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Shankar, Maquis Soldier

by Will Hawkins

Wow, a four-cost Maquis! What could a Maquis have that would be worth four counters? Okay, he has 4 Integrity, 6 Cunning, and 6 Strength. That cannot be it. He has a nice skill matrix with Archaeology, Biology, Geology, Officer, Treachery; but five skills for four counters is not a deal. He does have a command star. Still, can't be it. Ohh wait... his ability allows you to place your opponent's hand back on his or her deck if you command at least three Region: Demilitarized Zone missions. This ability is balanced by the fact that a Maquis deck using Shankar has to use For the Cause. That's it, the reason he costs four! Still not impressed? Well, read on for the reasons you will want to play this new Maquis soldier.

The ability is nice. If timed right you can empty your opponent of a whole turn's worth of counters, forcing them to spend all seven to draw them again. With Shankar, the Maquis prove that they are the best at what they do: annoy and slow down your opponent. Shankar can give you the extra time you need to set up your strategy.

With two other [Fed][Maq] floating around, Organized Terrorist Activities and Stalling for Time just got easier to play. Use Shankar in conjunction with Stalling For Time to send even more cards to the top of their deck. What other benefits could you gain from Shankar? Well, we all know the Maquis have some useful events; Retaliation, Biogenic Weapon, and For the Cause to name a few. So it is important that you be able to play those events without them being canceled. Just play Shankar before these events, and ensure that your opponent will not be able to stop your organized event activities with their nasty cards like Amanda Rogers or Our Death is Glory to the Founders. There you have it: a Maquis that protects events. Crazy, huh?

December 6, 2004