Being a look back at cards from the Star Trek CCG, and what I thought of them back when they were fresh and new... in EPISODE order. One of the more famous tactical maneuvers in Blaze of Glory is next...
PICTURE: The highlighted rectangular area in the back is an odd sfx glitch where the background nebula is lighter at that spot. I don't dislike it, as it creates a kind of tunnel vision for the viewer, though that tunnel leads you to a relatively blurry ship. The effect is, however, dynamic overall, and showcases a little-seen vessel class. I'll go as high as 3.4.
LORE: N/A (score will be adjusted accordingly)
TREK SENSE: As with most Tactics, I consider this 2 separate cards as far as Trek Sense goes - Picard Maneuver and EPS Taps Overloaded. First, the tactical section. The effect is described just like in the show which is great for Trek Sense. If the ship seems to be in 2 places at once, but is only in one, then your opponent has a 50% chance of attacking the wrong target. Taking advantage of the confusion it caused, your ship gets a +3 to Attack. But if your opponent attacks the right ship, the tactic had no Defensive advantage. Of course, Attack and Defense bonuses are applied to attribute totals, not particular ships. The effect, though, applies to specific ships - ships with their matching commander aboard. This reflects Picard's exclusivity of the tactic without limiting it to him specifically. See, once word gets out, other commanders may use it, but only if they know their craft intimately enough. If the card were just this part, it would earn a 5. But what about the damage marker section? It's interesting. Damage often causes Plasma Fire and Warp Core Breaches on the show, yet is not usually part and parcel of ship damage. Working it in as a damage download is great. Range and Shields are the only 2 affected attributes, but that's not entirely clear. I guess they are the most dependent on the warp core(?). Hull damage is a bit low for damage that would cause these other problems, though I'm no engineer, and might not know everything about the phenomenon. I can't give this a perfect score anyway, because there's the issue of marrying the two parts of the card. Are they related in any way thematically? One is a dangerous micro-warp, the other affects the warp core directly... yeah, there's a relationship. 4.8 enough for you?
STOCKABILITY: ATTACK +3 is a great bonus, and while DEFENSE is technically +0, there may be a 50% chance your ship can't be hit at all, like an Edo Vessel. All you need is your matching commander aboard, so this card is especially useful when using a lot of these, along with attendant Captain's Log and Defiant Dedication Plaque, enhancements which could go offline through a well-placed Target tactic. As a damage marker, it is less remarkable, though it makes a couple of blah events a little more useful. Plasma Fire and Warp Core Breach are 1) slow to play and 2) too easy to overcome. Even a small hit on a target vessel will yield 2 damage markers, so if you can remove offending SECURITY or ENGINEERs with other tactics (namely Photon Torpedo and Evasive Maneuvers), you might have a better chance of destroying the ship or damaging it further. Could work. The rest of the damage isn't too hot, with WEAPONS being unaffected, and HULL damage as low as -20%. The ECH makes the card more useful by being able to download it, so you can include fewer copies (its small damage makes it a drain on the side-deck otherwise) and still grab it when needed. Its highly defensive nature makes it a 3.5.
TOTAL: 15.6 (78%) Loved the Trek Sense on the card.
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