Halo TCG - Halo - The Covenant (9/22: Not your everyday pack of Jackals)

[Elf_Lvr]

Works for me. Just watch adding enduring guys to this culture. They might like explosions a little too much!

[MR. Lurtzy]

Shade needs to be unique, all others look zesty.

[lem0nhead]

Still dont think the shade needs unique its expensive and last one turn. As far as the grenade go its cool now i like the pay word, makes a lot more sense.

Nice DI. 

[DáinIronfoot]

Now we transition into the most human-like foes in The Covenant, at least during Halo: Combat Evolved: the Elites. Anyone who has even heard of Halo is probably familiar with this warrior race.

As a culture, they are fierce, relentless, and loyal to a fault to the Covenant cause. They are very intelligent and not nearly as sucidial as other races like Grunts and Jackals, forming much more complex plans of attack...but they are definately not above a noble sacrifice if the situation seems to call for it. Grunts may be more numerous, Jackals may be harder to kill off, and Hunters may be much more intimidating...but it is the roar of an angered Elite that REALLY gets you running for cover in the game.

As a race in Halo TCG, Elites have stats that are similiar to LOTR TCG's Uruk-hai, though they specialize in fierceness more than damage (though ALSO similiarly to Uruks, that doesn't mean they don't dabble in both ). They also work a lot with threats, adding them through various methods and then turning them into pain for the FP player, either as a cost for nasty effects or by simply beating you down and triggering them all.

I promised that the little Blue Elite we saw in the first post of this thread was one of the weakest of his kind, and hopefully you will soon get a better feel for what the typical Elite is like.

Here are a few examples to get us started. Enjoy!

Covenant Plasma Rifle [Covenant]
Possession • Ranged Weapon
Strength +2
Dual-wield. Bearer must be an Elite or Spartan II.
When you play this possession, you may exert bearer and remove a culture token to add a threat.
While skirmishing a Spartan II, Elite, or Jackal, bearer is strength +1.
"This is a directed energy weapon. It is capable of either semiautomatic or automatic fire. Continuous rapid fire overheats the weapon--this in turn depletes the weapon's power core."

Well, okay, I know I said Elites were next, but before THAT I said we'd be transitioning into them. This is how we do so, with one more weapon. The Plasma Rifle, much like the one in the game, doesn't seem like much. It has a rather average strength bonus and isn't particularly cheap. But it adds threats relatively easily (and can remove an opponent's tokens--like those on MJOLNIR Battle Armor--as a bonus), and is something to be reckoned with when going up against shielded opponents like Spartans, Elites, and those ever-so-pesky Jackals. Factor in that eligible characters can bear two of them, and you're looking at a potential strength +6 for only . That ain't so bad after all, eh?

Elite Veteran [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 8
Vitality: 3
Site: 4
Star: Silver
Fierce.
When you play this minion, you may remove to add a threat.
"‘Ah, hahahahahaha!'"

Basically a souped-up Blue Elite. Not the best introductory Elite, I suppose, so moving on....

Elite Scout [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 5
Vitality: 2
Site: 4
Fierce. Ambush .
This minion is strength +1 for each threat you can spot.
"‘Oassolle!'"

Awfully weak at first glance. I can just hear it now: "Dáin, you said these guys were going to be strong!" Yes, yes I did. Consider how easily Elites can pile on the threats, and you're looking at a potential monster here. And the scout-y ambush is the first peek of a nice mini-theme certain Elites have as well.

Cloaked Elite [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 8
Vitality: 2
Site: 5
SpecOps. Fierce. Ambush .
This minion may not take wounds (except during skirmishes).
When you play this minion, you may remove to add a threat (or to add 2 threats).
Select Elite warriors are chosen for stealthy missions, usually those involving assassination.

See what I meant about ambush? Not all Elites are pure beatsticks. This guy is more of a specialist, and when it comes to adding twilight and threats, he's certainly VERY special.

Black Ops Elite [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 9
Vitality: 3
Site: 5
Star: Silver
SpecOps. Fierce. Damage +1. To play, remove a threat.
Shadow: Exert this minion twice to add for each threat you can spot (limit ).
"‘Blaaaaaam!'"

Yeah...Elites didn't have the best dialogue in the early Halo days....

But that's okay, but this guy can HURT, and can bring in all his buddies with that Shadow ability.

•Brutal Elite [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 10
Vitality: 3
Site: 5
Fierce. Damage +1. To play, spot a [Covenant] minion.
While Brutal Elite bears a [Covenant] hand weapon, he is enduring.
Skirmish: Exert Brutal Elite to make another Elite minion strength +X, where X is the number of threats you can spot (limit +3).
"‘Come on, tough guy!'"

I imagine most Halo fans will immediately realize what type of hand weapon this guy might be carrying. Those that don't will have to wait a little bit longer.

[sickofpalantirs]

Covenant Plasma Rifle [Covenant]
Possession • Ranged Weapon
Strength +2
Dual-wield. Bearer must be an Elite or Spartan II.
When you play this possession, you may exert bearer and remove a culture token to add a threat.
While skirmishing a Spartan II, Elite, or Jackal, bearer is strength +1.
"This is a directed energy weapon. It is capable of either semiautomatic or automatic fire. Continuous rapid fire overheats the weapon--this in turn depletes the weapon's power core."
seems balanced.

Elite Veteran [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 8
Vitality: 3
Site: 4
Star: Silver
Fierce.
When you play this minion, you may remove to add a threat.
"‘Ah, hahahahahaha!'"
fine

Elite Scout [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 5
Vitality: 2
Site: 4
Fierce. Ambush .
This minion is strength +1 for each threat you can spot.
"‘Oassolle!'"
possibly add a limit on the strength, but than again, considering orc butcher maybe not(is that the card I'm thinking of?)

Cloaked Elite [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 8
Vitality: 2
Site: 5
SpecOps. Fierce. Ambush .
This minion may not take wounds (except during skirmishes).
When you play this minion, you may remove to add a threat (or to add 2 threats).
Select Elite warriors are chosen for stealthy missions, usually those involving assassination.
fine

Black Ops Elite [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 9
Vitality: 3
Site: 5
Star: Silver
SpecOps. Fierce. Damage +1. To play, remove a threat.
Shadow: Exert this minion twice to add for each threat you can spot (limit ).
"‘Blaaaaaam!'"
make him cost 3 maybe with that threat ability...and if you do cut a keyword.

•Brutal Elite [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 10
Vitality: 3
Site: 5
Fierce. Damage +1. To play, spot a [Covenant] minion.
While Brutal Elite bears a [Covenant] hand weapon, he is enduring.
Skirmish: Exert Brutal Elite to make another Elite minion strength +X, where X is the number of threats you can spot (limit +4).
"‘Come on, tough guy!'"

I imagine most Halo fans will immediately realize what type of hand weapon this guy might be carrying. Those that don't will have to wait a little bit longer.

I DON"T WANT TO WAIT>>>I MUST SEE MY PRECIOUS! MY BEAUTY! MY>>>>>>>SWw*bzzt*
fine

[Elf_Lvr]

Covenant Plasma Rifle [Covenant]
Possession • Ranged Weapon
Strength +2
Dual-wield. Bearer must be an Elite or Spartan II.
When you play this possession, you may exert bearer and remove a culture token to add a threat.
While skirmishing a Spartan II, Elite, or Jackal, bearer is strength +1.
"This is a directed energy weapon. It is capable of either semiautomatic or automatic fire. Continuous rapid fire overheats the weapon--this in turn depletes the weapon's power core."

I'd change the second strength bonus to damage, and drop the exertion on the "when you play..." ability.

Elite Veteran [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 8
Vitality: 3
Site: 4
Star: Silver
Fierce.
When you play this minion, you may remove to add a threat.
"‘Ah, hahahahahaha!'"

8-strength fierce still isn't anything to get excited about. But we'll see what's next, eh?

Elite Scout [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 5
Vitality: 2
Site: 4
Fierce. Ambush .
This minion is strength +1 for each threat you can spot.
"‘Oassolle!'"

He could turn out to be pretty good, actually. Any plans for butting that Ambush to good use?

Cloaked Elite [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 8
Vitality: 2
Site: 5
SpecOps. Fierce. Ambush .
This minion may not take wounds (except during skirmishes).
When you play this minion, you may remove to add a threat (or to add 2 threats).
Select Elite warriors are chosen for stealthy missions, usually those involving assassination.

For threat adding en masse, this guy's pretty good. I will accept him. He should be glad.

Black Ops Elite [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 9
Vitality: 3
Site: 5
Star: Silver
SpecOps. Fierce. Damage +1. To play, remove a threat.
Shadow: Exert this minion twice to add for each threat you can spot (limit ).
"‘Blaaaaaam!'"

Okay, but I still see more resenblance to Goblins that Uruks. And unless you had a lot of threats to begin with this guy isn't much worth playing.

•Brutal Elite [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 10
Vitality: 3
Site: 5
Fierce. Damage +1. To play, spot a [Covenant] minion.
While Brutal Elite bears a [Covenant] hand weapon, he is enduring.
Skirmish: Exert Brutal Elite to make another Elite minion strength +X, where X is the number of threats you can spot (limit +4).
"‘Come on, tough guy!'"

Good if bearing a weapon, otherwise, very mediocre. I think I'd drop the cost to and cap the limit at 3.

[MR. Lurtzy]

Black Ops could prolly be gold star. I like the others though.

[lem0nhead]

Covenant Plasma Rifle [Covenant]
Possession • Ranged Weapon
Strength +2
Dual-wield. Bearer must be an Elite or Spartan II.
When you play this possession, you may exert bearer and remove a culture token to add a threat.
While skirmishing a Spartan II, Elite, or Jackal, bearer is strength +1.
"This is a directed energy weapon. It is capable of either semiautomatic or automatic fire. Continuous rapid fire overheats the weapon--this in turn depletes the weapon's power core."

Nice, i like it.

Elite Veteran [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 8
Vitality: 3
Site: 4
Star: Silver
Fierce.
When you play this minion, you may remove to add a threat.
"‘Ah, hahahahahaha!'"

Fair enough. Shocking lore though  .

Elite Scout [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 5
Vitality: 2
Site: 4
Fierce. Ambush .
This minion is strength +1 for each threat you can spot.
"‘Oassolle!'"

Cool, still desperate for lore i see.

Cloaked Elite [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 8
Vitality: 2
Site: 5
SpecOps. Fierce. Ambush .
This minion may not take wounds (except during skirmishes).
When you play this minion, you may remove to add a threat (or to add 2 threats).
Select Elite warriors are chosen for stealthy missions, usually those involving assassination.

When youre adding 3 id also spot another minion or something.

Black Ops Elite [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 9
Vitality: 3
Site: 5
Star: Silver
SpecOps. Fierce. Damage +1. To play, remove a threat.
Shadow: Exert this minion twice to add for each threat you can spot (limit ).
"‘Blaaaaaam!'"

Oooo nice i like that.

•Brutal Elite [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 10
Vitality: 3
Site: 5
Fierce. Damage +1. To play, spot a [Covenant] minion.
While Brutal Elite bears a [Covenant] hand weapon, he is enduring.
Skirmish: Exert Brutal Elite to make another Elite minion strength +X, where X is the number of threats you can spot (limit +3).
"‘Come on, tough guy!'"

Hmm a sword methinks? Nice and nasty.

[DáinIronfoot]

Yeah, lore is hard to come by for the first game, at least for non-UNSC cultures. MUCH easier after that.

Okay, some more Elites. Still going to make you wait on that promised hand weapon, though.

•Command Elite [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 9
Vitality: 4
Site: 5
Star: Gold
Damage +1. Enduring. Fierce. To play, remove 2 threats.
An Elite's status is most evident in its color of armor, and that ‘rank' is achieved by number of enemy kills. Gold signifies one of their highest, and thus most lethal, warriors.

•Elite Squadron [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 10
Vitality: 4
Site: 5
Star: Silver
Fierce.
Each Elite gains toil 2.
Each time a player plays an Elite, you may exert Elite Squadron to add a threat.
"‘Aogest OWS demidl!'"

•Elite Vanguard [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 12
Vitality: 4
Site: 5
Damage +1. Fierce.
Each unique Elite is strength +1 for each threat you can spot (limit +3).
Regroup: Exert 2 Elite minions to add a threat.
"‘RRAAAAAAR!'"

Tomorrow we get into some of our named Elites. They'll be a little more interesting, I promise.

[sickofpalantirs]

Yeah, lore is hard to come by for the first game, at least for non-UNSC cultures. MUCH easier after that.

Okay, some more Elites. Still going to make you wait on that promised hand weapon, though.

•Command Elite [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 9
Vitality: 4
Site: 5
Star: Gold
Fierce. Enduring. Damage +1. To play, remove 2 threats.
An Elite's status is most evident in its color of armor, and that ‘rank' is achieved by number of enemy kills. Gold signifies one of their highest, and thus most lethal, warriors.
cut to 5. and again,,,,I don't like a single minion to have that much vitality

•Elite Squadron [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 10
Vitality: 4
Site: 5
Star: Silver
Fierce.
Each Elite gains toil 1.
Each time a player plays an Elite, you may exert Elite Squadron to add a threat.
"‘Aogest OWS demidl!'"
fine, though I think you could cut to 6. I don't like the high vitality...but its ok

•Elite Vanguard [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 12
Vitality: 4
Site: 5
Fierce. Damage +1.
Each unique Elite is strength +1 for each threat you can spot (limit +3).
Regroup: Exert 2 Elite minions to add a threat.
"‘RRAAAAAAR!'"

fine. however I would cut vitality b1, and cost by 1.

[Thranduil]

•Command Elite [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 9
Vitality: 4
Site: 5
Star: Gold
Fierce. Enduring. Damage +1. To play, remove 2 threats.
An Elite's status is most evident in its color of armor, and that ‘rank' is achieved by number of enemy kills. Gold signifies one of their highest, and thus most lethal, warriors.

Yeah, seems like he could perhaps cost .

•Elite Vanguard [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 12
Vitality: 4
Site: 5
Fierce. Damage +1.
Each unique Elite is strength +1 for each threat you can spot (limit +3).
Regroup: Exert 2 Elite minions to add a threat.
"‘RRAAAAAAR!'"

I would perhaps swap damage +1 for lurker which seems much more fun.

Thranduil

[Elf_Lvr]

•Command Elite [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 9
Vitality: 4
Site: 5
Star: Gold
Fierce. Enduring. Damage +1. To play, remove 2 threats.
An Elite's status is most evident in its color of armor, and that ‘rank' is achieved by number of enemy kills. Gold signifies one of their highest, and thus most lethal, warriors.

Okay, so besides being a perfect guy to hold on to a grenade in case it backfires, he seems rather pathetic for his high cost and threat removal requirement.

•Elite Squadron [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 10
Vitality: 4
Site: 5
Star: Silver
Fierce.
Each Elite gains toil 1.
Each time a player plays an Elite, you may exert Elite Squadron to add a threat.
"‘Aogest OWS demidl!'"

Okay, without even enduring, his strength massively fails in proportion to his cost. I'm not sure how much toil will help you - either it sets up an uber swarm or it's relatively useless if all you use are these high-costing guys.

•Elite Vanguard [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 12
Vitality: 4
Site: 5
Fierce. Damage +1.
Each unique Elite is strength +1 for each threat you can spot (limit +3).
Regroup: Exert 2 Elite minions to add a threat.
"‘RRAAAAAAR!'"

Maybe an extra strength or two. Is there any reason these guys are unique AND have such low strength? Besides that he's the best of the bunch, IMO.

[MR. Lurtzy]

Toil 1 is useless on almost every card. I'd recommend either raising to to toil 2 or just getting rid of it all together. Also, these elites are way overpriced. Cutting each by 1 would be good.

[menace64]

I keep getting hung up on the fact that you refuse to put keywords in the correct order! Ahhh!

It seems you need a lesson:

The rule of keyword order is extremely simple. Any keyword that creates a 'sub-culture' (such as Warg-rider, Corsair, Ring-bound, etc.) always comes before any other keyword. If a card has two or more 'sub-culture' keywords, put them in alphabetical order. After those, any other keywords are placed in alphabetical order.

•Command Elite [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 9
Vitality: 4
Site: 5
Star: Gold
Fierce. Enduring. Damage +1. To play, remove 2 threats.
An Elite's status is most evident in its color of armor, and that ‘rank' is achieved by number of enemy kills. Gold signifies one of their highest, and thus most lethal, warriors.

See this? That is just about as wrong as you can be! On this card, the keyword should be ordered as Damage +1. Enduring. Fierce.

Until Dain promises to put keywords in their proper positions, menace64 is on strike from ALL of his sets! Not a single review until Mr. Ironfoot cleans up his act!!!

[lem0nhead]

Okay first of all LOL @ menace for being amusing AND pedantic.

Second i agree with Lurtzy on my previously voiced opinion that toil 1 is indeed useless. Saving 1 pool is so not worth an exertion except in the RAREST of circumstances. Not sooooo bad on minions as on companions though.

Ok aaaaand onto the reveiw.

•Command Elite [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 9
Vitality: 4
Site: 5
Star: Gold
Fierce. Enduring. Damage +1. To play, remove 2 threats.
An Elite's status is most evident in its color of armor, and that ‘rank' is achieved by number of enemy kills. Gold signifies one of their highest, and thus most lethal, warriors.

Could easily cost 5.

•Elite Squadron [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 10
Vitality: 4
Site: 5
Star: Silver
Fierce.
Each Elite gains toil 1.
Each time a player plays an Elite, you may exert Elite Squadron to add a threat.
"‘Aogest OWS demidl!'"

Wow well overcosted. Could cost 5 probably, 6 for sure.

•Elite Vanguard [Covenant]
Minion • Elite
Strength: 12
Vitality: 4
Site: 5
Fierce. Damage +1.
Each unique Elite is strength +1 for each threat you can spot (limit +3).
Regroup: Exert 2 Elite minions to add a threat.
"‘RRAAAAAAR!'"

Nice, as his ability is the shiznit, though i would still drop to 7 at least.

Show me my beloved sword dammit dwarf!