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Curzon Dax’s Bajoran Review #2: Odo
by Mathew Woolaghan and Kevin Cline As with Kira, there’s a lot to go into, so lets get down to business. The thing that sets Odo apart from the rest of the Bajoran personnel is the fact that he’s a changeling. This opens up a lot of possibilities. He can be used in conjunction with cards like In The Bag, to report very easily. You can swap him for a weapon you seeded at Search for Weapons, in essence seeding him, or you can use someone else’s special download (Neela, for example) to swap him for the equipment that is downloaded. Using In the Bag can be a very effective way to tip the balance in a personnel battle. Simply swap Odo for any equipment present, downloading Strike Three at the same time, and you’ve automatically knocked out 3 of their personnel, and added a personnel of your own with STRENGTH of 10. You can use Odo with You Dirty Rat in order to get past a nasty dilemma combo like Angry Mob and Berserk Changeling. Before the mission attempt starts, morph him into a rat to keep him safe from the Mob, then when you encounter Beserk Changeling morph him back again. This can be used most effectively in conjunction with Full Planet Scans and Scans, and Odo will keep you safe from Scanner Interference. Flight of the Intruder is another card that can be used to keep Odo out of trouble, but the best use I find is in conjunction with In The Bag. Use Flight of the Intruder to return Odo to hand, then play in the bag, and you’ve automatically moved Odo anywhere in play where you have some equipment, without using a card play. Even with all those uses, that is just scratching the surface of what a changeling can do. If you’re going on an expedition to the Gamma then Odo is perfect, as he is a requirement in both Intelligence Operation and Investigate Rumors. He’s yet another Bajoran with a command star, and as of yet there are no Bajoran ships with the need for that, but it is useful nonetheless in the staffing of non-aligned ships, and ships from other affiliations in a treaty deck.
As I’ve mentioned before, SECURITY is my favorite classification, and Odo has got a double dose of it. This’ll help you with 20% of Bajoran-attemptable missions. SECURITY is a requirement on over 15 different dilemmas, some of which are very nasty, and often the wall-dilemmas require SECURITY in multiple. Computer Skill, which he also has a double dose of, is a requirement on just 2 Bajoran-attemptable missions, but it is required on countless dilemmas, and a double dose of this skill on one person is the only way to get past the new dilemma Ferengi Ingenuity untouched. Computer Skill x2 is also required if you want to initiate any kind of scan now, if your opponent is using Scanner Interference. Odo’s third and final multiple is Honor. This skill doesn’t have an awful lot of uses, but the Bajorans don’t have very much of it. It is a welcome addition to the card, but the only Bajoran attemptable mission it appears on is Search and Rescue. You could put it to good use in either a Federation/Bajoran deck, or a Klingon/Bajoran deck. In combination with either Worf (FC) or Kahless they could complete Wormhole Negotiations alone, and for 45 points that could be well worth it. The last ‘normal’ skill he has fits in well with the SECURITY theme of the card. Law is not seen on any Bajoran attemptable missions at all, but it is required on nasty dilemmas like Drumhead and Framed for Murder. The special skill of being able to stop any Quark present is really just a novelty. I’ve never used it myself, or seen it used. It is possible for a situation to occur, where you faced an away team in battle, which contained Quark, Son of Keldar, then the skill could be handy, but really it’s unlikely, making the skill rather useless. Odo has very fine attributes of 9, 7 and 10, and while the CUNNING of 7 is a bit disappointing (compared to the CUNNING of other ‘mains’) but the STRENGTH and INTEGRITY are well above average. So what decks are best suited for Odo? Well I know you’re going to get tired of me saying this soon, as this is only my second review, and this is the second time I’m going to say it, but Odo can be put to use in any Bajoran deck. Unlike Kira though, he is not the quintessential mission-solver. No, he’s one of the best dilemma-busters in the game. A deck that he could be used to good effect though is a Gamma Quadrant deck. Gamma Quadrant decks aren’t really that competitive, but it is possible to make a good GQ deck. Have Odo, Kira and any other Leadership personnel complete Alter Records, using HQ: Secure Homeworld. Play The Emissary and take them to the Gamma Quadrant with a Wormhole/STP combination. Kira and Odo can then complete Investigate Rumors. With a few other personnel (reported using The Emissary) Colony Preparations can be completed, giving 95 points, and the downloaded Colony will give the win. COMBOS: Odo + Kira Nerys = the quintessential dilemma-buster and the quintessential mission-solver, what more could you ask? Odo + Devidian Door + Lore + Roga Danar + Opponent's Nor + Opponent's Sisko 197 Subroutine = Report Lore and Roga to their Promenade Shops and Devidian Door Odo there and have them walk to Ops. With a combined STRENGTH of 34 they should be able to kick out any opponents, and their combined Computer Skill x4 will take them past the Subroutine, making their Nor, your Nor. Odo + Bajoran Scout Vessel OR Bajoran Interceptor + Scans + Full Planet Scans + Opponent's Scanner Interference = Have Odo whizzing round the spaceline scanning all your missions, it’ll make your opponent wonder whether the seed slot was worth it. Neela + Bajoran Phaser + In the Bag + Odo + Strike Three + Opponent's Away Team = Simply use Neela to download the phaser, have Odo morph out stunning three people and adding a personnel with 10 STRENGTH to the battle. Odo + Anya + Salia = Make all those shape-shifting cards in your deck really worth it. All in All: A nice dilemma specialist who can put your opponent's personnel battle strategy out of business. Mathew Woolaghan and Kevin Cline |
The fact that he doesn’t use hand weapons can be a bit of a pain, but with his double-digit strength it’s not that much of a problem, and if you really need to boost his strength then play The Guardian on him to give him STRENGTH of 16.