Star Trek CCG - First Contact Card Strategies

BORG

 

Borg Queen
by Kathy McCracken (majorrakal@decipher.com)

The Borg Queen has only two skills, but they are arguably the most important ones you can have in your collective. The first is a selectable, and changeable, skill. While the Borg have most of the skills they need for passing dilemmas (and don't need mission-solving skills), they lack a few key skills, such as Empathy and OFFICER, for passing certain wall dilemmas. Since it would be inconvenient, to say the least, to have to go out and assimilate an OFFICER whenever you encounter a Maglock, the Borg Queen provides access to any regular skill in the game (although you will have to wait till the start of your next turn to switch to the needed skill). Like all regular skills, the selected skill may be shared throughout the hive with the Interlink Drone, providing multiples for whatever level is required by the dilemma, without directly risking the Queen in a scouting attempt.

Her second skill is equally important to an efficient Borg deck. In place of a card draw, she lets you download either A Change of Plans or any Borg drone. So if you are unlucky at drawing the drones you need to staff your ships, just convert your end-of-turn draw (or any other card draw you are entitled to) to a drone; report it directly to your outpost or Borg Cube, or place in your hand for a Borg Scout Vessel "report with crew." Or perhaps you've changed your mind about establishing that gateway and would rather assimilate your opponent's Future Enterprise instead. Download A Change of Plans to return Establish Gateway to your hand and download Assimilate Starship instead.

Combos:

Borg Queen + Interlink Drone: As many copies of any skill as you have Borg in the hive.

Borg Queen + Kivas Fajo - Collector: Convert three card draws into any combination of three drones, draws or Changes of Plans.

Borg Queen + Assimilate Counterpart + A Change of Plans: So you targeted Grand Nagus Zek, attacked his Away Team and abducted him, but he hasn't been assimilated yet. Now your opponent reports Quark to the Bar and you'd rather have 40 points than 25. Just download A Change of Plans to return Assimilate Counterpart to your hand and download it back to the table, targeting the unfortunate Quark. And your opponent doesn't even get Zek back.

 

 

A Change of Plans
By W. Marc Crusher

This is a multiple use card. The most standard application of this beauty is to actually change your plans, that is, get rid of your current objective, presumably one you don't want to pursue any further, and get a new one, quite often one you already have in hand. However, you can make much more of this one common Interrupt.

First, you can use it as a Joker when it coems to drawing Objectives. Due to the fact that it can download the Objective from your deck, it is essentially free - you used up a card draw on it, but saved one card draw on the Objective itself. As a bonus, you even get the card play for free, due to the Interrupt nature of the card. Thus no more troublesome decisions between playing your much-needed Queen and your equally vital Objective, just play both.

Then, you can use A Change Of Plans for a different variant of changing plans, namely changing the target of your current Objective. Just targeted Alidar for a counterpart and now your opponent played Lore ? Just play A Change Of Plans and return the Assimilate Counterpart to your hand (you need a Queen for this maneuver, though) and then immediately re-download it. Or, of course, there is no rule that forces you to exploit the full potential of the card. Just discard a rather troublesome Objective and flip over another one you played earlier. Or, if you have enough copies of the card, grab an advance copy of an Objective you will want to use later and plop it down on the table.

A word of caution though - there is an easy chance of a mistake when using this with Establish Gateway to make an emergency switch of current objectives, e.g. to eliminate a starship or some personnel. If you have overcome all Dilemmas at a space location and just wait for a successful probe draw, don't change your plans unless there is a *real* emergency. As the location has already been scouted successfully you cannot return there later to get the 25 points. So make sure you leave at least one Dilemma if you intend to return. This is particulary vital for a Retask strategy. Some players will seed the Borg Ship last, putting some card that hurt non-Borg but are just irrelevant to most Borg in front of it. Make sure you grab the 25 after the Retask before changing your plans in this scenario!


A Change of Plans
By Travis Hoffman

This has to be one of the most useul cards a Borg player can have in their deck. Sure, there are the usual ways of using it, but half the fun is in its flexibility. For example, You have targeted your opponents U.S.S. Yamato for Elimination. As you fly by her fully staffed U.S.S. Enterprise, you stop, play A Change of Plans. Discard (or place in hand if you've got your Queen) your current Objective and downlaod...Eliminate Starship! Target the Enterprise and avoid your opponents punches. A Change of Plans is also useful in stopping First Contact. Use it to download Stop First Contact, then use SFC to grab the Missile Complex. It's that easy. A Change of Plans has so many uses, it's impossible to explain them all here. So, grab your Borg deck and experiment. Then again, you probably do already. If not, it's time for A Change of Heart.

Combos:

A Change of Plans + Borg Queen = Goes without saying (Oops...)

A Change of Plans + Assimilate Counterpart = No thanks, I want HIM instead.

A Change of Plans + A Change of Plans + A Change of Plans = Keep your opponent off guard.

A Change of Plans + Your current Objective + Your opponents newly solved-mission = Great points, Less scouting.

 

 

Establish Gateway
By W. Marc Crusher

This is the most basic objective for a Borg player - even more basic than its counterpart "Assimilate Planet", because you'll need it to complement any Retask strategy and, even more prominently, you can seed it - unlike the Assimilate Planet card.

This card allows you to scout any space loaction for 25 points. Pretty basic and not much to it. It is usually easier to complete than a Planet where you can encounter nasties like Alien Parasites but it is also a bit riskier as you will to have to pit your entire crew against the Dilemmas your opponent has in store for you - and if it that is a Yuta, combined with Alas, Poor Queen, you just might be in trouble ;-)

Mind also that, unlike Assimilate Planet, Establish Gateway is non-exclusive, giving your non-Borg opponent a free shot at a space mission potentially worth much more than 25 points after you took all the trouble to get through the Dilemmas.

And a last pointer: Make sure you do have enough Transwarp Network Gateways in your deck when using Establish Gateway. As you have to download a Gateway upon completion, you will easily give your opponent a free peek at your entire strategy if you don't stock enough Gateways to satisfy these mandatory downloads. 45-point "bounty"!

 

Transwarp Network Gateway
By Sandy Wible

This Doorway card has several beneficial functions for the Borg. Seeding this card establishes your Transwarp Network immediately. Your Borg ships could even move from the Delta Quadrant to the Alpha Quadrant on the first turn of the game!

Furthermore, you may use additional copies of this doorway or the Transwarp Conduit interrupt throughout play to speedily move about the spaceline. This doesn't use RANGE from your ship, so it amounts to incredible mobility for the Borg. However, your opponent may potentially be able to sneak through...once in play your Transwarp Network can be used by your opponent by anticipating and stocking Transwarp Conduit interrupts in his or her deck.

A second function gained by playing the doorway is flexibility in obtaining your Transwarp Conduit interrupts. Occasionally you may wish to have the increased RANGE provided by it rather than moving through your Network. This is usually when you are moving down the spaceline to build your Network but it is not in place yet.

 


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