Wet Feet

Amusingly enough, I’ve had thoughts in my noggin re: writing something about the assorted versions of Namor for a week or so now - well before today’s bombshell that each of the members of the Illuminati will be receiving new cards, including quasi-legend treatment in MUN! Woot!

But first things first… why does Namor, ruler of a sovereign nation, need a registration card for the SHRA? The SHRA is an American law, and therefore only Americans, or people operaiting for an extended period with the United States, would be affected, no? Besides, whatever happened to diplomatic immunity?

Somehow I don’t think even Norman Osborn is loopy enough to send the Thunderbolts after Namor for being an unregistered superhuman (superatlantean? superhumanoid?).

Anyway, I wanted to ramble on a bit about Namor. With no less than 7 cards already in print, from MOR to MVL, I have to wonder if he holds the records for the most affiliations. I make that query without putting any effort into testing it, of course, but he has three cards showing his loyalty to Doom, two to Fantastic Four, one Avenger, and two Marvel Defenders. Even Henry McCoy, the blue-furred bouncing Beast, only has three affiliations on his assorted cards, compared to Namor’s four. Our little fishboy gets around.

The aquatic characters in VS have a history of interacting with the KO pile. Garth does it, Aquaman does it, Amphibian does it - but Namor stands tall with only one of his cards following the traditional wet-feer theme.

• Ally Of Doom gets multiple attacks against your opponent’s support row.
• Atlantean Monarch exhausts opposing characters when you have initiative.
• Namor pumps his teammates and replaces resources.
• Illuminati gets you an extra card at the cost of losing two others.
• Neptune’s Fist pumps himself, fitting with the Backup theme.
• King of Atlantis goes with the “single attacker” theme.
• Uncertain Ally recycles something from the KO pile.

What is it about our shirtless sometimes-hero/sometimes-villain that lets him so brazenly skirt the usual theme for aquatic characters? I have to wonder if it’s based on his severely unhinged mental state.

See, Namor’s a human/atlantean hybrid. It’s been theorised that to maintain a full degree of sanity he needs to spend about half his time above water, half his time below. This is how Doom has so frequently been able to manipulate him into attacking his friends and former allies - by allowing mental instability to creep in, and then playing on that, manipulating Namor into anger, paranoia, cravings for pickles, whatever.

For my tastes I’d have to say I like the two Marvel Defenders versions the most. Not only do they fit in thematically with the team, but they also gel very nicely with Namor’s immense ego.

We’re talking, guy on a severe power trip here. His battlecry is “Imperius Rex” for crying out loud - “Emperor King”. As far as ole fishboy is concerned no man is his better - though he defers to Captain America. It’s that blonde hair, I tell ya, he has a weak spot for it.

Look how he pines after Susan Richards. Here’s Namor, a guy with wealth, power, fame and/or notoriety, an entire nation at his beck and call, the friendship/respect of some of the most uber-powerful folks on the planet, surrounded by blue-skinned hotties in his little grotto, and all he can do is pine after Marvel’s yummiest mommy.

Go, find yourself the Illuminati issue where the members are all sitting around the table discussing their women problems. Clea’s left Dr Strange, Black Bolt can never get a word in edgewise around Medusa (ha!), and Namor’s comment on the relationship between Sue and Reed still touches me as being very powerful. Even spurned, Namor’s one heck of a noble soul… but you know he’d take Reed down in a heartbeat if he thought it’d get him Susie…

This rambling diatribe brings us around to today’s VERY exiciting previews.

What makes Secret Government so exciting? Why, because it immediately says “this is a card you can use to make any member of the Illuminati legal in a Legends environment”

And yes, TBS clarified for me that all that text in parentheses at the bottom, where it names the six Illuminati members, counts towards the 12 card requirement.

I firmly believe that the introduction of the Legend concept into the game is the most exciting thing UDE have done with the game as a whole in recent expansions. A whole new direction compared to where the game was heading before, and dammit if it hasn’t revitalised a heck of a lot of players and deckbuilders.

We knew we were getting the Legend treatment for Iron Man, but to be able to get it for the rest? How damn freakin’ cool is that?

 This is the other cards that makes me almost weep for joy. Not only does it open up more card filtering options, not only does it give you access to the stuff you have to ship to the bottom of the deck when you use 4-drop MVL Reed’s power, but…

Dammit, it’s another Reed Richards Legend Plot Twist! Whooooo!

And to further the Legend status of the Illuminati, it’s been confirmed that each member will get at least one plot twist specific to them.

Finally, we can look at putting together that Dr Strange Legend deck I mumbled about months ago…

… oh, and you can bet your proverbial bippy that I’ll be eagerly waiting to see what Black Bolt’s does…

(*scampers off happily to dream of spiffy keen cards*)