Attacking your opponent is a critical element of Warsaken. While there are ways to win a game without ever making an attack, never make the mistake of assuming your enemy will be doing that.
Blocking is the only thing a player can ever do when it is not their turn. Unlike other games, in Warsaken, there are no surprise cards that can produce a “gotcha” moment when it’s not your turn. That also means the attacker will always know precisely which potential blockers can intercept their forces’ attack.
One of the essential rules of blocking is force types. With ground, navy, and air forces only able to block their like types by default, you can get caught off guard if you haven’t got a deck with enough blockers of a specific type. You can expect to see some or all of these three types capable of both attack and defense in a pre-constructed deck. When constructing a deck, it becomes a much more critical issue. There are only 65 cards in your deck. Each card is precious, and each choice is vital. So what do you do if there isn’t room in your deck for blockers of all three types?
That’s where cards capable of blocking more than just their type can come in very handy. While there aren’t too many such cards in Warsaken, adding one or two can add considerable survivability to your deck. It’s also important to note, some of these are forces, but some come in the form of buildings, which generally can’t block at all.
Let’s examine some powerful anti-weapons in Warsaken.
ANTI-AIR
The X6 Scorpion packs a lot of utility for a relatively low cost to play. While its defense is weak, it packs a powerful punch; it makes for a glass cannon. However, add in Anti-Air, destroying any bombers it blocks and being immune to air forces, and suddenly this can terrify an air-heavy enemy.
The Black Wave has the same power and immunity, with the same stats. The one difference is the X6 requires equipment; its naval counterpart uses fuel.
Surface-to-Air Missile sites, for example, are buildings that can block aircraft. Buildings aren’t used to attack, but they bring much more force to the fight when it comes to defense.
At just two generic and a one-turn cost counter, this 200/100 monster also has the same abilities as The Black Wave. Be cautious about playing buildings when you can’t defend them with forces, as most buildings lose some morale for being eliminated.
ANTI-GROUND
What about countering ground forces with something from the air?
The VX Wasp has a balanced 60 attack and defense. Brought in with power and generic, it has a one-turn cost counter. That makes it a decent early game force to bring in fast. Its ability to block ground is helpful, but it lacks the immunity to damage from that type of attacker, which the earlier anti-air units we showcased bring to the table. Nonetheless, if a player intends to forego ground units entirely, this makes a very wise defense to include.
The A2 Nemesis is a step up. It boasts 80/80 stats, and it is immune to damage from any ground unit that doesn’t have anti-air itself. Those boosts come with a steeper cost. At one generic, one equipment, and one fuel, you’re either going to have a mix of available resources or pay dearly to cover double any you are missing. Its one-turn cost counter makes it a possible second-turn attacker or blocker.
Land mines pre-date gunpowder, dating back to the Roman Empire. It’s no surprise to see them in Warsaken, but they can be a nasty surprise for your opponent. Cheap and quick, the mines have no offense power and ten defense. Despite being a building, it can block ground forces. Its covert trait means it can’t just be picked off by most effects and, no matter how tough the unit that kills it is, the mines will take them down as well. There is one drawback. Losing this building will cost you one morale.
Another of the anti-ground buildings is the Guard Tower. At 80/150, it’s a solid defensive building, especially when you factor in the Crack Shot ability that lets it deal damage before the force it is blocking. Like landmines, this building will cost you one morale if eliminated.
ANTI-NAVY
Underwater Mines are no joke, and they’re an easy addition to any deck. For starters, the card has Anti-Naval and explains it can block navy forces. It’s Covert, so other card effects can’t pick it off, and its Dead Man trait means even the largest naval ship will be eliminated if this card blocks it. The card only requires one Generic resource to bring into play, and it’s ready immediately. Its only downside, like landmines, is losing one morale if it’s eliminated. In many cases, that’s going to be worth it, even if it just stalls attacks or takes out a significant enemy card. Most decks could stand to include one or two of these, especially if planning to ignore naval attack capability largely.
Whatever the strategy you choose to employ, remember anti-weapons can save a lot of space in your deck.
Good hunting!
