Two new monsters enter the Monsterpocalypse arena this month: Earth Knight and Phobos-7. Each is something of a polar opposite of the other—one wipes buildings from the face of the Earth, and the other protects people and the buildings they rely on in their day-to-day lives.
For anyone not in the know about Earth Knight, it is the reclaimed body of the G.U.A.R.D. mech Laser Knight. Green Fury, continuing their mission to empower the common people, utilized the symbols of their oppression to create a powerful freedom fighter. Scavenging bits and pieces from hundreds of battlefields, Earth Knight now carries with it power symbols of the destruction of the traditional order of the world.
There are a ton of new abilities on Earth Knight, so I’ll just start at the top and work my way down. First, this monster has some stellar stats; 12 total health and DEF 9 in both forms is something tough to chew through. Next, Defender is an interesting new ability—it doesn’t come up as much as you might think immediately, but when it does, it’s devastating. Trying to mow through a power base? Good luck, if Earth Knight is nearby.
Puncture is tailored to get Scrappers into the fight, although Scavenger Vans certainly don’t hate it, either. Scrappers flying around stealing objectives will be commonplace with Earth Knight around. And Righteous Fury was a difficult ability to balance, as allowing it to affect all buildings an opponent destroys was too much, yet “once per turn” was too little. So, the current incarnation is a balancing act of the two. It’s not uncommon for Earth Knight to snag 2 or 3 Power Dice from Righteous Fury in a single turn.
And finally there is Shred. This ability was meant to thematically show what happens when Earth Knight’s sawblade really rips into something. This attack is meant to rip any defenses a monster might have to shreds; however, don’t underestimate how difficult it can be to score 3 more strikes than a target’s DEF.
In hyper form, Earth Knight drops its focus on defense and goes into complete damage control mode. Micromanage, although a fairly minor effect, is meant to symbolize that switching of priorities: the city is already destroyed, so now it’s all about minimizing the collateral damage. Beat Back is Earth Knight’s way of saying that the battle needs to end soon, consequences be damned. Its Brawl attack is downright mean, so between solid Boost Dice, Penetrator, and Shred, it has the potential to really rip monsters apart.
Next, incoming is the terraforming master.
Phobos-7 has an arsenal of different weaponry, but because we can’t give it multiple different weapon profiles, it instead gets a bit of a mix of all of the above. With an array of weapons at its disposal, it’s ready for pretty much any situation. It can focus its fire of multiple weapons and dramatically increase its accuracy with the Onslaught rule. Among its weaponry are extremely long-ranged attacks, giving it RNG 6 as well as destructive lasers that leave only ash behind. Demolisher and Wrecking Crew are both meant to symbolize its terraforming purpose.
When Phobos-7 is pushed into hyper form, it drops its primary mission of terraforming and focuses on the absolute obliteration of any resistance. High Impact will get units like the Hunter and Vanguards to some pretty amazing heights. Then, between Energy Cycle and Penetrator, its already devastating guns go into overdrive. Don’t forget that in hyper, Onslaught will allow Phobos-7 to make 3 blast attacks!
Well that’s it for monsters this month, but be sure to also grab the first in the line of packs containing alternate versions of some elite units. This time there is one per Agenda: the Protectors get Exo-Armors, Assault Apes, and Carnidons while the destroyers get Chompers, Snatchers, and Reapers. I hope everyone enjoys playing with these two new monsters!
Wait a minute…why is my Geiger counter going crazy all of a sudden?
