Bunker's Nemesis

I'm beginning to suspect that Bunker's nemesis is the shadowy gun-wielder depicted on Heavy Plating.

Here's my thought process...

I broke out my first-edition copy this weekend, as some friends had borrowed the EE.  While playing bunker, I noticed the figure on Heavy Plating, and realized that he did not seem to be ambuscade (in that he appeared to have a full face visor and hair), and few other villains use guns.  I also hadn't seen him (or her)(or it) on any other cards.

I've suspected for a while that Bunker's Nemesis is going to be someone who uses conventional weaponry- maybe top of the line, or just overwhelming amounts of standard equipment.  Mostly this is because Bunker (despite being an armored power suit) is still presented as built on conventional (rather than tachyon/BB/Omnitron type superscience.  He uses controls.  He fires guns.  He has armor.  His weapons consume bullets. In most ways, he has all the features of an armored vehuicle, it just happens to be bipedal (except in turret mode).  His cards and the comics suggest that the Bunker suit requires extensive maintenance and upkeep, and is in a constant cycle of improvement and refinement.

What htis suggests to me is that his Nemesis will engage him on the same terms. The scenario that seems the most plausible to me:

1. A rogue military commander with a crack squad of commandos.  Someone able to engage Bunker on a tactical and strategic level (as Tyler Vance is an acknowedged strategic genius), but willing to engage in dirty tricks and sabotage.  Someone willing to avoid a stand-up fight until the odds are in their favor, then hit hard.  It could be a foreign agent, agents, members of the Block, a rogue military commander (foreign or domestic)...

Its obvious from the creation of Fright Train (see his backstory here) that there are military elements with heavy resources.  While the update mentions that the squad was decimated and survivors sent to the Block, it certainly seems possible that the leader would escape to regroup.  

The other thing that leads me to believe that Bunker's Nemesis would use conventional weapons is his EE defeated side.

My understanding is that the incap sides ALWAYS happen.  Sometimes they don't happen in the "main" timeline, and sometimes they are cryptic or can take quite a while to resolve.  they don't neccessarily represent character "death" (though some do), but major points of change in that characters life. 

A good example is Expatriette.  Her incap side shows her down, and you suspect the worst.  but one of the Scholar's cards (Proverbs and axioms?) shows her being helped back up- the scene/setting is exactly the same, just a few minutes later.

Back to bunker.  Bunker's first edition Incap shows his armor broken and him climbing out of it.  My theory is that this happened during shattered timelines with Bunker's battle against Iron Legacy.  We know (thanks to EoW bunker's story) that Iron Legacy killed vance when they fought- and one of Iron Legacy's cards clearly shows him beating original Bunker.

The EE incap side shows Bunker with bullet holes in his face armor.  Large caliber, probably armor piercing.  Right now, the only villain who routinely uses guns is Ambuscade- and he's Haka's Nemesis.  this suggests to me that Bunker has an upcoming MAJOR event where he comes under conventional weapons fire, and he gets the worst of it.  Perhaps badly enough that he has to retreat and upgrade his suit with heavy armor (after all, that is the ONLY card that shows the suit with upgraded armor) to withstand their attacks...

Attempted Coup?  rogue commander?  highly trained commando sqaud? 

Take a look at Heavy Plating.  

I don't have the cards with me now, but I'm confused by your post: Isn't it pretty clear from the bio that Fright Train (Steven Graves) is the nemesis of Bunker (Tyler Vance)?  It also appears to be Steven Graves inside Bunker: Engine of War, the Bunker from the Freedom Six timeline.

Multiple Nemesis are probable, esp. for people like Bunker who only have group nemesis so far.

I think that Fright Train is a Nemesis in the same way that Iron Legacy is a Nemesis. 

Iron Legacy is a Nemesis to Bunker, Tachyon, Wraith, AZ, Tempest, and Unity.

Let me talk about Iron Legacy.

We know that Tachyon, Wraith, and Tempest all have their own, personal nemesis, in addition to Iron Legacy.  It seems likely that the other three members (Bunker, Unity, and AZ) will have their own, individual nemeses.  someone who can push them to their absolute limits in terms of plot, as well as reflect their unique playstyles mechanically.

Now, Fright Train.

I would simply say that while Fright train is likely to be a threat, his entire backstory (from the kickstarter update) and character arc (revealed in the EoW promo card) revolve around him being LESS than Bunker.  He was passed over for promotion.  He was discharged.  Even after he was turned into Fright Train, the kickstarter update implies that he was used as a thug. Even that didn't go well, as he was incarcerated.  When Tyler Vance dies (in shattered timelines) Fright Train becomes Bunker...but its in a suit that is in poor repair, and his incap side shows that he is haunted by his past (even if it is a homage to Iron man, I still believe that all incaps are canon).  

Didn't the art for Heavy Plating change for the EE and the character was stated to be Ambuscade? or am I misremembering the changeover?

Consider Tachyon and the Wraith also: both are nemeses of Iron Legacy, both have nemeses in the Vengeful Five, and yet both have their own individual nemesis. I see no reason why Bunker wouldn't be the same. 

Don't know about changed art, but I have the EE and the card very clearly shows Ambuscade, in full colour.

Yeah, I believe (but would have to check - don't have those cards here at work) that the original art hid him from us, but since we'd been revealed by the EE, they updated the art to show Ambuscade.

Sorry that this won't really fit with the current topic, but I think I should just say OH MY GOD G.I. BUNKER LOOKS AMAZING.

Sorry if you don't understand this, they just released the card art for him, mailed it out to the previous Kickstarter donators.

Again, sorry, just had to get that out there...

GI Bunker (seen here) does indeed look amazing!

This has led me to add a new theme to my consideration of what the Nemesis represents (as well as some thoughts about what they will bring to the fight)

The Bunker suit has been occupied by a number of people- in this case, we have three different character cards for Bunker, with three different people inside the suit (unless Tyler Vance is a clone of GI bunker's pilot, or has aged very, very well).  

So- How does their Nemesis work for each pilot of the suit?  

Perhaps the original suit was taken from the Nazis?  Perhaps the pilot of GI bunker grew disillusioned and turned rogue?  

If the Nemesis is the one who created Fright Train, how does GI bunker tie in?  

What I suspect:

Whoever the Nemesis may be, My guess is that they will have these things:

Damage reduction (since GI bunker can help with that)

Conventional, high-grade weaponry (bullet holes in the incap side of Bunker)

Minions (since Ammo drop requires minions, it seems odd that his nemesis would be a singular person)

Ongoings (Since EoW bunker strips ongoings)

Something with drawing cards (perhaps preventing normal card drawing, or hurting heroes that draw during their draw phase?)

tactical/strategic expertise (since Tyler, in particular, is strong in this area)

Backup plans?  (you've cornered them...but then an emergency!  do you press the attack or save your friends?!)  

OMG.

GI BUnker I want.  That power is ridiculously awesome.  He's gonna crush Dawn.

Why? Truth's the only one with DR in her deck.

I was thinking more along the lines of Apostate :D.

Truth does have DR, but only on himself (he grants full immunity to all the other Citizens). Anvil, however...

Anvil.  I get Anvil and truth toegether so much it sucks.  Making all damage to truth irreducible let's you stop that horrid chain right off.

He'll be great against others too, but Dawn is the one I have the most trouble with.

We played him against The Dreamer last night with Greatest Legacy, The Scholar, and Team Leader Tachyon.  It was supremely satisfying cleaving through a Dark Hero's DR like it was nothing.

This will be a well loved promo in our group.

Panzer-Buster puts Initialize to shame. I know promo powers are not supposed to overshadow their other base power, but I am pretty sure it is an all around better base power considering the deck. THoughts?

I would say probably in a 5 hero team, no in a 3 hero team.

Yeah, it could be rough in a 3-hero team, you'd need the other two to be dealing as well.  I think it is better than Fixer's riveting crane because it doesn't need to do anything first, it just turns off their damage reduction.  I love it.

Depends on how much DR you're dealing with.  Even in our match against The Dreamer, we only used it once or twice.  It was amazing, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't something that came up all the time.  I think Initialize is still a decent enough power, but I think Panzer-Buster is a specialized, incredibly awesome ability.  Likewise, Locomotion is an incredibly potent power, since it's an innate ongoing destruction effect, but against some villains it will rarely be used.

The Bunker promos seem to be focusing on giving Bunker a specialty that he is incapable of using without them.  Look at the other Promo cards.  Abs/Legacy/Wraith can already deal damage, Tachyon/Haka/Ra/Tempest/Fanatic can already draw cards, Unity can already play bots, Fanatic/Legacy can already heal (though I'll grant that none of the other Legacies can make someone else use a power) and Visionary/Wraith can already manipulate decks (possibly different ones than they are usually capable of manipulating, but it is still a function of their decks).  Their ability to do so is just augmented some.  I'm not saying that they don't completely change the character's playstyle, just that they're effects that the characters can already access in some capacity with their default character cards.  Classic Bunker/Engine Bunker cannot deal Irreducible, and Classic Bunker/G.I. Bunker cannot destroy Ongoings.  They're abilities that Bunker can never obtain purely through his own cards.

In unrelated news, I'm curious to see if Mr. Vance and Mr. Parsons VIII will ever get a Promo card of their own, considering the sheer number their respective superhero identities have received.

Team Leader Tachyon shows that alternate versions are about alternatives, not about maintaining game balance. Some of them are just better - and others are just worse - than the base version.

With Team Leader Tachyon you're sacrificing the ability to put cards into her trash.  Yes, you COULD Research Grant when you draw it, but that would mean you gaining two cards at the cost of not letting everyone draw a card.  It makes her play more like Legacy than anything:  Buffing other heroes at the cost of not dealing as much damage herself.

Yeah but that "buff" is insanely good.  It is really hard to lose with a solid team and a TLT.

I'm not saying that it's not incredibly beneficial and a huge game changer.  I'm just saying that I'm one of the guys that prefers classic Tachyon.  I like buffing my friends' hands, but I love utilizing my Burst cards.  While it is an incredible bonus to the game to use Team Leader, I do want to note that it isn't strictly just "better" than Rapid Recon.  Is it OP?  Possibly. But it's different and a larger benefit to your entire team rather than an outright better power than Rapid Recon.  It's a minor point, but I think it's one worth voicing.

I would agree the only time Team Leader beats Rapid Recon is if you get hud goggles out early and don't get extra draws, you can run out of cards and start being limited to one per turn even though you have Hud out.  Not a frequent problem at all.  For the rest of the team Team Leader is wicked.  It's easily the most powerful support power in the game, and it is a base power.

I see that. Each of the promos I've used (which is really only the Freedom Six, Eternal Haka and Dark Visionary) have their uses, but they aren't always the best all the time. I play with a large group, and everyone has their favourites, which leads to some interesting teams and playstyles.

I for one, love both Tachyons, but can't stand EW Zero.

Base powers should not always be compared in a vacuum.

I think one of the things to consider with original flavour vs TLT sandwiches is that TLT essentially turns Research Grant into a blank card, it is never better for TLT to use/play Research Grant for its power, for original receipe it is a huge step up and and losing out on the ability to cycle and discard at the same time does make TLT weaker in some respects.

Also worth noting (and something I only figured out recently) is that unlike Burst of Speed, TLT forces you to draw a card if used, so if you're helping others draw more then you may have to lose your bursty trash. It's a tiny thing, and with most games I'd disregard this, but this being GTG I'd be very surprised if this was coincidental.

I believe TLTach was designed to be more powerful.  It is a Tachyon who survived Iron Legacy killing most of her allies.  She's no longer a scientist moonlighting as a Super Hero to get funding, her split focus is gone and she is the toughened leader of the worlds only real chance at freedom.

TLT doesn't look out for herself nearly as well as the original, but she makes that team of largely replacement superheroes a viable fighting force.

The fact that Research Grant, the one card that is based on her role as a scientist is made obsolete is a phenomenal side effect.

No other hero gets an abilIty change that is a straight up boost to the teams chance to win and a health increase.

Tachyon leaves her job behind, gathers a new team and comes back stronger, focused on her team and determined to stop Iron Legacy, I love the story of TLT, which is why I allow her pretty much only when we are playing with freedom six cards or we've been horribly stomped and are out for revenge.

The original has a figured shrouded in shadows, only a face plate in visible. (see attached)

I definitely agree with that thematic.  That being said, while her power definitely has more team utility I'm still against describing it as a purely "better" power on a mechanical level.  It shifts her playstyle to be more like Legacy with team support valued over your own personal set-up.  It isn't just a better version of Rapid Recon.  Is it a stronger power overall?  I'm confortable with saying that.  But that isn't the same as it just being a "better" power and/or character card.

Yeah for my purposes I was meaning better as Increases the overall likelihood of a win for the team, which she does provide.  Much like I imagine Young Legacy will have a lower win percentage than Legacy, That base power will almost never never do enough to offset the damage the other heroes don't do, esp. with DR, but it lets that great card set be on a damage dealer, and in some fights and on some teams that will work much better.

Those two promo cards definitely change the role of the hero.