I'll be honest - while Gobby Green Goblin has gotten a lot of discussion since Dice Masters hit the streets, I don't think it's the biggest kid on the block; heck, we've discussed several ways to best deal with it here on The Reserve Pool. To me, Gobby isn't the best of the Green Goblin picks; no, that would go to his rare form, Norman Osborne - NOGG, for short. It's probably my favorite card in the initial set, and I'm going to show my appreciation for it by taking a break from my usual strategy pieces to explain why I like him so much, and how you, noble reader, can also take advantage of him. Without further ado: A Love Letter to NOGG.N is for the Nastiness of your Dice
Okay, this isn't unique to his NOGG form, but it bears repeating: the Green Goblin die is very strong. It's fairly cheap, at a TFC of 2, and its level 3 face gets you a 5A/5D for only one energy, a deal you're not going to see outside the level one face of the various and sundry huge bruisers in the set. When you consider it's only costing your four to buy that die as a NOGG (compared to six or more for the Hulks and Things and Thors and whatnot), that's really not that bad at all; it's entirely reasonable for you to go whack someone for five on the third turn as if you were playing the Gobby early game full court press, just because you can.
The other faces aren't slouches, either - a 2A/2D for nothing is at the higher end of the power curve for zero cost, and while 3A/3D isn't anything too special for one, it's reasonable, and makes for a reasonable transition between the "low power" and "high power" states. And it's not even bad that they're not super strong - two or three defense means that a lot of the early game usual suspects, like Beast or Widow, have a decent shot at knocking him out and letting you field him again, which means getting that lovely on-field effect again.
O is for the Overflowing Energy you Bring
Speaking of which: I can't emphasize just how good NOGG's ability is. Being able to reroll two sidekick dice is huge; it virtually ensures that NOGG will at least pay for himself, and is fairly likely to wind up actually gaining you energy. Honestly, even if you only get to roll one die, it's pretty good: assuming a Green Goblin die you're rolling at the beginning of the turn will only be able to roll one sidekick, you have about a one-in-three chance of gaining energy (should that Goblin roll level 1, largely), and most of the rest of the time you'll break even.
That said, you can often manipulate your purchases to make sure NOGG has sidekicks to pick up. Note that his card says that you can't use his abilities on sidekick dice used to pay to field him, not on sidekicks used to pay for other stuff that turn. Go and pay for your other characters, then drop in NOGG and take those dice right back. Really, the least ideal time to get him is right out of a fresh bag early in the game, where he's probably going to have no sidekicks at all to reroll, and you're not likely to have extra stuff in your prep area for you to need to pay for first, but you can get around this by buying something that costs two, paying for him if needed, and then picking up whatever else you can buy; at worst, you end up buying two 2-cost characters instead of a 4, and if it's that vital you get the four, you do have the versatility to reroll him and either get energy or hopefully get his level 1 face, which would let him go out for free.
Best of all - there's nothing that says you have to be rooting for energy when you roll. Maybe you're running with Flame On! Human Torch - you've got about a one-in-three chance of getting at least one sidekick out of that roll, which translates into bonus pings for you. Maybe you could just use a couple extra blockers. Or maybe, in a very Green Goblin-y way, you want those sidekicks for more nefarious purposes...
G is for an Interesting Global
Unlike the other two Green Goblins, NOGG has a global ability: pay one lightning bolt and sacrifice a fielded sidekick to do two damage to one character. While this may seem a little steep - sidekicks don't quite grow on trees, and an energy is an energy - I feel that NOGG's ability does lend itself to ending up with that one energy more than what you needed, and it will help you get out more sidekicks if that's what you need. And having that pocket Power Bolt, even if it's one that can't target players, can be really handy. Opponent puts down that Goddess of the Plains Storm? Blast it before it can attack, and your characters are safe for another turn. McRook getting you down? You'll kill two of his three faces with the global, and if you're paying attention to what's coming up for your opponent, that might mean he'll have to make some tough choices on the following turn as to what to field and what to use as energy.
Also, note that the sacrifice is just knocking out your sidekick - you send him to your prep area and roll him next turn as normal. If you think about it, you're effectively paying one energy to do a little damage and roll an extra die next turn. If you don't need a sidekick so badly, but do need more energy coming up, it can be a nice trade to make.
G is for General Usability
What I like best about NOGG is really the sum of these parts. Because he's so versatile, because you get so much mileage out of what he does, and because, maybe most importantly, he doesn't really pull you in any direction outside of maybe favoring having lots of cheap buy options, it's pretty hard to find a deck that he won't enhance without any other cards needed. Every non-Gobby deck is going to be rolling and using sidekick dice for energy most of the time; every non-Gobby deck is going to wind up with them in their used pile; every Gobby deck can't take NOGG, because that's against the rules. Certainly, there's cards he works well with, like Flame On! or Johnny Storm Human Torch, the assorted Hulks, American Hero Captain America for maximum sidekick reroll action, but no matter what you take, you get a solid, cheap die that will get you extra purchasing power and maybe let you take out a threat at a key moment. Most decks would leap at something that gives them two of those; all three at once seems like a no-brainer.
So, maybe, put down that Gobby for a while. Let your sidekicks roll free, over and over, sometimes multiple times in the same turn. Maybe, just maybe, fling one of them at that Tsarina that's bothering you. NOGG's got your back, if you give him a chance.
After reading your article about NOGG I really wanted to give him a try. Ive gotta say he plays out so differently than his common version Goblin Lord. With Goblin Lord I really only wanted 2 GG dice in my bag because he should be in the field for the most part. With NOGG I saw myself buying up as much as I could. I loved going into my opponents turn with a sidekick or 2 and a couple bolt energies. It made it very tough for my opponent to want to field any of their weaker stuff. It also changed his plans a bit and he started trying to utilize the global as well. Problem was he wasn't set up to actually abuse it. I was thoroughly impressed with his "when fielded" ability. He may not have the quick punch of Gobby but I fully agree with you that he is the best due to his versatility.
ReplyDeleteThis actually sounds a lot like what happened when I first gave him a shot, and went a long way to making me a convert. Glad you're finding him useful too!
DeleteNice and interesting article.
ReplyDeletePS: isn't NOGG TFC = 0/1/1?