| June 21, 1999 | |
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| Type: Victim | Renown: 2 |
| Rage: 3 | |
| Gnosis: 1 | |
| Health: 4 | |
| Keywords: Unique · Wyrm · Polluter · Human Male | |
| Text: Sustained Rage: 1. If Polluter is in play at the Start of Turn Phase, no Garou may be set to regenerate. Cancel all ongoing regeneration, setting those Garou right side up. | |
| Quote: | |
| Phase: 2 | Artist: Fred Harper |
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Power: 18
One of the more useful Victims, it's also one that you don't have to waste a combat on to kill for the benefits. First, as a combatant, it's pretty standard for a Renown 2 Victim. Decent health, decent rage, and a sustained rage of 1 means it's not a pushover, but neither is it a significant challenge. Red Talons would probably use this to meet the five human victory condition rather than the piddly 2 Renown. The true evil of this card, though, is the card text. Nullifying regeneration can be a powerful effect, especially if you've got ways to avoid this - whether it's card-based healing, alternate shapeshifters, or using allies as your alpha. Putting this card out after your opponent has already spent a full turn regenerating will certainly cramp his style.
Usability: 20
While certain types of deck will value this card in play more than most, any deck can use victims. Perhaps not a wise choice, though, if you plan to play Garou as your alpha and don't include alternate healing sources.
Limitations: 19
Excellent balance here. First off, you've got plenty of alternatives to regeneration, so a well-prepared deck won't get too blindsided by this card, even if they don't expect you to play it. Second, you've got the fact that the Polluter is not a heavy hitter. A determined alpha can wipe the floor with him, provided they take the action to do so. Third, you've got some keywords that attract card effects. There are a slew of card effects that toast Wyrm characters. You've also got the Red Talons who get benefits from Humans, and the Black Furies who get benefits from Males. Against this, the Callous Polluter isn't automatically dead - throw out a Bodyguard, plan for the sustained rage, and you should be able to keep him alive with some work for as long as you need him.
Decks: 20
The possibilities are nearly endless. First, you can toss this in a Get deck that hunts other Garou. The Get have a load of healing effects, like Blessing of Freya and Great Oak Spirit. Who needs to regenerate? Send out Torvald to bust some heads, and if they somehow manage to survive, you know they'll stay hurt. Likewise, play a deck based on smaller renown kamikaze characters, and you can whittle away the big folks without serious worries that they are going to heal up in the meantime.
The Polluter also makes a fine addition to a deck based on shapeshifters. Since the text only affects Garou, Rronuhn can go 'hug' a few opponents then take a breather while they limp around wounded. Similarly, use it in an Ally deck and clean up. The beauty of these last two is that you can pretty much choose a tribe that will give you the abilities or requirements to support, rather than act as alphas.
Flavor: 19
Fred Harper seems to be the Victim artist of choice, but he does a mighty fine job. The mutant fish in the foreground really shows how badly polluted the water is. In the background, true to his name, the Callous Polluter is dumping yet another Bucket 'O Sludge into the waters. It's very obviously an underwater shot, and works really well this way. I rather like the name of the card. I think it works better as a faceless figure, the uncaring masses that cause pollution. Not Wyrm by choice, but by action - a nameless victim.
No quote, but no space either, so full points there. Also high marks for suitability - the Wyrm is not always the towering Thunderwyrm. Sometimes it slowly erodes from the inside. Insert it into the Vegas setting, and you've polluted the Hoover Dam caern before most people are even aware. The polluter also works excellently as a victim. You don't earn the respect of others by gutting an unknowing pawn of the Wyrm. But if you don't stop their actions, you'll find yourself upstream of the Dam without a paddle.
I'd like to see what happens with the polluter in the future. The storyline tournament at DragonCon last year (1998) ended with this victim being a discovered Cub in a future release. I'm looking forward to it!