Pretty much any time I play against someone other than my sons, I lose. I know it's mostly because I'm not really crafting my battle cards with a serious strategy in mind. That said, even losing a lot of the time, I really like playing the game.

I've never played MtG, Pokemon, or Yu-gi-oh because those weren't my bag, but TF's? Yeah, I'm allll about Transformers! The inner TF collector in me loves 'collecting' the game moreso than winning. Now thanks to the BST thread I've been enjoying trading with other players for that elusive character or battle card I'm missing.

My sons and I like to watch Pack Cracking videos to see what lucky streaks folks have and so they get inspired to make their own videos. Plus that's helped them (and me) to get a good sense of the mechanics of each character and battle card as the reviewer explains them. My wife? No, she's not going to play the game, but she's my enabler "allowing" me to buy just one more pack honey? every time we go to Walmart, Target, or Meijer, not to mention our LGS. She sees the value in the interaction I'm having with the boys while collecting/playing the game with them.

Well there you have it. I'm bracing myself for Wave 3 after the high of Wave 2 is still here.

 

Glad you're enjoying it! I think everyone plays and collects for different reasons. If you like pack cracking, have you checked out the Turbo Booster format? It's basically pitting 2 booster packs against each other.

 

I'm in a similar boat - I just play with kids when I get the chance, but it's fun getting the cards. Pricey though.

 

Does it ever happen in ccg's that a new mechanic introduced say in Wave 10 suddenly makes an old card from Wave 1 or 2 super powerful and then sought after? I played with a friend who used W1 Sludge to heal all of Volcanicus' damage and then stomp me into the ground. I was close on that one.

Are there any strategies for healing Optimus Maximus and taking advantage of that full 65 health? It's basically halved (and I understand why) when he combines because of the three dudes from the KO pile.

 

Oh yeah, especially depending on the format. In Magic there is a format called standard, which I think is just the last 3 sets of cards that came out. But then there is a format called modern, which goes back a lot further, in that you can get new cards that really give old cards new tricks all the time.

 

All the time in Magic. Alas, part of the reason that happens was due to poor play-testing and no afterthought regarding how older cards can and will affect or be affected by newer cards/mechanics. This lead to many bans and erratas that (to me) was one of the biggest pitfalls of the game. It was this (and the game becoming a massive money pit) that caused me to drop MtG altogether.

By what I understand the team behind Transformers tcg is a separate one from the MtG team. I hope they learn from those mistakes and do not repeat them.

 

There seems to the be a "slower roll" to Transformers than say Pokemon. Wave 1 is basic combat, Wave 2 introduces combiners, Wave 3 introduces Secret Actions etc.

 

I noticed that too. It appears they're taking extra effort to ensure the game's rules and mechanics are easily absorbed in. Introducing a new mechanic each set isn't a bad way to do it.

 

Glory and wonder of wonders! My wife has started playing the game too! We've had a couple of family tournaments so far and all four of us played at the W3 launch event at our LGS this past weekend. So fun. Now don't get me wrong, I've improved and I have a better handle on the game, but I still lose. A lot and I think I know why. I'm so enamored of the art in the game and the various characters that I forget to play certain functions. I almost always forget to do my second round of attacking when all of the enemies are tapped. I lose track of the abilities on the other side of a card and don't flip to their other modes to activate that power! Those right there are my two main weaknesses.

 

However, there seem to be some TF TCG mechanics that have been lifted from M:TG. For example, Bolt of Lightning & Lightning Bolt do the exact # of damage; 4 of the 5 colors for pips/icons are also colors in M:TG; Actions in TF are Instants/Sorceries in Magic, Magic also has equipment to place on creatures.

 

It's a given that some stuff will carry over. Take, for example, the name Brainstorm (another MtG card). Still doesn't mean the mechanics are carbon-copied over onto TF tcg. And I hope it never does. I really hope this game continues to distinguish itself differently than MtG.

 

Honestly, while it's more because I'm a scatterbrain then me looking at the art, I also forget to do all the parts of my turn and plan as much as I should,