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Pirate Piece of the Day

USS Mercury
 
Name
 USS Mercury
 Type  Ship
 Rank  N/A
 Point Value  16
 Collector's Number  300
 Rarity  Rare

Piece Ratings: 2.80

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale 1 being the worst.
3 ... average. 5 is the highest rating.


Date Reviewed - 8.27.07

 
Cadet-Captain Mike Name: USS Mercury
Card: MI #300 (Rare - Special)
Points: 16
Faction: USA

Masts: 3 (rating: 3 / 5)
Cargo: 4 (rating: 3 / 5)
Moves: L (rating: 2 / 5)
Guns : 2L,2L,2L (rating: 4 / 5)
Hit %: 200 (S), 200 (L)
Keyword: Submarine
Ability: This ship ignores the first hit she takes each turn as long as she has all of her hull pieces.

This is "Mysterious Islands Promo Pack Week." If you found all four "message in a bottle" papers in packs of MI cards, and sent them to WizKids with a given number of pack wrappers and receipts, you got a bonus pack of two ships, a crew, and a unique treasure. Our first victim is the American submarine, USS Mercury.

As subs go, this isn't a bad one. Her cannons are excellent, and with her defensive ability, she can surface and fire on almost anything with four masts or less without fear. She has the submerged-ram ability of all subs, but most subs don't dare fight on the surface unless the enemy is weak; the Mercury is a double threat. With decent cargo, she could also grab a little gold if no other targets are nearby.

The sub's down points are her low speed and her high cost. A Helmsman can fix the speed. The cost is unavoidable, and it gets worse once you add the Helmsman, plus a Captain to take full advantage of her cannons.
This is not a sub you'd use in a 30-point game. On the other hand, the high cost means you can trick her out with all kinds of fancy crew without going over the ship's point limit for crew. A powerful (but very expensive) combination would be Jonathan Haraden, for the Captain ability and a reroll, with the MI version of Montana Mays, for a second action and a bonus on boarding rolls.

I have to compare the Mercury to two other subs. The other American sub, USS Lamon, is faster and 25% cheaper, but not nearly as good in battle; the Mercury is a better value. The same 16 points would buy you the Nautilus, similar in many ways, with slightly worse cannons and a better defensive ability; I rate them about the same.

This is a good little ship. Any aggressive captain can find plenty of uses for her. If he can afford her.

Gold ship rating: 2.1 / 5
Gunship rating: 3.4 / 5
Boarding ship rating: 3.0 / 5
Overall value: 2.8 / 5

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