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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 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

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

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Last time we discussed Transformers: TCG – the new card game that has many parallels between it and Magic: The Gathering, we looked at The Metroplex Pack, which introduced the new concept of Titan Cards.

Well Wave 2 is coming out now, and since we already have Titans on the board, it’s time to introduce the other behemoths from the Transformer franchise – gestalts.  Rise of the Combiners will be introducing gestalt teams such as the Predacons, which looks to open up the range of gameplay even more.

However it’s not just the Combiner Teams that are being introduced in Wave 2.  We are getting some other new Hero Cards as well, along with some new Battle Cards for gameplay.  Once again, Hasbro has been kind enough to offer bigangrytrev.com an EXCLUSIVE SPOILER to reveal! So in this exclusive reveal let’s look at one of the new characters as well as one of the new battle cards: Dirge, Doombringer and Defensive Driving.

*Note: Like last time, no money has changed hands for this EXCLUSIVE SPOILER, and Hasbro & Wizards of the Coast have in no way tried to dictate the contents of this blog article.

 

HERO CARD:

DIRGE, DOOMBRINGER

I was pretty chuffed when Hasbro gave me Dirge as an exclusive reveal.  Dirge was my first ever Transformer way back in the 80’s, so whilst not the most popular of the Seekers, he has always held a special place in my heart.

The Artwork

The artwork for this card was originally seen in a TF game app years ago, Transformers Legends.  Though that game is dead and buried, the fantastic artwork from it still crops up here and there and has been seen with some of the collector cards that came with figures from the Titans Return, Power of the Primes and other Transformer toy lines.  It’s great this artwork has seen the light of day again and Dirge looks excellent here, blasting away in his robot mode and conversely zooming off in his jet mode.  The art of both modes are based on the Generations toy Dirge received back in 2010, to my mind the best toy of Dirge we’ve had (perhaps barring the Masterpiece version that came out a couple of years ago).

Card Power

The term ‘Dirge’ has to do with laments and music for the dead.  And the way this card plays on the board is very appropriate for the character’s name indeed, for he kills the weak stone dead and gains power from the death of others.

Robot Mode

Dirge is rocking stats of 2 Attack, 11 Health and 2 Defence in robot mode.  Whilst not staggering stats, it’s his power of Pierce 1 that makes him so valuable.  It means no matter the defences up, Dirge is going to inflict at least 1 damage to his opponent, very handy if your opponent has characters that are well defended but also on the brink of death.

Jet Mode

Jet mode has stats of 4 Attack, 11 Health and 2 Defence, so much like the robot mode.  The power of his alt-mode is to get an extra attack point for every character you have KO’ed of your opponent.  So if you have KO’ed say 2 or 3 of your opponents Hero Card’s already, it can bring Dirge’s attack up to a power of 6 or 7.

Card Functionality

The above powers means both sides of Dirge’s card greatly complement each other.  You can use the Pierce 1 of his robot mode to kill off weak opponent cards, then flip to his alt-mode in order to gain extra attack power from those aforementioned KO’ed Hero Cards. You then use this extra power to knock off your opponents healthier Hero Cards.  This gives Dirge a great deal of latitude in regards to what kind of decks you can put him in. Indeed Dirge will be a real asset in particular to decks where you have other Hero Cards taking care of the major offensives and defences.  Make sure you use him in the right deck though – at 8 Stars he will take up nearly a 3rd of the total stars you can use to create your team.  Used correctly however, Dirge will indeed be a bringer of doom!

 

BATTLE CARD:

DEFENSIVE DRIVING

Artwork

The artwork for this card is actually taken from the IDW Transformers comic book series.  In particular the subseries Maximum: Dinobots, published all the way back in 2008/09.  The picture shows one of the Sunstreaker clones (bearing a striking resemblance to Cordon), created by Scorponok, defensively driving out of the way of a tail swipe from Grimlock.  I love the fact that this card series takes its artwork from so many different sources, not just the one.

Card Power & Functionality: UPGRADE – ARMOR

It’s a good thing that these cards are intended for the more advanced way of playing Transformers: TCG rather than the basic, as there is no way my 6 year old son could figure out the power of this card, it even took me a minute of two!

Essentially this card offers extra protection to your characters when played.  Whilst not defending from a direct attack, what is does do is lessen the damage taken from non-direct attacks by your opponent by 1.  This can be extremely handy to play when your opponent has multiple non-direct attacks set up on the board, as they can add up and easily KO one of your Hero Cards.  With this card protecting one of your characters, your Hero Card stands a much better chance of surviving non-direct attacks in order to fight another round.

 

So as we see, Transformers: TCG continues to expand.  I personally will be hoping I find both Dirge and Defensive Driving in blind packs when they are released in March this year.

How are you enjoying Transformers: TCG so far?  Would love to hear in the commments section below!  And for more card reveals, check out Lisamaree on Life With Sprogs to see some great battle cards!

 

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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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