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Energy Vortex

    Submitted by stccgfaq.com on Thu, 03/30/2000 - 20:00

    Energy Vortex

    Whirlpool-like space/time phenomena that can destroy a ship, as it nearly did the U.S.S. Enterprise in 2365.

    Interrupt Interrupt

    Plays immediately after opponent plays any non-interrupt card from hand. That card returns to thier hand and a different one must be played instead.

    Rule hint for this card

    This card has an clarification:

    You may play this interrupt to prevent the play (but not the activation) of a hidden agenda card. Thus, you will not know the identity of the card whose play you prevent. It may not be played to stop the “showing” of a Devidian Door or when a card is downloaded or played from any place except the hand. See downloading, Battle Bridge side deck, Tribble side deck.

    The replacement card may be a copy of the original. The replacement card play may in turn be interrupted by another Energy Vortex; in that case, the original card may now be played.

    If you have any card in your hand that you may legally play, you must play it. For example, if your only card is Kevin Uxbridge, you must play it if there is any legal target event in play. But if you have already used your normal card play this turn and play a Doorway card which your opponent interrupts with Energy Vortex, you may not play an Event card instead. If you have no legal card to play, you must allow your opponent to verify it by looking through your hand. See verification.

    Taken form Glossary - Version 1.9.5.

    Card logging info: Logged by openCards team at May 1st, 2009.
     

    		Energy Vortex

    This Card-Review article was written by Kathy McCracken and was published first on "Decipher's Website (decipher.com)" at Mar 30th, 2000.

    When your opponent plays an interrupt or event that you find inconvenient, more often than not you can nullify it with Amanda Roger or Kevin Uxbridgeimage. But other card types don't have any general counter-cards, and few specific ones. With Energy Vortex you can at least delay many non-interrupt card plays, and occasionally force your opponent into playing a card that could be very inconvenient for him.

    Did he just try to play his key mission-solver? Energy Vortex it back to his hand so he has to play a less desirable personnel or other card. Don't want to see that Borg Shipimage dilemma Retask-ed into a staffed cube? Pull Retaskimage into an Energy Vortex. Want to stall his Regenerateimage for a turn? Energy Vortex. The only thing it won't stop is a card downloaded from anyplace but the hand, because it works only on cards played from the hand.

    If he has no other card that he can legally play, he doesn't have to play a replacement, but still can't play the Vortex-ed card. And if you're very lucky in your timing, he'll have nothing he can play except a card he'd rather not play - such as a Kevin Uxbridge when the only events on the table are his own.

    Combos:

    • Energy Vortex + Alien Probeimage: See what's in your opponent's hand and you'll know what he's likely to play instead.
    • Energy Vortex + opponent's Space-Time Portalimage discard for an Alternate Universe ship: Vortex the play of the Alternate Universe ship, and unless he has another one in his hand, his STP is gone and he's lost the once-per-game chance to report the ship with crew.