EDIT: Shoot, should this be in the Rules and Gameplay section? I'm new here.
Hello all! I'm fairly new to Sentinels and just recently got Vengeance. For me, the best way of learning a hero is to discuss him or her with other people, so that's exactly what I'm going to do. I'm going to list what I think of each card and hopefully others will give their opinions as to whether I'm under or overvaluing a card, or suggest some cool combos. This isn't a review, or a guide, just a newbie going over his impressions of a hero after playing him half a dozen times. So when I say things like "best used" or "not very good", just put an "I think" in front of it, after all the following is simply my opinion, I'm not trying to state fact.
Base Power
Risk
One of the things I like most about Sentinels of the Multiverse is how the mechanics of each hero fit in so well with the hero's backstory and powers. When I first looked at Setback, I thought this power was called Risk simply because it added a point to his Unlucky Pool, representing risky behavior. However, after playing him a couple of times, I realized that playing the top card of Setback's deck can indeed be a risk. It's a fun base power that can remain relevant throughout the entire game.
Mitigate
As a disclaimer, I've only played Dark Watch Setback once, but I found myself not liking his base power as much. In my time with this hero, I found having a high Unlucky Pool more beneficial than having a low one, and I didn't find his new base power good enough to make me want to change my play style (Young Legacy is an example of a base power that absolutely makes me want to change my playstyle for that hero). As I said before, I only played him once so take this opinion with a grain of salt, if not a full dash.
Ongoings
Friendly Fire
I like building up my Unlucky Pool in other ways, but this can be nice with High Risk Behavior and a Silver Lining ready. I generally only play this if I don't have Looking Up available. So far I've used this mostly for destruction fodder.
High Risk Behavior
I hesitate to play this card until I have a Silver Lining in hand, but this is probably one of my favorite ongoing cards Setback has. The most obvious combination is likely Looking Up, but the option to remove a token is nice to have as well.
Looking Up
An awesome card with an awesome power. Three damage is nice and chunky; allowing Setback to hit through most DR and the three unlucky tokens is the icing on the cake. So far, I've found it fairly easy to dump excess tokens into cards like Karmic Retribution, so the drawback has been avoidable. I also think it's neato that the tokens are added before the damage just in case you have High Risk Behavior out. This is definitely my go-to power.
Silver Lining
Not much to say about this one, build up a large pool and then cash out, no wait that's another card. I like playing this card with Cause and Effect.
Surprising Fortune
Like other healing powers, I end up actually using it far less than I think I will. It can be nice to recover from hand destruction, but I think that Setback has enough card draw built into his deck to keep his options open most of the time. The best use for this power is likely to help allies recover from hand destruction, but I don't like using it for more than two turns in a row, I think is puts Setback too far behind. Now that I think about it I suppose you could alternate between using this and Looking Up for a more defensive, supportive playstyle.
Uncharmed Life
I like the ability to redirect damage, but I don't think losing two tokens is worth it most of the time. It is a nice outlet for tokens gained from Looking Up however.
Wrong Time and Place
I like this redirection card way more than I do Uncharmed Life. I know it only works once per turn, but I'd much rather spend tokens to redirect damage at a villain or environment target than to Setback.
One Shots
Cash Out
A neat card, but I rarely use it for the card draw. Having all heroes gain two health can be very useful late in the game, and having another outlet to avoid Looking Up damage is nice.
Cause and Effect
Probably my single favorite Setback card. It can range anywhere from a slightly worse Grappling Hook to a devastating nuke. As I said before, this combos exceptionally well with Silver Lining and a double digit Unlucky Pool. As an added bonus, the tokens in the pool don't get used up, allowing for a Karmic Retribution the following turn, assuming Silver Lining wasn't triggered.
Exceeded Expectations
Hooray for more versatility! I usually use it more as an Elbow Smash than an External Combustion, but the option to scale it to fit the situation is awesome.
Fumbling Fool
Nice for charging up for Karmic Retribution or Silver Lining, but I think this is a weak play in and of itself.
Karmic Retribution
I think most would agree that this is much better as a seven point nuke than a two point heal, although it can be hard to build up seven tokens early in the game.
Plucky Break
I have yet to play this card so I get both effects, but even without the health gain I play this card almost immediately. The fact that it replaces itself is the largest attraction to me.
Reckless Rush
Like Plucky Break, I almost always play this card as soon as I get it, although I play it more for the two tokens than the damage.
Turn of Events
Allowing all other players to use a power is probably one of the best support abilities in the game. And unlike scumbag Scholar, Setback takes the damage himself.
"Whoops! Sorry!"
A potentially less painful way to destroy ongoing and environment cards, and the flexibility in token manipulation is cool. Overall I think this is less versatile than Cause and Effect, but it is generally easier to play.
Teammates
I've only played half a dozen games with him, but I havn't noticed any particular killer teamups involving Setback. He seems similar to The Naturalist and Haka in that he's pretty self-sufficient. What do you guys think?
Overall
If I were to try and describe Setback in one word, it would be versatile. A lot of his cards allow you to dictate the effects of the card to some degree (less so if they are played with Risk). He has good damage, good team utility, good ongoing and environment destruction, and good survivability. I don't think Setback is amazing in any one area, but the fact that he is good in all areas makes him a solid addition to any team.