The Book of Thundercracker

[Ericth74]

yea seems like a fun group

[Tornado]

Yea

[IAmBatman]

yea

[fret_gurglo]

Did you decide to against having Sonic Boom only activate once per game?

[MrNobody]

Yea

[Yodaking]

Originally Posted by fret_gurglo

Did you decide to against having Sonic Boom only activate once per game?

No, thanks for the catch. I'll update the SP.

[fret_gurglo]

yea

[Yodaking]

Any thoughts on how to handle public testing? I was planning on posting them both up at once, but should they be a package deal or focus first on testing them without each other? Do I ask for one test with each on it's own, then one test with Starscream (who I can send along) or with the other one if they also had previously signed up to test it?

[fret_gurglo]

Version tested

Spoiler Alert!

NAME = THUNDERCRACKER

SPECIES = CYBERTRONIAN
UNIQUENESS = UNIQUE HERO
CLASS = SEEKER
PERSONALITY = CONFLICTED

SIZE/HEIGHT = HUGE 15 (DOUBLE BASED)

LIFE = 6

MOVE = 7
RANGE = 6
ATTACK = 4
DEFENSE = 6

POINTS = 270

SEEKER ASSAULT
After revealing an Order Marker on this card and making a normal attack with this figure, you may make one normal attack, on a new target, with any Seeker you control.

SONIC BOOM 6
Once per game, instead of moving and attacking normally with Thundercracker, you may move Thundercracker up to 10 spaces in a straight line. One at a time, for each figure on or within 2 spaces of a hex you passed over, roll the 20-sided die. On a roll of 6 or higher, if able to, the opponent must remove an Order Marker on that card.

AERIAL ADVANTAGE
While Thundercracker can use his Flying special power, he is always considered to have height advantage on non-flying figures.

FLYING
SUPERSTRENGTH

Army Test
Map: Dark Dimension
Units: Captain America (240), Silver Samurai (240), Star Lord (250), Thundercracker (270) (1000) vs Black Hand (475), Black Lantern x3 (525) (1000)

Powers Used:
Seeker Assault: 0
Sonic Boom: 1
Sonic Boom (OMs removed): X & 3
Aerial Advantage: 0

Damage from normal attacks: 7

Lanterns just kept recovering batteries faster than they could be removed. Thundercracker was instrumental for his double attack, but his Sonic Boom fell pretty flat (Thundercracker gave up his turn for the enemy to lose one turn).

Who won? List figures remaining in the winning army (include life remaining for heroes): Black Lantern 1/4 Life remaining with 2 Batteries, Black Hand 2/5 Life remaining with 2 Batteries, Captain America 1/5 Life remaining

Spoiler Alert!

Round 1: Star Lord takes the long shot for 2 wounds on Black Hand. Hand advances and strikes back on Star Lord for 2 wounds.
Round 2: Cap hits 2 different Black Lanterns for 1 wound each. Hand hits Star Lord for 1 wound. Silver Samurai attacks Black Hand and forces him to remove a battery. Hand destroys Star Lord and all lanterns gain a battery. Lanterns attack Cap for 1 wound. Lava Field deals 1 wound to a Lantern
Round 3: Hand attacks Samurai for 2 wounds. Sonic Boom removes OM X and 3. Hand destroys Samurai and boosts all lanterns. Thundercracker destroys 2 uncommons for a battery marker each. Cap hits a lantern and destroys a battery marker. Hand hits Cap for 3 wounds. Thundercracker would destroy another 2 lanterns except they are saved by their batteries.
Round 4: Cap destroys a lantern. Hand destroys Cap and charges batteries but uses 1 to revive Cap. Thundercracker hits Cap for 1 wound and burns a battery on a lantern. Hand hits Thundercracker for 4 wounds. Thundercracker destroys a lantern. Last Black Lantern destroys Thundercracker.

___________________________________________________________
Army Test
Map: Dark Dimension
Units: Captain America (240), Skywarp (280), Starscream (310), Thundercracker (270) (1100) vs Black Adam (380), Gorilla Grodd (285), Lex Luthor (185), Sinestro (250) (1100)

Powers Used:
Seeker Assault: 2
Sonic Boom: 0
Sonic Boom (OMs removed): 0
Aerial Advantage: Lost count

Damage from normal attacks: 4

The Injustice League focused their early attacks on Captain America who was difficult to take down. These early turns gave the Seekers the chance to get ahead.
Who won? List figures remaining in the winning army (include life remaining for heroes): Skywarp 4/6 Life remaining, Starscream 1/7 Life remaining, Thundercracker 6/6 Life remaining

Spoiler Alert!

Round 1: Skywarp teleports and hits Sinestro for 1 wound. End of round Sinestro takes 1 wound from lava field.
Round 2: Black Adam attacks Captain America for 1 wound, then Sinestro hits him for another. Thundercracker attacks Grodd for 3 wounds while Skywap hits him for 1 more. Cap hits Sinestro for 2 wounds. Lava field damage on Captain America for 1 wound.
Round 3: Cap destroys Sinestro. Adam destroys Cap. Starscream attacks Adam for 2 wounds. Adam hits Starscream for 1 wound. Skywarp teleports for 1 wound on Grodd and destroy him. Starscream hits Adam for 2 wounds. Adam hits Starscream for 1 wound.
Round 4: Adam heals 1 wound. Skywarp teleports near Lex Luthor and hits him for 2 wounds. Starscream hits Adam for 2 wounds. Lex punches Skywarp for 1 wound. Lava field does 1 wound to Adam.
Round 5: Adam hits Starscream for 4 wounds. Thundercracker attacks Lex who uses a marker to divert 1 wound to Skywarp. Starscream destroys Adam. Skywarp destroys Lex.

THOUGHTS ON THE TESTED UNIT'S COST, BALANCE, & DRAFTABILITY:
By far the worst Seeker and probably not worth the 270 points, best guess at value would be around 250.

GENERAL THOUGHTS ON THE TESTED UNIT: Thundercracker needs a boost. Aerial Advantage does allow for his Seeker Assault to sometimes be the better use, but not enough. His biggest draw back is Sonic Boom. It is extremely difficult to activate and even when it does it barely has any effect. He has to give up his entire turn to maybe take away 1-2 turns from the opponent once per game. Most times we found that he could only achieve a couple of figures in the line or they have multiple OMs on that card and gladly just gave up the X for no effect.

SONIC BOOM 6
Once per game, if you win Initiative, you may remove an Order Marker on this card to move Thundercracker up to 10 spaces in a straight line. One at a time, roll the 20-sided die for each Order Marker on cards for figures controlled by opponents on or within 2 spaces of a hex Thundercracker passed over using this power. On a roll of 6 or higher, that opponent must remove the Order Marker.

And if that’s too much, make it a numbered OM or increase roll to 8 or something.

[Yodaking]

Thanks for the tests. Kind of like that idea of using the X for a free try at Sonic Boom once per game.

[Yodaking]

I can also see why rolling for each OM would be better, as your opponent giving up the X wouldn't be an option. When playing the Titans, I wanted to take out the X but that is a rare occasion. Fan4 just ignoring the power by giving up the X is an issue.

Since sound carries, how would you feel about trimming the spaces flown over stuff and just rolled for every OM. Could raise the number if needed.

SONIC BOOM 10
Once per game, after you win Initiative, you may immediately remove an Order Marker on this card to move Thundercracker 10 spaces in a straight line. One at a time, roll the 20-sided die for every opponent's Order Marker. On a roll of 10 or higher, that opponent must remove the Order Marker.

Need to double check how that would work with Prime's OM saving power, but knocking out 55% of OM's once per game should give your team a chance to jump out to a lead. All it really cost you is the X and potentially putting him in a bad spot (since the 10 spaces moved is mandatory now).

[fret_gurglo]

Looks good. I really struggled to find any use for Sonic Boom and the one time I did, I regretted it because I think Thundercracker would have been better off to just attack. This version no longer costs him his turn and it will advance him (hopefully the right direction) into the battle.