The Book of Ghost Rider

[IAmBatman]

He'll be an interesting one to see on the battlefield for sure. Heavy hitters won't be a very good indication of baseline cost here, because they really can't factor in Penance Stare. Still, they'll give an indication of how much he's worth without it, which is a start.
And you meant Catwoman, Tickle, not Catgirl.

[tcglkn]

Yea, I meant that. I was thinking of Batgirl at the time I guess. Porkins replied and said the same thing, but he knew what I meant.

[IAmBatman]

C3G INITIAL PLAYTEST FEEDBACK FORM

NAME OF THE TEST UNIT (GHOST RIDER)

- THEME TEST/ Check to see if there are any powers or stats on the test unit card that does not accurately reflect the theme or likeness of what the character would and could do. Also consider destructible objects, and whether or not this characters powers should affect them.
PASS

- MIRROR TEST/ Check to see if the unit were played against itself, if there would be any loops that would upset the balance of the Game.
PASS

- BONDING TEST/ Compare the unit card with all possible currently existing Bonding abilities to make sure there are no continual Bonding possibilities that do not stop appropriately or do not stop at all. This is to prevent loops in Bonding.
PASS

- SYNERGIES TEST/ Compare the unit card with all possible currently existing synergies to make sure there are no factors that could break the game by making any unit to powerful or too weak.
PASS

- POWER CHECK/ Consider the test unit and all existing units and all glyphs to compare to and check for any powers that could be over amplified and break the game. Each power must define when it takes place, who or what it affects, and What are the stipulations on the power if there are any.
PASS

- FUN TEST/ Consider whether or not the design was fun to play.
PASS

- FUN COMPETITIVE TEST/ Consider whether or not the design was fun to play against.
PASS

- DRAFTING TEST/ Consider whether or not this design is worth drafting.
PASS

- USAGE TEST/ Consider whether or not all of the powers on this card were used or at least usable.
PASS

- STRATEGY TEST/ Consider whether or not the design offers any real strategy or interesting tactics to the overall game.
PASS

Heavy Hitter or Mid-Level Hero Test
- Does it pass, Yes or No? Yes
- What should be the unit's point value? 390
- Give a brief overview. Darkseid was a bad match up, but Ghost Rider’s still a tough customer, and having a shot at auto destroying any Unique Hero is worth paying for, especially considering it wasn’t even at full power here without other units in his army to enhance it.

Spoiler Alert!

TEST 1
Map: Custom
Units: Ghost Rider vs. Hulk (370)
Ghost Rider got in a nice attack of 6 skulls that Hulk whiffed on to swing this one, and then won initiative for Round 2 to prevent Hulk from paying off on his new rage and put Hulk to bed. The first time I played this one, Ghost Rider hit a 20 before either of them attacked and Penance Stared Hulk right out of the game.
I think Hulk should have a more balanced showing in the next test, though, once the dice even out.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Ghost Rider wins with 5 wounds Turn 1 Round 2.

TEST 2
Map: Custom
Units: Ghost Rider vs. Hulk (370)
This time the dice balanced out a bit and Hulk won a close one. This match up feels really even without really factoring in Penance Stare. With Penance Stare factored in, 390 makes sense.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Hulk wins with 1 life left on Turn 3 Round 2.

TEST 3
Map: Custom
Units: Ghost Rider vs. Hulk (380)
Ghost Rider makes the mistake of putting three wounds on Hulk with an attack to end Round 1 here. Hulk won initiative and that was all she wrote.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Hulk with 3 wounds wins on Turn 1 Round 2 with his rage marker on.

TEST 4
Map: Custom
Units: Ghost Rider vs. Hulk (380)
This time I did a better job of managing the Rage Marker, but Hulk got enraged for the second time in Round 2 and used two attacks of 12 to finish off Ghost Rider (who got in one failed Penance Stare roll on Turn 2 of the round rather than trying to get one wound on a six dice attack versus twelve defense dice).
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Hulk with 1 life wins on Turn 3 Round 2 with his rage marker on.

TEST 5
Map: Custom
Units: Ghost Rider vs. Darkseid (380)
Ghost Rider was forced to get into melee and Darkseid whipped on him in melee. On Turn 1 of Round 2, Ghost Rider took a hail Mary at Penance Stare, but rolled a 15.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Darkseid with 1 wound wins Turn 1 Round 2.

TEST 6
Map: Custom
Units: Ghost Rider vs. Darkseid (380)
This time Ghost Rider knew he couldn’t compete in melee with Darkseid, so I decided to go exclusively Penance Stare and see if I could get enough rolls to make a difference. I got in five tries, but it didn’t. Darkseid did take one wound from his own Omega Effect for failing to wound Ghost Rider with it, though.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Darkseid with 1 wound wins Turn 3 Round 2.

TEST 7
Map: Custom
Units: Ghost Rider vs. Silver Surfer (400)
Silver Surfer blew a lot of Order Markers on auto skulls and shields, but couldn’t quite make them fully pay off here. This was definitely a fun match!
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Ghost Rider wins with 4 wounds Turn 1 Round 3.

TEST 8
Map: Custom
Units: Ghost Rider vs. Silver Surfer (400)
Silver Surfer managed to burn Order Markers for defense so survive Round 2 (and even heal a wound) then got initiative in Round 3 and sold out for what ended up being a 7 skull attack that easily put the last four wounds on Ghost Rider for the win.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Silver Surfer with 4 wounds (1 healed) wins Turn 1 Round 3.

TEST 9
Map: Custom
Units: Ghost Rider vs. M.O.D.O.K. (360)
Ghost Rider rolled great attacks and MODOK couldn’t keep up with his Forcefield and poor defense rolls. He rolled all right for DOFK, but one wound at a time couldn’t keep pace with Ghost Rider.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Ghost Rider with 2 wounds wins Turn 3 Round 2.

TEST 10
Map: Custom
Units: Ghost Rider vs. M.O.D.O.K. (360)
MODOK stayed alive for a bit here, but was ice cold on DOFK. He managed to get height and get in the first attack, which netted him two wounds on MODOK, but it wasn’t enough.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Ghost Rider with 4 wounds wins Turn 1 Round 4.

_____________________________________________________________

Squad Test
- Does it pass, Yes or No? Yes
- What should be the unit's point value? 360?
- Give a brief overview. Ghost Rider is a hero killer, not a squad killer, but his stats are solid enough for him to do OK.
Map: Custom
Units: Ghost Rider vs. Skrull Warriors x3 + 1 (385)

Spoiler Alert!

The dice felt pretty fair here and Ghost Rider held his own for a bit, but eventually succumbed to attrition.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? 3 Skrull Warriors survive to win Turn 2 Round 3.

_____________________________________________________________

Squad Test
- Does it pass, Yes or No? Yes
- What should be the unit's point value? 420?
- Give a brief overview. Against weaker squads, Ghost Rider’s stats held up well.
Map: Custom
Units: Ghost Rider vs. HYDRA Agents x5 (400)

Spoiler Alert!

Ghost Rider averaged about 2 kills a round, whereas the HYDRA had trouble consistently wounding Ghost Rider with their weak attacks of 2.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Ghost Rider wins with 2 life Turn 1 Round 9.

_____________________________________________________________

Army Test
- Does it pass, Yes or No? Yes
- What should be the unit's point value? 360?
- Give a brief overview. It’s easier said than done to get a pumped up Penance Stare in an army test. Even with Blob and Invisible Woman providing necessary targets, it takes a lot for the normal attack not to be a smarter choice.
Map: Custom
Units: Ghost Rider (390), Invisible Woman (215), Blob (165), Iceman (150), Shadowcat (80) (1,000) vs. Loki (420), Red Skull (220), Thanos (360) (1,000)

Spoiler Alert!

Ghost Rider only had one shot at an amped up Penance Stare. He could have rolled for it against Thanos with Invisible Woman on his card and hit on an 18+ instead of a 19+. At that point, though, Blob and Iceman had put all but one wound on Thanos, so it made more sense for Ghost Rider to just put Thanos down with his normal attack. Ghost Rider didn’t roll well on defense here, taking 3 wounds from Thanos from range early and then 2 more from Loki on Loki’s first attack. Ghost Rider managed to put 2 wounds on Loki, then would have put 2 more on him, but Loki hit his God of Evil roll and finished Ghost Rider off. Loki also would have taken 2 wounds from Iceman, but hit his God of Evil roll to finish Iceman off. This set up an end game with 2 wound Loki versus Shadowcat – Shadowcat didn’t stand a chance. Ghost Rider put one wound on Thanos and two wounds on Loki overall, which is a bit underwhelming for 390. Thanos didn’t resurrect, Red Skull didn’t get abusive with the Cosmic Cube, and Ghost Rider’s army still got rolled.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Loki with 2 wounds wins on Turn 3 of Round 7.

_____________________________________________________________

Army Test
- Does it pass, Yes or No? Yes
- What should be the unit's point value? 390
- Give a brief overview. Ghost Rider didn’t have much impact here, but his Penance Stare was a nice finisher.
Map: Custom
Units: Ghost Rider (390), Lady Deathstrike (240), Hand Ninja x2 (170) vs. Thor (430), Hulk (370) (800)

Spoiler Alert!

Lady Deathstrike and the Hand Ninja were terrors here, taking out Hulk and putting 6 wounds on Thor before Ghost Rider even got into the fray. Hulk put 5 wounds on Lady Deathstrike (one of which she healed) and Thor took out all the Hand Ninja and finished off Lady Deathstrike. He was turning his attention to Ghost Rider next, but Ghost Rider had the first shot. Thor only had 2 life left at this point, so it was a tough choice between using Ghost Rider’s normal attack or trying to Penance Stare on 15+. I went with Penance Stare and hit a natural 20. Ghost Rider destroys a 2 life Thor for the win – but the MVPs here were Lady Deathstrike and the Ninja.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Ghost Rider with Full Life wins Turn 3 Round 4.

I think either 380 or 390 are reasonable to send this guy into playtesting with. I don’t think Penance Stare gets all that much better in army tests because if Ghost Rider waits for it to get pumped up, he’s usually using it against wounded enemy figures, making their deaths less valuable.

[tcglkn]

Linked to the OP.

[IAmBatman]

Heavy hitters in. I'm buying 390 so far. I forget I had company tonight, but I'll try to wrap up the rest of this tomorrow!

[tcglkn]

Sounds like a good match. I love how he hit Penance Stare on practically his first try and that was it. It's gonna be nasty after someone has killed one or two figures.

[IAmBatman]

Yeah. That potential alone makes me not worry too much about Darkseid owning him. 390 still feels right.

[IAmBatman]

Squad tests in. Still feel good about 390. But the army tests should be the real test. I should be able to get them done tomorrow.

[IAmBatman]

All wrapped up. I like him at 380 or 390, leaning towards 380.

[tcglkn]

Looks good. I'm definitely leaning towards 380 myself with the potential to raise a bit if he destroys a ton in Public Testing.

[IAmBatman]

Yeah, sounds good. He definitely doesn't feel like he outclasses Darkseid (the opposite, actually).

[tcglkn]

Alright. Well I put him down as 380 in the OP. Did you happen to check the height of this figure?