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Evek's Cardassian Review #39: Plain, Simple Garak
by Evek Ah, Plain, Simple Garak. For many players, the name says it all: too plain and too simple. Long called "the worst of the Garaks", this poor boy has been confined to the binder for too long. But now, with Rules of Acquisition on the scene, he's starting to see the light of day again - well, with me anyway. Why? I'll show you. Plain, Simple Garak
Now back to that Acquisition. I'm sure you're thinking, "What on Terok Nor can you do with Acquisition?" Tons. For example, send Kasidy Yates on a cargo run, but don't grab card draws - grab yourself some latinum and head on over to Quark's to trade it in for points with HQ: Ferengi Credit Exchange. Or, if you don't want to have to send your GPL to your point area just yet, trade it in for Equipment - with all the Cardassian OFFICERs out there, an Engineering Kit, a Med Kit, and a Science Kit can transform your Guls into an army of mutli-talented super personnel. But that's not all: you could buy a teddy bear so cute, that it inspires your troops to loyalty. You could grab a Disruptor or two and beef up your Cardassians' STRENGTH. It doesn't really matter how you spend it, it's how much you get it for (that would make a good Rule of Acquisition) - with PS Garak's Acquisition, it only costs one GPL per equipment. Meaning, if you complete a three planet cargo run, within two turns you can have a disruptor, a PADD, and two points for your trouble. Not too shabby. Many of the Rules of Acquisition also target personnel with, well, Acquisition. The 34th, 47th, and 75th Rules all target personnel with Acquisition. Acquisition also appears as a requirement on some missions. With a little Non-Aligned help, you can complete the weighty Tullabery Wine Negotiations for a whopping 45 points. Not too bad for someone usually "too plain" to ever make it out of the binder. Combos: Plain, Simple Garak + Elim + Ship battles: Your opponent thinks he can beat up on your Groumall making a cargo run. Show him the power of Tactics when you replace PS Garak with Elim and choose which personnel are killed by your Spiral Wave Disruptor. Plain, Simple Garak + a whole lotta Latinum + HQ: Ferengi Credit Exchange: Up to 6 points per turn, depending on how much you have and how much you trade in. Plain, Simple Garak + Tullaberry Wine Negotiations + Kivas Fajo + Hagath + Morn + 75th Rule of Acquisition: 45 Points, and all the latinum you could ever want. Plain, Simple Garak + your Battle Deck + 34th Rule of Acquisition: Card draws (or, more importantly, latinum) simply for doing something you know you already wanted to. Evek
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To be honest, PS Garak only works well in one general type of deck - Cardassian GPL (Gold-Pressed Latinum) and Greed. The CIVILIAN classification is something common to most of the Garaks, but not to most Cardassians (only 7 non-Garaks have it and most of them are often left home in the binder), so you can easily fill some holes in your skill selection by having it around - but really, no biggie. Diplomacy can be a very important skill - found on only a few Cardassians, and fewer CIVILIANS. It appears as a requirement on a few Cardassian missions, though it's most important as a dilemma passer. The Acquisition - well, if you plan on using GPL in your decks, you're going to want an Acquisition personnel in your deck to manage your funds. PS Garak is the only Cardassian with said skill (but more on that later). Biology is another key skill - it's not a big Mission Solver, but it can definately
come in handy with the ever-annoying Aphasia Device out there. The special skill is sort of a "warranty" - if not satisfied with this card, return to hand for one really powerful personnel (Elim or Elim Garak). The attibutes aren't too shabby either- 7 INTEGRITY is high for the spoonheads, and CUNNING is rather respectible. Bear in mind that PS Garak is "any Garak," so he
can pass In The Pale Moonlight and is mentioned on the 47th Rule of Acquisition.