Bareil Antos, Escort

I know what you are thinking. What could this new Bareil do that would be better than Bareil Antos, Esteemed Vedek? Well, being able to play a five cost personnel for free is a good start. Well almost free, as you will still have to discard five cards from the top of your deck. His stats are what you would expect at eight integrity, six cunning, and five strength. He has the skills you would expect from a religious leader such as Anthropology, Diplomacy, Honor, and Leadership. Don't forget he also has Security, which gives him skills that help out with both sets of requirements on Deliver Evidence.

This Bareil allows you to play a Vedek or Kai from your hand by discarding cards from the top of your deck equal to his or her cost. If you are playing the Bajoran affiliation then you will have no problem utilizing cards in your discard pile. If you are anything like me you look at Bareil and think: "Sure, he adds skills to a mission, but you can cover his skills with personnel who have a lower cost."  The real draw in playing this version of Bareil is the fact that he sets up some of the other Bajoran affiliation cards. Consider Dukat, Anjohl Tennan, who feeds off of Anthropology and Leadership personnel in the discard pile, gaining one to his attributes until the end of the mission. Additionally, Dukat provides the rarely held skill of Archaeology to solving Deliver Evidence. Then there is Jaro Essa, Leader of the Circle, who can gain one skill off a personnel in the discard pile while facing a dilemma. Contemplate how much easier it will be to meet the ten cards in the discard pile requirement on Lenaris Holem, Bold Veteran. All of these cards need something in the discard pile to make it work. Now with Bareil you can put more than just Sisko's once a turn discard when you play someone.

On the flip side, if you do not want all of those cards in the discard pile, then Ranjen Koral, Student of B'hala, Souls of the Dead, and The Text of the Kosst Amojen can retrieve them for you, thus making the prospect of playing Bareil much less of a risk. Bareil could act like a poor man's At What Cost?, allowing you to only stop him and lose cards from the top to play your Vedeks and Kais for free. Bariel gives you an early card advantage and provides fuel in your discard pile for your cheaters. Couple Bareil with Borum, Selfless Hero's ability to bring in discarded high cost Leadership personnel and you have a very fast deck.