| April 19, 1999 | |
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| Type: Event | |
| Keywords: Long Event | |
| Requires: Stargazer | |
| Text: A target Garou's attacks, flexes used as attacks, and counterattacks gain the keyword Fast for the remainder of the turn. | |
| Quote: "If you are one with everything, nothing can surprise you." - Sees-Your-Heart | |
| Phase: Equinox | Artist: Richard Clark |
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Power: 18
I chose this card as my first card review because I've just realized how powerful this card is just by itself. Combined with other card effects, Preternatural Awareness can be devastating. Basically, this card makes all of a character's damage cards resolve first if it would kill your opponent when they attempt to injure you in return. A fast-resolving Rend will maul just about everybody except the heavy hitters. Add in a healthy sprinkle of big counterattacks and even attacking you is a huge risk. It isn't just the big cards that can benefit from this. See the Cub War deck Flaming Fast Food in the deck section for a powerful application of this card in an atmosphere of low health opponents.
Usability: 12
This card is perhaps best used with the Stargazer tribe card, but you can work it into all of the Auspice decks pretty easily. It also fits in nicely with a cohort Tribe and some Stargazer Tattoos.
Limitations: 18
There are three main limiting factors for this card. First, it's a long event, so it is susceptible to anything that can cancel or remove event effects. Second, it is a Stargazer-only card, so you have to have a living Stargazer in your pack to use it. Third, you have to pick your alpha in the Main phase to make the most use out of the card. As such, anything that fiddles with Alpha selection or actions will fiddle with this card's effects.
Decks: 17
This card should be an automatic addition for almost any Stargazer or Kailindo deck. It also works well with any deck that focuses on boosting damage numbers on your combat cards. There are also two more less obvious decks to put this in.
One is a kamikaze deck with low-renown big hitters, like Wilhelm Nighthunter (Renown 3, Rage 8, Insight 2). Use his Insight to grab a big damage card like Rend or Crush and go hunt some medium renown targets. If you mess up, no big deal, you've only lost 3 Renown and probably hurt someone really bad. The other option is to use this in a non-Combat deck, such as a Moot deck, with a decent number of counterattacks. If you aren't built for damage, getting in the first hit can be a scare tactic to keep alphas away from you when you're out in the Hunting Grounds. Who wants to attack a target that might kill them in the first round?
Flavor: 17
Well, to be honest, I don't think this is one of Clark's best pieces of artwork. It seems a little vague as to whether the Garou's eyes are bleeding or glowing, though I suspect the latter. And what does a guy in old-style prison garb have to do with anything? However, despite the less-than-stellar artwork, it does represent the card title, so points for that. Speaking of the title, it matches the card effect well, as well as the requirement tribe. The quote is appropriate, and part of a rather amusing run in quotes that ends with the quote on Uncontrollable Fury. As to overall meshing, the card fits in well with the Stargazers and with other cards that have a similar theme.