Expatiette's Incendiary Rounds

I'm playing a game currently with Expatiette and it's got me thinking, again, about her.  Specifically her Incendiary Rounds.  They change her damage to fire and add 1, and I'm trying to think why this is a particularly desirable.  The damage buff is a duplicate trick to Hollow Points, which  give a much better damage buff.  One possibility is if a villain should be immune to projectile damage, which frankly doesn't happen often.  And if it does, Cryo Rounds also changes the damage type and the damage debuff is both not duplicated by another ammo type and a quite useful status attack.  The other might be if paired with Ra or having some other method of increasing specifically fire damage.  Which I feel is even less likely to happen than the first case.   Functionally, Incendiary Rounds just don't seem to have much point beyond the +1, and HPs do it better.

(As a potential alternate I'm considering house ruling them into "Armor Piercing Rounds" - the effect of which is to make the attack irreducible.  It makes great sense thematically and expands Expat's bag of tricks while getting rid of a redundant ammo type.)

Its a combination that’s not duplicated in other rounds, which gives it it’s own place. Plus hp+ir on pride or pred, is a nice dmg boost

Id have like to see them increase the damage taken by +1 to the start of her next turn.

While that partciular combo may be unique, neither of the things IR do is unique (aside from fire damage).  Another Ammo does a better damage buff and a second Ammo changes the attack type.

I like the idea of the +1 tag for the round.  However, in other decks with this debuff the base attack this effect is paired with is usually pretty weak, and is only applied to a single target.  I suspect loading this variant into a submachinegun might be a bit over powered.

There are certain specific circumstances where it would be desirable to use Incendiary Rounds rather than Hollow Point rounds, e.g. if your teammates include Absolute Zero, Mr. Fixer (with Pipe Wrench and Driving Mantis) or Ra/Omnitron X (if the Villain has damage redirection).

Not that this is actually likely to ever get changed, but if you're looking to house rule something for Incendiary Rounds, it could also prevent healing (or the next instance of healing or something if that's too powerful against Skinwalker, Matriarch, Spite).

It is essentially a +1 damage ammo with thematic type change, which can come is handy in certain circumstances.

Just because she has a +2 ammo doesn't mean there isn't a place for +1 ammo.  

Projectile and Melee damage are typically the most common immunities.  I don't have numbers to back it up, but it seems to be the most prominent in my experience.

Other than that?  Yeah, it's somewhat particular in its utility and the buff is less than Hollow Points.  Not to be too flippant, but you wouldn't be the first person with mechanical frustrations about the Rook City expansion.

Summer can't come fast enough for the app version of the game :)

Well Expat and Rook City are expected to be demoed at the next Pax so I would expect to see it late March or early April in the app. 

Summer's already in Dawn's deck…

Yeah, Summer actually hates her boss, but there isn't a lot you can do about it once you've joined the cult.  So she pines away for the day when Amanda comes back, takes over the family business and gives them that Dental plan that her mom just doesn't see as necessary.

After all if you die Dawn can bring you back without cavities.

That straight line was a freebie, and you did not disappoint :)