[{"text":"As we enter the 16th season of DCDB, we always look forward to seeing what new teams come about based on changes to the tier list.&nbsp; New seasons can also be a time to reflect back on teams we haven't seen in a while, and one such team is the focus of this article."},{"header":"meet the team"},{"double":[{"src":"kyl429394kyle-ray.jpeg"},{"src":"cap615367captain-.jpeg"}]},{"double":[{"src":"tri357328trickste.jpeg"},{"src":"car161736card-bac.jpg"}]},{"text":"This team has been legal for quite some time, and with the minor exception of the teamwork nerf recently, it's as good as it's ever been.&nbsp; If you haven't had the pleasure of playing with or against this team then hopefully this article will encourage you to pick it up and see what it's all about."},{"header":"mc synergy"},{"text":"The basis of most teams is how the Main Characters interact with one another.&nbsp; For this configuration, each of the MCs plays an important role.&nbsp; Let's take a look:"},{"image":[{"src":"tri677829trickste.jpeg"},{"caption":""}]},{"text":"We'll begin with Trickster, who has two straightforward abilities.&nbsp; His teamwork ability can give us some options later in the game, but is generally irrelevant for the team, and is often not used even when its 'online'.&nbsp; It's his first ability which earns him his place on the team. By himself he allows you to keep a certain card out of your deck.&nbsp; This can be used to thin your deck of a Vuln early in the game, thereby enhancing future shuffle\/draw patterns by increasing the effectiveness of cards in your deck.&nbsp; More on this later, but for now we can note that, because of Trickster, we'll always have a card in our discard pile after we shuffle."},{"image":[{"src":"cap622295captain-.jpeg"},{"caption":""}]},{"text":"Next up is Captain Boom, a well known MC due to his ability to return a card from your discard pile to your hand at the start of your turn.&nbsp; Most often you will be returning a Starter, and often a Punch, because of the 'lowest VP value' clause tied to his ability, but even something as simple as an extra power each turn can be an effective means of getting ahead.&nbsp; However, a common complaint levied at the Captain is that when you shuffle you will not have a card to return at the beginning of your next turn, which hinders his performance. Remembering our friend Trickster, we see this will never be an issue for the team.&nbsp; Trickster is happy to leave a card in our discard pile when we shuffle, from which Captain Boomerang will gladly return it to our hand at the start of our next turn."},{"header":"piloting the team"},{"text":"Let's consider a few scenarios to see how these MCs interact: T1: We have a common hand of 3 Punches and 2 Vulns, from which we buy a Kick and pass. T2: We have the complimentary hand of 4 Punches and 1 Vuln.&nbsp; We use Boomerang's ability to bring back a Punch at the start of our turn, and are able to buy a 5-cost card.&nbsp; To keep it simplistic, let's assume we buy Gorilla Grodd (https:\/\/www.dcdeckbuilding.com\/scans\/Gorilla%20Grodd.jpeg). T3: After our second turn, we have to shuffle our deck.&nbsp; Here we'll take advantage of Trickster's ability and leave a Punch in our discard pile.&nbsp; At the start of our third turn we'll Boomerang this Punch back to our hand for an additional Power. By repeating this process throughout the game, we'll typically have a six card hand, one of which will be a card we just picked up from our discard pile at the start of our turn."},{"header":"optimizing your plays"},{"text":"Savy players will notice that we can do better.&nbsp; Let's consider the same line of play for the first two turns: T1: We have 3 Punches and 2 Vulns, we buy a Kick. T2: We have 4 Punches and 1 Vuln, Boomerang back a Punch, and buy Grodd. Here is where we'll diverge from the previous line of play: T3: We have to shuffle our deck, so we'll use Trickster's ability to leave Gorilla Grodd in our discard pile. At the start of our third turn we use Captain Boomerang to return Grodd to our hand (Note: Although Grodd is a 2vp card, since he is the only card in our discard pile that means he is indeed the lowest VP value card and therefore we can return him!) Compared to our initial sequence of returning a Punch on turn 3, here we're able to return Grodd, for a solid +2 Power gain."},{"double":[{"src":"pun80920punch-.jpeg"},{"src":"gor503417gorilla-.jpeg"}]},{"header":"pushing your luck"},{"text":"Early in the game, it's usually correct to leave your best card in your discard pile on the turns you shuffle, allowing you to use Boomerang to return a powerful card instead of something mundane like a Punch. As the game progresses this dynamic changes, and you will have to adjust on the fly as to when you choose to push your luck.&nbsp; Cards in particular that you should look out for include:"},{"double":[{"src":"aza810656azarath-.jpeg"},{"src":"ban8347bane-4-.jpeg"}]},{"double":[{"src":"kry87938kryptoni.jpeg"},{"src":"poi507722poison-i.jpeg"}]},{"text":"In general, anything that results in additional cards entering your discard pile is bad news, because this threatens to undermine your decision to leave a powerful card in your discard pile. In the previous scenario, if we leave Grodd in our discard pile and get hit with an Attack from Bane that forces us to discard a card, we'll end up discarding a Starter and thereby stranding Grodd in our discard pile until the next time we shuffle.&nbsp; (Remember: Captain Boomerang only lets us return the lowest VP value card.) This outcome should be considered disastrous (because we miss out on our most powerful card for a full deck cycle) and should be avoided at all costs.&nbsp; This means paying attention to whether your opponents have bought cards with these abilities yet or not.&nbsp; If they haven't then the coast is clear and you should continue using Boomerang to bring back your best cards.&nbsp; If they have one of the aforementioned cards then I'd recommend playing it safe and leaving back a Punch instead."},{"header":"supervillain attacks"},{"double":[{"src":"gre314960green-ar.jpeg"},{"src":"swa797305swamp-th.jpeg"}]},{"double":[{"src":"bro640115brother-.jpeg"},{"src":"ter389754terra-10.jpeg"}]},{"text":"Throughout the game, even when none of your opponent's have cards that can interfere with your discard pile you should be cognizant of the Super Villain stack.&nbsp; This is because your opponents will grow tired of you Boomeranging back powerful cards and they will prioritize beating the boss so the SV FAA will have its way with you. The best you can hope for is to defend the SV attack which means you get to return a 1 VP card with Boomerang instead of returning Grodd if you were pushing your luck a bit.&nbsp; Worst case scenario is you have no Defense and gain a Weakness from the FAA, which is just as disastrous as the scenario we discussed above, because we've lost access to our Grodd for a full deck cycle. This means you must be aware of not only whether specific cards are in your opponent's decks, but you must also weigh the likelyhood that someone will beat an SV during the next turn cycle.&nbsp; Often the first shuffle or two of your deck this chance may be low (and often dependent upon the teams your Opponents are piloting) but as you enter the mid-game the chance someone defeats an SV increases.&nbsp; Making sure you are not on the wrong side of a brutal FAA is key to winning with this team."},{"header":"regarding weaknesses"},{"double":[{"src":"wea884946weakness.jpeg"},{"src":"r02941493r02-weak.jpg"}]},{"text":"Weaknesses are brutal for any team, but they are maybe the most effective vs this one.&nbsp; Weighing in at negative one VP, they will always be the lowest VP value card in your discard pile, forcing you to return them over anything, even a Punch.&nbsp; Because they typically provide no benefit, returning a Weakness to your hand each turn is generally a useless endeavor and undermines our pick of Captain Boomerang. This forces you to prioritize destruction over more powerful effects.&nbsp; Some of the best to pick up include:"},{"double":[{"src":"ama937444amanda-w.jpeg"},{"src":"ene87296energy-a.jpeg"}]},{"double":[{"src":"red928737red-lant.jpeg"},{"src":"sou230554soultake.jpeg"}]},{"text":"Astute players will note that destruction effects are not created equal, and therefore you will have lackluster results with some of the following:"},{"double":[{"src":"det595412detonato.jpeg"},{"src":"doo495909doomsday.jpeg"}]},{"double":[{"src":"hom539262homicida.jpeg"},{"src":"kin212760king-of-.jpeg"}]},{"text":"These cards are often touted as perfectly fine destruction cards, and based on past experiences with other teams, you might be tempted to blindly pick them up as you remember how great they were before.&nbsp; However, don't forget that the point of this section is that we have to prioritize destroying Weaknesses over anything else so that our team functions as optimally as possible by allowing us to Boomerang at least a Punch back each turn. The difference to note between the two sets of destruction effects just presented is to notice which zones they let you destroy cards from.&nbsp; With the updated rules added this season, Boomerang allows you to choose whether or not to return a card at the start of your turn.&nbsp; Most often you will be in a habit of returning something, and even a Weakness can hopefully be discarded to another effect during the turn for some benefit.&nbsp; However if you then draw into King of Atlantis you might become frustrated because the Weakness you want to return is in your hand where the King cannot interact with it. The argument gets worse if you have multiple of these conflicting effects in your deck, and it can cause you to make difficult decisions.&nbsp; Let's say you find yourself in a position where you have both King of Atlantis and Red Lantern Corps shuffled in your deck:"},{"double":[{"src":"red528536red-lant.jpeg"},{"src":"kin225823king-of-.jpeg"}]},{"text":"Between turns you get hit with an Attack that gives you a Weakness.&nbsp; As you begin your turn, your hand is four Punches and a Birdarang."},{"image":[{"src":"pun894892punch-.jpeg"},{"caption":""}]},{"text":"This scenario is rather unfortunate, because it means you don't know which zone you want your Weakness to be in until after you play Birdarangs, and by then it may be to late.&nbsp; Should you return it to your hand with Boomerang in case you draw into your Red Lantern Corps?&nbsp; Should you leave it in your discard pile in case you draw into King of Atlantis? Having dissimilar destruction effects in your deck means that you will inevitably guess wrong half the time when faced with decisions like these, resulting in Weaknesses staying in your deck longer than they otherwise would have."},{"header":"weaknesses are great"},{"text":"Having just discussed how devastating Weaknesses are for the team, it may come as a surprise to hear that Weaknesses are occasionally the best thing for this team.&nbsp; To understand this rationale, we need to discuss the final character on our team:"},{"image":[{"src":"kyl125390kyle-ray.jpeg"},{"caption":""}]},{"text":"Kyle is the one that brings the whole team together and Makes it Rayne!&nbsp; He allows us to reveal three different colored cards to reset our hand.&nbsp; When supported by Captain Boomerang and Trickster, this trio is very synergistic."},{"header":"team interaction #1"},{"text":"There are two key interactions you can utilize when playing this team, let's review them one at a time: 1.) At the start of your turn, Captain Boomerang and Kyle Rayner both trigger.&nbsp;&nbsp;"},{"double":[{"src":"cap669838captain-.jpeg"},{"src":"kyl796463kyle-ray.jpeg"}]},{"text":" Since they are both our triggers, and they trigger at the same time, we can resolve them in the order of our choice.&nbsp; Furthermore we can resolve either, both or neither of them depending on how we want to play out the turn. With these two triggers on the stack we count our deck (which currently contains three cards), and check our hand which contains the following:"},{"image":[{"src":"vul420698vulnerab.jpeg"},{"caption":""}]},{"text":"Our discard pile contains an assortment of cards, from which we pick out the one card that would be best to play this turn.&nbsp; For simplicity, let's say our discard pile contains a dozens or so cards, among which there is a Red Robin and a Weakness."},{"double":[{"src":"red55144red-robi.jpeg"},{"src":"wea40756weakness.jpg"}]},{"text":"By itself, Red Robin is equivalent to our whole hand, so this is a good opportunity to put our trio of MCs to use.&nbsp; Here's the sequence:"},{"list":[{"listType":"bullet"},{"caption":"Kyle Rayner and Captain Boomerang have both triggered."},{"caption":"We choose to resolve Kyle Rayner, revealing Kick, Gizmo and Punch from our hand."},{"caption":"This causes us to discard our hand and draw five cards."},{"caption":"Since we only have three cards in our deck, this causes us to shuffle and make a new deck."},{"caption":"Trickster joins the party, and happily leaves Red Robin in our discard pile."},{"caption":"We complete Rayner's ability and draw the remaining cards, so we now have five cards in hand."},{"caption":"Now we resolve Captain Boomerang's ability, and return Red Robin to our hand."}]},{"text":"At this point our hand contains six cards, one of which is Red Robin.&nbsp; From this point, defeating the SV or buying out the lineup becomes a trivial task that I leave up to you.&nbsp; The point is we were able to use Boomerang to return a card worth 4 Power, and we still have another full five card hand to go with it. This is the most powerful effect you can generate with this team, and you should use this ability whenever possible.&nbsp; Furthermore, as long as you have the necessary quantity and variance of card colors in your hand, and less than five cards in your discard pile (because you need to force a shuffle), your opponents cannot interrupt these abilities so you are guaranteed to have the best card in your deck each time you cycle through your deck."},{"header":"TEAM INTERACTION #2"},{"text":"This starts off similar to the first interaction, but with a few subtle twists: 2.) At the start of your turn, Captain Boomerang and Kyle Rayner both trigger. With those two triggers on the stack we count our deck (which currently contains three cards), and check our hand which contains the following:"},{"image":[{"src":"vul339472vulnerab.jpeg"},{"caption":""}]},{"text":"[Note that our hand is the same as before, except we have two Punches and we don't have the Kick.] We can see that this hand is fairly poor, so we'll gladly trade it away for a new one if given the chance.&nbsp; Our discard pile is the same as before and contains a dozens or so cards, among which there is a Red Robin and a Weakness."},{"double":[{"src":"red722693red-robi.jpeg"},{"src":"wea71367weakness.jpg"}]},{"text":"Let's make use of our trio of MCs to better our hand for this scenario.&nbsp; Here's the play:"},{"list":[{"listType":"bullet"},{"caption":"Kyle Rayner and Captain Boomerang have both triggered."},{"caption":"This time we'll resolve Captain Boomerang first, returning a Weakness to our hand."},{"caption":"Next use Kyle Rayner, revealing Weakness, Gizmo and Punch from our hand."},{"caption":"Kyle then causes us to discard our hand and draw five cards."},{"caption":"Since we only have three cards in our deck, this causes us to shuffle and make a new deck."},{"caption":"Trickster joins the party, and happily leaves a card in our discard pile."}]},{"text":"At this point we see the two outcomes have diverged, and here we are unable to return the strongest card in our deck to our hands with Boomerang (we can't always have the best possible turns!).&nbsp; However, we have still utilized our MCs as best able, and we're rewarded with a fresh hand for doing so. This is the second strongest effect with this team, and this one doesn't require you to shuffle your deck to pull it off.&nbsp; Use Boomerang to return the much needed third card color (often a Weakness) and then discard your hand for a new one at the start of your turn with Rayner.&nbsp;"},{"header":"great cards for the team"},{"text":"Every team has excellent cards they want to pick up, and this one is no different.&nbsp; The first category is hands down your best options, and consists of any card from Crossover 5: The Rogues, a few of which are:"},{"double":[{"src":"abr906429abra-kad.jpeg"},{"src":"air12825air-walk.jpeg"}]},{"double":[{"src":"cap553479captain-.jpeg"},{"src":"eng918545engulfin.jpeg"}]},{"text":"Each card from this set has the great bonus of being worth zero victory points.&nbsp; This means that you can return any of these to your hand with Captain Boomerang instead of having to return a Starter most turns.&nbsp; This makes them them all solid pickups for the team. The second category consists of cards that get better based on the contents of your deck, and include:"},{"double":[{"src":"alf667151alfred-p.jpg"},{"src":"dr-940199dr-sivan.jpeg"}]},{"double":[{"src":"leg165710legion-f.jpeg"},{"src":"pow917292power-of.jpeg"}]},{"text":"These cards can be great additions to your deck, and help with the 'Push Your Luck' idea that we discussed before.&nbsp; The worst aspect of pushing your luck is when you get hit with an Attack that strands your powerful card in your discard pile.&nbsp; Each of these allows you to leave that powerful card in your discard pile (with the hopes that you can Boomerang it back next turn) and if your plans get thwarted and you can't return it, then you can still take advantage of it later when you draw into one of these. Our next category contains cards to think about as you build your deck if you have a plethora of destruction and find yourself in the enviable position where you can Boomerang back real cards worth one VP.&nbsp; These cards are often better than a Kick or whatever else you might otherwise be returning when you are devoid of Starters and Weaknesses:"},{"double":[{"src":"che115966cheetah-.jpeg"},{"src":"gig611927giganta-.jpeg"}]},{"double":[{"src":"glo130747globe-of.jpeg"},{"src":"mer2568mera-.jpeg"}]},{"text":"Our last category is a bit of a catch all and consists of cards you're happy to pick up when presented with the opportunity because of their synergy with your team. Some of these effects are:"},{"double":[{"src":"r02223893r02-aris.jpg"},{"src":"blu652828blue-dev.jpeg"}]},{"text":"Arisia: We'll be dumping our hand with Rayner quite often as we dig for the best cards in our deck.&nbsp; Being rewarded for doing so is that much better. Blue Devil: Defenses that let you hide or destroy cards in your discard pile help make sure you are returning the best cards with Boomerang each turn."},{"double":[{"src":"boo419428book-of-.jpeg"},{"src":"inf637356infinity.jpeg"}]},{"text":"Book of Magic: Effects that let us cycle through our deck faster means we can force a shuffle at the start of our turn with Rayner which allows Boomerang to return a premium card to our hand. Infinity Island: Similar to Arisia, here we're rewarded with dumping Ongoings with Rayner, which are pulling double duty by often being the third color we need to use his ability. We're then rewarded by getting to return it to our hand if we didn't have to shuffle, and when you do you can still choose to leave it with Trickster for the benefit."},{"double":[{"src":"r0234856r02-inte.jpg"},{"src":"jai648616jaime-re.jpeg"}]},{"text":"Interceptor: With Book of Magic we could flip a few cards at a time as we dig through our deck. Interceptor takes this to the next level. Be wary if your opponents have lots of attacks, but left unchecked this card can let force a shuffle more often than you otherwise could so you can Boomerang back the best cards turn after turn. Jaime Reyes: Any reveal Defense, or a Defense that doesn't go to your discard pile is great protection while still letting you Boomerang back your best targets.&nbsp; Jaime is more than willing to defend a brutal attack and then sit and wait in your play zone while you Boomerang back an SV at the start of your turn."},{"header":"conclusion"},{"text":"Special thanks to ninjafriend for introducing me to this team.&nbsp; It's a lot of fun and always a threat to win any game.&nbsp; It can be risky to play if you are not drafting first because someone can take Captain Boomerang or Trickster away from you.&nbsp; However, if you find yourself drafting first and want to have a great time while easily winning the game then this is the team for you! Our next tournament is only a week away but there's still ample time to put this team through its paces and learn how it works.&nbsp; That'll help make sure you understand how it operates as you lose to it throughout the event, or make sure you play it flawlessly as you dominate the competition.&nbsp; Either way, hope to see you there! Details about our next event can be found here: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/events\/521193072103125\/"}]