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Bloodhawk Barag
Passion
Reviewed October 27, 2006
Constructed: 3.75
Sealed: 4.0
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale
1 being the worst. 3 ... average.
5 is the highest rating
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That Guy That
Plays DreamBlade |
BLOODHAWK BARAG
Ok so work has completely destroyed, but much
like this new Passion figure, I fight on no
matter what. This guy intoduces a sweet mechanic
I hope Wizards exploits more in Gambit, but we
have to wait til next set for more. Barag is a 8
drop, which really doesn't have too many hot
contenders for as of now aside from the
forgotten Leopardman and the experimented Flame
Harrower. This guy IMO tops both. He has 6 power
(aka good for his cost), and stats of 5/7, which
is better than both characters. No wonder he's a
rare. But now for the effect. Energy Gambit is
one of the 4 Gambit abilites released in Baxar's
War and its a game-breaking and strategic
ability. All you do is sacrifice a turn on the
victory count to each opponent to get a sweet
effect. Now we'll dig deeper, as Energy Gambit
is a unique form of Gambit. If Barag is in a
scoring cell, all you have to do is give up a
turn in order to gain 4 spawn points. Now with
Heartsblood being teched to spill out strong
characters faster, this guy fits in so well. Not
only does he help give up early turns to set up
a very powerful late game, but he adds 6 power.
Not too many warbands have that much power for
that cost. Maybe Dreadmorph or Noble Dragon, but
those are huge costing. This guy helps fuel
blade abilities as well. So basically, he clears
out small guys quick, and helps bring out bigger
guys for the late game. Test him if you pull one
in the next few weeks.
Constructed - 3.5/5 I wish he could give us
another spawn point or two, but still decent and
has good stats for Passion
Sealed - 4/5 Probably more bigger guys you want
to dish out here, which he helps out alot.
Artwork - 3/5 Its funny, when I first saw him he
looked ok, but now he's just a midget with a
spear on a giant bird.
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Charninja |
Yay, another
Baxar's War piece!
Bloodhawk Barag is a pretty nice looking top end
piece with, I am sure you have noticed, a brand
spanking new ability, along with a more than
adequate old one. Relatively more rounded stats
than Passion usually gets, with a life total
that's actually MORE than his power (it would be
funny if it wasn't so true) also helps him out
considerably, but he is a rather high end
figure.
So let's take a closer look:
First up, 8P. Like I said, a converted cost of 9
is kinda up there, but it is certainly managable,
considering how much Passion likes spawn-point
generation with the Temple and the Orangutan and
the Walking Tree. Heck, with those puppies, you
could get a Barag and maybe another piece out
and STILL have a point or three to waste. For
that, you get 6 power, which is pretty dang good
at nearly any cost. 5 Defense and 7 Life are
rounded, like I mentioned earlier, and are
actually pretty solid for a Passion piece.
Nowhere near say, Valor or Fear, but hey,
Passion has always been the glass cannon so no
big surprise there.
Now here's the juicy bit: Energy Gambit 4. To be
honest, I am a bit confused because this piece
says "victory track" while Cyclopean Sprite says
"scoring track" and off hand, I have no idea if
there is a difference, let alone what that is.
For now though, you basically give your opponent
a free point and bringing them that much closer
to winning the game, but in return you get an
extra four spawn points to play with. I most
certainly would not every do this if they had
some 3 or 4 points already, and even less so if
I was already behind, but I could definitely see
this as being used to cement an already firm
control of the board. At the VERY least, a
splashed Voodoo Manipulator or Thunder Sultan
will get an extra two shoves, or net you another
Boneclan Hunter or Bloodthirsty Redcap, or fuel
a Shard Troll or Flame Harrower. Heck, it would
also make the other big beaters that much easier
to summon too.
And hey, to top it all off, you get Crit 2 for a
blade. Always nice.
All things considered, I do not consider the
Gambit abilities something I would actually
gambit with. If you are losing, you just do not
want to help your opponent even more. Unless you
are absolutely, positively 100% CERTAIN, I'd
only use them to grind my opponent's face a
little further into the dirt.
Constructed: 3.5/5 Solid stats, Crit 2, and a
nice kick in the teeth for your opponent. Sounds
like fun to me.
Limited: 3/5 I'd be careful, but who knows, if
you have an actual plan, I could see Gambit
lucking out for you here.
Oh yeah, sorry I haven't been keeping up much
with the reviews. College ya know? We can't all
have a Scarab Warcharm scurry us across campus.
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Rolf the Ruf |
Bloodhawk Barag
8P
Power: 6
Defense: 5
Life: 7
Abilities:
Scoring Cell, Spawn 0: Energy Gambit 4
Single Blade: Crit 2
Woooo-Hoooo! Baxar's War is here at last! We
begin our reviews of the new set with a Passion
Raptor called Bloodhawk Barag. This guy features
a new ability called Gambit. Gambit can enable
various effects as you will no doubt see in
upcoming reviews of other Gambit equipped
creatures. The basic mechanic works like this:
Forfeit a turn to your opponent to get a
specific advantage. In the case of the Bloodhawk,
that advantage is an extra 4 spawn points for
immediate use. The obvious question is, why
sacrifice a turn to gain a few spawn points when
I can get the same 4 points by running a couple
of Heartsblood Temples and give my opponent
nothing? Simple answer: Why not do both? By now,
if you've been playing this game, you know that
early leads can quickly be erased when the
trailing player gains a strategic advantage.
I've seen games in which a player went up 4 or 5
to zip and ended up losing. Setting the table
for yourself by giving up a turn can be a
strategically wise decision. I see this guy
being used earlier rather than late game, in
order to roll out key pieces sooner and faster
than your opponent.
The bottom line is, there is really no good
reason not to run the Bloodhawk. Laying aside
his Gambit ability, you get a solid Passion
beater, with attack, defense and life numbers
that are equal to or better than comparable 7, 8
and 9 drops. And, you get a nice little Crit 2
bonus with the deal. Keep in mind too, that the
Gambit ability is a spawn ability, so it is
entirely at your option when and how to use it.
I prefer the Bloodhawk to the Greenlife Dryad,
mainly because the Bloodhawk gives you a spawn
edge, while the Dryad provides your opponent the
same advantage. The sculpt is pretty cool, but
looks more like a Valor piece than Passion. One
last note: Baxar's War introduces the biggest
fatty yet in the form of Passion's Insated
Ragedrake -- a 13-drop! With that kind of
spawnage, the Bloodhawk may just be a necessity.
Constructed: 4/5
Sealed: 4/5 (Just as good!)
Artwork 3.5/5 |
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