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. We get three cards from Haven...
PICTURE: Armin Shimmerman's first Star Trek appearance should get notice, but the box itself isn't very clear. We're just seeing the head piece. There's also something dreadfully wrong with the purple shades in Premiere, they often go from their original deep blue to fushia. 2.9 here.
LORE: All the elements are there without really linking it to the episode it came from ("Haven") or to Betazed for that matter. Nothing particularly good or bad, so a 3.
TREK SENSE: First, I'm not sure the Gift Box is an artifact per se. Artifacts are found, often by archaeologist, not given. The word "traditional" in the lore doesn't really convince me that these things are somehow ancient. They are probably manufactured on present-day Betazed. It will lose points for being the wrong card type. As for the effect, basically downloading three cards to your hand upon acquiring (opening) the Box, it makes some measure of sense. The gift is represented by three resources you may play later. Of course, I hardly see how most cards could fit in the box. Ships are too big (the keys maybe?), personnel would be too uncomfortable, etc. And why does the box have to be opened immediately? What's the emergency? None of this is reflected on the show. A 1.8.
SEEDABILITY: While the cheesy strategy of Palor Toffing and re-using your Betazoid Gift Box ad infinitum was destroyed by later rulings (good thing), the artifact retains some of its appeal. When you find it, you immediately download three cards you really need. With deck management at a premium, this can be useful as it doesn't depend on specific card downloads from cards already in play. No limits. Of course, you've got to acquire it first, which limits every Artifact in the game, but that can usually be done early enough (still a pain). Take stock of your opponent's strategy before getting the gift, and you stand a better chance of making the right choices. Still stands somewhere around 4.1.
TOTAL: 11.8 (59%) Shows off Premiere's problems, not with usefulness, but with lore, Trek sense and sometimes picture.
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