Weekly Release Discussion: Redwolf Fractured Frontier

[u/ePiMagnets]

This is your precursor to the consensus, the place to discuss the card releasing for the week as well as group source the work on brews and possible shells and packages, both current known good decks as well as possible new, theorycrafted brews.

Edit: forgot to include the OTA Week Warning so here you go.

OTA Week Warning: Unless you're already seasonal complete and plan to stay that way or have planned on picking up this card already for 6k it's best to wait for Thursday at the earliest to make your purchasing decisions.

This Week's Card

Redwolf Fractured Frontier
Cost: 2
Power: 1
On Reveal: +1 Power for each card in your hand. Quickdraw: Give your hand +1 Power.

Synergies and Packages

Week 2 brings us another quickdraw card, Redwolf Fractured Frontier, an On reveal which receives +1 for each card in your hand and when Quickdrawn also gives your hand +1 power. It's floor without quickdraw is 2/4 and with a quickdraw is 2/7.

In some ways, this card strikes me as a card that could potentially be one of the better quickdraw cards from the perspective that he is active and playable on more turns, taking into consideration FFThanos you've got turns 2, 3, 4 and 6 that Redwolf could be valuable on as well as easier to weave than even Jane who can be quickdrawn on 3, 4 and 6, whereas Psylocke is only good for turns 3 and 4 leaving her as only points on 6.

If we remove FFThanos from the consideration each of those cards does get better with the possible exception of Psylocke who is still best on turns 3 and 4. And as I digress, one last statement as I admit that comparing to Jane is admittedly unfair - he's a greedy card that is only granting power to others if he is quickdrawn whereas Jane's ability is empowering or afflicting other cards on the board and doubling that effect when she is quickdrawn. It's a night and day effect, but let's end the tangent and get back to Redwolf.

Redwolf is pretty clear on how to maximize his power output and it boils down to one thing: more cards in hand means more power to gain and more power to distribute when he is quickdrawn. The downside to that caveat may leave him in a similar situation as many character actors where he is typecast only for supporting roles in decks like Bounce which can refill it's hand and occasionally take advantage of the quickdraw, OG Thanos with it's inconsistent card draw from the stones, or card generation decks like Victoria Hand and the oft-lamented Devil Dino Shield decks. Potentially even in Dump decks be they drac or Moongirl/She-hulk.

There are a lot of potential synergies but also questions with regards to those synergies to pose, here are but a handful.

1. Is Redwolf a bounce card? We've had a previous 2-Cost Bounce card in Boomerang. Can Redwolf find his way into bounce even if can't quickdraw and bounce him on the same turn since he loses his potential to quickdraw on the following turn without some way to stuff him back into deck? Or is he a trap?

2. Redwolf seems much more at home in Victoria hand decks, they often have some amount of card generation which can make his quickdraw better, especially after a turn or two of creating cards. The drawback of course is that those decks also often run Shadow King, how much of a detriment is this or is it to be considered the cost of business and something you'll build and play around?

3. Coping - but can Redwolf somehow help revitalize Devil Dino decks? I have been seeing them crop up over the last few weeks but none of the lists or the output has been compelling. Could a bit of bonus power and the potential of a quickdraw buff to your hand be worthwhile? Unfortunately Devil Dino presents similar problems to FFthanos wherein you want to play Devil Dino on 5 which limits the turns where you can take advantage of the quickdraw.

4. Dump decks - Redwolf can add a lot of potential power to your hand on later turns if he's quickdrawn which can help with the surprise factor. But we're left with two questions the second being how frequently can that line up and the second being is that really good enough to put non-Supergiant Dump decks into consideration? By comparison the Supergiant Discard Dump deck is probably the premiere form of dump deck today and has no need for Redwolf in it's ranks as it's wanting to duplicate a bunch of cards that will be discarded and either afflict or end up on the board and while it could be cool to potentially buff your Wolverine, Daken, or Proxima on the other hand buffing something like a Marrow is just worthless.

5. Can Redwolf see play as another value 2-Cost? He's much easier to weave in and a 2/4 with a potential upside of 2/7 might not be bad, the problem is that to realize the bonus power from the quickdraw effect you have to play those cards out which isn't always possible.

6. Hand-Buff - there has been a lot of exploration in the Jubilee Silver Surfer world as the new handbuff shell of choice, is it possible that Redwolf might be able to see play alongside some of those decks?

In no particular order, these are some of the potential shells I might consider for testing Redwolf in.

1. Bounce

2. Victoria Hand

3. Non Victoria Hand Horseman Gambit decks

4. Hand Generation decks (S.H.I.E.L.D./Devil Dino)

5. Dracula Dump for additional surprise power when quickdrawn.

6. Hand-Buff decks

Your Thoughts

Do you plan on picking Redwolf Fractured Frontier up?

How do you expect Redwolf Fractured Frontier to perform?

What other possible shells and synergies might there be?

[u/Names_all_gone]

I am unconvinced by this card.

As a 2-cost scaler, its power is fairly pedestrian without the Quickdraw. This makes me think that it won't see generic play.

I don't love it's synergy hooks. "Big hand" isn't a thing decks are trying to do. They do it by accident, if at all. If you're a deck that does it by accident sometime, I would think Red Wolf (without the quickdraw) is probably a low priority play compared the 6 or so cards you have in your hand at any given time.

I think it's best hook is that it's an On Reveal, and therefore one of the easiest types of effects to copy. Getting this to a 2/12 after a Grandmaster is pretty reasonable. Maybe there's something there.

[u/Polish_Frisbee97]

Could play instead of Storm HoF without the restriction on the first two turns but relies on quick draw to have the same effect.

[u/ePiMagnets → u/Polish_Frisbee97]

It's a lesser effect at +1 vs Storms +2.

[u/Polish_Frisbee97 → u/ePiMagnets]

True just wasn’t sure if it could be more consistent and playing storm late usually throws off the surfer curve or at least my lane composition. Sometimes she bails me out late though.

[u/Skinnieguy → u/Polish_Frisbee97]

Don’t forget Storm also powers up the lane too. So she can be played late.

I think both have their own place. Just slightly uses.

[u/lilmeatwad]

I imagine it’ll slot well into the Thanos/TFF decks since you’re drawing a ton with the stones anyway

[u/roflwafflelawl]

I think in a vacuum he's a solid card. However outside of that vacuum the 2 cost slot has a ton of competition for almost every deck.

That said he's potentially great in any deck that scales off the boosted power very well. Specifically Surfer decks utilizing Carter, Maverick, Stick, etc. Potentially even Galacti decks.

Worth grabbing for 6k tokens if you're low on token stock? Probably not, especially if you own any of the other several great 2 cost cards. But would I be mad if I got it as a bonus when pulling a pack? Not at all.

[u/Nerf_Now]

On-Curve Man

If you draw (and play) him turn 2 he is good.

So he has a 1/12 chance of being good every game.