As there are already dozens of youtube videos and sites that are showing Combiners facing off against each other, and the only two Combiners I can make so far are Menasor and Dreadwing,  I thought we would do something different – a Combiner vs a Titan!

Clash of the Tit… er…. big bots!

It would be a bit unfair to send ol’ Dreadwing up against Metroplex I thought, so I picked Menasor for the battle.  I will be looking mainly at how the Stunticons and Menasor perform.  If you would like to read more about how the Metroplex character functions, please check out my review of the Metroplex Pack here.

Before starting, it should be noted that I received these cards for review purposes from Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast.  Neither company has paid me nor tried to dictate the contents of this review.  Bigangrytrev would like to thank both companies for their generosity.

 

Setting up the board

When setting up to battle with a Combiner, you will of course have all members of that team.  There is little point in having 4 Stunticons on the board but leaving Drag Strip at home.  All cards are (for Combiners that use 5 characters) 5 stars apiece. Pick three to shove up front and a couple to hang behind.  The difference between each Stunticons stats is negligible, though Motormaster is ever so slightly stronger, so I recommend getting him ready to rock.

 

Making Menasor

Find this Card!
  • First off, don’t worry about if some of your Stunticons are KO’ed. You can still make them into Menasor.
  • Unlike the G1 cartoon, to join all your characters together they all need to be in robot mode, even your KO’ed ones.
  • You need to employ the Stunticon Enigma card. If this has been thrown to the discard pile, don’t worry.  Being a green card, it can be retrieved and swapped with one of your own.
  • Once combined, Menasor will carry over any damage points taken by the individual Stunticons, so try to get him to combine before they get too hurt.
  • When combined, you will discard all the Utility, Attack and Defense cards your individual bots were sporting, except one from each catagory which can then be applied to Menasor.

 

Menasor vs Metroplex

Menasor Crush!

They have surprisingly similar stats:

*Both have 25 Stars.

*Metroplex has stats of 6 Attack, 35 Health and 1 Defense. 

*Menasor has stats of 6 Attack, 35 Health and 2 Defense.

This makes Menasor that slight bit stronger than Metroplex.  As incongruous as this seems to any diehard TF fan, one must remember that Metroplex can still flip to his City Mode, as well as deploy his 3 sidekicks (presuming they are not already KO’ed), giving him the edge. So don’t get too cocky when you whip out your Stunticon combiner, you haven’t won yet!

Basic Game

The basic game is hardly worth mentioning here.  Given their almost identical stats it’s simply a matter of the opponents taking turns flipping cards until one behemoth dies.  Great fun for really young players, but holds little appeal for even those with a modicum of Transformers TCG experience.

Advanced Game

Find this card too!

Gameplay proceeds as usual, with you equipping your characters with different utilities, weapons etc and you and your opponent KO’ing each others cards whilst trying to save your own.  A lot of it is skill, a lot of it is down to the luck of the draw.  If you find any cards specific to your team however, employ them at once, they can really help!

The trick to using your Combiner Group effectively is using your individual characters in conjunction with each other, balancing their strengths and weaknesses as well as their special abilities in order to do the most damage before combining.  For instance Motormaster can protect other characters from non-attack damage, Dead End will give you an extra card and Breakdown can gain you extra attack damage.

I also highly recommend getting many of your characters into robot form as soon as possible, so when you decide to unleash your Combiner you only have one or two characters max that needs flipping.  Keep your eye out for the Stunticon Enigma Card too, if you only have one in your deck and you let it get away that’s it, you may as well let your opponent walk all over you because it’s quite hard to win a game with just the individual characters, since none of them are particularly spectacular.

When playing as Menasor, you get two extra cards right off the bat for combining him.  You then get Bold 1, Tough 1 and Pierce 1 as well as playing an extra action on each of your turns.  This means he can seriously kick Cyberarse, especially if you have the right Action Cards slotted.  In fact of the 4 games with friends of Menasor vs Metroplex, Metroplex was only successful in one instance.

So yes, from actual game play I can confirm that the Rise of the Combiner Booster Packs are well worth picking up. I heartily recommend you trade cards with friends so that you can build yourself one of these awesome Combiner Characters as soon as possible!

Got any questions or anything to add?  Pop them in the comments section below!

 

Related Articles:

RISE OF THE COMBINERS BOOSTER PACKS. REVIEW PART 1 – TRANSFORMERS TCG

EXCLUSIVE CARDS REVEAL: DIRGE AND DEFENSIVE DRIVING. TRANSFORMERS: TCG

REVIEW – METROPLEX PACK: TRANSFORMERS TCG

 

Games & Competitions, Transformatorium

Rise of the Combiners Booster Packs. Review Part 1 – Transformers TCG

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Yes kids, the wait is over!  For months now we have been seeing previews of both the new Hero Cards and Battle Cards for Wave 2 of Transformers: Trading Card Game, the wave entitled Rise of the Combiners.  People have been anxiously awaiting to get thier hands on these cards to see if they are as good, or even better, than the excellent cards that were released in Wave 1 last year.

Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast have been kind enough to send me a box of the new Booster Packs from Wave 2, in order to review in much the same way I did the Metroplex Pack last year and the Dirge Reveal several weeks ago.  Once again, it must be stated that I have not been paid to do this review nor have either company tried to dictate the contents of this blog.  www.bigangrytrev.com would like to thank both Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast for the opportunity to examine these cards.

Oh the sweet anticipation of opening!

Now, as you may have noticed from the title of this blog post, this is Part 1 of a review of these booster packs.  Why am I doing it over more than one post?  Because in recieving a box of the Booster Packs, each box holding 30 packs which in turn contain at least 8 cards, it means I now have over 200 cards on my billiard table (er… I mean gaming table) with at least a hundred of them different!  That’s a LOT of cards to look at and a pretty big undertaking!  So in Part 1 we will be examining Drop Rates, new types of cards, Combiners and new Hero & Battle Cards.  In Part 2 we will look at how they perform in gameplay.

 

The Packs Themselves

Each Pack contains 7 Battle Cards and 1 Hero Card or 1 Pair of Combiner Character Cards.  We will look at the likelihood of doubles near the end of this review.

 

The Cards Themselves

Note: At the end of each discussion of the new cards I will be popping in their Drop Rate.  This is to signify how many times I was able to find these cards from the 30 packs contained within a single box of Booster Packs.

 

Combiner Cards

So many Combiners to be made!

Whereas Hero Cards have the robot on the front and the alt-mode on the back, Combiner Character Cards come in pairs.  On one card you will find the robot mode and the other the alt-mode.  On the back of the cards you will find artwork to join together to make the Combiner itself.

Gotta Combin’em all!

There are 5 different Combiners to make from the Booster Packs: Volcanicus, Optimus Maximus, Predaking, Superion and Menasor.

The Stunticons

I was lucky enough to find from the one box all 5 sets of Character Cards in order to make Menasor.  I look forward to bringing you a review of just how he goes in actual gameplay.  I was also able to form what could be termed a Mini-Combiner:

The Dreadwing Pair
Dreadwing

First revealed exclusively by Ozformers, this pair of Decepticons – Dreadwind and Blackwing (formerly Darkwing) combine to form the Dreadwing Sky Destroyer Jet.  This was a smart move on the part of the game makers, as it means you have a greater likelihood of making a Combiner sooner rather than later since he only needs two Character Card pairs instead of 5 or 6.

Drop Rate: Both the side of the box and the official website say the drop rate for Combiner Character Cards is about 50%. When opening multiple packs I was pleasantly surprised to find, for me at least, it surpassed that promise.  Out of the 30 packs I opened, 20 of them had Combiner Character Cards.  So rather than a drop rate of 50% it was a drop rate of 66%.  That’s great considering most Combiners are made up of 5 or 6 different characters you have to collect.

 

Hero Cards

New Hero Cards

As well as the Combiner Cards, we have the same sort of Hero Cards that were released in Wave 1.  There are quite a few new characters getting a showing, and many of the most famous characters, such as Megatron, Bumblebee and Starscream, have been released again but with new artwork and stats

New Hero Cards

I got a mix of characters I had other versions of from Wave 1 along with a good dose of new guys.  I was particularly pleased I was able to get Dirge since www.bigangrytrev.com was given the exlusive reveal of Dirge earlier in the year.  Some Character Cards have their special abilities blank, such as Novastar and Ruckus.  I have yet to figure out exactly why this is and how it will affect their gameplay value.

Drop Rate: Those packs that don’t come with a Combiner Character come with a regular Hero Card.  I found the drop rate to be one in every 3 packs, which doesn’t sound great but actually is if you are after the Combiners specifically, which I believe most players will be actively seeking.

Drop rates for Ultra Rare cards are described as 50:1.  You’ll note I got a King Starscream which is indeed Ultra Rare.  So I got one at a ratio of 30:1 but its entirely possible I could buy 20 more packs without finding another.

 

Battle Cards

Before we had Battle Cards that came in a few different colours based on their ability to attack and defend, with some cards overlapping.  Rise of the Combiners see’s some new categories introduced.

Star Battle Cards

Oh. My. Primus!

This cards are definitely going to be a game changer!  Big time! Got a team which only uses up 22 or 23 or the 25 Star allowance.  Well now there are Battle Cards that have stars!  That means you can put them in as part of your team.  Valued at 1 Star apiece, these are perfect for rounding up your team.  I can see Bolt of Lightning being very useful but it’s Vandalize, where you can scrap all enemy Weapons, Armour or Utilities, that blows me away!  I can’t think of many instances where that wont be invaluable!

Drop Rate: There are 7 Star Battle Cards, in 30 packs I obtained 6 of them.

Enigma Cards

Enigma Cards

So you have all your characters needed to create a Combiner.  But you need one more thing – an Enigma Card.  There is an Enigma Card for each Combiner.  Being Green (discussed shortly), these cards can be rescued from the discard pile which saves a lot of heartache.  The Enigma Card is used to make your Combiner Character cards join together, even if some of those characters have been previously KO’ed.

Drop Rate: In 30 packs I was able to get all 5 Enigma’s as well as a couple of spares.

Team Specific Cards

Team Specific Cards

There are specific cards that you can use with each team but no others.  They can be placed on only one member of this team.  I have yet to see if they can be retroactive – for instance I have a Dinobot Swoop card from Wave 1, but it does not make up the Volcanicus Team.  Can I use my Electrified Spikes card on that old Swoop since he is a Dinobot and the card talks about Dinobots, not Volcanicus?  Stay tuned for future reviews to find out!

Drop Rate: I was able to find cards for four of the five teams within 30 packs.

Green Battle Cards

If you get a Green Battle Card, it means that you are able to retrieve it from the discard pile.  You can only do this with one card per turn.  Whilst this sounds good but not game changing, it can be of extreme importance given what some of these cards (such as the Enigma’s) do.

Regular Battle Cards

White Battle Cards

We have a slew of new Battle Cards in already established catagories, so many it would take too long to list them all.  Some of them we have already seen in exclusive reveals, such as those made by Lisamaree on the Life with SPROGS site, like Inferno Breath and Surprise Attack.   I was a little disappointed to not get a Defensive Driving card but don’t believe it will take me long to obtain one.

Orange Battle Cards
Blue Battle Cards

Drop Rate: Well you are guaranteed 7 Battle Cards per pack.  I was very heartened that I never got the same two cards in the same pack.

 

So there ya go, a not-so-short synopsis of the new cards on offer from the Wave 2 Transformers Trading Card Game Rise of the Combiner Booster Packs.  I was very pleasantly surprised that I only got two doubles of characters (Dead End and Mirage) out of the 30 packs, which made this undertaking even bigger!  Stay tuned for Part 2, where we test these bad bots (now available in selected stores) out with some serious gameplay!

 

Related Articles:

ROTC Booster Packs.  Part 2 – Gameplay

Exclusive Cards Reveal: Dirge & Defensive Driving

Metroplex Pack: Transformers TCG

 

 

 

 

Games & Competitions, Transformatorium

Review – Metroplex Pack: Transformers TCG

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A few months ago the Transformers: Trading Card Game was released.  Much like Magic: The Gathering, this game focuses on using different characters whom you instil with different defences, attacks and upgrades, to take out the opposing team, all whilst taking advantage of their own unique abilities.

Now, not long after it’s release, we have the first committed deck since the Starter Pack – the Metroplex Deck.  Due for international release on November 16th, this deck appears to offer a whole new element to what is quickly becoming a popular and addictive game.

Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro have been kind enough to send me for free both the Starter Pack as well as the new Metroplex Deck so as to do a review on this blog.  It should be noted that I have received no financial remuneration to write this, nor have either company tried to dictate the content of my review.  So I’d like to thank Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro for their generosity.

Luckily for them, I’m pretty taken with these packs so their generosity might just get rewarded through subsequent honesty.

This review is focused primarily on the Metroplex Deck, and in writing this I make the assumption that in reading it you are already familiar with Transformers: TCG and the various gameplay strategies it entails.  If not then by all means check out the official website to see how the game works, then come back to get all the new extra information here.

 

The Metroplex Deck offers the following:

*1 Titan Character Card: METROPLEX

*3 Character Cards: SCAMPER, SIX-GUN and SLAMMER

*Ready to play Battle Deck of 40 Cards

 

New Characters

Now the first thing you will notice is the Metroplex Card.  It is HUGE!  19.5cm x 14cm.  Like the Transformers character it is based on, it dwarfs the regular character cards.  And so do some of his stats:

Robot Mode – 6 Attack, 35 Health, 1 Defense

City mode – 4 Attack, 35 Health, 2 Defence

Now these Attack and Defence stats are pretty common but his Health is MASSIVE!  The most a character has had up to this date has been 21 with Cosmos, and Metroplex outshines him by a full 14 points!

The other is his Stars.  Each team can have a total of 25 Stars spread over their character cards, which usually dictates a team of 2 to 4 characters.  However Metroplex has 25 on his own!  This makes him a team unto himself.  A team of one… or so it would seem.

Anyone familiar with the G1 cartoon and toy representations of Metroplex will remember he had 3 sidekicks.  First Scamper who turned into a Cybertronian Battle Car, Six-Gun who would disassemble his robot form into Weapons useable by Metroplex, and Slammer who was a drone tank.  All three are represented here.  And all three are subordinate to Metroplex in a way we will examine shortly.  However before doing so it is worth noting that these characters are useable in regular teams.  With their relatively low 4 Star ratings, if you have a team made of 21 Stars, one of these guys is perfect to round up the numbers.

 

Character Abilities

Metroplex differs from other character cards in many respects, and not just by his size.  Hidden underneath Metroplex are the three sidekick cards.  Whenever you flip your Metroplex card from Robot to City side, he is able to deploy one of these characters.  This makes flipping every opportunity you get essential, as you need to get him to robot mode and back again in order to deploy another character.  This in of itself is perhaps more important than the almost inconsequential differences between the Attack and Defence stats of his two modes.

Each sidekick has different abilities.  Slammer for instance, being a drone, has no robot mode and will deal out 1 Attack Damage to every enemy bot when first released.  This makes him a favourite to bring out first in order to hurt as many enemy bots as possible before you KO any of them.

Scamper and Six-Gun’s various abilities rely on Metroplex still being on the board as they mainly power up his abilities.  Whilst this makes them a boon to your main Metroplex card, it lessens their value considerably when being used in a team which does not contain the Titan.

 

Dedicated Battle Deck Cards

The Metroplex Deck is designed to be used by a single player against an opponent.  As such it has dedicated cards that are of no use in a regular deck, but are very advantageous when using with this dedicated team.

Rally The City allows an extra card per character you have out (if you still have Metro on the board).

Height Advantage gives Bold 4 so when you use Metroplex to attack you get to flip 4 extra cards.

Protected by Metroplex means that you can transfer any damage being inflicted on your sidekick characters to Metroplex instead.  Out of the three cards I found this one to be the most useful.  Given Metroplex’s huge Health and the extremely poor Health of his Sidekicks (all pretty easy to knock out in a single round) it helps to keep these little guys on the playing field for an extra turn or two.

 

In Gameplay

I wont go into all the technicalities and ins and outs of using this deck against an opponent as there are just too many scenario’s to cover.  However I can point out some trends I found when pitting the Metroplex Deck against a team made up of the Starter Pack:

*When playing the Basic Game (not using special abilities etc) which I played with my 5 year old son, the advantage tends to lean slightly in favour of Metroplex, even without his ability to deploy the smaller bots.  His Health is just so massive, and combined with a 6 Attack Rating in robot mode, means you are able to withstand the onslaught he receives from being the only target on the board as you KO your opponent’s cards one by one.  He is by no means invincible, but he is definitely hard to beat.

*When playing the Advanced Game which I played with a bunch of my nerd peers, surprisingly the advantage tends to lean slightly towards the opponent, even with you being able to deploy Scamper, Slammer and Six-Gun.  Your opponent using the Special Abilities of cards means that your three smaller bots are often KO’ed as soon as they hit the board, with only a Protected by Metroplex card having a hope of saving them.  You may find that your opponent often uses this strategy, going after the little guys as soon as they are able before focusing back on the big guy.

Also with more bots being on the opposing team, the opposition has the chance to have more Upgrade, Attack and Defence boosts in play as well as having a greater range of opportunities to use their characters synergistically with each other.  Once again, it is by no means impossible to defeat your opponent, but it can be a hard road with a bit of luck required to take the win.

 

So is this Pack worth buying?

If you are a Transformers: TCG player then it is a most definite yes!  The introduction of a Titan Card adds a whole new element of gameplay, and the pack comes with 4 characters and three action cards that you cannot purchase anywhere else.  It would have been nice to see Trypticon released first (as I’m sure he eventually will be) as it means the two dedicated packs released thus far have all Autobots in them (the Starter Pack containing Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, Red Alert and Ironhide).  Part of the fun of anything remotely Transformers is pitting Autobot against Decepticon and I actually went out and purchased some Booster Packs just so I could play out some of these scenarios (luckily for me I scored both Starscream and Megatron).  I would also have liked to see Scamper and Six-Gun have at least one inherent ability each which would be useful within a regular team that does not involve Metroplex, giving these characters more scope for play.

However despite the onus still being on the Autobot side, this pack is definitely worth picking up.  I look forward to its general release in a week in the hopes one of my friends picks one up so that I can battle Metroplex Deck against Metroplex Deck – now that truly will be a clash of the titans!

Got anything to say about this Expansion Pack?  Would love to read it in the comments section below!

 

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