The Blacklist 2013 TV Show

Warning: Possible spoiler alert! Read ahead at your own risk. 

It's nice to see James Spader on TV again. Last I saw him was on The Office as Robert California, the wise but sometimes weird boss you'ld be awkward around if you're not chums with him.

But Blacklist if more of a thriller type of show than a comedy. Think Hannibal Lecter working with the FBI. 

In the show, Spader is some sort of high profile criminal who finally surrenders himself to the Feds and helps them catch other high profile criminals in exchange for working with a female rookie profiler. The woman is probably his daughter, which is why he wants to work with her.

 But like all bad guys, I suspect Spader's character has an "end-game" which will be accomplished, perhaps by the end of the series.

In the meantime, each episode will probably highlight some criminal which the duo, along with the help of the Feds, will try to catch or kill.

 There are a lot of shows similar to this format such as CSI, Law & Order, The Mentalist, etc. I guess Spader's acting is what will keep the audience interested. So if you're looking for a new show to try out, why not check out the Blacklist.

Alteil's Latest EX Cards: Albert

Albert seems like a unit you would bring out to deal with enemy units, much like you would Aano. But the decrements to stats are too slow to deal with dangerous units (which usually have high HP, or high AGI, or high AT, or high DF). Seems like she would be effective against a buff undeads deck. But perhaps a skill like Reforestation would have been better - just bring back an enemy units stats to base level. Otherwise, at least match the increments of broken priest (but in a negative manner).

Albert also needs to have higher AGI for the skills to be effective. Otherwise, make the skills Start Skills.

Perhaps the devs got lazy with her, but if she had just one skill, "One target unit gets Level -2", I would be excited. So maybe she will be buffed or modified in time for the official release. But as of the moment, I might just pass her hp if I were a pure Falkow player. 

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Alteil's Latest EX Cards: Hirume

Meant for a Big Blue deck, perhaps to be played together with Rasam. I think the devs might have been sleepy during the design of Miko's Seal. Or perhaps just a wording error. But if an enemy unit gets HP=0, how can it be engaged until the end of the next turn? It already closes. (Unless the intention was that if ever it was revived, it would remain engaged).

If I were to fix the wording, I would say engaged enemy units hit get HP=0 while disengaged enemies become engaged and are engaged until the end of next turn.

Might be the rise of Rasam - Hirume decks, where Hirume is your finisher instead of Bog Wyvern or Galdirea. Dust-off those Time Stops.

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Alteil's Latest EX Cards: Kanyu

For a five star card, I think Kanyu is a bit weak. His Auto skill, Cry of Wu, can bypass DF, but it is only 30 damage that is restricted to level 3 or higher units. Most units in this range can survive an initial 30 damage.

His Action skill might help hit the same unit if it isn't killed the first time. Otherwise, it hits a different enemy unit, making it slightly more efficient than a unit that can consecutively hit but hits the same unit twice. Still, for a level 5 unit, 40 damage is a bit low.

Maybe his Auto skill, Fearful Command would be great for adjacent units with high HP and low AT, and that are slower than him, say, Bear Killing-Axeman or Dual Axe Weilder. So I would think that a Gowen starter can be boosted by this unit. Still, I might just avoid this unit if I were a pure Gowen player, and just wait for the next EX release.

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Alteil's Latest EX Cards: Rosetta

There aren't many players running Poison decks. You'ld probably have to have EX: Augmented Sorc and the latest level 4 card, Hou Sen, to build an effective one. But if you already have those cards, then Rosetta would probably complete the set. Her Start skill might work well with Breath of the Dead. And she acts like a Safira of sorts, being able to engage an enemy unit, at the expense of that unit dealing damage to a friendly unit. (Not a problem if you have an undead wall like Helsmoke).

Dunno if anyone will experiment with a Blue-Black deck with Rosetta in it. But low level returns might work well with her Virulent Poison.

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Alteil's Latest EX Cards: Helcuras

This card was so strong back when it was part of the Batora challenge, (think Brave Hero Dilate that fully heals every time it closes), the only way to deal with it was to return it, which is probably the reason why all cards in this year's Batora challenge have a gain level 4 Auto Skill.

But, like most cards that are no longer under Batora's influence, he has now been nerfed.

Is he a possible SP generator? At first glance, I thought he was, and would be a good replacement for Folrart Guardian in a Star Dragon deck. But his Counter Skill costs 1 SP. So the gain is cancelled out. Even worse, if you don't have any SP to spare, his Counter Skill won't activate. And he's a level 3 card - easily returnable, so under these criteria, Folrart Guardian has an edge.

Nerves of Steel might be fun to try though. Unbuffed, that's 80 damage to an enemy in range. And if you have 2 SP to spare, it might trigger his Counter skill too, adding another 20 damage to a random unit. One might want to try him out in a Catira - Toromea deck since he's a Refess warrior and in order to generate that needed 2 SP.

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Alteil's Latest EX Cards: Wildcat

Do you remember He-Man's cat, Kringer? Looks like he just found a tasty treat.

This card also has killer artwork, compared to the other cards in the new EX set. I haven't really played an effective monster deck with cards higher than level 3. Usually, Gorilla, Alraune, Tiger, Rhino, and Forrest are the staple cards. But this card might pave the way for a new type of monster deck - Mid level perhaps.

It might become an effective two hitter, similar to the way Winston was before his Start skill was turned into an Auto skill. And as long as Wildcat hasn't died, that damage stacks if you keep using Claw Gouge each turn. He also has a chance of healing himself if he is the only monster on the field.

Perhaps he's not meant for a monster deck at all, but a possible replacement for Garfield and friends (Mid Red). Will he be an effective replacement for Winston or Dandan? Wish I could try it out, but I'd have to participate in Alteil Horizons Kickstarter. Being a free player sucks sometimes. Sigh.

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Alteil's Latest EX Cards: Jacques

Do you remember the Red Mantle / DeFau? Take a look at his card below.

I think these two cards might be fun to play together in a Red-Black SP Depletion deck. Or you might also want to try him out in a Blue-Black Eskatia - Summer - Fellana SP Depletion deck, although that one might be harder to construct since it needs a lot of 5 star and 4 star cards. I think I've only encountered one player who used it since the cards came out. That player has lots of money to spare.

Dunno is an Eternal Night (EN) deck splashed with these two cards will fare well. Might be better sticking with a pure Level 2 or Level 3 EN deck.

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Alteil's Latest EX Cards: Tezcatli

Tezcatli is probably the best card, imho, among the newly released EX cards. Not only does it have great stats and skills, but the art work is killer, too. Too bad, I don't think players will have access to him unless they participate in Alteil Horizons Kickstarter.

This card is like a combination of Zu-Jyuva (due to its Close Skill) and Crimson Hero Dilate (without the 4 LP restriction).

I think this card would be fun to play in a Shvara Estaforse deck. It might also be a fun addition to a Big Red deck. Wish I could try it out.

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Alteil's Latest EX Cards as of September 2013

Below are the latest EX cards from Alteil's card list. I think the first 4 are part of the rewards for joining Alteil's Horizons Kickstarter while the last 4 are the characters from the Batora challenge last year. I'll try to discuss each card and what decks I think the cards might fit into in the future. Just click on the card name links.

• Tezcatli
  
• Jacques
  
• Wildcat
  

• Hirumi
  
  
  
  Previous Batora Cards
  
  
• Helcuras
  
• Rosetta
  
• Kanyu
  
• Albert