Can someone explain to me the new Botchling/Lubberkin?

[zantclick]

Can someone explain to me the new Botchling/Lubberkin?

I just had a choice of Katakan, Operator and Botchling... and it really killed me to take Botchling over the other two but it was the only one that was animated and efficiency's sake forced my hand. I already got Lubberkin out of a prior Keg and since now I have the pair I really would like to understand what kind of deck they would fit in; but I just can't quite figure it out.

Each deploy Boosts the other, but they're silver and you can only have one of each. The deathwish pulls the other one from your deck, but once both are used, the cycle is broken. There are ways to pull silver cards from your graveyard, but it's very costly to do so - additionally, because the Deploy effect only Boosts and doesn't Strengthen, any deaths after a boost simply reset them to 5. So at best we're looking at 2 silver slots taken up for a total of 15 strength (5 on the first, 10 on the second), and that's assuming they don't get locked.

In fact, upon further inspection I can only think of three interactions... Nenneke(?) shuffles a dead Botchling/Lubberkin back into the deck (not sure if this resets the boost, I assume it does because Field Medic resets boosts), Shani can resurrect one directly, and Decoy can get you a second Deploy... Operator can't duplicate silvers anymore so that's not a thing either.

I really feel like I'm missing something because if I'm not these cards have gotta be the most awful silvers in the game.

:thinking:

 

[Cantina12]

Basically when you place either the Botchling or Lumberkin on the board it will boost the other by five. Once one is dead it summons the other. If you have Nemmeke (sp) you can return one of theses cards or both back to your deck.

I like these cards. I never use them in the first round. Second round, I place one late in the game. Nine times out of ten the final round will spawn the Botching/Lumberkin (with Foltest Leader card can be 11 points). Then I use Nemmeke(sp) to put whichever back in the deck. Its a nice strategy if you get the right cards and are left with a crappy final pic.

 

[Gość]

Hi,
You can use Shani too with Nemmeke.

 

[RickMelethron]

the problem with them is in the very low numbers. basically, you're spending a silver slot for a 5str unit, and another for a 10 str and 1x deck thinning

just not worth running ATM, we'll have to see whichever buffs they'll receive throughout the open beta

 

[MooshieMooshie]

I think this card is pretty interesting and actually a lot better than people give it credit for. I think the best current way to run it is basically playing it as a resilient unit.

The downsides are it doesn't give you it's full strength on the round you play it and buffing it does nothing.

The upside is that you get x1 deck thinning and it's not possible for them to touch those 10 stats of yours until the next round. I believe locking also won't break it if you can unlock the unit, unlike resilient units. It seems it requires you to win round 1 and then use it on round 2 to milk your opponent for more cards while giving you stats in the final round.

I think the main problem is that it's less strength than cards like crones and doesn't deck thin immediately. That plus the first one you play is easily taken out by cards like Triss or bolt if your opponent doesn't want you to get the strength bonus the next round. If they buffed it to be between 8 and 10 base strength and removed the buff ability I think it would see some play, if NR control becomes a thing.