Warlord Character - Emergency Elephant

[kallisti]

Emergency Elephant
5 [R][R]
Character - elephant
4/4/2

During a battle, you may play this card any time you could play a tactic. If you do, when this card enters play choose one of the following effects:
1. Add this card to your battle party.
2. Remove a character from your battle party.
3. Destroy this card. Characters in your battle party gain 3 strength and 3 life this turn.

[Bizze]

This is Rogue-flavored. If we give this to Warlord they get yet another non-flavor card (DA anyone?) that will be very powerful.

How would you use this?
Choose effect 1 if a char will defeat the opposing party at speed 3 or higher (or if there are no blockers) = 4 guaranteed damage (unless removal) for only 5. Compare to Bask Bile cost-wise (and add in the other possible options of this card). Even if you don't go for direct damage, adding a 4 Strength char at speed 2 (after speed 3 and 4 speed has been assigned) is very powerful.

Choose effect 2 to draw out a blocking party without risking losing a char. With Gideon in play, this can win games. Otherwise I think this is the least powerful (=most balanced) effect of the card.

Choose effect 3 to get a card very close to Strength in Numbers. I'd say it's better as it can't be ABZ:d, Tac Vac:ed or Muddled. You could play this and still have a Tac Vac or ABZ of your own to combat any defensive tactic your opponent may have.

As Warlord can search out characters with ease (Crest of Rage/Assimilation Center), giving them this much utility in the form of a character is not something I would feel comfortable with.

[Sigorion]

While I don't agree with all of Bizzes concerns about this cards power level, I too think that it would be better suited as a Rogue character. But as a rogue character I really like it.

[kallisti]

I think this does fit Warlord flavor, but I agree that it fits Rogue as well (in the tradition of Unexpected Boobysnake).

It would also work as a Rogue/Warlord dual-trade card, which would allow it to be costed more aggressively.

[Sigorion]

I'd rather not see any dual trade cards. But that might just be me. I'd give it a numeric cost of at least 6.