| June 28, 1999 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Type: Combat | |
| Keywords: Mind · Umbra | |
| Requires: | Rage Cost: 2 |
| Style: Defense | Moon: New |
| Damage: 0 | Block: 1 |
| Text: If you are fighting in the Umbra, Umbral Stop blocks damage equal to your combatant's Gnosis minus the current Umbra level. You can only play one Umbral Stop per combat. | |
| Quote: "A finger and a look is all it takes." - Sleeping Brook | |
| Phase: 6 | Artist: Matt Roach |
| |||||||||||||||
Power: 17
An interesting card, Umbral Stop - in the right hands, it rules. Used incorrectly, and it sucks. This is definitely a card that relies on the card text, and on being used by the correct combatant. Toss this card in a deck with Naomi, and even at Umbra level 5, you've got 5 points of blocking power going on. At Umbra level 1, you've got a whopping block of 9. Ye gods, that's a lot of block. Combo with War Paint as the Prey, and you can block the biggest thing your opponent can throw at you. This card isn't too bad even on characters with lower Gnosis. Even at a Rage 2, a block of 2 or 3 is respectable. Keep the Umbra level at a manageable level, and you'll get the mileage out of the card. Just don't plan on getting much out of this card in the 'real world'. A block of 1 doesn't get you far.
Usability: 20
With no limits on who can use this card, it could appear in pretty much any deck. However, you're going to get the most use out of it in a deck geared toward higher Gnosis characters in the Umbra. Any other idea would probably get more use out of one of the many Rage 1/Block 2 cards. Then again, it could make for a good changeup if your opponents sense a trend in Rage costs...
Limitations: 16
It's almost tempting to say this card is way too limited. First, in the real world it is impractical, being a Rage 2 card with only 1 Block. It's definitely a card that needs to be in the Umbra to work well, and any Umbra prevention will make this dead weight in your combat hand. Second, you've got the power of the card tied not only to the Gnosis of the user (which averages only in the 4-5 range), but also to the Umbra level. It is in your interest to keep the Umbra level down with this card, and there are myriad ways to raise it. Third, it's a 'one per combat' card, so no way to use more than one at a time. Throw in a few card effects that target higher blocks or the Umbra keyword, and it seems rather strict. But when used effectively, it's virtually insurmountable. On the aforementioned Naomi, you've got the blocking power to stop Rends, Crushes, and even some of the most hopped-up Focus Your Rages. Believe me, this card goes in all my Umbral decks - I'll risk the odds for a sure-fire block when I need it.
Decks: 13
This card has 'Umbra Deck' written all over it. Unless your deck relies on jacking the Umbra level up, or on using low Gnosis Garou, you'd be silly not to include this card, as well as Spirit Wall, for maximum blockability. It should also fit in nicely with an Uktena deck, as their characters tend to have the higher Gnosis scores in the game. This card would work well in a deck focused on hunting Wyrm enemies in the Umbra - that Bane of Doom is not so frightful when it can't hurt you.
Other than that, it might fit in well with a deck focused on getting renown or effects based on your ability to survive the Hunting Grounds, like Chant of the Run or Get Rite of Passage, rather than outright combat. Just hop into the Umbra and hide.
Flavor: 17
Matt Roach did a pretty nice job with this work. Sleeping Brook is very obvious here, the figure here is not some nameless Telly Sevales who hangs out at Umbral train stations. I'm not so sure I like the tilted perspective on the piece, I probably would not notice it were it not for the building in the background. Forgivable, it's not like it gives me vertigo or anything. The train and mountain backdrop sets the scene well. Perhaps my only complaint is that while the piece shows a ghost town worthy of the Umbra, it looks too much like a ghost town, and less like an Umbral location. To me, it looks more like some nameless and abandoned waystation on the rail lines than as an Umbral image of the Weaver's growing webs. If not for the name, I'd actually believe this to be a scene from the real world. Perhaps it is, and was incorrectly matched with name/card effects? In any case, I like the name. Fits the card effects nicely, fits the art, and fits the quote.
Speaking of the quote, good job, Ed! One of the few attributed combat card quotes, and I like the way it ties in perfectly with the card art. It also explains the card effects. In the real world, you need combat ability to block that well. In the Umbra, all it takes is your will - measured in Gnosis. If you exude mystical power, all you need to do is will it, and it will happen. Overall, the card ties in rather nicely both into the Uktena release and in the overall storyline. As we know from the various quotes, Sleeping Brook was a big player in the past attempts to stop the Storm Eater. He probably also played a major roll in resisting the Iron Riders. While physically weak, this shows that his metaphysical powers were nothing to scoff at - heightening the appreciation for the power of the Storm Eater.