A K'Vort patrolling near a Transwarp Network Gateway has brought in the latest Borg ship to come through it; the:
The Borg Scout Vessel's advantages:
"I'm Too Young to Die!": Die to a a Borg Ship dilemma, that is. The classic use for a Borg Scout Vessel is to use Establish Transwarp Network Gateway to scout a location with a Borg Ship on turn 1, and then Retask that Borg Ship on turn 2. Of course, there is a significant amount of debate as to the value of this strategy--Puff feels that it is the only way to get the Borg into play fast enough to be viable in a tournament, whereas Mot the Barber (see the links section) feels that Retask is usele...less-than-useful.
"But I Want to Die!": Die in battle, that is. The Borg Scout Vessel, like all Borg craft, prominently features a point box--in the case of the Borg Scout Vessel, 5 points--which are earned by destroying the ship. Although these point boxes are generally a weakness, a balancing method to keep the combat-ready Cubes from overwhelming the game, the point box on the Borg Scout Vessel is a different matter. Small enough that it is unlikely to lose one the game (unlike the monstrous 50-point offering on the Queen's Borg Cube), it is large enough to attract some passing attention. This allows one to use the Borg Scout Vessel in an interesting alternative strategy; murder-suicide (perhaps more accurately, suicide-murder).
The strategy itself is quite simple. Use the Borg Scout Vessel's major frill to get it into play quickly, preferably with an Astrogation Drone crewing it. Move the Borg Scout Vessel to the same location as an enemy ship, and keep a Cube nearby. At this point, attack the enemy vessel. Although the Borg Scout Vessel is unlikely to damage the enemy ship, the opponent will, in all likelihood, retaliate out of pure irritation with the fly of a ship buzzing in their metaphorical ear. When they do, retaliate on your own turn--with the nearby Cube.
"But I Want *You* to Die!": The Borg Scout Vessel's attributes, although astonsihing in their unimpressiveness, do offer an interesting opportunity for the Borg; an armada deck. With the ability to deploy with crew, the Borg Scout Vessel could be a marvelous armada ship. Simply report a series of the marvelous little scouts and then move them into striking distance. The opposition, expecting to be attacked by Cubes, will probably be quite surprised to be attacked by a force of scouts (which means that they probably will not run away--a problem for any combat deck). In addition, the Borg outpost has spectacular Shields--which helps protect your small craft (although this strategy requires many Navigation-Icon cards, which are failed probes for the Assimilate Planets one needs to put these outposts on the spaceline, but then, no strategy is perfect. ;) ).
"If I *Have* to Die...": An oft-forgotten fact about the Borg Scout Vessel is that it is just as capable of scouting as the mighty Cubes. Able to report with crew, the Borg Scout Vessel is an excellent way to begin scouting early if one finds oneself trapped in the Delta Quadrant, or to finish scouting if something untoward happens to one's Cube(s). In addition, the Borg Scout Vessel offers an excellent "disposable" ship to absorb ship-affecting dilemmas such as the endlessly unpleasant Theta-Radiation Poisoning.
"I Shall Pave the Way for Others to Die!": Although it is easy to concentrate on the Borg Scout Vessel's ability to "...report with crew...," do not forget that it does so by "...dowloading [a Transwarp Network Gateway] if necessary." Hence, if one's opponent has used a Revolving Door on one's path into the Alpha Quadrant, or if one decides that entering on the other side of the spaceline would be a better idea, the Borg Scout Vessel offers the opportunity to establish a new Transwarp Network Gateway.
Of course, the Borg Scout Vessel has a bounty one-ninth that of a Borg Cube for a reason...
"I'm Gonna Die!": The Borg Scout Vessel's attributes are, in a word, miserable. Range 7 is barely sufficient (although easily raised with an Astrogation Drone), and Weapons and Shields of 4 is inexcusable. All in all, the Borg Scout Vessel is not a basket one wants all of one's eggs in.
Final Analysis: Although by no means a ship-of-the-line, the Borg Scout Vessel is an excellent addition to many Borg decks. Whether used to ensure entrance to the Alpha Quadrant, entice an opponent into battle, or as the first to scout a location, the Borg Scout Vessel has something to offer almost any strategy.
Next Week: The Spacedock catches up to the Zalkonian Vessel (at the request of Baran).
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Feel free to e-mail Phalanx
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