Just saw images for Optimus/Apex and Megatron/Doomshot and I was reading their cards... which make no sense. The HEADS start out on the VEHICLE MODES and can only convert to robot mode when the "body" character has died. Now I've noticed with Battlemasters that they start in robot mode and only convert into weapons when they die which I think works better and makes a more sense... even though it breaks the traditional "start in alt mode" that other characters usually play. And I thought Titan Masters would be similar where they started the game as ROBOTS. Titanmasters don't normally interact with the vehicle modes while they're in head mode. They only transform into heads when the body is robot mode. So why are Optimus and Megatron starting out the game as vehicles with heads? Both Optimus and Megatron also have a THIRD card with artwork of their heads attaching to their bodies which initially made me think oh they have something similar to a combiner enigma card where you need to play this first in order to transform the little robot to a head and the vehicle to the big robot... and then I actually read the card... and it's really kinda generic and makes me wander why the artwork even suggests that they're specific to Optimus and Megatron's Titan Masters gimmick, it seems like anyone should be able to use these cards as they don't even actually say anything about only working with these characters. In short I guess it does make sense from a game play perspective but just seems like they didn't put as much thought into making it work with the lore of the characters like they did with other cards before this. It just seems a little lazy and not as well thought out...
Because the head grants its boon to the character it is attached to regardless if it is in head or body mode. It's also a lot more complex than you're giving it credit. Titan Masters + Body mode characters are effectively two characters. You have to "kill" them twice (per say). They also have an advantage that normal bot mode characters don't that they can interrupt a wheel turn (i.e. a turn they get to attack with all their characters due to all the opponent's characters being tapped out) as the head pops in as Bot mode untapped when the Body mode character is KO'd. As much as lore does influence this game, game mechanics take precedence over anything else. Wave 5 isn't speculated to be a game changer, it IS a solid confirmation it will be a game changer. I think a lot of people look at this game more from a cartoon/figure perspective more than an actual card game one. Mechanics come first, regardless of the source material.
You don't see the head, just the bonus in vehicle mode, just pretend it's in robot mode piloting the vehicle but you can't see in the cockpit.
I understand that but even the mechanics don't make sense... Did you even read the Battlemaster example I gave. The game mechanics for Battlemasters is that they actually get to start the game in ROBOT MODE. They're the only characters that do this as everyone else has to start the game in alt mode. Once the Battlemaster is knocked out THEN and only then can you flip them to weapon mode and equip them onto a larger robot. I had imagined that Titanmasters would use a similar mechanic so that they start the game in robot mode while the body character is stuck in vehicle mode. When the titanmaster is knocked out then they would revert to head mode and could be equipped onto a robot body. This way they're operating on the same game mechanics as the Battlemasters. Not only does it make more sense for the source material but it also makes more sense given the previously establish game mechanics. That extra card could also act as a sort of enigma card to equip the Titanmaster to a body without having the wait for him to get knocked out first... The way it is... it's kind of as if they didn't put any thought into the game mechanics or the lore. I mean it would make more sense if the Battlemasters also had to start out in weapon mode and only turned to robot after you defeat the bot holding them but now were Battlemasters and Titanmasters with entirely different game mechanics. What if they introduce an equivalent of Powermasters? Are they going to start an engines or robots? Will they transform when they are knocked out or when the larger robot is knocked out? Will they have their own set of rules that's completely different from either of the Masters we've already gotten? I don't know what to expect now because it feels like a completely different rule book from one wave to the next. Rather than just all or altering an existing rule it's like they throw out the entire rule book and start over.
A lot of people think a concept will translate directly into game mechanics. Many times, it doesn't translate well into a game due to it just not fitting with the game's mechanics or simply being too broken a concept. I can see one main reason why having the ability to back and forth from head to bot mode would be broken for this game: When a character gets put under another (such as the case with deployers and Titan Masters), they lose all damage placed on them. If allowed to go back 'n' forth from Head to Bot, you'll have an unkillable character (imagine having to deal with an unkillable Kreb or Cobber?). The mechanic would be broken. I'm not sure if they're going to even go that route regarding adding Powermasters. I imagine they'd go on Body mode characters akin to Titan Masters, but Titan Masters already have that corner to themselves. Make a new Mode for Power Masters? I doubt they'll do stuff like that and to be honest, Non-weapon Battlemasters are the closet thing we'll probably get regarding "Powermasters". But, who knows? Maybe they'll surprise us with a new set of mechanics that will incorporate them as mechanically possible for this game.
I don't think you're understanding what I'm saying. I don't THINK the concept will translate directly into game mechanics... that's literally what they did with the Battlemasters. The concept DID translate in game mechanics. And then for some reason they completely changed those mechanics with Titanmasters. It should translate well into the game when the game literally has ALREADY done it before. And I never said they should be able to back and forth from head to bot mode. I said they should start in robot mode and convert to head mode when they get knocked out the same way that Battlemasters do. On a side note... I don't understand the last part of that post. How would they become unkillable? You don't put a character under another and remove their damage, they START the game that way. Once they're deployed during the game you can't put them back. There is ALREADY two characters I'm aware of who can freely change from one mode to another and they're both deployed from Metroplex. He comes with three deployers, one of which doesn't transform at all. The other two aside from starting the game under Metroplex and deploying otherwise play like any other Transforming character in the game. They aren't broken unkillable characters. In fact I actually lost the first time I played with Metroplex. What are you talking about "non weapon" battlemasters. There aren't any non weapon battlemasters. Having a weapon mode is what makes them Battlemasters. Anyway... the main thing I don't understand is that all the "Masters" should work mechanically the same way but instead they all have totally different mechanics for some reason. Oh and given Double Dealer in the Earthrise line has a very "Soundwave" style chest plate and I believe they're retooling a couple of the cassette molds to homage his Powermasters… it might be very likely that Powermasters in the card game will be Deployers like Soundwave's cassettes instead of anything close to the other Masters we've seen so far. Though I don't entirely object to the idea of turning the Powermasters into deployers. At least that actually operates on an existing game mechanic still and even fits with the modern version of one of the Powermasters… but I still don't understand why we went from the Battlemasters game mechanic to the Titanmasters game mechanic instead of using the same mechanic for both.
I'm starting to believe you do not understand this game in its entirety. Look up the card 'Recover Cassette' from the Blaster vs Soundwave set. It puts a cassette back under a character (so yes, you are wrong, there is an instance where a character can be put back under) and it since they're removed from the battlefield by putting it back under another character, the ruling on it that it is repairs all of the damage on it. Next time it would get re-deployed, it comes in fresh. The same would occur with any character that gets put under another character and can come back out. Recover Cassette isn't broken because you have to play the action and the card gets KO'd afterwards. But allowing a character to go under and redeploy simply by flipping characters from one mode to another would make it infinite and that would be broken. Ok now I'm totally convinced you do not know this game in its entirety. Here's are the non-weapon Battlemasters: Turbo Board, Needler, Sights, and Vanguard. Each shown in their upgrade modes. Each with the Battle Master tag. You're incorrect about non-Weapon Battlemasters as much as you have been incorrect about interpreting Cargo Trailer.
The way you worded that in your last post made it come off as if ANY character could do this not just cassettes and that they could just be put back under and clear their damage whenever you wanted to. Which I agree would be broken. You didn't say you were talking about a specific card you had to play to do it. OK but I never even said anything about doing that so why did you even bring it up? OK I'll give you the turbo board in the rocket pack... although they do have attack values... (Why does a character who already has wings need a rocket pack?) but how do you think a turret isn't a weapon?
What? Dood, you were just talking about being able to put the titan master from bot mode to head mode back onto Body mode character just by flipping their modes. YOU brought it up. Fuck it. Just forget it, all of it. At this point I'm just talking to a brick wall. I completely give up on you. You do know those aren't the only Utilities in the game that have an Atk value icon on them. Btw, Vanguard becomes a helmet (funny that, it even says that in his name title), hence why he's an armor. But I'm digressing at this point since explanations are lost on you.
No I was talking about Titanmasters STARTING THE GAME in robot mode and flipping to head mode when they get knocked out exactly the same way as Battlemasters. You brought up something completely different out of no where that had nothing to do with that. It would help if you read what I actually said and responded to that instead of bringing up totally unrelated things I never mentioned. You're essentially having an argument with yourself so of course you're going to feel like you're talking to a brick wall... you're talking in an echo chamber for both sides of the conversation. No you just refuse to actually explain anything. You assert things without any given explanation. Though in this case based on the context you're using I just realized we're talking about different things. You meant weapon as in the classification of the upgrade. (Weapon, armor, utility) I meant weapon in the more generalized sense of the word. The turret is also a helmet so the game classifies it as armor rather than a weapon. But it's still a turret which is a weapon. All the battlemasters transform into weapons... even the shield characters can be used as weapons but the game doesn't always classify them that way. To put this another way, when you originally said "Non-weapon battlemasters" I had misinterpreted that to mean "Non-Battle card battlemasters" which don't exist. All the Battlemasters turn from a character card in robot mode to a battle card in "weapon mode". The "weapon mode" which is how the toy line would generally classify their alternate modes does not always translate to a weapon upgrade within the card game. So we essentially just confused each other talking about different things.
Just because a vehicle mounts a weapon, it doesn't stop it from being a vehicle. More importantly, the game's mechanics states it's an Armor. Our interpretation, lore, toy line, or cartoon lore all comes secondary to game mechanics.
