Klingon troops have just come back through a temporal vortex bearing news of an ancient vessel of inestimable import; the:
The Phoenix's uses:
Allmoooosssst Therrreee... : Ever had a deck that ran out of personnel before completing that last mission? Ever needed to self-seed a Barclay's Protomorphosis Disease to win? Ever had to play an Arbiter Of Succession on yourself? Then the Phoenix is for you! Simply by deploying the Phoenix, one earns ten points--no requirements, no skills needed, just put it at an outpost. In fact, there is no need even to crew her--so long as the Phoenix is in orbit, it is worth ten points. This makes the Phoenix perfect for decks needing *just a few more* points to win, such as Borg-hunter decks (two Borg ships destroyed brings one to 90 points) or certain mission-completion decks. Remember, though, that these are bonus points--and hence are threatened by Intermix Ratio.
Ha Ha! Attempt That PNZ *Now*! : With the advent of the Patrol Neutral Zone deck, it has become fashionable to include a ship with the ability to land in order to stifle the completion of PNZ. Most of the time, that ship is the Vulcan Lander; reasonably quick and easy to crew with one of the FC Vulcans, the Lander has found its way into many Q's Tents. But, what if there were a ship that could be useful as more than just a PNZ-spoiler?
That more-useful ship is the Phoenix. Since the Phoenix has a value (no pun intended) beyond its ability to land, the Phoenix can be useful even when one's opponent is playing a different strategy (unlike the Vulcan Lander, which will probably wind up being too slow and under-gunned, with no redeeming frill like the Phoenix's).
Rock and Roll, Money, Tequila, and Naked Women: That is, if Zephram Cochrane is around. And who *wouldn't* want him around? With a dual-classification (and one of those classifications doubled), useful skills, several icons for crewing ships, and an interesting special ability, Cochrane is entirely worth having. In fact, he is necessary if the Phoenix is your deck's PNZ-trasher of choice. Cochrane, however, suffers the same problem as all personnel; he has to be brought into play. That means a) getting Cochrane into hand (possibly using up a valuable Q's Tent) and b) using a card play. The question, therefore, remains; is Cochrane worthwhile?
Thanks to Ready Room Door, the answer is a resounding "Yes!" With RRD, one can download Cochrane directly to his ship of choice, the Phoenix--which, we have established, is entirely worth a card play. Three classifications and a useful objective on any planet at the cost of a use of an RRD (which is reusable anyway)? Sounds good to the Spacedock!
"You Don't Know What We Can Find/Come Along With Me Little Girl/On A Magic Carpet Ride": The Phoenix also offers an excellent way to protect oneself against timeline-disruption. Since the Phoenix's launch ends the threat of the Borg stopping first contact, it protects Federation players from having themselves removed from existence. Of course, the Phoenix requires more cards to change the Borg's plans than a Vulcan Lander (a minimum of three cards for the Phoenix--the Phoenix, Cochrane, and Lily Sloane), but then, the reasoning behind using the Phoenix in preference to the Lander has already been discussed.
If only the Spacedock's report could continue in this vein...
"You're Going to Fly in *That*?": Unfortunately, the Phoenix's attributes do not live up to its frills. 1 Range is almost equivalent to 0--and on most spacelines, it will get the Phoenix just as far. Shields of 1 are not even worth mentioning, and even when Logged the reach only a pathetic 4. The Phoenix also takes the cake for least-effective offensive ship, with no weaponry whatsoever. All in all, the Phoenix is not worth taking out of the Tent for any purpose but its frills.
"What, Me Worry?": If the Phoenix is on the table, its owner certainly should. By providing a ten point bonus to its owner, the Phoenix makes itself a tempting target--and its pathetic combat capabilities ensure that one's opponent will hit the mark every time.
On the other hand, this could be made into a benefit for battle decks in need of a way to catch up to the opposition. By deploying the Phoenix when one is about to score enough points to win (thanks to the ten point bonus), it is possible to attract the opponent. When the enemy vessel attacks the Phoenix, a well-positioned ship could then step in and retaliate, leaving one's opponent reeling.
"...Too primitive.": The Phoenix also has one other major handicap; it belongs in 2063. If one's opponent deploys the Montana Missle Complex, the Phoenix will have to deploy there--and will hence be vulnerable to whatever they may have in store.
Final Analysis: The Phoenix, although hobbled by attributes barely worth mentioning, has some amazingly useful frills. The ten point bonus and ability to land both open up a variety of sub-strategies based around the Phoenix, and the value of downloading Zephram Cochrane is clear. Federation decks should probably include the Phoenix in case of Borg efforts to disrupt the timeline. Overall, in the right decks, the Phoenix can rise above the rest.
Next Week: The Spacedock ventures deep into enemy territory to find the wreckage of the Pi.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Feel free to e-mail Phalanx
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