Culdscience 3 - Bargain Boys

[Ben-Ra]

3.1 "Here at Crazy Ben-Ra's we've got creature prices so low, you don't know what happened! Bargains from 0-30g every day! Try one today and be amazed!" (Fine print: no warranty. Creatures not guaranteed to do anything. Use at your own risk).

New Terms
IL = Item Limit

My doctorate may be in Culdscience, but I occasionally dabble in other fields. Psychology, for instance. I find it fascinating how certain cards in Culdcept can function very much like a Rorschach test (during which psychologists show you pictures of inkspills and ask you what it looks like, usually they're fishing for "a butterfly", I think). Take a card like Demonic Trade. Some people get halfway through the text, say "what the deuce?", and move on. Others spend hours trying to figure out how to use that card in the most devastating way possible. No, this column isn't about Demonic Trade. That was just a really great example using my overly long psychology metaphor. This column IS about some other cards that have a Rorschach effect. If you're the sort of player whose hair goes gray when the die goes against him, or who turns off the PS2 in resentment when he doesn't draw the right card, you may want to skip this column entirely, since it deals with the riskiest, most random creatures in the game, but also some of the cheapest. Without further ado (there's obviously been more than enough already), here are "Crazy Ben-Ra's Bargain Basement Creature Deals!"

Amber Mosquito (R) (NC)
ST:0 HP:40 G:10
Item Limit: xScroll
Transform into "Tyrannosaurus" or "Giant Rat" during battle.

Baldanders (S) (NC)
ST:0 HP:30 G:10
During battle, transform to random.
(Transforms into any creature from the game.)

Doppelganger (R) (NC)
ST:0 HP:30 G:10+Discard
Transforms into the same creature as the opponent's during battle.

Mystic Egg (R) (NC)
ST:0 HP:30 G:0
Egg hatches into a different creature during battle based on the item used.

Spectre (N) (YC)
ST:0 HP:30 G:30
Transforms ST and HP randomly from 10-70 during battle.

What these creatures have in common is that they all become something other than what they are. More accurately, their printed stats are not used in combat (with the exception of Mystic Egg, if item is not used). Second, none of them costs over 30g (Doppelganger also has a DR). Third, they all have at least 30 HP. So what does this all mean and why should you care? Or, more to the point, when and why should you use these creatures?


All of these guys have the capability of being pretty big. The worst is Mystic Egg, who can be as big as 50/50 or 40/60. Amber Mosquito could be 50/60, and everyone else here can be even bigger, potentially. Certainly, they could be very small instead. But the possibility, and therefore threat, is very important. Those which change into different creatures entirely possess even greater threat since they could end up with a devastating ability. The potential and unpredictability of these creatures is what makes them useful, almost as much as the actual effect it has in battle.

Low cost makes them outstanding early cards, and good cards at almost any point in the game. Within the first couple of laps, dropping one of these guys on a square is almost never a bad decision. The minimum value of any territory is 50, and most are worth more than that. So in any case you're gaining value instantly by playing one on an unoccupied square. With more territories owned comes higher lap bonus, earlier in the game, and you spent less cash to get it. Plus, you can trade them out later for a more stable creature, and you will have wasted little or no g doing it. Finally, they are a cheap way of rotating a creature who's been afflicted with a negative status.

If an opponent lands on one, they'll probably think pretty hard about whether to fight, especially if the toll is low. The majority of the time they would have to spend more g to win the fight than you spent on your bargain guy, sometimes a lot more. And if they lose (since that's almost always a possibility), they really get killed on the expenses. So a lot of times opponents will simply pay a toll to one of these guys rather than risk blowing a wad of cash on nothing.

On the other hand, if you land on an opponent's territory (especially early), it's often a perfectly good idea to throw one of these guys at whatever's in your way. Worst case scenario, you lose a little more g than the toll itself, best case scenario, you took the enemy's land and killed something worth way more than what you played. Keep in mind, of course, that there are many later-game scenarios (usually with leveled-up lands), which these guys can't handle (even with the best luck) without an item.

Their low cost also ties in with the base HP in that they can't be killed by MB, and if someone uses EB (which will kill any of them except Amber Mosquito), they will have spent at least 90g more to kill your guy than it cost you to cast him (although you do lose the territory value also). Note that Doppelganger is a bit worse in that his DR means you really lost two cards to the opponent's one, but at least he only costs 10g.

Here are some general battle tips and facts regarding these manic-depressive cards. With the exception of Amber Mosquito's scroll limit, none of them have any IL. Those which transform to other creatures still use whatever item you chose, even if what they transform into could not normally use that item! Mystic Egg is different in that while any item can be selected, the only ones that have any effect on the battle (outside of being the basis for Egg's transform) are The Hand, Gremlin Amulet, Talisman, and Stink Bottle, which all possess item capture/destroy properties. Those effects do occur before the Egg transforms, and in the case of The Hand, if the opponent did use an item, the Egg will steal it and base his transform on that item instead of on the Hand. Their HP will reset to the printed HP after combat in almost all cases. If their MHP is below maximum (EX: they got hit with an MB or MDS), that won't have any effect in battle since the stats change completely. If they die in a transformed state, it is the transformation that exists in the 'discard pile' for purposes of the card Raise Dead (soon to be a column, hehe. Shameless plug). Part 2 of this column will feature more specific-card strategies.

EDIT: lap bonus is increased by number of territories held, not territory value.

[Ben-Ra]

3.2
Before I move onto part 2 of this column, which will discuss usage and strategy of specific creatures in our bargain bin, I do want to make clear that from time to time (sometimes way too often), these guys will break your heart. I mean it. You land on that 1024 toll, and your only hope is Baldanders. And then, 30 seconds later, you feel like Tina Turner and old Baldanders is Ike. Or something like that. Anyway, I like these cards, I think they're useful (especially when used properly), and I think they're "fun", whatever that means. Being a post-doctoral fellow doesn't leave a lot of time for "fun', let me tell you. But even though I like them doesn't mean they don't treat me bad sometimes...

Amber Mosquito is the most straightforward of our gang. That's both good and bad. It's good because you can say with certainty that his stats will be one of two values, after items and so on. But of course the opponent can do the same, which limits the psychological factor. Even so, you can't beat 10g for a 50/60 creature. If your Mosquito is on defense, you can actually attempt to cover both bases by using an item which grants both ST and HP, so if it's Giant Rat, it can kill with its FA, or if it's Tyrannosaurus, it can survive the hit and counterattack. That situation may not occur often, but it's worth noting.

Baldanders is my personal favorite of the bunch, just because it's greatly amusing (to me, anyway) seeing him change into, well, anything. Perhaps the most shocking transform I've ever seen was when he changed into...Baldanders. And he didn't change again, either. Anyway, Baldanders is like a really big Swiss Army knife that can do anything, except the parts come out randomly so you don't know if you're gonna get a bottle opener or the wrong end of a steak knife. He epitomizes the elements I described in part 1, and he also has the best mindgames and potential. There is literally no situation Baldanders can't handle in some way, if the conditions are right. For the record, there is a roughly .44% chance he will turn into any particular creature. I say roughly because it's not known whether or not he changes into E-rated creatures. We've never seen him do it, but that doesn't mean anything. In fact, if anyone HAS seen him change into one (Astral Queen, Leoknight, Sanctum Guard, Tetramorph) please let me know. Anyway, there isn't much in the way of advanced strategy or tactics with him, other than if the fight is important, give him the best item you can, which is kind of a no-brainer. I will very likely produce an appendix to this column (which will probably take about three years to write) which lists percentage chances for stats on offense and defense. But don't hold your breath.

Doppelganger is the most complicated and flexible guy in the group, but also the most dependable. You know exactly what he's going to turn into and what stats he'll have. Again, though, so will your opponent. This generally makes him better on offense than defense, since you can easily pick situations that will insure victory, whereas if he's on the map the opponent can do the same to you. He works well attacking FA creatures, obviously. He does have some shortcomings. He can't kill Defense creatures very well. Watch out for enemy creatures with drawbacks (like lords' 100g fighting fee, or Berserker's self-confusion).

Part 3 (dear god will it ever end?) will cover Spectre and Mystic Egg.

The 2 readers of this column: "they're cheap! We get it already!"

[Ben-Ra]

3.3 The End is Nigh

Spectre plays similarly to Baldanders in that he has a wide random stat range, however he has no other special abilities. Since his stats vary between 10-70 (and in case you haven't used him, they vary individually, ST could be 23 and HP could be 66, for example), then the average value should be about 40. One thing that sets him apart from his comrades here is that he actually has a color and therefore gets LB, so assuming your opponent isn't using EB (which hopefully you can make an educated guess about at some point), he's pretty good to level up, especially if you have some good defensive items. As usual, just use items according to the situation and importance of the outcome.

Mystic Egg requires more forethought and careful play than the rest of the discount dudes. And part of the work is memorization. Since you'll know what items cause which transformation (if not, don't play Mystic Egg), that will give you a definite advantage if your opponent doesn't know. I don't talk about the AI much (since it's pretty easy to beat even with mediocre decks and playing), but I'm fairly certain that the AI does know what every transformation every item causes, so don't think they'll be fooled. The strength of Mystic Egg, like the other cheap dates, is in versatility and affordability. Unlike the others, however, you have a great deal of control over the Egg, both in your selection of cards and in which you hold on to during the match. The only thing you can't control is which ones you draw when, obviously.

Mystic Egg has 10 different Transformations, some more useful than others. The list, taken from ExMortis's FAQ, appears below. I have added the cost in parentheses following each item.

Transform List
Carbuncle: Aura Blade(40), Gem of Life(20), Gremlin Amulet(70), Iksear(50), Neutral Amulet(10), Prismatic Wand(80), Ring of the Vampire(30), Storm Causer(60), Tower Shield(40), Vorpal Sword(40)
Cockatrice: Chain Mail(10), Crossbow(70), Fire Amulet(30), Flame Tongue(10), Holy Grail(80), Nunchaku(0), Offering Doll(0), Rat Hunter(50), Stone Hail(40), Winged Boots(10)
Cyclops: Battering Ram(30), Boomerang(40), Chameleon Armor(30), Earth Amulet(30), Leather Armor(0), Living Shield(40) Magic Shield(10), Petrify Stone(50), Sapphire Ring(30), Sleep(50), Terrair(50), Water Amulet(30)
Dragonfly: Buckler(30), Claw of the Ghoul(10), Earth Shield(25), Living Spear(50), Mujina Mask(30), Necro Scarab(60), Phoenix Amulet(20), Rock Biter(10), Shadow Armor(30), Sling(40), Trident(70), Venom(20), Water Shield(25)
Fire Giant: Air Slasher(10), Battle Axe(30), Bell of Chaos(50), Dragon Helm(70), Dynamite(50), Icicle(10), Kris(50), Living Sword(30), Long Sword(10), Magus's Mirror(40), Nuclear Fusion(120), Silver Plow(100)
Giant Amoeba: Bell of Law(10), Black Orb(30), Diamond Armor(60), Emerald Ring(30), Glaive(40), Hourglass(10), Mace(0), Power Braclet(30), Scale Armor(30), Trapezon(20)
Goblin: Catapult(90), Coin of Piety(0), Death(80), Masamune(50), Rainbow Piece(50), Ring of the Succubus(30), Smoke Torch(30), Sword of the Falcon(30), Vestment(50),
Wind Shield(25)
Nightmare: Dagger of Mite(40), Fire Bolt(40), Gaseous Form(70), Heart Fibula(30), Protean Ring(0), Ruby Ring(30), Spear(20), Tearing Halo(80), The Hand(80), Wind Cutter(40)
Sprite: Changing Salve(0), Counter Amulet(100), Fire Shield(25), Golden Goose(0), Luna Stone(50), Marker Flag(30), Plate Mail(60), Spike Shield(60), Wind Amulet(30)
Storm Giant: Amber Ring(30), Bandit Glove(0), Claymore(60), Freeze(40), Hell Blaze(80), Knight Shield(40), Lance of Odin(80), Morning Star(40), Stink Bottle(20), Talisman(100)

Note that items which normally have a recycle abilty (hand or deck) are not recycled when Egg eats them.

So how to make use of this mass of info? If you're looking to work Egg into an existing deck, see if some of the items you currently use would result in some good transforms or good 'deals'. Just memorize what does what (or keep this FAQ handy) and you're good to go. That's the simplest way to use him, but not the most efficient necessarily.

So how do I streamline my deck and make Egg really work for me? Take a look at what your deck does, and what its existing weaknesses in terms of creatures are. Then see if any of Egg's forms can fill that gap. Next, try and find item(s) which cause that transform that will work well within the deck. I'll give an example.

EX: I have a red/green deck. I'd like a way to get down something on red or green spaces early that's affordable and doesn't have LR, plus I want it to be able to prevent my opponents from placing their red or green creatures on it. That's my land!

Giant Amoeba neutralizes both red and green, so it would serve both purposes, and be cheap to get down. So what items would I include? Hourglass is always nice since it insures your creature will strike first, whether attacking or defending, and if the deck has some heavy hitters, Power Bracelet is an efficient way to give them a lot of ST, but isn't very useful in the early game when there aren't as many big creatures or fights. Hourglass only costs 10g, which is great, and Power Bracelet is still very affordable at 30g.

Later in the game I may need a bigger creature, and I have Battle Axe and Claymore, which gives me the option of either Fire Giant or Storm Giant, at a cost of 30 or 60g. Not bad!

Another thing Egg can do is provide a few options for dealing with unexpected cicumstances or annoying situations. Opponent beating you to death with an Old Willow? Transform Egg into a Cockatrice and Old Will turns into a significantly less irritating Stonewall. Small enemy with a big LB? Transform into Nightmare to hit 'em where it hurts.

Finally, for the hardcore Egg-enthusiast, you can go out of your way to make him a cheap, potent creature whenever you need him. Pair him with Bandit Glove, Long Sword, or Leather Armor for big muscle at 0-10g. Don't forget that Egg's HP resets after every battle in which he transforms, so Cyclops's last attack isn't as bad. And that's enough about Mystic Egg.

Aside from the Egg, I'm going to discuss what kinds of decks benefit most from our Blue Light Specials, and why. Decks that are chronically low on g, either from expensive creatures or spells, can get more bang for the buck. Decks with a lot of LRs also benefit from having something cheap that can go on any land but still be defensible. Decks who don't use a lot of creatures, but need a few to fill the deck out or to harass the opponent, benefit from their low cost and versatility.

[TheTampaCepter]

Dude you are the man! So much awesome info

[Juggler]

Yes great feature article on these guys.

I know I got a Doppleganger early and have used it in my deck since, with much success in the early story so far.

[Ben-Ra]

If you've got some tips or strategy for Doppelganger, feel free to share, since I admit I've used him least out of the featured creatures.

[ChamoftheGemini]

Dopplganger, in my experience, is most useful when the deffending creature has First Attack. From then on out the effect is that most will not actually attack with any sucess. Unless the deck is very heavy in the first attacker there is not a large reason to move the Dopplganger. The AI has a tendency to place first attack cards as a priority.

[Insomniac74]

Keep going! These articles are very well written and get me thinking about all sorts of cards I've forgotten about. I can't wait to get my hands on a Baldanders.

[tgwg]

what about protean Ring and Polymorph? do those cards tie into this as well?