Repeater Tiles and Active Powers

abmoraz

In being forced to use Emma Frost in this Hulk event, I came to a realization about repeater tiles... they pretty much all suck.

I started thinking of all the ACTIVE powers that put repeaters down (some may be missing, but here's a short list):

• 2 and 3 * Human Torch (do variable damage)
• 3* Black Panther (generate a Shield tile)
• 3* Blade (destroy AP)
• 3* Punisher (AOE on cast, generate a Fist tile)
• 4* Emma Frost (Destroy special tiles OR destroy AP; generate tiles/buff tiles: both on delays)
• 4* Rocket/Groot (damage + Fist tile)

Most of these powers are rough to use for multiple reasons:

1. Most do nothing when cast (exception: Punisher )
2. Most have multi-round delays before activating (exception: Punisher, Grocket, Torch)
3. All are placed randomly

This leads to most of them being the "useless power" for the Toon.  When you have the AP, you have to cast it, HOPE that it ends up somewhere where it will survive 2-4 rounds, before you get any real return on the AP investment.

My suggestion is 2-fold (chose one, the other or both):

1. Active powers that generate repeater tiles should have that tile's effect take place when the tile is created.
2. Active powers that generate repeater tiles should allow the player to pick the tile

For #1, that would mean things like:

• 3* Panther would generate a protect tile when placing the repeater
• 3* Blade would destroy 1-3 AP when placing the tile

It would also mean that 3* Punisher wouldn't need a change, since his already does something active.

For #2, it would just make protecting these fragile powers a bit easier.  The placement could still be limited based on color (i.e.: Torch's repeater still has to go on a green, but we get to choose which green).

Jaedenkaal

You would seem to be missing:

4* Black Panther Yellow (1 turn, makes 3 random special tiles)
4* Ghost Rider (1 turn, makes 2 attack tiles)
4* Nebula (2 turn, heals her and makes a Strike tile)
5* Loki (3 turn Fortified, destroys a random row and does team damage)

Of those (and yours), 3* Blade, 3* Punisher, and 4* Ghost Rider all do something when you fire the power besides create the tile, namely, damage.

The real issue is for repeaters that do nothing when placed, and it's compounded when they are 2- or 3-turn repeaters instead of 1-turn. 1-turn repeaters stand a pretty good chance of going off at least once, and probably twice or three times. 

ThaRoadWarrior

Emma Frost is pretty egregious for this; her repeaters are all long, and don't do as much as similar repeaters (P4nther) when they do go off. If you aren't ready to fire off Diamond Form right when you drop them so they get fortified, you can be pretty sure they won't do anything but lighten your AP bank a little for you.

JSP869

If a repeater is matched away it should return at the start of your next turn. They should all be like Medusa's and SWitch's repeater, especially those which you have to spend AP to cast, and even more so if the game places them at random (as opposed to you getting to choose where they go).

Jaedenkaal

JSP869 said:

If a repeater is matched away it should return at the start of your next turn. They should all be like Medusa's and SWitch's repeater, especially those which you have to spend AP to cast, and even more so if the game places them at random (as opposed to you getting to choose where they go).

So how would you get rid of one? 

I'm not disagreeing that it's brutal when they get matched away immediately, but that sounds equally painful to be on the receiving end of.

I'd be happy enough if repeater tile powers at least did SOMETHING besides create the tile, so that if they do get immediately matched away, at least you got something for your AP, even if it wasn't the "full" effect.

JSP869

You're right, that could be pretty brutal.

Maybe the repeaters that cost AP to cast could be more like Daredevil's repeaters? Where if you match away your own repeater you get bonus AP back.

ThaRoadWarrior

If a 4* repeater is going to come out with more than 1 turn to decrement costing 8AP or more to cast, it needs to be fortified by default at 5 covers. Photonic Barrage and The Darkness Hungers are both 8AP countdowns of excessive length that behave this way, and it really helps their survivability.