• 

  This Monday, May 25, 2009, SOE will be closed in observance of Memorial Day.

  Memorial Day is a national U.S. holiday, designated as a day to remember those who have died in military service for our country. Some also take time to honor all of their friends and loved ones who have passed on. The National Moment of Remembrance takes place at 3 PM local time on Memorial Day.

  The day has also unofficially become recognized as the beginning of summer, which is often celebrated with picnics, cook outs, and summer sports and acitivities. We hope everyone has a safe and pleasant Memorial Day holiday!

• 

  We're getting closer and closer to Fan Faire... Are you ready? You don't need to start throwing things in your suitcase yet, but it's a good idea to start planning. We've got some advice and tips on stuff to do ahead of time and things you might want to bring with you. (Take it from us. We've done this a few times!)

  Please Identify Yourself

  Of course you'll need ID for traveling, but it's a good idea to keep it on you at all times at Fan Faire, tucked safely away. You'll need it for checking in to your hotel, procuring adult beverages and gambling if you so choose, as well as for picking up your Fan Faire registration packet. Some of our larger events also require ID and your conference badge for entry, especially our 21+ events.

  Another good idea, if you're planning to do any networking or you're meeting up with in-game friends, is to bring business cards. If you're meeting guildmates for dinner or before a panel, you'll probably need to exchange cell phone numbers, and business cards are a handy way to be prepared. (If you don't have business cards, you can always make some yourself and print at home!)

  What Did They Say?

  Of course we're all going to Fan Faire to have fun, but we're also exchanging a lot of information. Maybe you run a fansite or a gaming blog. Or maybe you're just there to represent your guild and get the latest scoop. Either way, there's a good chance you will be the designated "Information Bearer" for your guild and friends. Attendees are welcome to bring cameras, camcorders and audio recorders to the panels and events. Or if you prefer the good old fashioned way, notepads and pencils are also welcome. (Just be sure to avoid taking your recording devices into the casinos, as that's a sure fire way to draw security aggro!)

  Fun and Games!

  If you plan to enter the EQ or EQII tournaments, make sure you keep an eye on the EQ Players and EQII Players websites for more information and instructions on prepping for those events, if needed. Details will be coming as we draw closer to the event.

  The Community Team is hooked on the Free Realms Trading Card Game! We're bringing some booster packs with us, so bring your decks and any cards you want to trade, and maybe you'll go home with some new stuff!

  We'll also be having late-night gaming sessions. Although you won't really need to bring anything for these, do remember to have your Station ID and password handy if you want to log in to play on our computers.

  For the truly adventurous types, we will once again be hosting Live Quests for EverQuest, EverQuest II, Vanguard and Star Wars Galaxies! We provide the adventure and gear -- just bring yourself and any teammates you'd like to play with. (Teams are usually limited to 10 people.)

  Travel

  If you'll be traveling by air, be sure to familiarize yourself with the latest TSA regulations. As of May 15th, they're really cracking down on ticketed names exactly matching your identification, in order to reduce security delays. Also, if you plan on bringing any foods, liquid/gel personal items (shampoos, toothpaste, and even medications) you'll want to know the rules for carry-ons and checked bags.

  Speaking of checked bags, your airline might charge an additional fee to check baggage so it's a good idea to look into that ahead of time (you might even be able to pre-pay). And don't forget things like wearing shoes that are easy to remove in the security line, keeping your ID handy to show while you're checking in and going through security, and making sure all your gadgets are charged up so you don't get stuck looking for something to do at the gate.

  More Tips

  Over at Zam, Calthine has prepared a very helpful list of some things to remember when you prepare for Fan Faire. She has some great tips, and probably some you wouldn't have even thought of, so be sure to give it a quick read before you pack. (Thanks, Calthine!) Our EQII community shared even more advice...like where the closest drugstore is!

  If you have any additional tips you'd like to share, hop on over to the Fan Faire forum and leave your advice in the Fan Faire Tips thread.

  We'll see you in Vegas, baby!

• 

  Greetings Everyone!

  We have a few emails that will be sent out soon that you don't want to miss! So make sure you're signed up to receive SOE Emails.

  What's included when you sign up?

  • You'll receive the quarterly newsletter for whichever games you select as well as any marketing and promotional materials for those titles, such as account winbacks and special offers.
    

  To make sure you receive the next one, do the following:

  • Click on My Account on the top bar of any Station page
  • Click on Change Email Setting
  • Select those you wish to receive
  • Click on apply. (If you aren't sure you are getting the emails, click on Make Changes even if you don't change anything, just to refresh the setting.)
  • Or you can just visit this link.

  

   

  How come I never seem to get any of the emails?

  There are a couple of reasons you may not be receiving the emails from SOE:

  • Update your Email Address: An incorrect email address is a common reason for not receiving the emails from the Station. To update your email address, click on My Account, go to email preferences and then click change next to the email address currently assigned to your account.
  • Email is being blocked: If your email system has a block, junk, bulk, or spam mail folder, you'll want to make sure that it allows email from soe.com [info@soe.com] and The Station@sony.com [station-mailer@sony-online.com] . You will need to check the options, properties, or preferences of your mail system to determine how to set this up, or click here for tips on how to add these addresses to your Address Book.
  • Options not saved: There's a chance that your options were not set correctly when the system changed over to this system. To fix this, click on the [Clear All] link and click on Make Changes. Then select your options again and click on Make Changes again. That should refresh the list.

• Beginning at 3 AM PDT on Thursday, April 16, 2009, SOE Account and Commerce flow, Station Store and the Station Marketplace will be unavailable due to maintenance. We expect this maintenance to take approximately 5 hours.

  During this time, no new game sessions will be able to be started. Players already in-game should be able to stay in the zone they are in, but changing zones will cause you to lose your session. We expect the session maintenance to take approximately 2 hours.

  This might also cause some forum accounts to temporarily lose permissions, due to the inability to verify account status while the maintenance is taking place. This is only temporary and normal permissions will return automatically once the maintenance is complete.

  We apologize for this interruption and will resume all affected services as soon as the maintenance is completed.

• Round 1 Voting is now LIVE in The Escapist's March Mayhem: Developer's Showdown, where the top 64 game developers go head-to-head to see who is the best. The elimination style tournament has started and won't end until one developer remains, and it's YOU who will determine the outcome of each match-up by voting for your favorite developer! If you need a little more info to get you started, they have a video on their site.

  You can help vote SOE to the top! In the first round of the West Division SOE is facing Ironclad. Show the world who your favorite developer is and help us take down those guys at Ironclad. (We're sure they're very nice, but this is a competition after all!) Just register for free, then place your vote to make sure your team makes it all the way to the end!

• 

  If you have never been to an SOE Fan Faire this is the year to make the trek to Bally's Hotel in Las Vegas! SOE is planning a big birthday bash for the EverQuest 10th anniversary, and players of all SOE games are invited to join the party! Fan Faire is a great place for SOE gamers to mix and mingle with each other, and meet some of the faces behind their favorite SOE games. Here's just a taste of some of the great activities we're planning:

  • Special announcements and sneak peaks of upcoming SOE titles at the Third Annual Community Address from SOE President John Smedley
  • Autograph signings with members of the original EQ development team and other key contributors
  • Lots of in-game tournaments; and live, game-themed competitions and quests
  • Developer forums and roundtables
  • Cool giveaways and other fun items!
  • Player of the Year - details coming soon

  And, that's just the beginning! Visit the Fan Faire website for more details at www.soefanfaire.com. Tickets are expected to go on sale in April.

• 

  On Monday we'll be observing Presidents' Day, a federal holiday in the United States. Originally Presidents' Day was a holiday honoring George Washington's birthday and was observed on his birthday, February 22nd. In more recent years the holiday was expanded to honor both Washington and Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday is February 12th, and was moved to the third Monday of February.

  Some of us might remember celebrating the two presidents' birthdays separately back in our schooldays, and many of our players are not from the US. Stop by the Stargate Online TCG forums and tell us about your Presidents Day memories or similar holidays you observe!

  Please note that due to the holiday, SOE's Customer Service staffing will be limited on Monday, February 16th. We appreciate your patience and understanding for any delays you may experience.

  Enjoy our Presidential Hamster!

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  Small Wallpaper!

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• 

  We've combed through every piece of feedback and have worked hard to implement much of it to improve your overall experience and satisfaction. The daily usage levels indicate that more and more of you are adopting Station Launcher as your everyday launchpad for your game updates, to launch your games, and to connect with friends and guild mates online.

  A new release update of Station Launcher was launched today, Monday, February 9th. It features improvements based heavily on feedback from the Station Launcher forum - especially for the functionality around the Friends network.

  Here is a rundown of what you can expect in this update:

  • "Inactive" Characters – A large number of players have reported that the Friends network contains characters that have long been abandoned. While we're working with the game teams to purge these from our databases, we've also enabled the client to mark a character as "Inactive". An inactive character will not be logged into the Friends network nor will it be displayed on the Friends panel. This can be controlled on the "Preferences" dialog, under the "Friends Privacy" category.
     
  • Context Menus on Friends panel – You can now apply actions to characters and their friends on the Friends panel by using the right mouse-click, or "context" menu. For Characters, one can change the state and visibility of that character. There are also shortcuts to add or ignore a friend of that character. For friends, once can initiate a chat session, edit the label, ignore or remove the friend. You can apply most actions to multiple selected characters or friends as well. Remember, when you remove a friend within Station Launcher, you also remove them from your in-game friends list.
     
  • Join Friend in Game – When you find one of your friends is online in a particular game, you can select "Join [friend] in [game]". This action will launch that game with the appropriate character/server selected.
     
  • Server Name for Character – When your characters are displayed in the Friends panel (on the "By Character" tab), the server name will be displayed as well. This will help differentiate customers who have characters with the same name on multiple servers of a particular game.
     
  • Server Name in "Add Friend…" – The server name has also been added to the "Add Friend" dialog.
     
  • Improved Scanning Performance – Before a game is launched, the Station Launcher will scan the game directory to make sure that all assets are up to date. The performance of this process has been improved.
     
  • "Exit" Menu Item – There is a new menu item under the "Account" menu on by the Games and Friends panel. This will allow one to completely shut down the Station Launcher application. Previously, this was only available as on the context menu of the icon in the Windows system tray (lower right corner).
     
  • Automatic Re-Login – There is an item on the "Preferences" dialog (under the "Log-In / Log-out" category) that will allow one to "Automatically log me in". This is normally used for when the application is started. If the network is disconnected (and this setting is enabled), the application will try to re-login when connectivity is restored.
     
  • "Disconnect" on Friends Panel – Instead of "Log Out", the Friends panel now has a button called "Disconnect". This will disconnect the account from the Friends network without causing a complete "log out" for the application. This is the same as marking all characters as "disconnected" (in the menu at the bottom of the panel).
     
  • Update Notes instead of "News" – When you launch the Station Launcher with the "game" command line argument (e.g. "--game EQ"), the Update Notes pop-out for that game will automatically open. Previously, the "News" pop-out would open.
     
  • Direct to Try/Buy/Activate - When you launch the Station Launcher with a "game" command line argument (e.g. "--game EQ") to a game which you do not have a subscription, you will be automatically taken to the "Try/Buy/Activate" screen.
     
  • Return to Game Select - Previously, the application would always display the "MMO" tab when going to the Game Select screen, even if one was returning from a Game Update screen from the "Strategy" tab. This bug has been fixed - you will return to the correct tab.
     
  • Support Links - The Game Support links from the Help menu have been updated so that they point to the correct address.
     
  • Pirates of the Burning Sea - The Update Notes and support URLs have been updated for the Pirates of the Burning Sea. Arrrrrgh!
     
  • Feedback - The "Feedback" menu item in the Help menu points to our perpetual "How are we doing?" survey, instead of directly into the Station Launcher forum.
    

  Thank you for all of your feedback and support!

  Offer your feedback on the Station Forums.

• 

  Support SOE's G.I.R.L. Scholarship!

  SOE official G.I.R.L. T-shirts are available for purchase through SOE's Station Store, perfect for the girl gamer on your holiday list! Three different styles of the shirts will be offered, including two styles for women and one for men, all priced at $19.99 (plus applicable taxes). SOE will donate 100% of T-shirt sales to the G.I.R.L. Scholarship.

  First awarded in 2008, the G.I.R.L. scholarship was created by SOE and encourages female students toward career paths in the creative and applied arts, with the ultimate goal of developing video games that are more interesting for women to play. In 2009, the program will be managed by Scholarship America®, a leading nonprofit educational support program. SOE will offer students in undergraduate programs related to video games a chance to compete for the scholarship by submitting original artwork and essays to a panel of judges.

  SOE's G.I.R.L. (Gamers in Real Life) initiative is raising awareness of the rapidly growing female gaming audience by encouraging the gaming industry to positively promote women throughout all facets of games, game production and game management.

  Purchase a G.I.R.L. T-shirt!

  
  
  
  
  

• 
  
  

  All of us here at SOE would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. Have a great holiday, be safe and eat hearty.
  
  At SOE we are Thankful for...
  
  Two successful expansion launches
  
  Hoth!
  
  Free Realms Beta Sign ups
  
  Our Families who put up with our long hours and gaming habits
  
  Our friends both in our worlds and the real world
  YOU!!!

• This Thursday and Friday, November 27th and 28th, Technical and Account/Billing staffing will be limited to email support. Please visit the support site to submit your inquiries. Phone and Live Chat Support will resume on Monday, December 1st from 10am to 7pm.

• Please be advised that SOE phone support and in-game support will be unavailable from 10am – 2:00pm (PST) this Friday, November 21st. Phone support will resume at 2:00pm and be available for the remainder of the day until 7pm. In-game support will resume at 2:00pm and be available for the remainder of their normal business hours. We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause.

• 

  November 11th Veterans/Remembrance Day is celebrated by many throughout the world. It marks the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice, which ended the fighting in World War I back in 1918 however it doesn't just honor that occasion, it is a holiday to celebrate the cause of world peace. What this day is really about is honoring our troops and their loved ones, both retired and current, for all they have done for this country and our world.

  From all of us here at Sony Online Entertainment to all of our present and former troops, their families, and supporters of freedom and peace, we give you our thanks. We salute you!

   

  We would like you to meet some of the Veteran's that work here at SOE!!

  Tracy "Owlchick" Seamster Game Designer The Agency

  Alan "Brenlo" Crosby Sr. Director, Global Community Relations

  
  

• 
  
  

  Tell us what you think about the Station Launcher! What do you like? What needs improvement? How can we make it something everyone will appreciate? You can give us valuable feedback about your Station Launcher experience by clicking on the "Station Launcher Feedback" button at the bottom of the launcher screen (or click on the image here) and taking the short survey. With your help we can make Station Launcher even better and deliver a fantastic experience for everyone.

  
  
  

  Make sure you tell your friends about Station Launcher and get them to try it out too! They can find the beta download at http://launcher.station.sony.com/.

• Beta Release Update is Live!

  During the past month, the Station LauncherTM development team has been going at it nonstop in working to bring you a Station Launcher product that improves and simplifies your online gaming experience - by managing all your games, updates, and downloads from one convenient place.  We're reading your feedback on the Station message boards to better understand what you've liked and what you haven't liked about the Station Launcher beta experience.  Because we're in a beta phase, your feedback provides guidance that enables us to fix problems you've identified, improve them, and ultimately helps us build the best experience possible for you. 
  This morning we released a Station Launcher beta update that addresses several key issues that you've written about in the Station forums.  The past month of work by our team here has been focused primarily on addressing and fixing some of those major challenges encountered since the first Station Launcher beta release.
  Here is a rundown of what you can expect in this update: 

  • Preferences are now saved - There's a fix for a "Lost Settings" bug that was commonly reported and caused many players to lose their saved preferences.
  • Improved Network Resiliency - The update enables Station Launcher to be more resilient to network fluctuations and reduces the need for players to retry file downloads.
  • Improved Auto Launch behavior - When clicking on a shortcut to a game, the customer will immediately be presented with the Game Update screen for that game.  The "News" pane will also be opened automatically.  Previously, players were taken to the Game Select screen and forced to wait for 5 seconds, before being allowed to proceed.
  • Game Update screen now includes "Show All Games" - There's a button on the Game Update screen that's now labeled "Show All Games," instead of "Back to Games".
  • Ability for Vanguard players to enter a game with selected character - There's now an "Enter As..." support for Vanguard players; a menu on the Game Update screen allows a customer to enter the game with their character already selected.  This is also supported within EverQuest II and Star Wars Galaxies.
  • Automatic Directory Location selection - When you switch to a different server version, Station Launcher will create a directory based on the name of the new server.  Previously, you had to manually choose a directory location.
  • Multi-Instance Support - Players will be able use the application to play more than one instance of a game.  This does require additional setup steps and is recommended to be used only by advanced users.
  • We want to know more about your Station Launcher experience - We want to make it the best experience possible for you.  We want to know how its functionality is working for you, and understand what you think can make Station Launcher even better.  When you click on the "Station Launcher Feedback" button, you'll be taken to an online survey to share your experiences.  Be brutally honest with us.

  Here are the Known Issues within Station Launcher.  We're continuing our work to resolve these: 

  • Interrupted Downloads - Game updates are interrupted when you leave the Game Update screen.
  • Multi-Instance Support - Additional support for this ability has not yet been added to the application, including the user interface and command-line syntax.
  • Minimize from Task Bar - The application does not toggle to and from the minimize state on the Windows task bar as is common in other Windows applications.
  • "Enter As" while using UK English - The "Enter As" feature - the ability to enter a game with a selected character -  is not working when the language is set to English (UK).
  • Update Scanning - The scanning for files has become slower and sometimes gets "stuck", especially when quickly switching between different server versions.
  • Chat Copy - One can paste into a chat session within Friends, but cannot copy selected text.

  The team here wants everyone using Station Launcher beta to "keep it coming" - keep sending us your feedback and thoughts about the latest release.  Post your suggestions and comments on the board, and also leave detailed feedback through the new survey link that's available to you in Station Launcher.  Let us know if the new fixes are working for you.  If you're enjoying Station Launcher, tell your guild mates who haven't yet tried it, to try it out and let us know what they think.  All of your input enables us to improve, refine, and deliver the best Station Launcher experience for everyone.
  Offer your feedback on the Station Forums.

• This week we feature a player from Stargate Online TCG.

  Real Life First Name: Daniel

  Forum Handle: SirDusk75

  Game Handle: SirDusk

  Where do you live? Columbus, OH (What about them Buckeyes! haha)

  How long have you played Stargate? I started in late August of 2007, I went to Gen Con got a book in the swag bag and in it was an advertisement for the Online Version of the game. Promptly went out spending money like crazy on the physical (2 to 3 sets of each SG-1, System Lords and 1 set of Rise of the Ori) and the digital version of the game (almost 2 of every card but almost 3 for all sets). I did this because I have yet to find someone in my area that plays physical.

  Do you play Legends of Norrath, Star Chamber, Pirates CSG or the Star Wars Galaxies TCG? No, I do not. Don't have the time.

  Do you play any physical TCGs? I started playing TCG's in high school; I started when Magic the Gathering was just starting "Revised edition" in early 90's. Then played some Jihad or Vampire as it's called now. The biggest TCG is a cross between a typical TCG and a RPG, it's called Dragonstorm, it's more RPG than TCG but all the rules are on cards instead of books.

  What got you into gaming and what sort of games do you like the most? A neighborhood friend got me playing D&D back in the early 80's when I was 8 years old. Ever since then I was hooked, any reason I could come up with playing I was there. Because of this I am more inclined to table top RPG's. There is nothing like busting out with the imagination and some dice!

  What type of work do you do? I am a dispatcher for American Automobile Assoc. (AAA (triple A) for short.)

  What other hobbies or activities do you take part in, other than Stargate? I am a movie buff; I enjoy all types of movies. If I had to pick my favorite it would be between "A Knights Tale" or "Aliens". My favorite T.V. Show would have to be Stargate SG-1! (I own all 10 seasons on DVD and all 4 seasons of SG-A). I am an avid Fantasy Football and Baseball manager (15+ years.)

  What is your favorite deck type? I enjoy the ones I come up with on my own. But now just about every team member combo that has been played someone else can lay claim too. Right now I am trying to come up with a viable 'Swarm deck' based on the DR. Jackson that lets you play Support cheaper and the SGC Vala Team member that gives +1 skills while she is assigned to the mission, both from the Rise of the Ori sets.

  What is your favorite card (playability-wise), and why? For hero I'd have to go with any cheap support character, without support you can't win any mission. For Villain I'd have to go with any support killer cards, again without it they can't win a mission.

  What is your favorite card (art-wise), and why? I can't pick any one card, because the show was a part of my weekly activities for so long, ever since I found it on Showtime back in season 2 or 3. Now the Online TCG lets it become an everyday thing.

  What type of TCG player are you? For example, are you an Art Lover, a Competitor, an Innovator? I'd have to say, yes to all of the above. I enjoy the Art because of the many episodes out there, I can't stand to lose. I have tossed some fits in private when I forgot about a card that cost me a mission or a match or if I took a bad beat when someone luckily was able to get 4 missions with 3 team members and 2 supports. Who wants to be a copy cat, I was working on a no skip deck that was working 65% of the time before RotO came out then went to no times working because of the Apophis mother ship.

  What do you like best about Stargate Online TCG? Every game is like watching one of the many favorite episodes of the SG-1 TV show. It's always fun to say to yourself, "I remember that episode, that one too!" Don't get me wrong; the people we have here are awesome too.

  Could you describe, in brief, a memorable game you had, or opponent you faced, and why it stands out in your mind? Lots of matches, that usually end with me doing the same thing; either forgetting what a card does or passing too soon that costs me a mission as it did against Toku at Gen Con this year. That one mission might have helped me empty out my hand faster, because I was playing against an Ori villain win, which most villain win requires you to grid lock your hand with expensive costing cards so you can't get deeper into your deck.

  Do you run or work for an OSG or TCG Fan Site? Nope sorry to say, just not that tech savvy!

  What is one thing no one would ever suspect about you? I am a huge SG-1 fan between the Online and Physical TCG, owning all the seasons on DVD for SG-1 and SG-A, the board game (which sucks by the way) and I even have Michael Shanks autograph which I got when they had a convention here in Columbus OH a few years back. Only got to go for the one day when Shanks and Judge was there. It was a blast! Well worth the dime. Also if you can't tell by some of the things written above I'm in my mid 30's (gosh I'm old!)

  Feel free to leave SirDusk a friendly note in the Stargate Online TCG forums!

• 
  

  Greetings Everyone!

  We have a few emails that will be sent out soon that you don't want to miss! Make sure you are signed up to receive SOE Emails. What's included when you sign up?

  • You'll receive the quarterly newsletter for whichever games you select as well as any marketing and promotional materials for those titles, such as account winbacks and special offers.

  To make sure you receive the next one, do the following:

  • Click on My Account on the top bar of any Station page • Click on Change Email Setting • Select those you wish to receive. • Click on apply. (If you aren't sure you are getting the emails, click on Make Changes even if you don't change anything, just to refresh the setting.) • Or you can just visit this link.

  
  

  How come I never seem to get any of the emails? There are a couple of reasons you may not be receiving the emails from SOE:

  • Update your Email Address: An incorrect Email Address is a common reason for not receiving the emails from the station. To update your email address, click on My Account, go to email preferences and then click change next to the email address currently assigned to your account.

  • Email is being blocked: If your e-mail system has a block, junk, bulk, or spam mail folder, you'll want to make sure that it allows e-mail from The Station@sony.com [station-mailer@sony-online.com]. You will need to check the options, properties, or preferences of your mail system to determine how to set this up.

  • Options not saved: There's a chance that your options were not set correctly when the system changed over to this system. To fix this, click on the [Clear-All] link and click on Make Changes. Then select your options again and click on Make Changes again. That should refresh the list.

• Beginning at 9 AM PDT on Tuesday, September 23, 2008, SOE Account and Commerce flow, and the Station Store will all be unavailable due to maintenance. We expect this maintenance to take approximately 4 hours.

  We apologize for this interruption and will resume all affected services as soon as the maintenance is completed.

• 
  
  

  It is difficult to believe that so much time has passed since we heard those first unbelievable reports that two planes had crashed into the buildings of the World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon and yet another in a Pennsylvania field.

  The anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, offers a time to remember and to reflect about this unforgettable moment in history, and to reconsider the effect that September 11 has had on the United States and the world. Let's all take a moment today to remember all those who were affected by these events and to reflect on what was learned that day about patriotism and tolerance.

• This week we feature a player from Stargate Online TCG.

  Real Life First Name: Chris

  Forum Handle: Toku

  Game Handle: Toku

  Where do you live? Tucson, AZ

  How long have you played Stargate? Since the end of Beta.

  Do you play Legends of Norrath, Star Chamber or Pirates CSG? I have played Norrath and Pirates. Pirates is a bit too graphics-intensive for my machine, and Norrath never really clicked for me.

  Do you play any physical TCGs? I play Magic: the Gathering.

  What got you into gaming and what sort of games do you like the most? I've been playing games more or less all my life. I enjoy them as an intellectual exercise more than anything, so games that test me on that level, I'm more likely to keep playing.

  What type of work do you do? I'm a small business owner/operator and part-time student.

  What other hobbies or activities do you take part in, other than Stargate? Sports, mostly. Boxing, tennis and golf are the 3 big ones, but I also enjoy a game of basketball with my buddies.

  What is your favorite deck type? Whichever deck Iorek tells me is the best.

  What is your favorite card (playability-wise), and why? Probably Alliance of the System Lords, because its such an innocuous card that does awesome things.

  What is your favorite card (art-wise), and why? Probably the foil version of Tanith (Lurker). The foiling is done really, really well.

  What type of TCG player are you? For example, are you an Art Lover, a Competitor, an Innovator? Hard to say I'm an innovator, because all my decks I either steal from Iorek or build from the same framework over and over again. So I'll say I'm a competitor.

  What do you like best about Stargate Online TCG? The number of moving parts. It's very reminiscent of early Legend of the 5 Rings in the sense that there's a lot to keep track of, both on the board and in deck design.

  Could you describe, in brief, a memorable game you had, or opponent you faced, and why it stands out in your mind? 1-2-3-4-5-7. I've told the story about a billion times by now, but in a couple of the early WCQs, I completely forgot how to count to 7...TWICE. The time I remember best was in September in the 5th round against Thorval. I was playing a very early version of the New Guy deck I played to 1st place this past April, and the game basically came down to this. I needed to generate 7 total difficulty to get Thorval to fail the mission (and subsequently allow me to win the game), and had 2 sequences of plays that accomplished that feat. I counted them both up, and they both counted to 7, so I thought to myself "doesn't really matter which sequence I pick, since they both get to 7." The problem is that one sequence added up 1-2-3-4-5-6-7, and the other added up 1-2-3-4-5-7. You can guess which one I picked.

  Do you run or work for an OSG or TCG Fan Site? I co-host the Origin Podcast at cardgamingonline.net, along with CaptainStrack, from Pirates. I've also put a few articles up on both kitsdb.com and stargatetcg.org, although nothing remotely recent (I think November was the last article I wrote).

  What is one thing no one would ever suspect about you? I was, in my youth, a nationally-ranked junior tennis player.

  Feel free to leave Toku a friendly note in the Stargate Online TCG forums!

• Labor Day marks the end of summer for those of us the in United States. SOE would like to wish everyone a happy and safe Labor Day weekend!

  
  
  

  Phone Technical Support will be closed on Monday, September 1st and will resume normal hours on Tuesday September 2nd. Email and Chat Support will be available on Monday September 1st from 10 AM PST until 7 PM PST. We will be offering limited in-game support during normal business hours.

• If you can’t make it to Las Vegas for Fan Faire this week, but would like to be connected to the news as it happens, we have a number of options for you! You can watch SOE President John Smedley’s Community Address live on Friday night, or if you would rather tune in while playing the game we can make that happen too!

  Players of EverQuest, EverQuest II, and Star Wars Galaxies can listen live to SOE President John Smedley’s Fan Faire Community Address live this week by using Station Voice from within the game clients.

  Read more to learn how to do this for each of the three games.

  Star Wars Galaxies

  Players of Star Wars Galaxies can listen in on the Community Address by entering /voice join swg.broadcast.fanfaire on the command line from any live server. Players online after the broadcast channel is live will also be able to join the address channel by clicking on the “Fanfaire” channel on the voice bar.

  Broadcasts will also occur in SWG before the address begins to remind everyone that they can tune in.

  Please note that you must have the voice bar active and enabled in these games in order to join the channel and listen in, and that the channel will be a streaming broadcast of the Community Address, and not a two way conversation with Fan Faire attendees.

  EverQuest

  Players of EverQuest can listen in on the Community Address while playing on the EQ Test server Friday night. Shortly before the address is scheduled to begin, a new button will appear on the voice bar to allow you to join the address. The address will also show up on the channel list while it is happening, so you can find it in either way.

  Please note that players currently connected to the EQ Test sever may need to relog to see the button on the voice bar. Also note that Station Voice is only available on the EQ Test server at this point, and can not be accessed from live servers.

  In-game broadcasts will be made prior to the Community Address to help you remember that you can listen in while you play!

  EverQuest II

  Players of EverQuest II can listen in on the Community Address by entering “/voice join test.fanfaire” (without the quotes) on the command line from any live server. Because Station Voice is live on all EQII servers, you do not need to be playing on the EQII Test Server to listen in on the address.

  Just as with EQ, in-game broadcasts will be made before the Community Address begins, to help everyone remember that they can listen in. There will be a clickable link in the broadcast that you can use to automatically join the channel.

• 

   

  You've heard about the Flickr account set up for Fan Faire but did you know we have created other exciting ways to share and enjoy the Fan Faire experience?

  A Twitter account has been set up so you and your friends can get updates while the event is taking place!! Head on over to Twitter, click the green check mark with the word "Following" next to it and you will now get the updates. You can even enter your cell phone number and get the updates as a text message. The SOE Staff will be updating the Twitter throughout Fan Faire so tune in for updates! To stay up to date Twitter also offers an RSS Feed! You will need a Twitter account to access the feed.

  You can watch video clips taken at Fan Faire on You Tube! We would also love for you to tag and videos you take at Fan Faire and upload to You Tube with "fanfaire2008".

  All attending Fan Faire 2008 are welcome to share their photos with the community through the newly created Flickr group. The group is listed as "SOE Fan Faire 2008". The group was specifically created for this upcoming Fan Faire so all attending are able to enjoy each other's pictures. Do you already have an account with Flickr? Make sure you tag all of your photos, blogs, and other submissions related to Fan Faire with "fanfaire2008". We hope this will serve as a way to share your Fan Faire memories with everyone!

• Come see the team at Jillian's during Gen Con!

  With more than 26,000 attendees last year for Gen Con in Indianapolis Indiana, this year's event is expected to be even bigger and better! This will be an event to remember so be sure to get out there and enjoy!

  While you are in the area, Sony Online Entertainment would like to extend an invitation to our Gen Con Meet & Greet. Join us August 14th, 2008 for a night to remember.

  Hosted by the SOE Community Team, you will have the opportunity to meet members of the Community Relations team as well as the developers of our Online Strategy Games. So be prepared to discuss your favorite SOE Card game with them!

  Quick Details:
  When: August 14th, 2008 7-10PM
  Where: Jillian's
  141 S. Meridian St.
  Indianapolis, IN 46225

   

  Meet us at Jillian's from 7 pm until 10pm for a good time socializing with SOE employees, friends & other players. Free food will be served including pizza, mini-burgers, multiple dips & chips, fries, and chicken. Free drinks including Hosted Deluxe Well, Beer, House Wine & Non-Alcoholics will be offered throughout the night.

  Come join us for a night of socializing, food, drinks, games & fun!

  
  
  

  21 and older only (photo issued government ID required)

• SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT PRESIDENT TO DELIVER SECOND ANNUAL
  "COMMUNITY ADDRESS" AT FAN FAIRE IN LAS VEGAS
  Pre-Registration for Live Webcast Now Open

  WHAT

  See what's new at SOE! To kickoff the 2008 SOE Fan Faire, SOE President John Smedley will provide opening remarks to more than 1000 video game fans at the Hilton Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The second annual "Community Address" combines a live presentation with a streaming video broadcast online. Smed will give both Fan Faire attendees and gamers worldwide the kind of inside look at SOE products usually reserved for industry insider events.

  SOE's Fan Faire is a unique social event in which players of SOE 's most popular titles congregate to meet their online, game-playing peers. Fan Faire guests will have the chance to demo new titles throughout Fan Faire weekend, August 15th-17th, including the highly anticipated Free Realms™ . This year's event boasts a plethora of game-themed live events including tournaments, contests, live quests, a variety of panel discussions and tons of great gaming-related contests.

  WHEN

  Friday, August 15 th at 6:00pm PST.

  WHERE

  To listen to the webcast, please go to:

  http://www.videonewswire.com/event.asp?id=50659

  WHO

  SOE is hosting its annual Fan Faire event in Las Vegas for fans of its massively multiplayer online (MMO) gaming lineup including the hit titles EverQuest ® , EverQuest ® II, EverQuest ® Online Adventures, PlanetSide ®, Star Wars Galaxies™ and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes ® . This year's Fan Faire will also feature upcoming titles such as Free Realms™, The Agency™ and more.

  For more information on the SOE Fan Faire visit: http://events.station.sony.com/fanfaire/.

• 

  This year's Fan Faire will be held in the famed Hilton in Las Vegas from August 14th-17th. Today, August 8th,is the last day to pre-register, so don't delay! Pre-registration can be completed the official Fan Faire website: http://events.station.sony.com/fanfaire/index.vm

  Hilton Hotels Corporation owns 2,645 hotels in more than 80 countries. The Las Vegas Hilton is the largest Hilton in the entire world and contains 3,174 rooms within the building. It was recently renovated this year and has 100,000 square feet of gaming space. With wonderful amenities in the Hilton, and a great schedule for Fan Faire planned out, we look forward to seeing you August 14th!

  For all those attending, here are a few maps of the inside of the hotel where the events will be taking place. Feel free to use these to map out strategies for maximizing seeing as many panels as possible, or print them out so you reduce the risk of getting lost during the three day celebration.

  The event schedule has been updated with new panels and other fun events. These new exciting additions include the G.I.R.L - Gamers In Real Life Breakfast, a developer preview of the Agency, and a VIP Rock N Roll Karaoke Party at the Las Vegas Sports Center. A full schedule of updated events can be found at: http://events.station.sony.com/fanfaire/index.vm

  

  The Ballrooms & Pavilions

  Friday, August 15th

  Pavilion 1
  10am- 11pm "Station VoiceTM powered by Vivox." 11am- 12pm Station Launcher
  12pm- 2pm EverQuest II: Live Quest: To Tame the Savage Beast
  2pm- 3pm EverQuest II: Guild Hall Preview
  3pm- 4pm EverQuest II: Anatomy of an Update
  4pm- 5pm EverQuest II: History and Lore
  5pm- 6pm EverQuest II: Anything Goes

  Pavilion 2
  10am- 11am Podcast
  11am- 12pm Customer Service
  2pm- 3pm EverQuest: Game Mechanics
  3pm- 4pm EverQuest: Quest Workshop
  4pm- 5pm EverQuest: Raids and Missions
  5pm- 6pm EverQuest: General Session

  Pavilion 3
  10am- 11am Legends of Norrath
  11am- 12pm Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game QA
  2pm- 3pm The Agency: Developer Preview
  3pm- 4pm Welcome to Free Realms
  4pm- 5pm The Art of Free Realms
  5pm- 6pm A Behind-the-Scenes Look at a Monumental New Title in Development
  
  

  Saturday, August 16th

  Pavilion 1
  11am- 12pm Customer Service
  2pm- 3pm EverQuest II: Preview the Upcoming Expansion
  3pm- 4pm EverQuest II: History and Lore
  4pm- 5pm EverQuest II: Anatomy of an Update
  5pm- 6pm EverQuest II: Anything Goes

  Pavilion 2
  10am- 11am SOE Marketing Panel
  11am- 12pm SOE Community Panel
  12pm- 2pm EverQuest Live Quest: Portal Fragments
  2pm- 3pm EverQuest: Game Mechanics
  3pm- 4pm EverQuest: Quest Workshop
  4pm- 5pm EverQuest: Expansion Highlights
  5pm- 6pm EverQuest: Special Feature Addition

  Pavilion 3
  10am- 11am Legends of Norrath
  11am- 12pm SOE Community Panel
  2pm- 3pm The Agency: Developer Preview
  3pm- 4pm The Animation of Free Realms
  4pm- 5pm Free Realms: Designing a Casual MMO
  5pm- 6pm A Behind-the-Scenes Look at a Monumental New Title in Development

  

  Conference & Board Rooms

  Friday, August 15th
  

  Conference Rooms 8 / 9 / 10
  12pm- 2pm Star Wars Galaxies Live Quest: Battle of the Echo Base
  2pm- 3pm Star Wars Galaxies: Trader and Entertainers
  3pm- 4pm Star Wars Galaxies: All About Combat
  4pm- 5pm Adding Content to Star Wars Galaxies
  5pm- 6pm Star Wars Galaxies: Storyteller, roleplaying and events

  Conference Room 7
  10am- 11am Pirates of the Burning Sea
  11am- 12pm Pirates of the Burning Sea
  3pm- 4pm Vanguard: General Game and Development
  4pm- 5pm Vanguard: State of the Game

  Conference Room 12
  10am- 11am Live Gamer
  2pm- 3pm PlanetSide: Roadmap 2008 and Beyond
  3pm - 4pm MxO: The Ongoing Story
  
  

  Saturday, August 16th

  Conference Rooms 8 / 9 / 10
  2pm- 3pm Star Wars Galaxies: Collections
  3pm- 4pm Star Wars Galaxies: Heroic Encounters
  4pm- 6pm Star Wars Galaxies: Galactic Assembly

  Conference Room 7
  10am- 11am Pirates of the Burning Sea
  11am- 12pm Pirates of the Burning Sea
  12pm- 2pm Vanguard Live Quest: Trouble on the Trade Route
  3pm- 4pm Vanguard: High Level panel
  4pm- 6pm Vanguard: Create a Quest!

  Conference Room 12
  2pm- 3pm PlanetSide: Design Session
  3pm- 4pm MxO: Developing the Story and Live Events

  

  Center Rooms

  Thursday, August 14th

  Conrad Room
  4pm- 8pm Early Bird Registration and Badge Pick Up
  4pm- 8pm Legends Lounge Open
  10pm Late Night Legends of Norrath Play Session
  
  Baron Room
  8pm Welcome Reception
  
  

  Friday, August 15th

  Conrad Room
  9am- 8pm Registration and Badge Pick Up
  9am- 8pm Game Room Open
  9am- 8pm Vendor Bazaar and Phat Lewt Store Open
  9am- 4pm EverQuest Best of the Best Tournament
  12pm Silent Auction Begins
  
  Baron Room
  6pm Annual Community Address from John Smedley
  
  

  Saturday, August 16th

  Conrad Room
  9am- 8pm Registration and Badge Pick Up
  9am- 8pm Game Room Open
  9am- 8pm Vendor Bazaar and Phat Lewt Store Open
  9am- 4pm EverQuest II Tournament
  4pm Silent Auction Ends
  10pm Game: Champions of the Force Play Session
  
  Baron Room
  8pm Grand Banquet

• 

  There is going to be a stress test of the new Station Launcher this weekend, August 8th through August 10th and YOU are invited! Tell your friends... tell your loved ones... tell your guild mates... they are all invited too!

  

  Station Launcher will include:

  • Launching Station Games - One place for all your games - launch games from one location, no separate logins, and delete shortcuts on desktop.
  • Easy, Behind-the-Scenes Updating - Ready to Go Anytime - Automatic Updating, updating can take place while computer is in use, and manage download settings for each game through preferences.
  • Connect with Friends using Station Friends - All SOE friends listed on one application, stay connected to friends in-game, game characters names private, see what SOE games your friends are playing when you are online, send and receive tells, and connect with legacy friends.
  • Purchase Station Games, Updates and Items- purchase & download a variety of content, able to pre-load games, stay current on Station news, and subscribe.
  • Localization - Station Launcher will be available in several different languages, choose the one you wish to use.

  

  Sony Online Entertainment is expecting to launch Station Launcher in the near future. Station Launcher will be faster than the current launchers, easier to navigate and secure.

  Station Launcher will allow each player to customize their preferences in many areas, and will offer a new way for players to keep in contact with their friends who play SOE games. Players will be able to chat with their friends while they are in-game or out of game and the most exciting thing about this is that it works across games - Play EQII and chat with friends in SWG!

  

  All new aspects of the Station Launcher will make game access easy and convenient, as well as automatically keeping all the games up-to-date. No more waiting when you haven't logged into a game in a few weeks. The update will be there and downloaded just waiting for you to play!

  Visit http://launcher.station.sony.com/ for more information including frequently asked questions & answers, a user guide and a link to directly access the forums.

  

  

• 

  All attending Fan Faire 2008 are welcome to share their photos with the community through the newly created Flickr group. The group is listed as "SOE Fan Faire 2008". The group was specifically created for this upcoming Fan Faire so all attending are able to enjoy each other's pictures.

  Do you already have an account with Flickr? Make sure you tag all of your photos, blogs, and other submissions related to Fan Faire with "fanfaire2008". We hope this will serve as a way to share your Fan Faire memories with everyone!

• 

  Are you an aspiring artist looking for some professional guidance for your career or advice on your artwork? Then stop by and see Joe Shoopack at Fan Faire 2008 in Las Vegas!

  Joe Shoopack is the Director of Artistic Development for SOE studios. Joe is driven to continually improve the art culture and quality at SOE studios. He is proud to have contributed in helping multiple artists gain recognition for their artwork from Legends of Norrath selected for the latest Digital Art Annual. (Some works from the annual by SOE artists are pictured below)

  

  In addition to maintaining quality across SOE studios, he also helps define individual career growth paths for the artists at SOE and is involved with art schools and recruiting efforts. He has previously worked as Associate Art Director on Star Wars Galaxies and as an Art Director on EverQuest II and its first 3 expansions. Joe has shipped over 30 game titles and is also an accomplished pen and ink editorial illustrator.

  

  Joe Shoopack is truly a respected artist and valuable addition to SOE studios. Anyone with an interest in an art career is more than welcome to stop by and meet him. He will be available to look at individual art pieces or portfolios and offer guidance on portfolio building for games, commercial work, or just for fun.

  

  Joe will be at Fan Faire conducting art portfolio reviews in the Conrad Room from 2pm-3pm on Friday and Saturday in the career pavilion.

• This week we feature a player from Stargate Online TCG.

  Real Life First Name:

  Nafiz

  Forum Handle:

  Although I'm known as Lord Erman everywhere, here I'm LordErman. Why can't we have a space between words here?

  Game Handle:

  Sorry to disappoint you all but it's the same as above. And why did you say we can't have a space between words?

  Where do you live?

  I live in Istanbul/Turkey.

  How long have you played Stargate?

  I joined the week the game was released.

  Do you play Legends of Norrath, Star Chamber or Pirates CSG?

  I tried Legends of Norrath and Star Chamber but soon found out that my place is here (here=Stargate TCG).

  Do you play any physical TCGs?

  I used to play a lot but not anymore. I started with Magic just like many others, then switched to StarWars CCG and played it until the last day. Then I started playing Lord of the Rings TCG and played it for more than 3 years. I also played the short lived WARS TCG and then returned back to playing Magic. In the meantime I tried almost a dozen other games too. After 2 more years playing Magic, I stopped playing physical TCGs and currently Stargate Online TCG is the only TCG I'm playing.

  What got you into gaming and what sort of games do you like the most?

  Uhm... Sorry to disappoint you here too but I don't play any games! I don't consider TCGs as games. They are more like a mind sport to me, just like chess, perhaps a less sophisticated version of chess. But chess is a sport not a game and so are the TCGs in my opinion.

  What type of work do you do?

  I recently accepted a good offer and changed my job. According to my new business card, I'm now the "Europe Account Coordinator" for one of the biggest garment manufacturers here in Istanbul. I'm pretty busy at the factory and my new job involves a lot of traveling to other countries, but I'm not complaining.

  What other hobbies or activities do you take part in, other than Stargate?

  What hobbies?! What activities??! I work six days a week and (try to) raise a kid! I'm more than happy and thankful that I can find the time to play Stargate!

  Joking aside, in that small amount of time I have to spare, I try to spend time with my wife and my daughter, relax, meet friends, watch movies and watch Stargate Atlantis of course. During holidays I like to travel a lot to some exotic places with my wife (exotic place=a flight no less than 10 hours). I'm also a hardcore fan of a soccer team here in Istanbul and try not to skip any home match.

  What is your favorite deck type?

  Would people throw rocks at me and curse me if I say it's the Ori? Surely they will. So... BAN THE ORI MOTHERSHIP!!! CURSE THE ORI!!! LONG LIVE THE HERO WIN DECKS!!!

  What is your favorite card (playability-wise), and why?

  Without doubt it is Martin Lloyd. Simply because it is a card that is "out of the box". And also just because he is my avatar!

  What is your favorite card (art-wise), and why?

  Well, if we are talking about Stargate TCG we can't really talk about "art", you know. But still I could say that Goofing Off, Going Wacko (both from the same episode), Trial by Fire, Bo'rel, the new Samantha Carter, Tanith and Heru'ur are nicer than the rest.

  What type of TCG player are you? For example, are you an Art Lover, a Competitor, an Innovator?

  There are three options in the question but there is a fourth very important aspect about TCGs, which is collecting cards! So I'm a Competitor but most important of all, I'm a Collector.

  What do you like best about Stargate Online TCG?

  For starters I must say that I'm a real Stargate fan. I've watched the TV show for many years, non-stop. So the day I heard that there was a Stargate TCG, I jumped right in without even thinking for a second, because it was simply Stargate!

  I could have not liked it and went away; perhaps even faster than I joined the game. But I saw how successful the designers were in reflecting the whole Stargate world and that "Stargate feeling" into this TCG. We have everything about Stargate built in this game; we have our teams going to missions, we have the bad guys who try to stop our teams, we have those locals who are helping our teams and finally we have those mighty spaceships!

  Now mix all those things that are what Stargate is all about, with a very solid game play and a set of mechanics and voila; you have one of the best TCGs around.

  Could you describe, in brief, a memorable game you had, or opponent you faced, and why it stands out in your mind?

  There is no possible way that I can forget this one (and there's no possible way I can keep it brief):

  It was the final round of a Commons Only tournament. The winner of that game was going to win the tournament and I was playing against Thorval; one of the toughest opponents you can ever play against in Stargate TCG. Thorval was playing a Glpyh Win deck and after getting his sixth glyph he had to stop. But his team was all glyphed, he had all the support characters in play and everything, and we both knew that if he ever got another turn, there was no way for me to stop him.

  So it was my turn. I was playing a Jack deck as usual and I needed five missions to win the game. But the problem was that I had completed two so far, and I needed to complete three missions in one single turn. So I played my first mission and Thorval let me have it. It was now 3 out of 5. During the second mission of that turn we seriously fought to death. I completed the mission and Thorval had no power left. It was now 4 out of 5 and I needed one more.

  But there was a problem. I had only two ready characters left and they were Merrin and Osbourne; both Science support characters. And considering I had two Science missions already completed, I thought that I was toast. There were eight more missions in my mission pile and seven of them were no good to me. I continued, thinking that I lost the game. But there it was; a Science mission!

  Of course Thorval cursed me after that game and he eventually got his revenge, but I won't tell you what happened in that game! It was a total humiliation, believe me. Thankfully no one saw what happened.

  Do you run or work for an OSG or TCG Fan Site?

  There is someone, LordSomething, who writes the Unofficial Card of the Week, the Intergalactic Stock Market and occasionally the Unofficial Player of the Week articles for the Stargate Online TCG's front page. Horrible articles if you'd ask me. But wait! That's me!

  I also write for stargatetcg.org. It's called The Gate Room. Every Tuesday.

  What is one thing no one would ever suspect about you?

  The people that see me during daytime at work would never think that I play a game with cards which have pictures of a science fiction TV show on them. On the other hand, the people who know me online would never think that people that see me during daytime would ever think that I play that game.

  In other (simple) words, I'm a very serious businessman at work and act like a child at home.

  Thanks for reading.

  LE

  Feel free to leave LordErman a friendly note in the Stargate Online TCG forums!

• INTERGALACTIC STOCK MARKET
  PART IV: VILLAINS OF TODAY AND TOMORROW
  written by LordErman

  Hello dear readers, I'm back with the fourth and last installment of the Intergalactic Stock Market series. As you may remember, last week's subject was the valuable hero side Rares, Ultra Rares and Starters from the Rise of the Ori set.

  While writing that article I thought that saying "You should get yourself a playset of Selmak's Tel'tak" or saying "Attend Jaffa Summit is an excellent mission" would not be very interesting. These are the things everyone knows already. So I tried a different more humoristic style. But from what I can tell, that wasn't very interesting either.

  So this week I'm back to the original style. I guess you like it that way. And you, the reader, are the ultimate judge. So whatever you say!

  This week I will talk about the villain cards in the Rise of the Ori set. I will judge them on two points; their use today and their possible use in the future.

  Here's my list:

  NUMBER 10: DEBILITATED

  
  
  

  I'm telling you, the "put this obstacle on a team character" type of obstacles will be very important in the future. We have three sets so far and this isn't a huge number. There are still many unexplored areas in Stargate TCG. One of them in my opinion is this.

  Debilitated is also a Disease obstacle. That is another unexplored area. The next set will be full of Wraith and Replicator villain cards but the third most important faction in my opinion, will be the Disease faction.

  So I believe that even though Debilitated might not be as important and as deadly as Naquadria Hallucinations, it might become a solid and highly playable card in the future.

  So here's its score:

  TODAY: 1STAR(completely useless) TOMORROW: 3STAR(playable)

  NUMBER 9: ADRIA, THE ORICI

  
  
  

  I was talking about unexplored areas of Stargate TCG. There are so many! Another of them is an All-Complications villain style. Even now it is possible to play a villain side with Tanith, Camulus, Brainwashed Teal'c and this Adria. But unfortunately there are still some very important pieces missing to consider this strategy as a tournament-worthy one.

  But sooner or later we will have those missing parts and when that happens, prepare to meet this Adria in almost all your games (and prepare to add Kendra to all your decks! ).

  TODAY: 2STAR(not so good) TOMORROW: 4STAR(very good)

  NUMBER 8: EXECUTION SQUAD

  
  
  

  Plain, simple, deadly. And you don't have to play the Ori to have this obstacle in your deck. This is a very good card now and I can't see a reason why it shouldn't be in the future.

  TODAY: 4STAR(very good) TOMORROW: 4STAR(very good)

  NUMBER 7: BAAL'S HA'TAK

  
  
  

  I don't think that the designers will stop creating Blockade cards in the future sets. It would be a shame if they did. Blockade Win is a promising deck style and even now it is played but it still needs a few things to dominate the meta.

  Considering the Wraith blockaded the city of Atlantis at the end of Season 1, and considering there are tons of great material for the designers to create more Blockade cards even from those few episodes, I think that the value of Baal's Ha'tak will not drop.

  TODAY: 3STAR(playable) TOMORROW: 4STAR(very good)

  NUMBER 6: ANUBIS, WARLORD

  
  
  

  You can re-read what I wrote for Baal's Ha'tak as they all are true for this one too.

  TODAY: 3STAR(playable) TOMORROW: 4STAR(very good)

  NUMBER 5: REPLICATOR MOTHERSHIP

  
  
  

  I believe this: If we didn't have a meta full of Ori VW decks, the Replicator faction could have dominated it. The recent additions to this faction we received with the new set are simply extraordinary.

  The current problem of Replicator Mothership is its Victory gametext, which is the most important part of it. I believe that in the future, with the addition of many great Replicator ships, achieving Victory while playing the Replicators won't be a problem.

  And just like everybody else, I also think that the reign of the Ori Mothership will end with the next set. I foresee that many will be playing Wraith/Goa'uld Blockade Win decks and others who try Hero Win style will fill their villain sides with Replicator goodies.

  TODAY: 3STAR(playable) TOMORROW: 5STAR(excellent)

  NUMBER 4: FIRST

  
  
  

  You can check my Unofficial Card of the Week article in which I talked in great detail about this card. First + Big Bug = big Big BIG Trouble!

  TODAY: 3STAR(playable) TOMORROW: 5STAR(excellent)

  NUMBER 3: THE DOCI

  
  
  

  I don't think that I have to explain you how useful The Doci is in Ori decks. But is he only useful in that deck? Absolutely not!

  He is a must-have for almost any deck in my opinion. He wreaks havoc to any Skip-Culture deck. He tears apart Skip-Ingenuity decks. He can be played the first turn. He can also be played in the Commons Only format. He will be the "Superstar" of a possible future All-Complications deck.

  I mean, what more do I have to tell you?

  TODAY: 5STAR(excellent) TOMORROW: 5STAR(excellent)

  NUMBER 2: MOLOC

  
  
  

  As long as this card exists in the Standard Constructed format, players will think again before they skip Science or Combat. They will also think again before playing with characters like Elliot or UR Jonas Quinn, who like to have all the glyphs on them.

  In one game I remember that I removed four glyphs with him. He is simply devastating! No matter how many sets we will have and no matter what the meta will turn into, Moloc will stay as a topnotch adversary.

  TODAY: 5STAR(excellent) TOMORROW: 5STAR(excellent)

  NUMBER 1: EXPLOITATION

  
  
  

  Cards that are unique are priceless. Cards that are unique are always being played without being affected by the everchanging meta. They are not situational. They are not strong in one type of format or meta. They are being played because... well... they are unique! Meaning there is nothing you can replace them with.

  Martin Lloyd is unique. Oma Desala is unique. Exploitation is also unique.

  Just mark my words: After the release of the 10th set, when people who play Villain Win style stop playing "VW Deck X" and start playing the new VW deck called "VW Deck Y", you will still find Exploitation in those decklists.

  As I said, cards that are unique are priceless.

  TODAY: 5STAR(excellent) TOMORROW: 5STAR(excellent)

  Okay everybody, that is all from the Intergalactic Stock Market. Even though I had some nice and funny plans about writing a Villain Street mumbo jumbo article, you in a way said that I shouldn't do so.

  Finally an announcement: I will not be able to write for a few weeks and the Unofficial Card of the Week articles will hopefully be back after that short break.

  As always, thanks for reading.

  See you online
  Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• Beginning at 9:00 AM PDT on Thursday, July 31, 2008 all SOE account and commerce flow and the Station Store will be unavailable for maintenance.

  We expect this maintenance to take approximately three and a half hours. During this maintenance period game servers will still be accessible. We apologize for this interruption and will resume the affected services as soon as the maintenance is completed.

• 
  
  

  Player of the Year 2008

  The judges have spent many hours sifting through nominees and debating who is worthy of the prize at hand, a free passage to Fan Faire 2008 held at the prestigious Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas. With such pressure over who to grant this opportunity of a lifetime to, outsiders who have tried to touch the Tylenol bottle in the community area have taken their life in their hands. After rigorous days spent concentrating and much deliberation, a conclusion has been reached! It is a pleasure to announce the two winners of the 2008 Player of the year contest:

  Rikoo Rakoo
  of Vanguard's Xeth Server
  
  ~ and ~
  
  Tnexus the Forgotten Hero
  of EverQuest's Prexus Server

  Rikoo Rakoo has truly inspired many Vanguard players he has come across. He is actively involved in game, creating fun activities open to everyone. Rikoo posts his adventures online for all to read, and those who read enjoy his tales. He is an avid poster on the forums and co-hosts the Voyages of Vanguard podcast informing listeners of what is new in Vanguard. He shows his passion for the game by helping those around him enjoy the game as much as he does. With multiple nominations it is clear that Rikoo Rakoo is a valued member of the Vanguard Community and more than deserving of the 2008 Player of the Year.

  Just as deserving is our other player of the year, Tnexus the Forgotten Hero. Tnexus has displayed the true meaning of dedication through his actions and thoughts. Playing EverQuest for 9 years, Tnexus takes pride in his knowledge of the game and sharing it with others. He has made good friends through the game, and continues to meet new people and help them with their journeys. He has held numerous leadership positions in guilds and for the website EQOutrider.net. Tnexus showed his fun-loving side by doing 15 epics just for fun and to enjoy. He has actively participated in attending Fan Faires and obtaining EQ related merchandise. With such dedication to the same game for so long, and all of his wonderful talents, it is a pleasure to award player of the year to such a worthy individual.

  Other players are not to go without mention. With over 100 entries there was quite a competitive pool this year, the judges had a hard time reaching a final decision. Honorable mentions go to emu.ninja of the Matrix Online for creative writing and providing players with entertainment outside of the game. MasterCosmo of Stars Wars Galaxies for his "Mother Teresa" qualities. Another honorable mention goes to Zunnoab for his in and out of game dedication to EverQuest and his server.

  We thank everyone for their participation in our 2008 Player of the Year contest. Once again, we would like to congratulate our winners Tnexus and Rikoo Rakoo.

  We look forward to seeing you both at Fan Faire!

• SOE presents Fan Faire 2008 at the Las Vegas Hilton August 14th-17th Fan Faire will be returning to the lively city of Las Vegas for 3 days and nights full of gaming, socializing, and fun! The upcoming Fan Faire is predicted to be one of the best; this is not an event you will want to miss! Fan Faire 2008 will be packed with sneak peeks at three monumental new games in development, plus special activities, roundtables, developer forums, and live in-game tournaments and quests for many games. In addition there will be many advantages to attending. An extended All-Access pass will allow you to receive an invitation to the beta testing of Free Realms and the new expansion pack for EQ II. Be prepared to receive gifts and in-game items as well! Players are actively talking about Fan Faire in the forums. The excitement is building up with only 17 days left until the big event takes place. "Registered... see you there!" ~ Jod_ledgemai, SWG "Just registered the whole Family... hope to see yas there" ~ Tigiar, SWG "*dances* We have our minimum of 10 guildies (for the discount and the table and stuff) even with at least 3 of the ones who plan to attend not in the list yet. *impish grin*" ~ Rijacki, EQII "Will be there, with a bunch of my guildmates." ~ Kalthanan2, EQ "I shall be attending! :-D YAYYYYYY! /dance dance" ~ Winter, EQII "I'll be there with bells on :-D ...Someone has to represent the old E'ci (now Tunare!)" ~ Merekitty, EQ "I'm going to be there. Sorted out flights and hotel today. Hope the 14 hour flights and time difference doesn't kill me :-D" ~ NeillM, SWG "I'll be there! I've had my plane tickets and hotel booked for a good while now... now I'm just trying to save money so I can eat while I'm there !" ~ Tharkis, EQ "The best DO go to Fan Faire." ~ Jyve, EQ "More Tigers!" ~Nadadini, EQ "If I'm not in the tournament it's not the best of the best..." ~ Swampfunk, EQ "I'm going, and I'm looking forward to seeing everybody there! :-D" ~ DominoDev, EQII "I'm looking forward to poking the Devs, seeing Vegas and letting my geek-side run free. :-D" ~ NeillM, SWG "The discussions of what the future holds for Everquest II is what I'm most anticipating and a chance to look at the next expansion. See you all in Las Vegas." ~ TheFever "I plan on attending! =). I turn 21 on August 16th, so it will give me a reason to go to Vegas and Gamble as well." ~ Tigris67, EQ "Registered, hotel reserved, plane tickets bought, and getting married while I'm there... Woot! I hear there's even going to be Darth Vader" ~ Freica, SWG   For a full list of details & to register, check out: http://events.station.sony.com/fanfaire/ All additional questions, comments or concerns can be directed to: FanFaire@soe.sony.com

• INTERGALACTIC STOCK MARKET
  PART III: STOCK PRICES ON HERO STREET
  written by LordErman

  Hello dear intergalactic investors! I'm just back from the Intergalactic Stock Market and I'm here to talk about the latest situation of SG (Dow) Jones and Naquadah (Nasdaq) indexes. This week I will report from Hero Street, the part that belongs to the good guys of the Intergalactic Stock Market, and share with you my findings. Of course next week I will report from the other part which is called, as you most definitely know, Villain Street.

  As we have lot to discuss, let's get started immediately.

  Investors are hopeful that a nascent positive tone on Hero Street will continue to lift stocks. Ultra Rare prices seem to be on a downtrend while Rare and Starter prices so far seem to be not as bad as feared.

  "The last week was an inflection week" said Brian Vogler, the financial head of the Colson Industries. "We have switched from never-ending worries about the Ori, their power generating spaceships and our insufficient naquadah production to actually looking at some good Hero Win possibilities. Although the hero sides of our decks still need to improve, at least we have some very good missions that can help us defeat the Ori" he added.

  Of course he was referring to this:

  
  
  

  The recent destruction of some Kassa shipments seemed to cripple the villain fleets and the investors at Hero Street are quite happy about it.

  However later this week some bad news came from the Tau'ri. Both the United States and Russian Air Forces are planning to lay off a total of 300 pilots to fight against the soaring naquadah prices.

  "There is nothing to be afraid of" said Michael Ryan, the U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff. "We already have some very good pilots at our disposal and our combined fleet with Russia will be sufficient in our war against the Ori".

  Many of the pilots Mr. Ryan was referring to remain unknown but two of them seem to be quite popular on Hero Street:

  
   
  

  The soaring naquadah prices also hit the spaceship industries as well. Most of the spaceship manufacturers have stopped manufacturing big and expensive carriers as their demand is decreasing due to their high naquadah consumption, and they started investing in the production of much smaller scout ships.

  A spokesman of the Tok'ra Spaceship Manufacturers Association (TSMA), said that they anticipate great success in the sales of their latest scout ship class spaceship. "Even though it is expensive to play and does not provide enough firepower, we believe that this new scout ship will affect our teams in a very positive way" he said.

  
  
  

  But not all the spaceship companies share this view. Some, such as the Stargate Command Airlines, believe that the era of deep space carriers is not over yet. In fact, their latest product is getting a lot of attention from the intergalactic buyers.

  
  
  

  Whether or not these scout ships and deep space carriers will be enough to fight the Ori, remains to be seen.

  Now back to the Tau'ri. The DHD Industries announced this week that they are finally finished with their tests of the long-awaited interpretation of their highly sought-after product's control panel to the Russian alphabet. The below picture is taken from one of those tests:

  
  
  

  The Russian offworld teams have already started their own tests with this new product. "We have to make sure that our missions are not too dangerous" said Mr. Chekov, the Captain of the Russian spaceship Korolev in a recent press conference. "And to ensure that, we need DHDs that we can use. We couldn't use the previous version as it was too complicated for us. We're not that skillful." he added.

  This weird comment did not surprise the intergalactic investors as they know that the Russian Captain is not known for his high Ingenuity skills.

  
  
  

  Finally some news from the Jaffa real estate companies. Earlier this month the main Jaffa council at the Jaffa planet Dakara announced that the next summit of Jaffa leaders will be held on Dar Eshkalon and this so far not widely-known Jaffa planet started getting a lot of attention from the intergalactic real estate buyers.

  
  
  

  "After the council's announcement, we immediately started building one of the biggest hotels on Dar Eshkalon" said Mr. Tass'an, owner of one of the biggest construction companies on the Jaffa world Sartorus. "Considering we have some very advanced construction techniques, we will finish the hotel just before the summit". He also said that the real estate prices on Dar Eshkalon have been tripled in just a few days.

  I asked Mr. Tass'an why Dar Eshkalon was chosen for this summit. "This place is unique because no adversaries are allowed to be assigned here." he said. "And considering we have access to a Dialing Computer, adversaries can stay on this nice yellow-ish Jaffa world almost forever as our guests and therefore they seek nice comfortable places to say. We have to make sure that their stay at our hotel will be a pleasant one.".

  Okay dear intergalactic investors, that is all from Hero Street for now. I will spend the next week on Villain Street and gather as much information as I can, and share it with you in great detail in the fourth and last edition of the Intergalactic Stock Market series.

  Thanks for reading.

  See you online
  Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• SOE's Third Annual Block Party

  Our annual Block parties are a blast and this year will be no different! Join us at SOE Headquarters for music, food, tours, previews of upcoming games, give-aways, raffles and much more. There will be activities for kids as well. Meet with dev team members and staff, socialize with employees and friends, and have a great time.

  This event is scheduled to be held during Comic-Con on Saturday, July 26th. Even if you are not attending Comic-Con, stop by the block party anyway! All are welcome! Attendance is FREE!

  This just in - from 4:00pm to 5:30pm you can meet comic book artist Jim Lee!

  When: Saturday July 26th, 2008 - 4:00pm-8:00pm

  Where: SOE Headquarters
  8928 Terman Court
  San Diego, CA 92121

  Shuttle buses are scheduled to travel round-trip to SOE from Comic-Con every 30 minutes from 4:00pm-6:00pm. Look for the SOE signs near section B of the Convention Center. Buses will be returning to the Convention Center every 30 minutes until 8:00pm.

  * For those of you coming on your own, we highly recommend carpooling, as parking will be limited.

  Please RSVP as soon as you can at: BlockParty@soe.sony.com.

• INTERGALACTIC STOCK MARKET
  PART II: VILLAINS OF OLD
  written by LordErman

  Hello dear readers and welcome to the second part of the Intergalactic Stock Market series. This week we will talk about the bad guys from the first two sets.

  In my Intergalactic Stock Market article dated 24.April.2008, I named 10 villain cards and I told you that I was expecting them to become chase rares. I told you that they were not useful at that moment but that they would become heavily played after the release of the Rise of the Ori set.

  The Rise of the Ori set has been released and now it's time to take a look at that list. Sadly I wasn't very accurate in my hero list, so let's see whether it is the same case for the villains as well or not.

  CARDS I WAS WRONG ABOUT

  
  
  

  First of all, I think that my villain list was more accurate than the heroes. Sure there were some errors in that list but that much is acceptable.

  Actually there are two cards which shouldn't have been in that list. One is Time Dilation. Because no one is skipping Science or Ingenuity, no one plays Time Dilation.

  One other error is Goa'uld Bomb. What was I thinking, actually, when I put that card in my list? I seriously don't know. Nothing extraordinary has happened with this one and it seems very unlikely that something will happen soon.

  CARDS I WAS RIGHT ABOUT

  
  
  

  Well, in this part I will cheat a little bit.

  I said that Under Suspicion, Payoff, Dimensional Shift and Mind Invasion would become very important cards. They actually didn't. But I'm not considering them as errors. How so?

  This is what I said for Dimensional Shift in that old article: "...but I foresee that the meta after the Rise of the Ori will be crawling with two (or maybe even three) glyph decks. I foresee that the next generation decks will care about glyphs as they never did before. ". Now come on, I was right!

  Dimensional Shift still isn't used by anyone. But at least my reason for putting that card in the list has come true.

  Under Suspicion and Payoff are still less worthy than, say, Harsh Conditions which is a Common card. But that won't be the case in the future believe me. "How so" you ask? Have you not seen that Promo card called Iratus Bug yet?

  I was right when I said that the developers would sometime in the future create more "play this obstacle on a character" type of obstacles. Iratus Bug confirms my theory. Yes that did not happen with the Rise of the Ori set, but sometime in the future that will happen for sure.

  This is what I said for Mind Invasion: "I do believe that this one will be the most expensive villain card of all time. Sooner or later, that will happen. If not now with the Rise of the Ori set, then it will eventually happen after the Atlantis set. ". Well, I'm still saying the same.

  Other cards I was right about were actually very obvious. Ardent Prior, Nerus and Rebuffed all see play in Ori decks. And after getting fixed, Plea For Help is widely played; especially in Osiris-based VW decks.

  CARDS I DIDN'T THINK OF

  
  
  

  Back then, if someone had told me that this Apophis would be played heavily, I would have laughed in that person's face. However one must expect anything. So now Apophis, Threat to Earth is really a threat especially when combined with his Ha'tak; not only to Earth but to anyone!

  Replicator Carter, Disarming Foe is another card that surprised me. I never thought that one would play it over Leader of the Scourge but that happened after the Rise of the Ori.

  I'm also adding Caught Off Guard to my "how did I forget this one? " list. I seriously don't know why I didn't put it in my list. It was so plainly obvious!

  One other card that I'm seeing being played is Containment Field. Especially if one is building an anti-Vala defense these days, this (power-wise) cheap-looking expensive card always finds a way into such decks.

  CARDS I'M KEEPING AN EYE ON

  
  
  

  We're talking about old cards that are long forgotten now but might explode after the Atlantis set. There aren't many actually but one such card is Ancient Contagion.

  There were many episodes in the Atlantis show that can inspire the designers for new and effective Disease obstacles. And thus, the Disease faction might see some serious play in the future. If that happens, expect to see not only Ancient Contagion but also other Disease cards to be highly sought after.

  I seriously have very high hopes for the Disease faction to get really big and important, and it won't be a surprise for me if that happens.

  Also make sure that you have your three copies of Replicator Mothership. Even now it is a very important card for Replicator-based villain sides but after the Atlantis set, this card will become a real bomb.

  Finally in the part where I cheated(!) about some cards I think I was right about, I talked about Under Suspicion, Payoff and Mind Invasion. I'm not joking; these cards will eventually get really big, especially Mind Invasion.

  Okay dear readers, the second part of the Intergalactic Stock Market series ends here. As I said, my villain list seems more accurate than my hero list; that is of course if you accept my reasons for putting those four cards into the "I was right" part which could also belong to the "I was wrong" part.

  Next week we will start talking about some Rise of the Ori goodies.

  Thanks for reading.

  See you online
  Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• 

  Fan Faire is quickly approaching, and the event schedule has been updated to include a large selection of the panels and parties we'll be hosting. Stop by and check out the list so you can start planning your itinerary. This is a weekend you don't want to miss!

  Click here to see the updated Fan Faire schedule.

  For more information and to register, visit the official SOE Fan Faire Website.

• Please be advised that SOE phone support specifically, will be unavailable from 10am – 1:30pm (PDT) this Friday, July 18th. Phone support will resume at 1:30pm and available for the remainder of the day until 7pm. We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause.

• The forums will be unavailable while maintenance is performed on Wednesday, July 16, at 6:30 AM PDT. The maintenance period is scheduled to end at approximately 11:00 AM PDT.

  Thank you for your patience during this time.

• INTERGALACTIC STOCK MARKET
  PART I: HEROES OF OLD
  written by LordErman

  Hello dear readers. Last week at the end of my article, I said that this week I would talk about a team character who I believe is the best option against ship heavy decks; the Ori deck in particular. However to be honest, I'm not finished with that deck.

  So for this week, I'm returning to one of the older subjects. Ladies and gentlemen, the Intergalactic Stock Market series is back!

  I'm planning a series of not two but four articles this time. The first two weeks I will talk about the old cards from the SG-1 and System Lords sets (heroes one week and villains the next week), and then I will talk about important cards from the Rise of the Ori set.

  Now for those who don't know what the Intergalactic Stock Market articles are:

  Just before the release of the Rise of the Ori set, I talked about cards from the SG-1 and System Lords sets, which I thought would explode in the post Rise of the Ori meta. This week I will re-examine those cards and see what happened to them. Was I right when I put them in my Top-10 list or was I horribly wrong about them?

  Also I will talk about some other cards from those two sets which I didn't think of but which eventually "went off". And finally there will be a short part about the cards I'm keeping an eye on for the far future; the post Atlantis meta.

  But before I start, let me remind you of the rules. Only Rare, Ultra-Rare and Starter cards are allowed (some Promo cards as well). No obvious ones! I will not tell you how useful Walter Harriman is; nor will I tell you that you should get three copies of Hathor next week.

  This week ladies and gentlemen, I will talk about the old hero side cards.

  CARDS I WAS WRONG ABOUT

  
  
  

  Well, I hate to say but almost all of them! I was wrong about Rescue Team for starters. A Culture/Combat deck is still nothing to be afraid of.

  I was totally wrong about Skip-Ingenuity decks. I said that that deck would be tier 1 after the Rise of the Ori. I said that you should get Jarrod Kane and Martouf and even the support Daniel Jackson, Ascended Being before it's too late. Well, it seems that it isn't too late after all.

  The funny thing is that we get three new team characters for the Skip-Ingenuity strategy (those being Hadden, Chekov and Marks) but it is still not possible to build a good team and a tier 1 deck out of the options we have from three sets.

  It seems that I was also wrong about the NID and other "sacrifice a support character to gain a benefit" cards. Meaning Self Sacrifice and Alpha Site Facility. The new NID team character Hoskins is very nice for such a deck but so far I have not seen someone using him in an All-NID deck. I will write an article about this strategy soon.

  Also I was horribly wrong about two Tok'ra cards I put in my list; Tok'ra Operative Network and Jacob Carter.

  CARDS I WAS RIGHT ABOUT

  
  
  

  There are too few to mention. Actually there are only two of them; Marshall Sumner and Lucy! I'm Home! . The glorious days of Marshall Sumner only lasted for a week or so. The gametext of the new Vala Mal Doran was changed instantly and thus Marshall Sumner lost almost all his appeal.

  The other card, Lucy! I'm Home! , was always a useful one. But I'm seeing more and more players playing with some form of all SGC glyph win decks and that card is very useful in such decks.

  CARDS I DIDN'T THINK OF

  
  
  

  Well, there are quite a few. Let's talk about them briefly. I didn't expect to see that many Jaffa decks playing the Starter Bra'tac. Especially not after seeing the new five point value one. However more and more players at least try this version in their decks.

  People also play Jennifer Hailey a lot. After examining the new set and seeing that all the ship destruction cards are Combat related, I was sure that Pacifist decks would die. But that did not happen. I will also write an article about a Pacifist deck of mine in the next weeks which of course has Jennifer Hailey in its team. And not just because of her high point value but also for her gametext as well!

  One other card that I didn't think of is a mission actually.

  
  
  

  This mission is a must-have for any Villain Win deck nowadays, considering Ori VW decks are quite popular these days. If one is playing that deck, then he/she must also be prepared to play against the same deck or a Goa'uld VW deck in tournaments. And therefore missions become very important in today's VW decks.

  That is why Seek and Capture is so popular. Early game it can even prevent your opponent from scoring one adversary which is, simply put, huge!

  Other cards I didn't put in my first Top-10 list are UR Teal'c, DHD, Digging Deep, Entropic Cascade Failure and Sagan Institute Box.

  Sagan Institute Box was seeing a lot of play before the new set came out but I believed that the card wouldn't be necessary in the new meta. I was wrong. It is still played.

  CARDS I'M KEEPING AN EYE ON

  
  
  

  Actually it is way too early to talk about the future. And by future I mean the Atlantis set of course. However there are a few cards, which I believe will be very important after the Atlantis set.

  When that set's release date is announced (hopefully within this year), I will write a detailed Intergalactic Stock Market article again. But consider this part as a teaser.

  I believe that Harlan will explode. Why? Very simple. We already have Elizabeth Weirs, Rodney McKay, Marshall Sumner and John Sheppard. In the coming days, we will also have Kate Heightmeyer and Carson Beckett. And the next set will also introduce at least two different versions of those characters, if not three.

  Therefore I think that Harlan will be a very important card in the next generation meta of Stargate TCG. You have Rodney McKay in your team and Harlan plus a Healing Device on the table and ka-boom, you play the SGC version of Rodney McKay. The next turn you then play the Munitions Yield Expert version of him!

  Now how about that? Three Rodney McKays for your opponent to deal with; as if one wasn't enough already!

  One other card that I want to talk about briefly is this one:

  
  
  

  The Atlantis set will be full of Ancients, and one doesn't have to be a genius to say that Excavate Ancient Artifacts will be a highly played mission in the post Atlantis meta.

  The final card of this part is actually from the Rise of the Ori set:

  
  
  

  In the post-Atlantis meta, just like any other person, I too foresee that the villain sides of our decks will be either Wraiths or Replicators. I will talk about this gear in great detail in the future edition of the Intergalactic Stock Market, but make sure that you have your three copies of it today.

  I also have to mention that you can fetch it with Excavate Ancient Artifacts!

  Okay dear readers, the first part of the Intergalactic Stock Market is ending right here. Next week I will look at my pre-Rise of the Ori Top-10 villain list and see how wrong/right I was. A villain teaser for the future, just like I did this week for the hero cards, will also be included as well.

  Thanks for reading.

  See you online,
  Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• This week we feature a player from Stargate Online TCG.

  Real Life First Name: Daniel

  Forum Handle: DanielRW

  Game Handle: DanielRW

  Where do you live?

  Near Olympia, Washington.

  How long have you played Stargate?

  I started playing Stargate during the second or third week of Beta testing last March. I just happened to come across a link to pre-order Stargate cards on a website I used to buy cards from for another game, and being a fan of the show, I went looking more information and discovered the game was in Beta testing. I jumped straight in and I've been here ever since.

  Do you play Legends of Norrath, Star Chamber or Pirates CSG?

  No, I don't.

  Do you play any physical TCGs?

  My first experience with a TCG was playing Magic: The Gathering with a friend, and though I never really got into that game, it introduced me to the world of TCGs. I played the Lord of the Rings TCG from Decipher, although never competitively, and when that game ended I started looking around for something new and found Stargate.

  What got you into gaming and what sort of games do you like the most?

  Really, the biggest reason I play most games is that they tie in with something I already like. In this case, it was the fact that I was a fan of the show that got me into the game. I like strategy games, TCGs, but also PC games like Age of Empires II, and the Battle for Middle Earth.

  What type of work do you do?

  Well, I'm a full-time college student right now, but I also work for my school newspaper as a reporter and editor.

  What other hobbies or activities do you take part in, other than Stargate?

  I used to do some community theater, but I haven't really done much other than Stargate in the past year or so.

  What is your favorite deck type?

  I'm a fan of the Pacifist deck, of which I consider myself one of the originators. However, my dream is to one day create a non-skip deck that can actually compete. I think it is pretty close to becoming a reality.

  What is your favorite card (playability-wise), and why?

  Probably Marshall Sumner, Senior Military Officer. His ability is just awesome for a glyph-win deck. With the change to Vala Mal Doran, Practiced Thief, Sumner decks aren't automatic, but I think they're still more competitive than people think.

  What is your favorite card (art-wise), and why?

  The new Samantha Carter, Formidable Warrior gets my vote for the coolest card image so far. I also really like the lore on Jonas Quinn, Quick Study.

  What type of TCG player are you? For example, are you an Art Lover, a Competitor, an Innovator?

  I consider myself a Competitor, although I try to Innovate as much as possible, and I probably wouldn't play at all if I didn't like the art. I often tend to get hammered when I try out my own deck designs, so I tend to adapt other decks for serious play. As I mentioned earlier, I was one of the original players of the pacifist deck, which I was playing back before the release of System Lords when Jack was the dominant deck type. However, I switched to a Toad deck when CSi became dominant during the holiday tournaments. Right now I'm adapting to Rise of Ori and still looking for good deck to play. I don't like to become too predictable though, so I like to change decks every now and again.

  What do you like best about Stargate Online TCG?

  I like the game play and the connection with the show. I also like the wide variety of options available when building a deck, and the fact that there are several different ways that you can win the game.

  Could you describe, in brief, a memorable game you had, or opponent you faced, and why it stands out in your mind?

  One game that stands out to me was the final game in my first sealed tournament. I remember I played andrewheintz for first place and even though I lost, I remember it was a really close game that went right down the wire. That second place finish was much higher than I'd expected and was the first time I realized I could really play this game competitively. Two other games I remember as absolutely nerve-wracking were played against LordErman and Caveat, and if I remember correctly, first place in a WCQ was on the line both times. (I lost both games... Now that I think about it, I seem to have LOST every really important game I've played. Note to self: This needs to change.)

  Do you run or work for an OSG or TCG Fan Site?

  No, although I did recently write an article for cardgamingonline.net.

  What is one thing no one would ever suspect about you?

  Well, apparently, I look like I'm 12 years old. (I'm 19, but people are always saying I look 12).

  Feel free to leave DanielRW a friendly note in the Stargate Online TCG forums!

• written by LordErman

  TRUE LEADER

  Hello dear readers. Last weekend we witnessed a first in the WCQ history; a VW deck won the tournament. Just like in the Hermiod tournament, the well known Ori deck was victorious once again.

  Actually I had plans to talk about the deck a little bit more but then I realized one thing: For weeks I've been talking about VW and the Ori Mothership deck in particular. I realized that I was running in circles and one more such article could be (very) boring.

  First the Replicator VW deck build around First, then the Ori Mothership itself, then Indulgences and last week Goa'uld Ha'tak. And as I said, even though I still had some things left to discuss about that deck, I'll do so later.

  So this week ladies and gentlemen, we will free ourselves from the dull and boring world of the Ori and talk about something refreshing; or not! Because what we have this week is the good old Jack O'Neill; a leader who is said to be very dynamic as well!

  Let us first salute him:

  
  
  

  So here's the objective: I will build a deck around Jack O'Neill, Dynamic Leader for the RotO-Only format. For Standard Constructed, I think that you already know how to build a Jack deck by now.

  So now I know what do to. But where should I start?

  On the Deck Builder screen, after selecting the set Rise of the Ori, I start by typing "ship" into the "Search" area. I do so because I want to know how I can fight the Ori Mothership. Here's what I see:

  The nice mission Destroy Kassa Shipment, the support Adam Banks, another nice support Cameron Mitchell (who will help me ready a ship for space battles), Lindsey Novak (who will save a ship of mine after a defeat), Fend Off as usual, William Ronson and Erin Gant (who will give me extra power for a second mission of a turn). Actually there is more I see but so far I already have some very interesting results.

  So I have Combat, Science and Ingenuity. In other words, I have enough nice cards to build a deck that skips Culture. And who's "Da Boss" of skip-Culture? Yep. Our real hero, our true leader Jack O'Neill of course!

  Here's the team:

  Jack O'Neill, Dynamic Leader
  Samantha Carter, Formidable Warrior
  Hoskins
  Erin Gant

  William Ronson could also be very nice in such a deck, but that's a better team in my opinion. Of course you may replace Samantha Carter with William Ronson but I ask you dear readers, what good is Jack O'Neill without his beloved Samantha Carter?

  So Sam stays. Willy waits.

  Now I move onto the missions. I will concentrate on Jack O'Neill's glyphs. The one and only exception will of course be Destroy Kassa Shipment.

  Combat:
  Destroy Kassa Shipment
  Sabotage Ship Construction
  Repel Moloc

  If you think that Sabotage Ship Construction is too risky just because it can end up with an Ori Mothership on the other side of the table, you can replace it with Destroy Weapon.

  Science:
  Discredit Leak
  Cloak Earth
  Protect Village

  Ingenuity:
  Hide the Harcesis
  Recover Touchstone
  Restore Timeline

  Culture:
  Attend Jaffa Summit
  Diplomatic Envoy
  One other totally unimportant Culture mission

  Okay now I'm finished with the team and the missions. I move onto the ships. The most important one is this:

  
  
  

  This scout ship may not look like much but believe me, without it you have no chance in the late stages of a game; especially against an Ori deck.

  One other very important ship is Korolev. As I am playing a glyph win deck, I have to complete more than one mission per turn. And Korolev helps me do that by readying stopped team characters.

  Other useful ships are F-302, Beliskner, Odyssey, The Daniel Jackson and Tok'ra Tel'tak. By the way I'm adding this many ships to the deck because I want to fight the Ori Mothership as well as Apophis' Ha'tak. I don't want their Victory gametexts to trigger.

  As for support characters, these are my choices:

  Adam Banks
  Brooks
  Cameron Mitchell
  Francis Maynard
  Linea
  2x Merlin
  Mr. Wayne
  Tass'an
  Lindsey Novak
  Mr. Parker

  All of them are very nice and useful and they all help me in completing my missions.

  Finally I add one copy of Nice Enough Couple for late game, Fend Off and three copies of Terra-root to the deck.

  
  
  

  Don't underestimate Terra-root by the way. It is very nice to play a Beliskner when you have four power. And also considering I have many four cost cards in deck, it is important that I gain some extra power and Terra-root is my best option.

  And here you have it! A dynamic Jack O'Neill deck for your RotO-Only format gaming pleasure. With so many ship destruction cards and so many good team and support characters and many powerful ships, no Ori deck is safe against this deck.

  That's all for this week dear readers. Next week I will talk about a team character who I believe can be a very effective solution against the Ori deck.

  Thanks for reading.

  See you online
  Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  Discuss this article on the forums.

• 
  
  

  Sony Online Entertainment is proud to announce the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game! This brand new online TCG is the first ever card game based on the Star Wars® Galaxies universe! Subscribers to Star Wars Galaxies will be able to:

  • Choose between the light and dark sides of the Force and fight virtual matches for the Rebel or Imperial factions,
  • Challenge their skills in story-based solo play or against other players in epic one-on-one battles,
  • Find more than 20 "loot" cards in the first release, Champions of the Force, that can be redeemed for fantastic virtual items for use in the Star Wars Galaxies massively multiplayer game!

  In addition, Star Wars Galaxies subscribers will receive five free Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game booster packs every month as part of their regular subscription to the game.

  More information on the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game and its first release, Champions of the Force, can be found at www.StarWarsGalaxies.com/tradingcardgame.

  Click here to read the press release.

• ONE STONE TWO BIRDS

  Hello everybody, I'm back with another Unofficial Card of the Week article. This week's card is:

  
  
  

  So you think that the Ori are unbeatable. You think that there is no possible way to beat them. You think that no matter what you do and how hard you try, that broken(!) Ori Mothership will be victorious at the end of the day. You think that resistance is futile and you also think that it's time to give up on what you're currently playing and build your own Ori deck. You think that just because you can't beat them, you have to join them.

  Unfortunately (or fortunately rather) you are wrong...

  There may be more than one way to beat the Ori, but right now I'm aware of one. And that is to fight fire with fire. That is to play the real bad guys; the Goa'uld. But not the Goa'uld you used to know. Forget all that you know about them. Forget Osiris, forget Hathor. It's the Rise of the Ori after all!

  There is now a new enemy. And a new enemy requires new tactics. What do they do? They hit you with their ships. If that is the case, then you hit'em harder with your own ships. You'll show them who's the real boss in the Milky Way galaxy.

  They might be powerful in their own neighbourhood but this one belongs to the Goa'uld! This isn't the playground they used to play on freely.

  Now take that you Ori scum!

  
  
  

  Score three adversaries and the game is just over. Simple as that. Now please someone tell me how is it possible to beat this?

  Don't get too excited just yet. Don't forget the golden rule: Rock - Scissors - Paper. Even though playing a Goa'uld Villain Win deck seems to be the best option against an Ori deck, it can result in heavy losses against any Hero Win deck if you don't build your deck properly of course.

  Playing an Ori deck is easy. Get the Ori Mothership out, gain a huge amount of power and then score your fat Ori adversaries. However playing a Goa'uld deck is tricky. Just like the Goa'ulds themselves. You have to have two strategies built in one deck.

  You have only one stone and you have to hit two birds with it.

  BIRD ONE - THE ORI

  Get your Anubis' Mothership out as soon as you can. You have to have three copies of it in your deck by the way, and some Indulgences on the other side of your deck surely will help to get it out on time.

  Speaking of the other side, just because you don't generate power like the Ori player, you have to rely on the good old Fro'tak + Healing Device trick. Play Ill-Gotten Gains to fetch your Healing Device. Some Alliance of System Lords when you are the villain player will also help to get you some extra power.

  Then play and score your three-cost Goa'uld adversaries. There are so many good ones, you can choose which ones you like to play. Of course don't forget to add three copies of Kali to your deck.

  Finally with your Anubis' Mothership start fetching your Goa'uld Ha'taks. The game will be over in a few turns.

  BIRD TWO - THE HEROES

  This match-up is obviously harder than the Ori. As always, get your Anubis' Mothership out as soon as you can. Fetch your Apophis' Ha'tak with it. Then get your Goa'uld Ha'taks. Finally get your Apophis' Mothership. You will give away three to five free missions to your opponent in the meantime.

  Then start playing your adversaries. And to stop your opponent you will mainly rely on this one:

  
  
  

  Play only one or two cost Goa'uld obstacles. That is important! I know that Carnivorous Creature or Goa'uld Bomb or Genetic Manipulations look tempting. But they won't do any good. Trust me! I know what I'm saying.

  Entranced, Mind Probe, Spies Everywhere, Kneel Before Your God, Engineered Virus, Booby-Trapped Z.P.M. are the best such cards. There are more and you can find the right ones for your own deck yourself.

  There is only one non-Goa'uld card you should have in deck and ironically that is an Ori card; Caught Off Guard. You have to have a tool to break the Attend Jaffa Summit - Dialing Computer lock and there is no better option than Caught Off Guard.

  One final word of advice. After you are finished building the deck, play many games against real players. Games against the AI won't give you a clear idea about your deck. Remember: You don't always need three copies of all the obstacles you play. Sometimes two and sometimes even one copy of an obstacle is enough.

  Okay everybody that is all for this week. After the last Hermiod tournament there was a lot of discussion about the Ori Mothership and many complained that it is unbeatable. I just wanted to show you that it isn't the case.

  Thanks for reading.

  See you online
  Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  Discuss this article on the forums.

• 
  
  

  That time of year is almost here...

  The time when SOE players from near and far gather in one place to celebrate their favorite MMOs by engaging in fun, food and fraternization! But there will be some that walk among the crowd... a couple players so respected by their gaming peers that they will have the distinct honor of being crowned SOE's second annual Players of the Year!

  Will you be one of them?

  To celebrate the 2008 Las Vegas Fan Faire (Aug. 14-17), Sony Online Entertainment will select and bring two lucky players to the Hilton Hotel to join in the festivities. So, here's your chance to nominate a friend (or even yourself) for this coveted title! We want to know who YOU think is the most deserving and why.
  
  From Wednesday, July 2, 2008, (12:01 am, US Pacific Time) through Friday, July 11, 2008 at (11:59 pm, US Pacific Time), Sony Online Entertainment will be hosting the Official Fan Faire "Players of the Year" contest. Participating games include EverQuest, EverQuest II, Star Wars Galaxies, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, EverQuest Online Adventures, The Matrix Online and PlanetSide.
  
  Good luck to everyone and we hope to see you all in Las Vegas for Fan Faire!

  

  Contest:
  Do you know someone who is the poster child for your MMO? Someone so dedicated that they walk around bloodshot and sleep deprived in their favorite wrinkled gaming T-shirts and baseball caps (what else would they be wearing?). Someone who goes so above and beyond the call of duty helping other community members in-game, out-of-game and everywhere in-between that they're practically an online Mother Theresa? Well, they just might be the perfect candidate for SOE Player of the Year and we want to know more about them!
  
  Nominate a fellow player (or yourself) by writing a 200 word (or less) letter or role-play story explaining why the person deserves to be an SOE Player of the Year. Optional - you can also include a link to an image (screen capture, artwork, video or photo) with your entry as support for your story but please note that a written submission is still required.

  

  How to Enter:
  Please view the Official Contest Rules to determine eligibility for this contest before submitting an entry.
  
  Submissions should be sent in an e-mail to SOEContests@soe.sony.com. Be sure to include all of the following information with your submission:

  • Subject of Email: SOE Player of the Year - Main Game Name (Include game name in the subject).
  • Real Name:
    
  • Character Name:
    
  • Server Name:
    
  • Station Name: (User Name - do no include passwords)
    
  • Mailing Address: (Street Address Apt #, City, Zip Code - Do not use PO Box)
    
  • Forum Community Handle: (If applicable)
    
  • E-mail Address:
    
  • Submission Text:
    
  • The written entry can be placed directly in the body of the email.
    
  • Written entries should be plain text (.txt), word document (.doc), or rich text (.rtf).
    
  • Entries should be in Times New Roman text format, font size 12.
    
  • Please do not use indents, smiley faces, or all caps and avoid slang terms unless it fits within the theme of your entry.
    
  • Spell out server names, city names, and other terminology as much as possible.
    
  • Please use spell checker before submitting the entry. Entries will be reviewed for typos but those that require too much editing may be disqualified.
    
  • Length: 200 words or less.

  Additional Nomination Submission Information:
  

  • If you are nominating someone as Player of the Year, you may want to let them know in case they would prefer not to be considered.
    
  • We will not need you to include their station account or mailing address. We only need Character Name and Server name. We'll retrieve the extra information where needed.
    
  • Be sure to have the person you are nominating update their email address on their Sony Station account.
    Optional Image Information:
    
  • You can include a link to where the image (screen capture, artwork, video or photo) is hosted but all files must be hosted externally. The supporting image work will not be downloaded so it has to be readily accessible in that location.
    
  • Do not include anything with your submission that is copyrighted.

  

  Contest Rules:
  

  1. Please review the Official Contest Rules before submitting a nomination.
     
  2. Nominees must be an active SOE subscriber to at least one of the games with account being in good standing.
     
  3. Must be a US resident and 21 years of age.
     
  4. Please remember to stay within the Terms of Service Agreement when participating in this contest or you will be disqualified and further action may be taken. This includes inappropriate names, words, or images.
     
  5. Within the Terms of Service Agreement, it states that by submitting (e.g., uploading or transmitting) Content to an SOE Communication Feature, you automatically grant SOE the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, and fully sublicensable right and license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, perform and display such Content (in whole or part) worldwide and/or to incorporate it in other works in any form, media, or technology now known or later developed. In addition, you warrant that any and all so-called "moral rights" in the Content have been waived.

• THE OTHER SIDE

  Hello dear readers. It is said that behind every successful man, there is a woman. If this is true (and believe me, it is true), then this should be true as well: Behind every successful villain side of every Villain Win deck, there is a good hero side.

  Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the other side:

  
  
  

  If you think that the hero side of a Villain Win deck is not important, then you are wrong. If you think that three copies of Galaran Memory Device and three copies of Revisionist History is enough and the rest is totally unimportant, then you are wrong. If you think that the hero side actually does not matter at all, then you are horribly wrong.

  Two weeks ago in the last WCQ, I went 3-3 with my Villain Win deck and last week, I went 6-0. The villain side of my deck was 75% the same in both those tournaments. I added only one new ship, one new adversary and two new obstacles and removed an equal number of less useful cards. However my hero side changed completely. And thus a disappointing 3-3 became a satisfying 6-0.

  The hero side of a Villain Win deck has many uses. One of them is known by everyone; to cycle back previously used or discarded villain cards. This is done via the good old gear Galaran Memory Device and the brand new event Revisionist History.

  The second use of the hero side is to boost the villain side with extra power. The Jaffa traitor Fro'tak is still the only option in this category. Once you have the Ori Mothership out, Fro'tak becomes useless and therefore no Healing Device is needed.

  But now the hero side of a Villain Win deck has two more uses. The first one is to get the Ori Mothership out on time. To do that, we have Possible Fate and this week's Unofficial Card of the Week, Indulgences. With three copies of each, you are guaranteed to get it out just when you need it.

  By the way, when you play Indulgences do not hesitate to discard your entire hand. The Ori Mothership is all that matters and all the other cards are useless without it.

  The second new use the hero side has is actually only useful against other Villain Win decks. And that is to lock the game via Dialing Computer at a mission which will hurt the opponent the most.

  
  
  

  Attend Jaffa Summit may not mean much to a Hero Win player but it is everything for a Villain Win player. It is very nice when you have it once and prevent the other Villain Win player from scoring an adversary but it is even nicer to have it always on the table thanks to Dialing Computer.

  Okay dear readers, one other article is drawing to an end. As you see, as a Villain Win player there are a lot of things to do during your (considerably short) turn. Just like in the old days when the mighty Osiris was the only ruler of the realm of the villains, you still have to recycle villain cards and gain extra power for your villains with your hero side.

  However now that everything depends on a ship and getting it out early is crucial, the hero side should do much more than it used to do in the days of old.

  Before I end this article, I'd like to thank Caveat for spending a lot of time with me and helping me perfecting my Ori deck and for testing it with me patiently.

  Thanks for reading.

  See you online
  Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  Discuss this article on the forums.

• Registration is still open for the annual SOE Fan Faire being held on August 14-17, 2008 at the Las Vegas Hilton.

  Whether you're a player of one of SOE's many games, or someone who just loves games and good times, SOE Fan Faire is the party where you'll find friends and a whole lot of gaming fun stuffed into an unforgettable three days!

  Don't miss out on your chance to meet fellow MMO players from around the world, participate in discussion panels, live events, and tournaments, and mingle with the teams behind each of the SOE games.

  For more information, visit the official SOE Fan Faire Website.

  Chat about Fan Faire with other players in the Stargate Online TCG Forums!

• (PAINFUL) TEACHINGS OF ORIGIN
  The lessons I learned while playing the Ori Mothership

  Hello dear readers. Since the release of the new set, there has been a lot of discussion about two cards. The first one, Vala Mal Doran, is now of no concern to anyone (or so it seems) however the other one, Ori Mothership, is still considered a truly overpowered card by many players, even broken by some. I took it for a test ride during the last WCQ and I'm here to share the lessons I learned with you.

  
  
  

  I will say the one thing I should say at the end right now at the beginning. This card is indeed very powerful. However there is one very important thing about it: You have to know what you're doing. You have to be familiar with it. Ori Mothership is definitely not a card for beginners; it requires both skill and experience to use it.

  I built my Ori deck one hour before the last WCQ was about to start, and that cost me two games. I threw in all the Ori obstacles and ships and called that a deck but soon found out that it isn't the way to play an Ori deck. However I learned my lessons.

  First of all, the Ori player should decide one thing: What is my goal? Do I want to blockade each and every possible mission and go for a Blockade Win (BW)? Or do I want to play a Villain Win deck using the power of the Ori Mothership? I wanted to do both, and that was my biggest mistake.

  So lesson number one is: Don't play Ori Mothership if you don't know what to do with it. Sure it gives you power but what good is power if you cannot do anything useful with it?

  The second lesson is: Just focus! Focus on your goal. If you want to win by blockading missions, then the Ori adversary Devout Prior is most probably useless for you. However if you want to use the power you gain by Ori Mothership to play AND to score Ori adversaries, then yes, Devout Prior is a card to be added to your deck.

  Also if you don't draw your Ori Mothership on time, you are simply screwed. I'm sure Bennett will also confirm this as he witnessed this too. One must be prepared to NOT to have the Ori Mothership in his starting hand. I wasn't and thus I lost horribly. Most of the Ori obstacles that fuel the Ori Mothership are very weak and on their own they're not good enough to stop any good deck.

  So, in goes Possible Fate... Three copies even.

  Here comes yet another lesson: Hero players have ships too! And even nice ones. Don't think that they won't play any ships. I lost one game because I couldn't counter a Korolev readying a glyphed Jonas Quinn. I was stopping Jonas but that Korolev was readying him afterwards! So play anti-hero ship cards. That's important.

  I think that the only thing I did right was to play with 3x Rebuffed. That card is amazing if you can pay its price and with the Ori Mothership that's not a problem. In my "Ten villain cards to get before RotO comes out" list, Rebuffed was number one and I'm happy to see that I'm not mistaken.

  One other lesson is: Play Caught Off Guard. I didn't and paid for that mistake. No matter whether you're going for a Blockade Win or Villain Win, that card is most definitely needed. Not playing it was a huge mistake by me.

  Finally, I saved the best for the last. The most important lesson of all: Do not watch your country's football match while playing in the WCQ. Especially and most definitely not when they're losing.

  
  
  

  Okay everybody, that's all for this week. With the Ori Mothership you can accomplish many great things. However as always, there's a catch. You have to build a good deck and you have to have a great deal of experience with that deck.

  Don't forget: Just because you're playing the Ori Mothership, doesn't mean that your games will be auto-wins.

  Thanks for reading.

  See you online
  Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  Dicuss this article in the forums.

• This week we feature a player from Stargate Online TCG.

  Real Life First Name: David

  Forum Handle: Caveat

  Game Handle: Caveat

  Where do you live? Missouri, U.S.A., although I am in the middle of a relocation and soon will live in South Carolina, U.S.A.

  How long have you played Stargate? Since May 2007

  Do you play Legends of Norrath, Star Chamber or Pirates CSG? No, but I have considered playing them all. Frankly, time is a limited commodity and I prefer to spend it on Stargate.

  Do you play any physical TCGs? Yes, but mainly with the young children in the family i.e. Yugi-Oh, Pokemon, etc. in short non-competitive simplistic games. I do not take pride in defeating a 5-9 year old. However, I find digital is the superior TCG format as it allows more competitive play, flexibility, and variety of play. A side benefit is your valuable cards never experience wear and tear.

  What got you into gaming and what sort of games do you like the most? My generation (Generation Y) has grown up with computers and game consoles. When I was a kid, the first generation of gaming consoles were released my family purchased one gaming platform as a novelty. I did not own a pc until I left for university. I enjoy a variety of games; my favorite genres are real time tactical, real time strategy, and massive multiplayer online role playing games.

  What type of work do you do? Research. I could talk at length, but a few people might fall asleep. What matters is I enjoy my work.

  What other hobbies or activities do you take part in, other than Stargate? Hrmmmm.... I dabble in many activities. I enjoy variety and experimentation, and exploration. My activities are generally not repetitive.

  What is your favorite deck type? Villain Win, however with Rise of the Ori, that may change to be glyph-win decks.

  What is your favorite card (playability-wise), and why? This is a difficult question. Rise of the Ori has just been released and a few game changes have occurred. Baal, Persistent Foe with the recent patch regained power he once had, making him a very dynamic card. The concept win by losing is extremely potent and entertaining.

  What is your favorite card (art-wise), and why? Do I have to choose only one? I am flipping through the cards thinking wow I love that scene or character or episode. Adria or Osiris are aesthetically pleasing. Khalek (Foil) has an excellent blue/green tint. Colonel Danning, "Hey it's what I do" is awesome lore and Stargate fanboy goodness, Wormhole Xtreme was a great episode and the DeLouise Family played a major role in Stargate. Revisionist History; who doesn't love Vala's interpretation of events?

  What type of TCG player are you? For example, are you an Art Lover, a Competitor, an Innovator? I would rather play a deck I enjoy over one I think can dominate. Also, I enjoy experimenting creating new teams, combos, strategies.

  What do you like best about Stargate? Variety of play.

  Could you describe, in brief, a memorable game you had, or opponent you faced, and why it stands out in your mind? There are many. Almost one per tournament. Definitely, one every WCQ. Typically defeating a very difficult opponent stands out, particularly when they are jerks. I remember defeating a very good player, who is known as being a poor winner/loser; very satisfying. I lost in the last WCQ to a new player using a VW deck similar to my favorite VW deck losing to Baal, a quite ironic match.

  Do you run or work for an OSG or TCG Fan Site? No, I do not. I am a tad on the lazy side. I envy those who have that much ambition.

  What is one thing no one would ever suspect about you? Recently, a family of cats adopted me. Unfortunately, I can not seem to train them to use the toilet. I have always been a dog person, but strangely now I enjoy cats (except the whole pooping in a box thing). Fyi, none of them are named Schrödinger.

  Feel free to leave Caveat a friendly note in the Stargate Online TCG forums!

• FIRST THERE WAS FIRST

  Hello dear readers. I was planning to write about the May WCQ and compare the new Vala Mal Doran with Ori Mothership and wanted to see which one is more broken. However that event was cancelled (or rather postponed) and therefore I'll talk about a more casual strategy this week. Here's our card:

  
  
  

  The most interesting thing about First is that he (or it?) makes Replicator Villain Win possible. And that dear readers, is something truely unseen and unheard of.

  If we want to build a Replicator Villain Win deck, then we should start examining the adversaries first. Obviously, we will start with First. Although his printed power cost is 3, my personal experience with him tells me that he should always be considered as a 4 cost adversary.

  Then we have Replicator Carter, Reese and Third. I'm not counting Fifth, because he isn't designed for scoring but rather reviving. And when I say Replicator Carter, I don't mean the Leader of the Scourge version. I mean the Disarming Foe one. I will explain this later.

  The next question then is this: Do we skip a skill or not? This is a very hard decision. But after examining all the Replicator cards, I decided to skip Culture. Yes, Culture. Even though Mind Invasion and Replicator Ruse look tempting, they require us to play Fifth and that I do not want. I know that skipping Culture is very risky, especially these days when everybody is playing Sumner combined with the new Vala Mal Doran, but I think that with a more focused deck we can achieve victory much easier (or get trampled down much easier; we'll see).

  So... now that we know which adversaries we'll play and which skill we skip, let's move onto the obstacles. And that is the hard part because all of the Replicator obstacles are nice but we can't play three copies of them all if we want a focused deck. Let's start selecting.

  The most devastating Replicator cards in my opinion are these:

   

  Corrosive Spray is the "reset button" so to speak and Cornered means simply "end the turn". I really can't think of a Replicator deck without them both.

  Other good cards are Big Bug (fantastic with First), Infested Ships, Overrun, Too Close Encounter, Approaching Swarm, Building the Ranks and Targeted Abduction. I especially like Targeted Abduction these days, as it can be used effectively against Sumner decks (or Vala Mal Doran to be precise).

  Two other utility cards we must take into consideration are Adaptation (against other gear heavy VW decks) and Teeming Numbers (against ship heavy decks).

  As my own Replicator VW deck is not finished yet, I cannot give you a full deck list. But I started with a 20 hero cards - 60 villain cards deck and after the fine tuning has been done, it will be 20 hero cards - 50 villain cards.

  The one thing we must keep in mind is that due to the nature of Replicator faction, we play many cards during a turn. "Many" means at least three to four cards during mid game and almost our entire hand during late game. Thus if we build a small deck, it is quite possible that we'll run out of cards before the game ends and not even our Galaran Memory Device + Close Inspection on the other side can save us.

  One final thing about the obstacles is that the Replicator faction is somewhat weak at Science missions. Also there are no Replicator glyph removal cards. So we have to add some non-Replicator cards to our deck to fill those holes.

  Some Science cards we may want to consider are Naquadria Hallucinations, Out of Your Depth, Mind Probe, Memory Stamp, Might of the Orici, Prior Engagement and Super Pheromones. We can't add them all to our deck of course but these are the cards in my opinion that can be played along with the Replicators. Which ones to play is up to you.

  Finally we have two Replicator ships; Replicator Mothership and Replicator Lander. I found one of them especially useful:

  
  
  

  This ship is the reason why I'm not playing the Leader of the Scourge version of Replicator Carter; basically this ship does the exact same thing as that card.

  Normally I first assign Replicator Lander, pay the (preferably low) power cost of one Replicator obstacle of which I have another copy also in hand, take it into hand and play it, assign the Disarming Foe and then play the other copy for free. Therefore I think the Disarming Foe one is much more useful than the other version of Replicator Carter. At least in this deck.

  Finally for those who are still not convinced that this strategy is a playable one, I conclude this article with this below screenshot. Maybe it'll help to change those minds:

  
  
  

  Please note that the AI only has two glyphs while this all happened. I said TWO!!! So all this happened with only five power. And of course the key here is Disarming Foe. She allowed me to play one Building the Ranks and two Infested Ships for free.

  Oh, and maybe I should also mention the thirteen firepower achieved by just two ships...

  Okay dear readers that is all for this week. As I said, I'm not finished with this deck yet. What do you think of it so far? I know I didn't give you a full deck list but you get the general idea of it. Do you think it's wise to skip a skill? If yes then do you believe that it is okay to skip Culture or not?

  Waiting your comments and as always, thanks for reading.

  See you online
  Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• Registration is now open for the annual SOE Fan Faire being held on August 14-17, 2008 at the Las Vegas Hilton.

  Whether you're a player of one of SOE's many games, or someone who just loves games and good times, SOE Fan Faire is the party where you'll find friends and a whole lot of gaming fun stuffed into an unforgettable three days!

  Don't miss out on your chance to meet fellow MMO players from around the world, participate in discussion panels, live events, and tournaments, and mingle with the teams behind each of the SOE games.

  For more information, visit the official SOE Fan Faire web site.

• THE LONG AWAITED REUNION

  Hello dear readers. This week we will talk about a team member for whom we had to wait two sets. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr. Jonas Quinn:

  
  
  

  The Rise of the Ori set offers us two more Jonas Quinns other than this version. Even though the other team member version is nice too, I found this one particularly interesting. Let's take a closer look at him and start thinking what we can do with him.

  So, each time we assign him we look at a number of cards from the top of our deck equal to the number of different glyphs Jonas has. Now let's stop here. So far we learned two very important things. The first one is that if we want to use this Jonas Quinn effectively, we have to stack all our glyphs on him. And the second one is those glyphs shouldn't be the same type.

  Let's continue reading his gametext. For each villain card we reveal, Jonas Quinn gets skills +1. Okay, now this is the tricky part. Of course we may "hope" that all the cards we reveal would be villain cards. We may leave all to Lady Luck. Perhaps she will be with us always and every time we use Jonas' gametext, she will make sure that every card we reveal will be villain cards.

  However if we want to control our own destiny, there are some other ways to ensure that the cards we reveal will be villain cards. Let's start with the obvious one:

  
  
  

  Possible Fate is the easiest way to ensure to get what we want. And as we will obviously build a glyph-win deck with low difficulty missions, this one below also will come in handy:

  
  
  

  And finally we have this one:

  
  
  

  Okay now we know how we can access our deck and arrange our cards. All those cards above ensure that each time we assign Jonas Quinn, we will get what we want. And now let's talk a little bit about some other cards which we should definitely use in this deck.

  Regular readers will remember that some time ago, the Unofficial Card of the Week was this one:

  
  
  

  A perfect card to use with Jonas Quinn! First we arrange our deck with Possible Fate, assign Jonas and if the boost we get is not enough to complete the mission, we play Goofing Off and re-assign him! Here's a demonstration:

  
  
  

  While I had only three glyphs on him, I used the Goofing Off trick and look what Jonas turned into. Is it not impressive?

  Okay let's continue with other cards. One of them which seems to be designed solely for this deck is this one:

  
  
  

  As we have total control on our deck, there is little chance that the top card will be a hero card. Therefore I believe that a Jonas Quinn-centered deck is the best deck to use Morgan le Fay.

  And to get back used Goofing Offs and Possible Fates we can use several different cards, such as Galaran Memory Device, the new Asgard ship The Daniel Jackson and the new Culture mission Explore Ruins.

  Of course if we are playing a glyph-win deck, we have to be fast. Therefore we should add cards to our deck that will allow us to ready our Jonas Quinn for multiple missions during the same turn.

  The below two cards are my personal favorites:

   

  We can also use Sense of Adventure, Transport Rings, Sarcophagus, Seevis, Digging Deep or even the new gear Mind Transference Device. However those two above are the ones I use in my own Jonas Quinn deck and I know that they both are very effective.

  Finally let's talk a little bit about the most important part; the team. There are many good combinations you may want to try. You may go all SGC and take advantage of the gear SGC Emblem. You may use a half Tok'ra - half SGC deck using the new team character Malek. I leave that part to you. However there is one piece of advice I must give you.

  Jonas Quinn is 2/2/1/1. This means that one of the other team members should be his counterpart, meaning 1/1/2/2. Therefore the new SGC team member Dave Dixon is very useful, as he is 1/1/3/2. If you are going to build a Tok'ra/SGC team, then you really would want to try Malek. He is 1/2/2/1. His counterpart then could be Jacob Carter from the SG-1 set who is 2/1/1/2.

  Basically this is how I usually build my All-Skills decks. If I'm adding a 1/1/2/2 character, then as his counterpart I select a 2/2/1/1 one. Of course this is neither a rule nor the best way but I always end up with balanced teams this way.

  Okay dear readers, that is all for this week. As I also said in last week's article, the new set makes it really hard to play those experience win decks we used to play in the past. It isn't impossible of course but it is not that easy anymore. Also any form of two-glyph speed deck can be easily hindered with cards such as The Game of Diplomacy.

  Therefore a glyph-win deck with lots of different glyphs, possibly an All-Skills deck, seems to be the most secure way to glory if you want to play Hero Win style. And Jonas Quinn, the one hero we waited for so long, seems to be a very powerful choice.

  Thanks for reading.

  See you online
  Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• STILLBIRTH

  Hello dear readers. By the time you read this, the Rise of the Ori set might be online. We have waited so long for this set; more than eight months, so it's time we enjoy something fresh and new. However there is one card in the set, I know that I won't be enjoying too much. Here it is:

  
  
  

  First of all let's see what this card does. It simply stops everyone who has the same glyph. So if you're playing a two-glyph speed deck, for example a Sumner deck, this card simply means "end the turn". And that does not happen if you fail the mission. No dear readers, it happens right away.

  I just can't even imagine what will happen after an Osiris-based Villain Win deck player plays this card and stops 3/4 of your team. Of course the opponent will immediately Withdraw this card and gain back that five power he spent to play it. And I don't want to imagine what might happen after that.

  But that's not all! The combined slaughter of Osiris + The Game of Diplomacy is just the beginning. So if you think that you will only see this card in some specific Villain Win deck, I am sorry to tell you that you are horribly wrong.

  If you are a regular reader of my articles, you may remember that sometime ago, Marshall Sumner was number one in my "ten cards to get before RotO comes out" list. I had my reasons to believe that a two-glyph speed deck built around Marshall Sumner would be the next big thing and that such a deck would dominate the tournament scene.

  I'm also sure that some careful eyes among you already noticed some great cards to use in a Sumner deck if you had a chance to see the new Rise of the Ori cards. So first I thought that I was right. I thought that the next generation of Standard Constructed meta would belong to mainly Marshall Sumner and some other two-glyph speed decks. But now I know how wrong I was.

  
  
  

  And of course The Game of Diplomacy doesn't only hurt (or kill rather) the Sumner deck. It also kills any other two-glyph speed deck you might want to build using cards such as these:

   

  I had high hopes for Jacob Carter, Man of Two Worlds just as I did for Marshall Sumner. Also we could have build an excellent two-glyph pacifist speed deck around the S Daniel Jackson. And seeing that the new set has tons of anti-experience win villain cards, these kind of two-glyph speed decks could have been the next choice of any Hero Win player.

  However it is not that simple anymore. The Rise of the Ori set offers many new answers to many different problems, and The Game of Diplomacy is the answer to such two-glyph speed decks. My only concern is that none of the cards I mentioned above had a chance to see "daylight" in the first place. None of them ruled the tournament scene with a deck build around them specifically.

  So this is the reason why the title of this article is "Stillbirth". A two-glyph speed deck, no matter whether it is build around Sumner or any other character, never had the chance to become a serious threat. In other words, such a deck was never tier 1 and with The Game of Diplomacy around, it seems that it will not happen soon.

  Of course you might say "One card! It is only one very expensive card! How will it kill a deck type all by itself? " It is true that The Game of Diplomacy can't kill a deck type all by itself. But it is not alone:

  
  
  

  Prepare to meet this Robert Kinsey in almost all your games. He will be in almost any deck because of many different reasons. Believe me, he is that good.

  In our case, blockade enough missions with your ships, so that the hero player plays (almost) only Culture and Ingenuity missions and with The Game of Diplomacy, the game is simply over. Even Freddy Krueger's nightmares are nicer than this!

  Okay dear readers, that'll be all for this week. I believe that a card like The Game of Diplomacy should have been created at some point but I also do believe that that point was definitely not this set.

  But what's done is done. And now that it takes some real courage to play an experience deck or a two-glyph speed deck, it seems that the most secure way to victory for a Hero Win player is to play a glyph-win deck with lots of different glyphs.

  And that'll be the topic of next week.

  Thanks for reading.

  See you online
  Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• John Smedley, one of the original creators of "EverQuest" and the president of Sony Online since 2000, has watched the rapid changes in the space his company once owned, and he believes it's time for a change.

  In his keynote speech at an online game conference in Seattle recently, Smedley spoke of the need to reinvent the MMO - and he says the two new games his company is developing, "The Agency" and "Free Realms," will do just that.

  Read the entire article and Smed's interview on MSNBC's Technology & Science.

• On Thursday, May 22nd Tech Support will be closed from 11:30am-3:00pm and will resume operations from 3:00pm-7:00pm Pacific Time. We apologize for any inconveniences this may cause.

  Regards,

  SOE Customer Service Team

• This week we feature a player from Stargate Online TCG.

  Real Life First Name:
  Michael

  Forum Handle:
  Querio

  Game Handle:
  Querio

  Where do you live?
  

  Prague (Czech Republic), Stratford-upon-Avon (UK)

  How long have you played Stargate?
  

  Almost since release (April 2007?) - I found the link on EQ2 webpage when I was checking server status during downtime (PvP servers merge...)

  Do you play Legends of Norrath, Star Chamber or Pirates CSG?
  

  I tried Legends of Norrath, liked some of the aspects of the game and didn't like others. (SGO user interface is for example much better imho).

  Do you play any physical TCGs?
  

  I used to play MtG for quite some time at university (I started with 4th edition and Mirage as far as I can remember)

  What got you into gaming and what sort of games do you like the most?
  

  When the luckiest people had ZX Spectrum or similar machines, I was in a youth camp where one day was devoted to seeing all possible activities available through various bees managed by the organizing agency. One of them was "computer programming". Obviously, that would not attract anyone, so they were showing us computer games instead (Space Invaders, Maniac Miner ...). I joined the club...and NEVER had any opportunity to play anything there But it was a good excuse to gain access to other computers, so when my uncle bought an Amstrad PC (8 MHz ) I started playing (and programming) there - Dam Busters, Bruce Lee, Defender of the Crown,... I only managed to get my hands on an 8-bit computer after I had some experience with PCs.

  When I got my own computer, I really liked Eye of the Beholder series, Dune 2, and flight simulators, esp. the Wing Commander and Aces (Pacific, Europe) series.

  Today, I prefer strategy games, space flight simulators (it seems easier not to hit ground in those plus the combat system actually looks more like WW2 than modern jet fighters, i.e. guns rather than fire-and-forget missiles) and AD&D (or similar rule set) based RPG games. There were times (= university, which I took the liberty of enjoying for a really long time) when I played virtually everything, but that's no longer possible given my other duties. I would still play a nice FPS or whatever (really loved Prince of Persia: Sands of Time for example).

  I also have a PSP to play when travelling (FF, Prince of Persia, NFS, etc...)

  But since I kind of like showing off (or rather showing how superior to others I am) I mostly play online games now. Guess I should quit SGO as my (not so recent) record is not exactly what I had in mind in the previous sentence.

  What type of work do you do?
  

  IT Consulting. Until recently, I was working for the "golf" company (I wonder how many people can get this joke). At this moment I am self-employed, implementing core insurance IT solutions.

  What other hobbies or activities do you take part in, other than Stargate?
  

  I'm into almost any sports and games I've ever had the opportunity to try. I really love beach volleyball and squash. I used to play korfball (and hopefully our club can rise from the ashes again). I play football (soccer :p), floorball, volleyball ... when possible.

  I also play bridge now and then (used to play it more, but unlike other games, I do not like online bridge much, and the real life version is quite time consuming).

  What is your favorite deck type?
  

  Definitely Osiris-based VW right now. However, with my luck, I'm considering going back to either Jack or CSi, as it seems more acceptable not to draw any key card when the game is over by turn 5 than when you actually managed to go through 90% of your deck. Not mentioning the fact that some people keep complaining about the slow speed of VW games...and I do not want to discourage any more people with the current player base.

  What is your favorite card (playability-wise)?
  

  That's a hard one. I should probably say Osiris. I could say Tabloid Research, but playing mostly VW these days, I obviously hate that card. For some reason, my Kendrick usually ends up being Tabloid Research as well, so he's not THE card either.

  So I guess it's New Guy. It's often quite useless, but I really love seeing the other team having all zeros, even after several attempts to boost them. Unfortunately, people are re-inventing the wheel, I mean Seasoned Travellers, so without Stonewalled/Critical Wound, New Guy is losing its power.

  What is your favorite card (art-wise)?
  

  That's an even harder one, as SGO does not run offline (Why? It would really help with deck building; even Skirmish could work offline, I believe).

  But I like Vala Mal Doran, Resourceful Rogue in the treasure cave. And I hope for some nice Adria card in the next set.

  What type of TCG player are you? For example, are you an Art Lover, a Competitor, an Innovator?
  

  I am (or at least believe so) quite good at optimizing decks and playing them (on the other hand, I hate practicing, so sometimes you may see me make stupid mistakes because with the frequency of my games these days, it's quite difficult to play fast if you are actually contemplating your next moves (as opposed to remembering them).

  However, I'm usually too lazy to go through the whole new set to look for possible combos etc. That's why I like Limited, where the choices are restricted.

  I usually copy other people's ideas, even when they actually never had them (i.e. seeing something in their deck, I realize its potential if combined with something else, etc.). As there are people playing 150+ cards decks, even now I sometimes see a "new" card (shame on me).

  And as I've mentioned, I like beating others, so Competitor would definitely apply.

  What do you like best about Stargate?
  

  About Stargate as in SGO? Stargate

  About Stargate as SG-1 / Atlantis? The mix of science, religion and action. The way of explaining our history is just brilliant.

  As far as the game is concerned, the main difference from most other games is drawing a full hand every turn. And I like it.

  Could you describe, in brief, a memorable game you had, or opponent you faced, and why it stands out in your mind?
  

  I could describe 3(!) games that I lost when I was trying to score my last adversary with 2 seconds left (after seeing my opponent click whatever he could find for the last 3 minutes) and always failing thanks to the user interface (or connection?).

  Or a game when I had 3x Osiris in last 7 cards of my deck.

  Or when I had Osiris discarded by Aldwin when I finally got her in turn 10. Or when Kendrick put the only non-skip mission left in my opponent's deck on top of the deck. Or...

  You get the picture - I can remember lots of games, but one (well, at least me...) tends to remember the "unlucky" losses, because all those lucky wins were well deserved, right?

  But the most memorable game would probably be my second victory over Huaojozu. He was really beating the crap out of me in SG-1 times. No matter what I did, I always lost. Even when I had a really great draw, I just lost (plus somehow I almost always had very bad draw and it seemed that such a thing would never happen to him. I used to have the same feelings about our former #1 MtG player - he just always seemed to draw the right card, even if we were playing the same decks, but I actually did not even care at one point - I just saw my opponent and was ready to lose). Then I did win, but it felt like beating Skirmish AI - Huao's draw just could not possibly be worse. Yet, it proved he could be beaten. And then I managed to beat him again...and again...and... then I just started losing to him. But it never felt as hopeless as before.

  Do you run or work for an OSG or TCG Fan Site?
  

  No. Have I mentioned I am lazy?

  What is one thing no one would ever suspect about you?
  

  I'm quite used to expecting almost anything in the online community, but I wonder if people would guess my age if I only listed number of the games I played rather than their names, never mentioned MtG's 4th edition, etc.

  Feel free to leave Querio a friendly note in the Stargate Online TCG forums!

• DEATH FROM ABOVE

  Hello dear readers. It seems that players all around the globe are enjoying their brand new Rise of the Ori cards. However we, the online players, don't have that pleasure yet. Yes we know many cards by now but not all. And some of us don't even enjoy reading text versions of cards but want to see the actual cards. Well, it seems that we have to wait just a little bit longer.

  But even with our currently limited knowledge of the new cards, I think that there is no harm in talking about some new strategies. It may be too early perhaps but it is better than talking about some other boring Tabloid Research based deck I believe.

  So, without further delay here's our Unofficial Card of the Week:

  
  
  

  The objective is clear. Play as many ships as possible and turn this one into a giant obstacle. We have seen some nice villain ships so far but not all of them can be played in the same deck of course. So if we want Orbital Bombardment to be the centerpiece of our deck, then we have to be careful when choosing our ships.

  From what we have seen so far, I think that Death Glider would be the first obvious choice. Here it is:

  
  
  

  We pay one power and get two firepower in return. Not bad, definitely not bad at all. Also its "destroy support character" text might come in handy from time to time.

  For two power, we have this one:

  
  
  

  Just like Death Glider, this one also offers us a way to destroy support characters. Personally I don't think that destroying every possible support character with these two ships would be wise but most certainly we would want to get rid of some nasty ones like Walter Harriman or Oma Desala.

  Moving onto three power which seems to be our upper limit, we have two nice ships; Apophis' Mothership and Anubis' Mothership. Here is Apophis':

  
  
  

  This card basically tells us to play with Goa'uld and Jaffa obstacles and nothing else. And Orbital Bombardment is both Jaffa and Goa'uld. How nice! Of course there are many nice Goa'uld and Jaffa obstacles which we must take into consideration while building this ship-heavy deck. Even those which we never ever used before. Such as these:

   

  And some Jaffa obstacles to play with Apophis' Mothership:

   

  Currently as they are, these cards may not look much but think of them again with Apophis' Mothership assigned. They all will get difficulty +1. How about then? And they all have some very nice failure texts too.

  Speaking of failure texts, maybe we should spice up things even more. How about this one:

  
  
  

  Yes Dutiful Prior is not a Goa'uld but who cares? Play him as soon as you can and score him as soon as you can. Now imagine that you have Dutiful Prior in your villain score pile and Apophis' Mothership is assigned. And now please also imagine what Fearing a Return or Prisoners of the Jaffa would look like under such circumstances!

  And finally Anubis' Mothership is very important too. Here is its text version:

  Cost:3 Firepower:4
  Each time you assign Anubis' Mothership, you may pay 1 power. If you do, search your deck for a Goa'uld card, reveal it, take it into hand, and shuffle your deck.

  This card is great not only because of its cost/effectiveness ratio but also because of its gametext. While playing a ship-heavy deck, our primary goal will be to play as many ships as possible. But ships won't help us make our opponent fail a mission! Obstacles do however.

  And this is why Orbital Bombardment is so important. Assign Anubis' Mothership to the mission, pay 1 power, get Orbital Bombardment and no matter what skill the current mission is, play it and you will most probably have a 5/5/5/5 obstacle on table for just 2 power (plus 1 if you got it via Anubis' Mothership)! Of course with Apophis' Mothership, that will be a 6/6/6/6 obstacle.

  There is one final thing about Anubis' Mothership. It doesn't say "Goa'uld obstacle". It says "Goa'uld card". Meaning what you can get with it could be a Fearing a Return one time, Hathor one other time and Apophis' Mothership one final time. That is also very important. By the way, I just cannot imagine how broken that card will be in Highlander format.

  Now of course you might think that this strategy has one flaw. Orbital Bombardment is only one card and we can only play it three times at most during a game. Therefore you might think that relying on this card and building a ship-heavy villain side around it might not work. If you think like that, please allow me to say that you're wrong. Here is the reason:

  
  
  

  With this new version of Robert Kinsey, we can play our Orbital Bombardment (s) over and over again!

  Okay dear readers, that'll be all for this week. As I said, even though it is too early to talk about new strategies and new decks simply because we don't know all the cards yet, the one strategy I tried to introduce to you with this article looks really promising. Once we have all the cards, I will once again talk about this ship-heavy villain strategy and we'll see how viable it is in reality.

  And of course these mean and cruel Goa'uld and Jaffa ships will not be allowed to dominate space just like that. They will be countered by powerful hero ships. But that is a topic for another article.

  Thanks for reading.

  See you online
  Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  PS: Special thanks to Por-ky for the scans.

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• FIRE AND DUST

  The mighty Ori are coming. The Chappa'Ko* has been activated. Ori warships full of thousands of faithful Ori soldiers are on their way. In less than two weeks, they will be in your galaxy. And when they arrive, you will be forced to choose between two options; embrace the teachings of the Origin and bow before the Ori or accept your inevitable fate. This will be a trial of your faith. A trial which will be done by fire. As the book of Origin says:

  "If your heart is pure and your devotion unwavering, they will protect you... If not, may the fire burn you down to the ground and lay you in the dust."

  So what say you? I don't know about you but this is what I say:

  Hallowed are the Ori!

  
  
  

  Hello again everyone.

  Trial by Fire was the very first card we saw from the new set. At first glance the card does not look very promising. Well to be honest, at a second and a third glance, nothing really changes. It is nothing more than a weak and overcosted Stonewalled variant.

  However we all do something wrong when we look at a new card. We immediately judge it from a Standard Constructed point of view. But what about other formats? In this case, Limited for example. Or the possible RotO-Only format.

  We now know 3/4 of the new set. If the remaining 1/4 does not offer something really extraordinary, there is absolutely no chance that Trial by Fire will see play in Standard format. I mean why play it when we can play Stonewalled? Why play it when we can play this one:

  -ENTER FLASHY PICTURE OF THE GAME OF DIPLOMACY HERE-

  Well okay, no flashy pictures this time but some simple words instead:

  The Game of Diplomacy
  Obstacle - Political
  Cost: 5
  2/-/-/2
  When you play this obstacle choose a glyph. Stop each character who has that glyph.

  You can play The Game of Diplomacy in Standard all day and all night long. Trial by Fire on the other hand is not The Game of Diplomacy. And the problem is not the power cost of it. With the new Ori card called Teaching of Origin, you can even play Trial by Fire on the first turn.

  Teaching of Origin
  Obstacle - Ori
  Cost: 3
  0/0/0/0
  When you play this obstacle, you may discard an Ori card. You gain power equal to its cost.

  Of course the next obvious question would be "Do you really believe that you can stop any team with a 2 difficulty obstacle and nothing else even on the first turn?". That is a good question I must admit.

  But Trial by Fire has a nice failure text! Yes! At last something useful about the card. And even though the opponent gets to choose who to stop, he has to stop a team character and not that useless and harmless Gairwyn at least.

  And as I said, Limited is the format in which this card will shine the most and I wouldn't mind at all getting one copy of this card while playing Sealed. Sealed is a format where players have to play with strange teams, a very limited number of (bad?) support characters and horrible missions. Under such circumstances, Trial by Fire can even win you the game.

  Okay dear readers, I'll keep it short this week. What did we learn this week? We learned that no matter how you look at a card, no matter how hard you try to make something out of it, no matter how bad you wish it to be something else... well... a bad card is a bad card!

  Oh and we learned that even bad cards can turn the tide of a game if they are played in the right format and at the right time.

  Thanks for reading and don't forget:

  
  
  

  See you online (more frequently from now on)
  Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  * Chappa'Ko: Jaffa word for the Ori Supergate.

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• by Nafiz Erman, LordErman

  SHADES OF GREY

  Hello dear readers, after a three weeks break, I'm back with another installment of the Unofficial Card of the Week articles. This week, we will dive into the dark depths of the world of the rogue NID. And here is our tour guide:

  
  
  

  I like the NID faction. I liked them while watching the show too. I liked them because they weren't pure good or pure evil. While the honorable white knights of Earth (SGC) were fighting bravely against the evil black demons of the galaxy (Goa'uld), these guys belonged to neither of those two groups. They weren't something as simple as white or black in the first place.

  To me, they were the embodiment of balance in the show (at least during the early seasons). They were looking at things from a different angle. As I said, they weren't white or black but these guys, the rogue NID, were grey. And that was the reason I liked them a lot while watching the show. Pure good or pure black is too sharp for me (and I don't like being sharp). And just look at Shawn Grieves' picture on the card again. Half of his face is dark and half is clear. One simple picture actually explains everything about the rogue NID and their members.

  The NID faction in Stargate TCG is no different from what we have seen in the show. Characters like Mark Devlin or Brian Vogler work for both sides. Or cards like Shawn Grieves or Goa'uld Experiments do something good... only if you do something bad first (destroying an innocent(!) support character).

  Anyway... I built my NID deck some time ago and I even wrote an article about it and the Unofficial Card of the Week was Goa'uld Experiments back then. Since then, I have played with that deck from time to time only in casual games and only for fun. The deck has evolved much since then and I want to share its final version with you.

  But let me say this much first: No matter how I change the deck, there is no way that it can work well against the current meta contenders with the current cards. Therefore I will also talk about some cards this deck needs. If they exist in the Rise of the Ori set, then there is a big chance that this deck might become something very dangerous. Let me talk about the general idea behind this deck.

  It is a speed deck, meaning a glyph-win deck. It uses a lot of great gears and some support characters with mainly <when you play> gametexts. By the way the team is this:

  
  
  

  Shawn Grieves readies NID characters. This is very important as my aim is to complete multiple missions per turn. He also helps me destroy those <when you play> support characters like Olaf or Gairwyn so I can play them again.

  Jennings is useful for two things; he helps me getting rid of nasty adversaries as well as destroying those <when you play> support characters. By the way the current <when you play> support characters I use in the deck are Gairwyn, Olaf, Raully, Luthor and Cross.

  Makepeace is my hero in this deck. Especially during late game, there is no way I can complete my missions without his help; even though those missions are low difficulty missions. And finally Aldwin is there mainly because of his high point value. Also his gametext comes in handy from time to time.

  Okay now what does this team need? How can Rise of the Ori improve this team? Actually I'm hoping for an NID team character with a point value of six. His/her stats can be the same as Aldwin's or Makepeace's. Give him/her also a somewhat useful gametext and that character then will replace... who? Now that's a good question.

  If I replace Aldwin with that (possible) new character, then the deck will become an all NID deck which will generate more synergy between cards. However, if I replace Jennings, then the total point value of this team will rise from 17 to 19. And that is also very important. I don't want to lose to a Villain Win deck by allowing my opponent to score just three Ori adversaries and one Kendrick.

  Now let's move on to the gears. Of course the most important gear in the deck is this:

  
  
  

  This gear is actually the backbone of this deck and there is no doubt that I will continue to play with three copies of it even after the new set. One other very important gear for the deck is Atoniek Armband. The boost it gives is very important considering I'm aiming to complete multiple missions per turn.

  The deck also contains Symbiote Poison, Smoke Grenades, Sodan Cloaking Device and Ma'chello's Notes and all of them are very useful.

  For the future there is actually one thing this deck really needs in terms of gears. An NID gear, that allows us moving glyphs between characters. Currently the only playable way to fight glpyh removal is to pack Tight-knit Team. Malek is nice too but is very expensive. If we get an anti-glyph removal tool in the form of a gear with the NID trait, this deck will just love it!

  As for the events, currently I'm playing with Learning From the Enemy, Special Training, Top Minds and Annihilation. You couldn't even imagine how devastating Annihilation is until you use it; or someone uses it against you.

  And finally there are a few things I must say about the support characters. I already mentioned the <when you play> ones. This deck just loves them and needs more. At least two more.

  Normally this deck wants to play only with <when you play> support characters due to its "dark" nature. However there are some which don't have that gametext but work quite well in the deck; such as Sanderson. Look at him:

  
  
  

  He gets Combat +1 when you play an NID card and Ingenuity +1 if you play a gear. Now this is another reason why this deck loves Goa'uld Experiements so much! It is a gear and an NID card. Excellent combination. Play as many cheap NID gears as possible and Sanderson will turn into a giant! Sadly, Goa'uld Experiments is the one and only NID gear we have at the moment.

  Finally I also use Keffler, Bauer and Brian Vogler in the deck. I don't think I will replace Bauer with anything but Keffler and Brian Vogler can be replaced or simply be removed, if we get better cards with the new set.

  Okay dear readers, another article is drawing to an end. I'm sure that the new set will introduce its own decks and own strategies to the meta (spaceships for example). However I also have high hopes for some of the older strategies as well.

  I mentioned in one of my older articles that Marshall Sumner is one of my favorites in that category. Well, this deck is another one. And let's not forget that the new set is all about the last two seasons of SG-1 and we have seen more than a few NID characters during that time (Vala's abduction for example). This fact alone makes me believe that we will get more goodies for the NID faction in the Rise of the Ori set!

  Thanks for reading.

  See you online
  Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• This Friday, May 2nd SOE Phone Support will be closed for a few hours from 10am - 12:30pm Pacific Time. Phone Support will resume operation from 12:30pm - 7pm Pacific Time. We apologize for the inconvenience.

  SOE Customer Support Team

• INTERGALACTIC STOCK MARKET
  Ten villain cards you should get before RotO comes out
  Part II: Villain Cards

  Hello dear readers, I'm back with the second part of the Intergalactic Stock Market series. In this second part, I will talk about ten villain cards you should get before the new set comes out.

  In case you missed the first part, here's a quick reminder. I will only talk about Rare, Ultra Rare and Starter cards in this article. And I will only be talking about cards which you most probably are not using at the moment. You should already have the obvious ones such as Osiris, Naquadria Hallucinations or Hathor; those cards are always needed.

  Okay ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seatbelts as we are about to enter the treacherous world of the villains!

  NUMBER 10
  PLEA FOR HELP

  
  
  

  The current problem with this card is that it is bugged. So it simply doesn't work. However, we know that the current bugs will be fixed with the release of the Rise of the Ori. After that happens, this card may become one of our best options to have access to the hero player's mission pile.

  This card cannot cost lower than it costs now (for it isn't working now), so getting a playset of it now wouldn't be a bad decision at all.

  NUMBER 9
  UNDER SUSPICION

  
  
  

  This card might become a chase-rare because of several reasons. The first one is its skills. If after the new set, a skip-ingenuity and a skip-science deck (a M'zel centric Jaffa deck most probably) become tier 1, then we all should be playing with cards that can harm our opponent at his skip missions. Therefore any obstacle with a good failure text that covers those two skills might come in handy.

  Secondly, if somehow a "choke" strategy becomes playable, Under Suspicion would be the backbone of such a strategy. Choke by the way means making your opponent lose power (via Frank Simmons or Cave-In) or forcing him to pay power to assign characters; with cards such as this one or Forced Labor Camp.

  And finally this card can also be used in a "place this obstacle on a character" themed villain strategy. Such a strategy would be fun to play if Rise of the Ori gives us more such obstacles.

  In any case, Under Suspicion has huge potential and I strongly suggest you get your playset of it.

  NUMBER 8
  PAYOFF

  
  
  

  The same reasons that brought Under Suspicion to this list apply for this card as well. If a choke strategy is playable after the new set, then this obstacle will be another important card for it. This card can also be played in a "place this obstacle on a character" villain side. And any Political-heavy villain side might want to use this one.

  And finally, regardless of what I said above, if this card gets a twin with the new set, meaning an obstacle with the same gametext that provides two science and two combat difficulty, Payoff would then also become very useful, heavily played and thus... expensive!

  NUMBER 7
  GOA'ULD BOMB

  
  
  

  Currently this card is only played in Osiris based Villain Win decks. However this card, as its name also says, is really a bomb and I believe that after the new set this card will be used not only in some specific VW decks but in almost all the decks.

  You can punish any Pacifist (skip-combat) deck with this one. You can punish any skip-culture deck with this one. Not only Jack but who knows, perhaps in the future a Makepiece - Shawn Grieves centric NID deck as well! And add a skip-science Jaffa deck to the list and this card will automatically become one of our best friends!

  NUMBER 6
  TIME DILATION

  
  
  

  Can there be a villain card with a more devastating failure text than this one? I guess not. But it doesn't make any sense to use this one in the current environment. However, that is the current environment! We have no idea what it will turn into after the new set.

  Imagine that due to some brand new mission manipulation villain cards that came with the new set, those Tabloid Research-based two-skills decks we play now are dead. And that the meta is either Sumner or skip-science Jaffa or skip-ingenuity. Wouldn't you then be using this one?

  Yes. Of course you would.

  NUMBER 5
  DIMENSIONAL SHIFT

  
  
  

  The main reason this card isn't played is that there aren't any two-glyph decks in the current meta. Most of the decks nowadays don't even care about which glyph goes to which character. So right now no one wants to pay three power to block a single character before he is even assigned.

  But I foresee that the meta after the Rise of the Ori will be crawling with two- (or maybe even three-) glyph decks. I foresee that the next generation decks will care about glyphs as they never did before. I foresee that we will face cards like Sumner, Martouf or even Rak'nor in almost all our games.

  Just like Plea For Help, there is no way you could get this one lower than you could get now. Currently Dimensional Shift may not be very useful but of course there is no guarantee that it will stay that way. I say there is no harm in being prepared in case this one's price doubles... or even triples!

  NUMBER 4
  ARDENT PRIOR

  
  
  

  Ardent Prior is our first adversary card in the list as well as the only Ori card that just couldn't make it to the top 3. As the new set is all about the Ori faction, one doesn't have to be a genius to say that the price of this one will automatically get doubled in the very near future. Of course the new set will have its own Ori goodies such as Doci or Orici but considering Ardent Prior's devastating gametext, I strongly believe that he will find himself a place in many decks.

  As I said, investing in an Ori card just when a new set called Rise of the Ori is about to arrive, is never a bad idea.

  NUMBER 3
  NERUS

  
  
  

  While preparing this list, Nerus was the only card that caused me a lot of thinking. Even though not heavily played right now, Nerus is still the best mission manipulation card the villain player has and therefore it was obvious that he was going to be in the list. And he has both the Goa'uld and the Ori traits. But I wasn't sure about his place in this list. And after a lot of thinking, I decided to take a risk and placed him as high as Number 3.

  If we get better and cheaper (in terms of power not $$$) mission manipulation cards with the Rise of the Ori set, then I will be horribly wrong about this card. But if not, then prepare to face him in almost all your games.

  And finally I will repeat what I said for Ardent Prior. Getting an Ori card now for a relatively cheaper price is not a bad idea considering the new set will be Ori-centric.

  NUMBER 2
  MIND INVASION

  
  
  

  Devastating gametext, horrible stats. We need at least one other Culture obstacle for Replicator faction to make this one work. Right now, Mind Invasion plus Fifth aren't just enough. If we get such a card in the Rise of the Ori set, it would be great. But even if we don't, Mind Invasion will explode eventually with the Atlantis set as it will contain all those Replicators from the Pegasus galaxy.

  I do believe that this one will be the most expensive villain card of all times. Sooner or later, that will happen. If not now with the Rise of the Ori set, then it will eventually happen after the Atlantis set. Get your playset now while you can or it may really be too late.

  NUMBER 1
  REBUFFED

  
  
  

  Naquadria Hallucinations meets Unlikely Friends and the result is a flying Cameron Mitchell! Very nice. Very nice indeed.

  The current problem is simply the price of this card (power-wise). If we pay four power, then we expect a better result than simply blocking a character. Stonewalled, if not paired with a Political adversary, costs four power too but it stops a character.

  The power cost of the Ori cards is actually a big problem. Five power for adversaries and four power for obstacles is not something an average deck can afford. Therefore I think that the new set should do something about this or all those brand new Ori cards will only be played in some specific Villain Win decks.

  Having said all these things, I strongly feel that Rebuffed will replace Naquadria Hallucinations and Unlikely Friends in the post RotO meta and instead of adding those two cards to our decks, we will simply play with 3x Rebuffed.

  On /ptrade this card currently costs around three to four EPS which is already high. My guess is that its price will be something around seven or eight EPS after the new set (due to high demand and low supply). Considering the fact that you will most probably need a playset of it (meaning three copies), it won't be a bad idea to start collecting it now.

  Okay dear readers, and that was my "ten villain cards you should get now while you can or you may deeply regret it" list. What do you think of it? Did I miss something?

  And by the way, after the release of the Rise of the Ori, I will prepare another two Intergalactic Stock Market articles and I will talk about the new cards (hero cards one week and villain cards the next week). And then after some time, I may also write another Intergalactic Stock Market article and talk about the old cards again and see what happened to them.

  Thanks for reading.

  See you online
  Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• This week we feature a player from Stargate Online TCG.

  Real Life First Name:
  Andrew

  Forum Handle:
  andrewheintz

  Game Handle:
  andrewheintz

  Where do you live?
  New Orleans, LA

  How long have you played Stargate?
  Since March of the Beta (so very close to the beginning). I signed up for the beta merely to get to see the cards, but upon reading the rules I was like "Wow, this is pretty good".

  Do you play Legends of Norrath, Star Chamber or Pirates CSG?
  I have tried both LoN and Star Chamber, but they both don't do it for me like Stargate. I haven't tried Pirates.

  Do you play any physical TCGs?
  I don't play any current physical CCGs, save my limited pool of physical Stargate cards.

  What got you into gaming and what sort of games do you like the most?
  In middle school I 'owned' a few Magic cards, and played Doomtrooper with my friends, but really didn't have any idea what I was doing. It wasn't until I played Babylon 5 and 7th Sea in high school that I was introduced to 'competitive gaming'.

  What type of work do you do?
  I am close to finishing my PhD in Chemical Engineering. I expect to defend in June, and am currently in the process of applying for 'real' jobs.

  What other hobbies or activities do you take part in, other than Stargate?
  I spend my time away from work/Stargate working out and training for endurance races. I have competed in several triathlons over the last couple years, and completed my first Marathon in February.

  What is your favorite deck type?
  From a competitive standpoint, I still like Jack decks the best; but I think I have the most fun playing and playing against off the wall, creative/thoughtful decks (even if they turn out to be utter failures). For a completely casual game, I'll usually play my all-Jaffa deck.

  What is your favorite card (playability-wise)?
  I like Charles Kawalsky, Good Soldier, and many of my decks use him. He's basically a mini-Jack stat wise, but his high XP makes him very versatile and useful when playing around with other team configurations. I am lucky enough to have a foil version of him as well, which is one of my prized Stargate possessions.

  What is your favorite card (art-wise)?
  Bra'tac. He was so awesome in the series, and one of the best characters in the show. His ability is well flavored, and very indicative of the type of character he is- teaching others how to be better. It's a shame that his ability is so hard to activate in the current environment and thus sees so little play, because Bra'tac rocks.

  What type of TCG player are you? For example, are you an Art Lover, a Competitor, an Innovator?
  I would have to say that I am first and foremost a collector. I enjoy developing and playing 'theme' decks (like all-Jaffa, all-Tok'ra, etc) the most. I'm here first and foremost because of my interest in Stargate; it's just a huge bonus that this game is very, very good.

  What do you like best about Stargate?
  Stargate has several advantages over other ccgs *cough* Magic *cough*.

  First, the 'resource system' is somewhat non-traditional, in that you don't rely upon drawing (or rather, getting deprived of) lands/resources in the form of cards. This puts a good twist on the traditional 'power curve'.

  Second, there is no react system that allows for 'going backwards in time'- in STCG, if I destroy your support character, you can't use him to do something first before he dies. I like that, because it makes sense.

  Third, and I feel most important, is that as of yet STCG has very few 'negative playing experience' style decks (think discard, control, etc). It's a straightforward game to play, which gives the advantage to the skilled players/deckbuilders versus those darn rules lawyers.

  Could you describe, in brief, a memorable game you had, or opponent you faced, and why it stands out in your mind?
  In the third round of the September WCQ, I played Huaojozu. I was of course on-guard since Huao is an amazing player, but it was the deck he was running that caught me by surprise. He was running what had to be one of the very first versions of what was to become the CSi deck, and this was the first time I had seen this deck. Although I was somehow able to squeak by him for the victory with a few lucky Naquadria Hallucinations and Stonewalled, I knew that he was on to something. Obviously he was, as his CSi deck is now a well-established dominant deck.

  Do you run or work for an OSG or TCG Fan Site?
  Jeremy Commandeur has been generous enough to grace me with the title of 'Senior Staff Writer' for his stargatetcg.org site; which really means that I write semi-regularly. JC does a great job of keeping the site up to date, and keeping the community interested and involved. I urge everyone to check out the site and compete in his weekly contests.

  What is one thing no one would ever suspect about you?
  I took first in my age group at the 2006 Louisiana Triathlon State Championships.

  Feel free to leave andrewheintz a friendly note in the Stargate Online TCG forums!

• 

  If you've never been to an SOE Fan Faire before, you've been missing out! Fan Faire is a great place for SOE gamers to mix and mingle with each other and meet some of the faces behind their favorite SOE games. Here's just a taste of some of the great stuff we're planning:

  • In-game tournaments
  • Live, game-themed tournaments and quests
  • A costume contest
  • Lots of social activities, including a Kickoff Reception, a Grand Banquet and a VIP Party with live entertainment
  • Sneak peeks at SOE titles currently in development
  • The 2nd Annual Community Address from SOE President John Smedley
  • Developer forums and roundtables

  And that's just the beginning! No matter which SOE game you like to play, Fan Faire will be a blast! Even if you're not an SOE gamer, we encourage you to join us and bring your friends!

  Passes will go on sale later this Spring, but you can book your hotel stay now! The Las Vegas Hilton is currently accepting reservations at the discounted Fan Faire rate of just $139 per night. Just call (800) 635-7711 and tell them you're with Sony Online Entertainment, booking code SSOE8 or click here to make online reservations. Space is limited – so get your room soon, in case they sell out!

  Hope to see you in Las Vegas!

  Watch for passes to go on sale and other Fan Faire announcements on the Fan Faire site.

• Ten cards you should get before RotO comes out
  Part I: Hero Cards

  Hello dear readers. This week I don't have an Unofficial Card of the Week article. This week and also next week, I will talk about a special topic which I'll cover in two parts. The first part is, as the title of the article says, ten hero cards you should get before Rise of the Ori comes out. Next week I will talk about ten villain cards to get of course.

  Before I start, I must say that this article will cover only Rare, Ultra Rare and Starter cards. Common cards are very easy to get and with little effort you can get three copies of each Common card. Also as far as I know, some players (OrionPax, Querio) are giving away free Common cards to newcomers and/or to those who are in need. So the next time you see them online, simply be nice and ask them for the Common cards you are looking for.

  Uncommons are also not hard to get except for a few like Information Leak or Memory Stamp. But without spending a fortune, you can get them all in no time.

  Finally, I will only talk about ten cards you most probably don't use at the moment. You may have traded them away for EPS or better cards. So you will not see Walter Harriman or Martin Lloyd in the list; nor will you see Osiris next week. To be competitive, you should own these cards already.

  Okay ladies and gentlemen, now that we all know what we will talk about this week, let us start immediately.

  NUMBER 10
  RESCUE TEAM

  
  
  

  What? Yes I know, it is a mission card. But in case you didn't know; missions ARE hero cards, thank you very much.

  So what's so special about this one you might think. Well, for some time I have been toying with a Tabloid Research centered Culture-Combat deck. I'm not finished with it yet. But once I am finished, I'll write an Unofficial Card of the Week article and share the deck with you here.

  Anyway, if you want to build a Culture-Combat deck, then Teal'c is of course "da man". And then comes his buddy Rak'nor. Mala also fits well into this strategy. Not as good as Rak'nor or Teal'c but she gets the job done. However the current list ends there.

  I hope that Rise of the Ori will give us a Culture=3 and Combat=2 team character with a point value >=4. If it does, then this mission, Rescue Team, will be an auto-include in each Culture-Combat deck. Get it now while you can!

  NUMBER 9
  SELF SACRIFICE

  
  
  

  This is a great card but only in its own deck. You really don't want to destroy your own Oma Desala or Walter Harriman with this card for a simple +1 bonus. However there are some specific support character cards, which you really would want to destroy after you play them and get their benefit; in order to play them again.

  Do the names Olaf, Gairwyn, Cross, Burke, Kendra, Malek, Raully, Rodney McKay, Luthor ring a bell?

  NUMBER 8
  JACOB CARTER

  
  
  

  This is a fantastic card. Most of the time he is 3/2/2/3 and can even get to 4/3/3/4 with little effort. However he wants only Tok'ra and SGC characters around him and no one else. And unfortunately that is something we cannot provide with the current card pool (at least not competitively).

  I really do hope that Rise of the Ori will have the cards to make this one and his deck a tier 1 deck. This is already an expensive card. I strongly suggest you get your three copies of it before its price doubles.

  NUMBER 7
  ALPHA SITE FACILITY

  
  
  

  What did I tell you at Number 9 which was the event card Self Sacrifice? I told you that playing with <when you play> support characters might become tier 1 after Rise of the Ori.

  Well, Self Sacrifice answers the "how to destroy?" question. Alpha Site Facility answers the same question too but also gives you another reason to destroy them. Add the team version of George Hammond to the mix and you're good to go.

  Get this one before it's too late.

  NUMBER 6
  JARROD KANE

  
  
  

  Many, including me, think that skip-ingenuity strategy will be the next big thing. And if that happens, if a skip-ingenuity deck becomes tier 1 after Rise of the Ori, then this version of Jarrod Kane will be an auto-include to each such deck. Don't miss this one or you'll regret it.

  NUMBER 5
  LUCY! I'M HOME!

  
  
  

  Another great card. The SGC faction will only get better with the Rise of the Ori set and this one I believe will be heavily played. It currently costs three to four EPS on /ptrade. I don't think getting it now for that price would be a bad investment.

  NUMBER 4
  TOK'RA OPERATIVE NETWORK

  
  
  

  This card simply screams out saying, "Abuse me!". Turn one nasty obstacle into a complication, then ready this gear and do it again, then ready it again and use it again... Sounds nice, doesn't it? However the drawback is huge. I really wouldn't want to allow my opponent to play a Harsh Conditions when he has no power left.

  Gairwyn would be a solution. Wormhole X-Treme! -like missions would be a solution. Or perhaps there will be some other cards in the Rise of the Ori set that will turn this gear into a bomb. In any case, I say watch out for this one.

  NUMBER 3
  DANIEL JACKSON, ASCENDED BEING

  
  
  

  Not many decks are using this Daniel Jackson simply because they need the team version of him. However there will be some decks in the future (hopefully) that will use this one heavily. The <when you play> support character based deck is one. Skip-ingenuity is another one. Culture/Combat could also be another one. Also Skip-science decks might use him. As you see, there are a lot of decks waiting to play this version of Daniel Jackson if only they will be worth playing in serious environments.

  This card has huge potential and I think that you should get it now (at least two copies) or you will have to pay double the price of what you may pay now.

  NUMBER 2
  MARTOUF

  
  
  

  Even now, when you simply can't play a skip-ingenuity deck competitively, this one costs around two to three EPS. I just cannot imagine what its price would be if such a deck becomes tier 1. You REALLY should get three copies of this one. Now!

  NUMBER 1
  MARSHALL SUMNER

  
  
  

  Yes yes yes, I know what I said. I said Rare, Ultra Rare or Starter. This one is neither of them. However it is also neither a Common nor an Uncommon. So I think it's okay to mention this one.

  I'll give you a secret. The day Rise of the Ori is online, I will look at all the cards closely and do so over and over again, as will you all. But the first thing(s) I will look for will be cards that can be played with Marshall Sumner. This card is simply huge! Even now it is tier 1,5 but after the Rise of the Ori, I strongly believe that it will not only become tier 1 but it will also dominate the tournament scene.

  Okay dear readers, that'll be all for this week. These are the cards that I believe will "explode" after the new set. Let's have your opinion as well. Which other cards do you think will get big? Which ones do you think I overrated?

  Next week I will talk about ten villain cards you might want to get before it's too late.

  Thanks for reading.

  See you online
  Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman
  He who has been betrayed by his own modem during a WCQ... yet again!

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• The Stargate™ Online Trading Card Game "Through the Gate" promotions for SG-1 and System Lords have now ended.

  Card redemption requests received on or prior to April 10, 2008 are in the process of being fulfilled. Requests for card redemption received after April 10, 2008 date will not be fulfilled.

  SOE and Comic Images would like to thank all of our players who participated in this unique promotion.

• Hello dear readers, I'm back with another Unofficial Player of the Week interview. After the first interview with Caveat, I received some very positive feedback and decided to continue with such interviews every now and then.

  The timing of the last interview with Caveat might make you think that I'll be interviewing only players who win that month's WCQ. However that is not true. I'll only be interviewing players who try to keep this game alive: only those who share and who are creative and supportive. I'll interview only those who choose not to follow but instead to be followed no matter what.

  I'll only be interviewing "good players". And this above is my definition of a "good player".

  This week, my guest is OrionPax. Is there anyone who doesn't know him already? He came out of nowhere just when the tournament scene was about to die, and thanks to him and his efforts, we all had the opportunity to... well... to PLAY!

  I don't know how many cards and/or EPS he has given away so far. I don't think he knows that either. However thanks to his efforts, many players who were perhaps scared to play along with the "big boys" joined the tournaments and now some of them are those "big boys" themselves! And most important of all, he asked nothing in return.

  Without further delay, here's what OrionPax has to say.

  LordErman: Okay, would you please introduce yourself? Where are you from, how old are you and what do you do for a living?
  OrionPax: My name is Trenton, I presently live in Sierra Vista, Arizona, U.S.A. I am 34 years old. I work for the Department of Defense as a contractor.

  LordErman: How long have you been playing trading card games and which games did you play before?
  OrionPax: I collected Yugi-oh and Pokemon cards for my son, and I liked Magic and Star Trek the Next Generation. I have collected every card in all those sets and I have them locked away in a very big safe.

  LordErman: How did you join Stargate Online TCG? How and when did you hear of it?
  OrionPax: I did a search last May 2007 for Stargate and this site popped up. I looked it over and then decided to play.

  LordErman: Are you a fan of the TV show by the way?
  OrionPax: YES! Stargate and Stargate Atlantis are probably my favorite television shows of all time. I love the religion meets history meets linguistics meets science meets science fiction meets the military aspect of the television show. (I love it probably due to getting my degrees in archaeology and Religious studies, and now I'm working on my post graduate work in classical history. Also being in the military, having a love for the scientific method and being married to a linguistic genius that speaks eight languages).

  LordErman: You are the "Santa Claus" of Stargate Online TCG so to speak. Let's talk a little bit about that. How did that happen? And why did you choose to be "Santa Claus" in the first place?
  OrionPax: I believe that my maker gave me a second chance almost five years ago, when I lay in a hospital bed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, clinically dead for four minutes of a pulmonary embolism. I believe it is my duty to help others out in any way I can. I love this show for the above reasons and just want to help others as long as I still have breath.

  LordErman: Let's talk a little bit about the game. Other than everyone's favorite and well known "Bermuda Triangle" (Walter Harriman, Oma Desala, Martin Lloyd), which cards are your favorites (including villain cards if you wish)?
  OrionPax: Well Jack O'Neill can power up your team, Daniel Jackson when glyphed-up can get you any mission, Charles Kawalsky gets you that needed boost to complete a mission. And Osiris is a frustrating pain in the neck... but my favorite is support version of Thor. He can single handedly end a game by setting up the next mission and helping you complete the present mission or the mission he just set up! You got to love that when you are in the endgame.

  LordErman: Which one is your favorite deck and why it is your favorite deck?
  Orion Pax: Villain Win is my favorite deck, and I do not even play it! This deck is my favorite due to the symmetry that the cards must have with each other and with the player that is playing them. The VW deck is a symphony of frustration and destruction when played correctly. The first movement allows the hero player to get plenty of glyphs and a sense of hope that is really fool's gold. The second movement is when Osiris is played and the third movement is the total humiliation and destruction of the hero team characters and support, ending in the constant scoring of villains, leaving the HW player one glyph and one to four experience points short! It is an amazing sight to see, unless it is happening to you; then it is just plain wrong!

  LordErman: In any trading card game, there are those players who are very creative and very good at deck building. Then there are those who are called "pilots". They don't think about deck building as much as the other type but they are very good at piloting a well known deck to success. And then there are those who can do both things. Considering these facts, which of these groups do you think you belong to?
  OrionPax: Pilot. I do tweak every deck I play, but I am a pilot.

  LordErman: A new set is around the corner. How do you think it will impact the current meta? Which type of decks will get stronger and which ones in your opinion will be weaker?
  OrionPax: When the new set arrives I believe that the meta will totally change and that the current decks being played (Hammond, CSi, Jack, Osiris VW) might become obsolete. It really depends on the role the new Ori cards will play along with the impact of ships on the game. And also the changes that might come to the cards we play now; remember Ishta and Frank Simmons.

  LordErman: Any advice to the new players?
  OrionPax: Help others whenever you can and try to learn from the elders of the game. Learn to build decks like them and learn from their mistakes. We are a community and we are the Stargate Online TCG family!

  LordErman: Anything else you want to add?
  OrionPax: Huaojozu is the greatest of all time! Also I owe LordErman, Thorval and Querio a lot; they are great competitors and my brothers in the game! One last thing: Watch out for Meeryn, Por-ky, Jedifan256 and Replicator. They are the future greatness of this game. Shout out to everyone else, peace!

  That's all from OrionPax.

  I have played many great games and had many nice playing groups. There were always one or two players who were helping the newcomers with their limited supplies. However nowhere have I encountered a player like OrionPax. His efforts alone kept this game alive for months. There are not enough words to describe the level of our gratitude.

  Thanks for reading.

  See you online

  Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• by Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  FROM THE HANDBOOK OF A BUREAUCRAT
  Chapter 6 - Section 14.b
  How to write an Unofficial Card of the Week article in five easy steps

  Step 1: Salutation
  

  Each Unofficial Card of the Week article starts by greeting the readers. Something simple like "Hello dear readers and welcome to another installment of the Unofficial Card of the Week" is acceptable. Exaggerated salutations may result in a "soft punishment" for the writer which is a permanent banning from the Stargate Online TCG forums.

  Step 2: Introducing the Card

  After the brief and simple salutation, the writer is obligated to introduce the card he or she will talk about as shown in the below sample:

  Here's the card we will talk about this week:

  
  
  

  The article may not start before the card is shown. Such articles will be deleted without hesitation and the writer of them hunted down by special NID agents and experimented upon at Area 51!

  Step 3: Introduction

  The introduction must be related to the subject. The writer shouldn't write directly what he or she thinks about the card. Instead, he or she must give clues why the card is chosen for the Unofficial Card of the Week. See example below:

  Of all the villain factions, Political is my favorite. Why? Actually it's very simple; it has answers to every situation during a game. It removes glyphs, it stops characters, it kills support characters, it makes your opponent assign characters to the mission even though not necessary, it gains power, it makes your opponent lose power, it incapacitates characters, it makes your opponent shuffle his or her mission pile... I mean, what else do you need?

  The writer must end this part of the article in one paragraph. A second paragraph is not allowed. Such articles will not be accepted and their writers will be sent to the Pegasus galaxy to become Wraith fodder!

  Step 4: Developing the Article

  In this part, the writer must talk about the card he or she has chosen. This part has no paragraph limitations. The writer is encouraged to use pictures. Below is an example:

  Considering the current meta, the chances of encountering an all-skills deck is like one in a million. In other words, everybody skips a skill if not two. This fact may not mean much to an average player but it means everything to a skilled player.

  Look at these twins:

   

  Both are very useful cards but what makes them so good and so useful is not only their cost/effectiveness ratio but also their failure text. Stopping your opponent's most important and dangerous character is just priceless.

  And this is what Paperwork is all about. It simply stops everyone! Team or support doesn't matter. No R and R or Atoniek Armband or Repository of Knowledge tricks. Nothing is allowed. No one gets through.

  Of course, Political faction has some other nice cards with some nice failure texts such as these:

   

  Both Raphael and Information Leak and all the other Political cards with nice failure texts such as Full Investigation or Senate Expense Review can be very useful; especially at a skip mission. But none of them are as deadly as Paperwork.

  Once the main point of the article has been stated, no more repeating is allowed. The reader gets it! Articles with useless repeating and articles that say the same thing over and over again will not even be taken into consideration and the writers of such articles will be put into an implantation process that will result in glowing eyes, distorted voice and a strange feeling in the gut!

  Step 5: Conclusion

  This is the part where the writer wraps up the article. This part is limited to one paragraph only and no pictures are allowed. Below is an example:

  Okay dear readers, that'll be all for this week. I know that many players include cards in their decks to punish their opponent at skip missions. I've seen players play with Parasitic Insects, Deep Memory Scan, Brainwashed Teal'c or even Borren. I too played some of those cards myself and I'm still playing some of them. All of those cards are good and highly playable. However I'm not seeing as many players playing with Paperwork as I should be. I hope that after this article the card will get your attention.

  At the end of the article, the writer should thank the readers for taking their time and reading the article. Something simple like "Thanks for reading" is enough. And finally the writer should add his or her signature and end the article as shown in the below example:

  See you online

  Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  Writers who submit articles that do not meet these criteria will be sent to Erebus where they will be forced to work at a Jaffa Labor Camp as slaves for the remainder of their lives (which will be pretty short).

  This handbook is written by:
  ROBERT KINSEY
  VICE PRESIDENT

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• Beginning at 9:00 AM PDT on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 all SOE account and commerce flow, the Station Store, character transfer service, and the CSG Store will be unavailable for maintenance.

  We expect this maintenance to take approximately three and a half hours. During this maintenance period game servers will still be accessible. Please watch the forums for further updates regarding this maintenance. We apologize for this interruption and will resume the affected services as soon as the maintenance is completed.

• Beginning at 4am PST/11am GMT on April 1, 2008 all game servers and community sites will be unavailable due to network maintenance. We expect this maintenance to take approximately 5 hours.

  We apologize for this interruption and will resume all game servers and community sites as soon as the maintenance is completed.

• Pirates CSG Online introduces its 7th expansion, Pirates of the Revolution! Marines, ships, and characters from American history come alive in this new set. John Paul Jones, his ship the Bonhomme Richard, and his deadly enemy the HMS Serapis face off amidst the ever-present dangers of Foul Winds and treacherously beautiful Mermaids. Protect your Forts with Marines, and fire your enemy's ships to the waterline with Firepot Specialists. With this many new cards, mayhem under the American flag has never been so much fun!

  "I have not yet begun to fight!"- John Paul Jones

  Click here for all the details!

• To provide our customers with more credit card security, Sony Online Entertainment has partnered with Visa and MasterCard. Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode have now been added to our Station Store purchase flow.

  Q. How will this affect SOE customers?

  A. When adding new subscriptions, changing a subscription, or purchasing software from the Station Store, you will be prompted to join Verified by Visa or MasterCard SecureCode. An application will pop up and prompt you to join the security program. Please enter all requested information. This is a secure site and only Visa or MasterCard will have your information.

  After you have signed up for the security program, you will need to login again to verify that the card has been secured.

  Q. How much does it cost to join Verified by Visa or MasterCard SecureCode?

  A. It is completely free to join Visa and MasterCard's security programs for online purchases.

  Q. Why should I give Sony Online Entertainment my personal information?

  A. The information requested for these programs is not stored on any SOE servers. These programs are provided by Visa and MasterCard. Only Visa and MasterCard will retain the information you provide for your security.

  Q: What if my card issuer does not currently support Verified by Visa or MasterCard SecureCode?

  A: Sony Online Entertainment will still accept transactions from card issuers who do not use either program.

  Please visit the Verified by Visa and Master Card SecureCode sign up pages for more information about these programs and how to sign up.

• by Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  TIGER WOODS IS A JAFFA and Jack O'Neill is his mentor

  Hello dear readers, I'm back with another Unofficial Card of the Week article. I have to admit that last week's article was a huge disappointment for me. As I was writing this article, there were still no entries for the Build Around Mansfield contest. Oh well, at least the article was useful for one thing: I found out that our nice little community is as lazy as it is nice. So, no more contests anymore. I will continue with the usual format.

  Anyway, first of all let me introduce you the card I will talk about this week:

  
  
  

  The scene on Goofing Off is the funniest scene from what most people consider to be the best Stargate episode ever; Window of Opportunity. Even though that scene was so funny, the card itself on the other hand, is absolutely no joke.

  Goofing Off has an evil sister called Renewal. And we all already know how powerful that evil sister can be; especially when used with adversaries that have gametext such as Hathor, Amonet, Nirrti, Olokun etc... Goofing Off is not as powerful as its evil sister. But when used with the right cards, it can be very annoying for the opponent.

  You may wonder why it is not as powerful as Renewal, especially when both do the same thing. The answer is very simple actually: because currently there aren't that many team and/or support characters with gametext. The current list is limited to six cards and four of them, Khonsu, Marell, S Cameron Mitchell and Jennings, are really not very useful or playable on their own. However there are two others which are very useful and highly playable, and when used with Goofing Off, they get even better.

  I'm talking about these:

   

  None of us needs any introductions for Charles Kawalsky; we all used the card in our Jack decks for a long time after the errata in September 07. But I believe that UR Samantha Carter deserves a little bit more attention; especially these days when the tournament scene is crawling with Villain Win decks.

  What does a VW deck do? While Osiris is in play, that deck plays high cost obstacles with gametexts and then withdraws them. So how can we stall this strategy? We can use Top Minds. We will remove that high cost obstacle with Top Minds before it can be withdrawn and thus leave the villain player powerless. Of course that is a good idea and perhaps the best idea. However UR Samantha Carter is another very good card that can help us defeat the evil villains.

  Even though this version of Samantha Carter is very deadly against VW decks, this fact doesn't necessarily mean that it is only useful against one type of deck. No it is not. Especially when combined with Goofing Off, this Samantha Carter is a real game winner, no matter what type of villain side your opponent is playing.

  Having said all these things, I sincerely hope that the new set, Rise of the Ori, will give us more characters with gametext, so we will have more options and more reasons to use Goofing Off. We all know what such a card can do when it has many nice options available. We know it, because we know what Renewal can do.

  I conclude this article with this screenshot:

  
  
  

  This was the team I used in my deck I created for the Build Around Mansfield contest. With SGC Emblem, Lucy! I'm Home! and Teamwork, I had very nice and surprising results.

  Even though those cards I named worked very well, the nicest trick in deck was Goofing Off. I used Goofing Off with Samantha Carter and destroyed multiple obstacles, or I used it with Charles Kawalsky and drew tons of cards. And then during the next mission when those characters were stopped and my opponent was thinking that he had everything under control, I played a Lucy! I'm Home! , readied one of those characters and re-used him/her. Truly devastating.

  Okay dear readers, that'll be all for this week. No matter how bored I am with the current card pool, it is very surprising to find out that there are still some small things here and there left to discover. The joy I got when I was building the deck for the Build Around Mansfield contest was such a surprise for me. You would have been surprised yourself if you had entered the contest but nevermind.

  Thanks for reading.

  See you online
  Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• Check out this great review of Stargate Online TCG in TCGPlayer.com!

• This week we feature a player from Stargate TCG Online.

  Real Life First Name:
  Radim

  Forum Handle:
  Huaojozu

  Game Handle:
  Huaojozu

  Where do you live?
  Czech Republic

  How long have you played Stargate Online?
  Since a week or so after Beta was released (around February 2007?)

  Do you play Legends of Norrath, Star Chamber or Pirates CSG?
  Nope

  Do you play any physical TCGs?
  I am the 2005 and 2006 Pokémon TCG National Champion and I have attended the Pokémon TCG World Championship.
  I also keep up to date with Magic: The Gathering and Yu-gi-oh! TCG. I have tried Beyblade TCG out of boredom but its waaaay too simple a game.

  What got you into gaming and what sort of games do you like the most?
  My desire to learn English I suppose. Ever since I was like 5 years old, back when 486 was the high-end machine I wanted to know more about the language I could not understand. I can safely say that gaming made me what I am now. I prefer RPGs, mostly Final Fantasy style. Good platforms are also welcome although scarce as far as PC goes. Fortunately I've got PS2 with a PS3 hopefully coming soon where those games are abundant.

  What type of work do you do?
  Studying in High School. I'm starting college this September (project manager).

  What other hobbies or activities do you take part in, other than SGO?
  Hanging out with my friends mostly. I like to play squash, billiard, bowling and other such games. Basically, I just like playing games. Where there's a game, you'll find me there.

  What is your favorite deck type?
  CSi style decks, mostly because I basically created the archetype with Querio, whom I playtested it against. I like its speed and consistency. Lately though, I have been turning to Villain Win decks as they seem to have a much better average match-ups in today's metagame.

  What is your favorite card (playability-wise)?
  Osiris from SG1. There are just so many possibilities with this card. Any match with a Villain Win deck basically comes down to: 'I need to complete as many missions as I can before my opponent can get Osiris out, by which time I better have a way to get rid of her.'

  What is your favorite card (art-wise)?
  I haven't really thought about this. I guess Repeating Time. Every time I see it, it reminds me of everyone's favorite episode of SG1.

  What type of TCG player are you? For example, are you an Art Lover, a Competitor, an Innovator?
  A competitive innovator. I like to come up with new decks that people haven't thought of but I also want them to be good and win me tournaments.

  What do you like best about SGO?
  It's hard to explain, really. Quick-paced games, innovative game play, impersonating my favorite characters together make for a great experience.

  Could you describe, in brief, a memorable game you had, or opponent you faced, and why it stands out in your mind?
  That would have to be a game I had against tjej sometime during the holiday marathon (I think). He was running a version of CSi against my VW. The game came down to him being 23/24 exp with a LOT of science support characters and 2 science missions coming up that I needed to defend to win the game. I remember using Hathor over and over in combination with Renewal and Repeating Time to get all of his 9 or so assigned characters to contribute only around 4 total skill to the mission. After I used the same tactic for the second science mission I knew I would have enough time to score enough adversaries for the win. It was a great game for me, because I knew that any misplays on my part would cost me the game and I managed to pull through.

  Do you run or work for an OSG or TCG Fan Site?
  Nope. Way too much stuff on my hands to manage that, I'm afraid.

  What is one thing no one would ever suspect about you?
  Well, I have one dark secret, but you will have to forgive me if I don't tell you. On the other hand, since I deal with people mostly through emails, they often tell me that they expected someone totally different than an 18-year-old boy when they meet me in real life. Guess I'm just not the R'n'B type that you see on the TV as a prototype of a modern kid. I would take classical music over hip-hop any day.

• by Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  GIMME A GIANT WILL YA!

  Hello dear readers, I'm back with another installment of the weekly Unofficial Card of the Week articles. Every week I try to come up with a topic that is hopefully interesting for you to read. And almost every time, I try to include a decklist for your enjoyment. However this week, I will make an exception. This week, I don't have a deck. This week, I'll ask YOU to come up with a deck. So this week we will have a contest!

  Sound fun? Interested? Good. First, here's the card you will build your deck around:

  
  
  

  Okay, he or she who builds the most competitive deck around Mansfield wins. GO!

  Thanks for reading.

  See you online

  Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  ---

  Uhm... That was a little bit fast now, wasn't it? Okay let's rewind first and start all over again. Mansfield is actually a very interesting card and one of the most undervalued team characters in my opinion. Let's read his game text once again. It says something like this:

  "Hey you the player! Gimme Libra or Pisces glyph ASAP!!! And then find a way to make me ready over and over again. "Why" do you say? Why??!?! Oh my God! Because if you do, I'll turn into a giant after a few successful missions and most probably will win you the game in one single turn! Not even that newbie lieutenant called "Elliot the Idiot" can be beat me. I can be the fattest, I can be the meanest and I can be the biggest of them all! Understood?"

  Well, that's more or less what his game text says.

  Of course, as the writer of this article it won't be appropriate for me to enter this contest. However I can give you some small hints which may hopefully help you when building your deck. The first thing I notice when I read his game text is that Mansfield gets bigger and bigger after each successful mission. And to be able to complete that many missions in a single turn, I need to play low difficulty missions and which then means that I need to play a seven glyph speed deck.

  Okay that's a start. Is this all I can see by just looking at the card? Actually no. Those two glyphs on him also give me a clue about what kind of a team to play. The Libra and the Pisces glyphs can be found on science, combat and ingenuity missions. In other words, those two glyphs cannot be found on culture missions. I don't know about you but this fact automatically means a skip-culture team to me.

  Now... by just looking at the card itself, I figured out the type of team I'm going to play and the win condition of my deck.

  Now let's move on to the second most important question: What possible ways are there to ready Mansfield? There are a lot and I won't name them here one by one. However this one looks promising:

  
  
  

  Okay that's good. And is there a way to help him get even bigger than he can get alone? Well of course there is! How about this one:

  
  
  

  And my final hint... If I'm going for several missions per turn, then which specific support characters should I add to my deck? How about these:

   

  Okay, I think that I already told you more than enough. Of course, what I've told you so far aren't "rules". So you don't have to use SGC Emblem or Lucy! I'm Home! and you don't even have to skip culture at all. You may as well play an all-skills team using this one:

  
  
  

  Marshall Sumner would even work as your Ready-Mansfield card, which may even save you some precious deck slots.

  So anything, even a VW deck if you want, is acceptable. However be sure that you come up with something that can beat this:

  
  
  

  Fantastic isn't it?

  Okay dear readers, I think all is clear and all is set. He or she who comes up with the most competitive deck build around Mansfield wins. By the way, only the hero side of the deck will do. Now...

  GO!!!

  Thanks for reading.

  See you online

  Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• We apologize for the short notice. This Friday, March 21st, Tech Support will be limited to Email only. Phone and Live Chat support will resume operation on Monday, March 24th from 10am-7pm Pacific Time.

• Keep Your Characters Safe!
  

  Account theft isn't isolated only to those who choose to trade or share their station accounts. (which is ignoring the EULA!) As the internet and online gaming population grows, so does the cesspool of scammers.There are a variety of ways in which people will attempt to gain access to your account, and the list grows everyday. Fear not, there are simple tips to ensure that your account is protected. Keep in mind these worn-out (but useful!) words of wisdom:

  Sharing your account information is never a good idea.
  

  Gamers have heard the advice before, yet a lot of people still opt to share their account information with close friends. Having a guildmate complete a quest for you while you're sleeping may seem mostly harmless, but bad things can happen. While it doesn't always end in catastrophe, you could log back in with a new last name like "Lovetrollslongtime" or something slightly worse which might result in a banning. It's not always obvious, malicious attacks that cause good accounts to go bad!

  I'm sure we've all heard the fateful stories of guildbanks emptied and outfit members booted. Sadly, this is often a direct result of sharing account information. Not only do you run the risk of virtual strangers reeking havoc on all you've worked hard for, but you make it difficult for SOE's customer service staff to investigate and resolve issues.

  
  
  Be aware of phishing sites!
  

  What is a phishing site? Simply, it's usually a website created to mimic a well-known or frequently used site in an attempt to fraudulently gain sensitive account information. Gaming communities have been targeted in the past via email, spamming a link that takes the reader to a site that, upon first glance, appears to be legit. The imposter site may offer in-game items for completing surveys, or pose as a game representative, warning that your account is in limbo.

  Here at SOE we do not offer enticing ways to earn in-game money through email. We prefer the old fashioned way of logging in, killing mobs, completing quests, etc. Be extremely cautious when exposed to external sites through email, claiming to be affiliated with Sony Online. You will only be prompted to enter your password when logging into an SOE game, or when visiting an official Station site.

  
  
  SOE employees will NEVER ask for your password.
  

   Not in email. Not in-game. Not on the phone. Never! We have ample ways to access your account; the only thing we require from you is patience and a Station name. If you suspect that someone is impersonating a CSR in-game, use the /report feature and again, do not divulge your account password.

  Things you should know:
  

   Account security is the responsibility of the account owner. This includes password protection, running virus checks, disabling file sharing, or any other means of checking that the owner's account has not been stolen or compromised.

  If you find yourself a victim, not all is lost! CSR's may be able to offer a one-time only "character restoration." But first you must recover your account (details on doing this can be found here.)SOE strives to maintain an exciting and safe gaming environment. To make things more enjoyable for everyone, we offer basic advice on how to keep your account secure.

  Time Honored Tips:
  

  • Use a unique Station name.
  • Use an alpha-numeric password consisting of at least 8 characters; a mix of letters, numbers and special characters is best. Never write down your password!
  • Never use the same word for your Station name and password; change it periodically.
  • Never trust a troll in a dress.
  • Always create a secret question when prompted (this allows for quicker password recovery and confirmation when needed.)
  • Keep your registration information, including current email address, up to date in so that we can contact you regarding your account and for retrieving lost passwords. (SOE will not use your email for marketing purposes, unless you specifically opt in for newsletters and announcements.)

  Keep your credit card information safe too. Here is a handy place to get some good tips.

• by Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  Hello everybody, I'm back with another article but a different one this time. For a long time, I was thinking of adding an interview section to my regular articles but I wasn't sure how I was going to do that. Actually I was afraid of the length of such a combined article. Therefore I decided that separating both would be the best solution. So, I will continue with the Unofficial Card of the Week but from time to time, there will be the Unofficial Player of the Week articles(interviews rather) as well.

  Having said all these things, I must also admit that my original plan for this week was to write an article about the March WCQ and talk about it. I was thinking of giving you dear readers, a very detailed report of it. Therefore I tuned my deck, went to the tournament lobby and started waiting. And magically (!), just two minutes before the start I lost my connection and when I was online again the tournament had already started. It was like an invisible force stepped in, prevented me from playing and then went away. Oh well... there's always next time!

  If you don't know already, the winner of this month's WCQ is Caveat. He is a player for whom I have the utmost respect and I am very happy that he finally got crowned with a "WCQ Winner" title. He is also the writer of the weekly Unofficial Villain Win (VW) Card of the Week. He is a good creative player who can surprise you anytime with anything. Not every top player has my respect and not everyone I respect is a top player. Caveat on the other hand, is a top player who also cares for the community and does anything he can do to help it grow. I mean, what else can you ask for?

  Now without further delay, here's our little chat.

  LordErman: Tell us a little bit about yourself. How old are you, where are you from, what do you do for a living?
  Caveat: I am 27 years old and I'm from the UNITED STATES. I had to bold that because people frequently ask, as 90% of the best players are not. I am a researcher, even though I can not spell to save my life.

  LordErman: When did you start playing trading card games? And which trading card games did you play before?
  Caveat: I have played several trading card games. I started with Magic in 1994, but only played it casually for a few years. In more recent years I played several games with kids in the family like Yugi-oh, Pokemon, etc. Stargate TCG is the first trading card game I have played competitively.

  "I think the greatest secret to my success is I enjoy the game" -Caveat

  LordErman: When did you start playing Stargate TCG? And how did you hear of it? Caveat: I started Stargate TCG in May shortly after the release. I had heard about the game through word of mouth from a fellow Stargate "fanboy."

  LordErman: What are the reasons in your opinion that makes Stargate TCG unique?
  Caveat: I think Stargate is unique when you couple many of the features together. Mission play that is determined by the player, a permanent team determined by the player, multiple win strategies: villain, glyph, experience. The pure number of combinations and permutations of team members or missions allows for many different play styles. Like any game or anything period Stargate TCG has been built and pay homage to predecessors.

  LordErman: You are a successful player. What is your secret?
  Caveat: I think the greatest secret to my success is I enjoy the game. I like the game so much I try different teams, different missions, and different win strategies all the time. I especially enjoy limited formats like highlander, all commons, System Lords only, faction play.

  "My best advice is play something not EVERYONE ELSE will" -Caveat

  The second secret is derived from my enjoyment of the game: variety. Because I try variety of play I know what most cards are when they are played, how they work, what it means to my current situation. Know what the popular meta's are and their weaknesses and strengths. Then play variety. I know some players are Csi or Jack or CI only. I have brought Skip ingenuity, VW, Jack, Pacifist, Csi, Jaffa style, Hammond to WCQ and done decently in them all. My best advice is play something not EVERYONE ELSE will.

  LordErman: What is your favorite win condition in Stargate TCG and why?
  Caveat: Villain win is my favorite win condition by far, but lately I have not been playing it in tournaments because some people complain it slows things down, which it does, and others are angry when they oppose it because it can be utterly devastating if you do not plan to meet villain win in a tournament. Glyph win is my second favorite due to the interesting mission combinations and mission penalties and who doesn't like winning 4 missions in one turn? Experience win is the most consistent format versus the unexpected 15 point Thor teams. So all win conditions are fun and have different uses.

  LordErman: You won the March WCQ. Which deck did you play and why?
  Caveat: I played a team created by the great one Huaojozu called Csi: Hailey, 5 point Daniel, Kvsair, and Narim. My deck is not a mirror of the one he plays. I use more expensive cards on offense so I can trick people into thinking I am only playing Culture and Science, but can win Ingenuity missions. I tend to build my decks to cover more situations, thus my decks tend to be larger. Many people over look larger decks, but they have advantages, such as reviving adversaries, or including useful but situational gears etc. I think the secret of my deck was not my offense, but my adversarial side delayed my opponents long enough for me to win. I did not go for a stop defense, but instead went for delay. Defense is the most important part of the game, if you do a good defense you can have a more diversified offense to cover more situations and still win.

  The final thing that secured my victory was experience in playing Stargate TCG. I knew versus Iorek, Replicator, and DanielRW I had to use all the tricks in my defensive bag or exploit my offense to win. I knew going in what Replicator and DanielRW were playing because they tend to play the same deck over and over again, since I mix my deck up and do not carbon copy Huaojozu's CSi they did not know every trick I had. On the other hand, Iorek brought a Jaffa deck and gave me the most difficult game because his deck was not one I knew all the cards in. Jaffa decks can be quite competitive with Walkie-Talkie, Glider Cannon, Loyal Sacrifice etc. Jaffa hero win is really a decent idea.

  "In a WCQ, where you can see everything from VW to skip-ING teams to all NID variety of abilities and highly conditional cards are good" -Caveat

  For the record I made this deck one hour before the tournament. I was going to bring a glyph win all SGC Jack, but had tuned one the day before playing Por-ky and at the last minute decided many people were currently using CI, TOAD, Jaffa, VW. So I thought either Jack or CSi would be best.

  As for more specifics on my defense or hero cards I probably will not give everyone an exact card break down as I do not like people copying directly.

  LordErman: Let's talk a little bit more about that deck you played in March WCQ. What are its strengths and weaknesses? Which other decks are good match up and which others are bad match up?
  Caveat: My deck had many utility cards on offense and defense. Many people avoid utility cards because they are highly conditional. In a WCQ, where you can see everything from VW to skip-ING teams to all NID variety of abilities and highly conditional cards are good. I have enough experience I can identify what someone is playing by looking at their team, then discarded cards which would not be of any use. I went with a delay defense, I have written articles on all three of my key delay cards: Kendrick, UR Teal'c, Paperwork. I used other cards as well but those are the ones everyone should use. Knowing when and where to use them is a different story. Kendrick can bite you in the butt, but is your best defense versus Tabloid Research and Receiving a Go. Like I said my defense was the determinant of my tougher games.

  "Defense is the most important part of the game, if you do a good defense you can have a more diversified offense to cover more situations and still win" - Caveat

  LordErman: Which players are the ones you had problems against (in general, not in the last WCQ)?
  Caveat: Anyone who is a TRUE silver or gold. Any player who has played the SG-1 and System Lords sets and still is silver and gold AND played a great variety of formats is formidable. It comes down to offense vs. defensive deck composition and luck.

  LordErman: Any advice to the new players?
  Caveat: Try variety. Toku came up with an effective deck style TOAD, and it still works quite well. If you deck can surprise your opponent and has abilities they can not counter then you gain control of the momentum. Momentum in Stargate TCG is very important since there are multiple ways to win. Every deck has weaknesses you can exploit, just play variety and often and you will become a pro in no time. If you're rated under 1600, play in the new players' tournaments as they are good ways to play people of similar skill. If you're cash-strapped play only the WCQs and the promo card events. You can trade your rares, digitals, and foils for either EP, bunches of commons and uncommon cards. You only need 1 specific card of any team member as discards work on anything with the same name. You should purchase all of the starter decks as missions are difficult to obtain otherwise.

  LordErman: Finally, is there anything you want to add?
  Caveat: I hope SOE continues to release new expansion and the community size grows. I also hope there becomes a free or 1 EP or even league tournament play. To players in casual, I think everyone should play games with those people who come in to "test" the game with starter decks. It is great practice for the sealed deck release events. Also, I am happy you are working with Minerva. As a community we need to keep the game alive.

  Congratulations again Caveat for winning the March WCQ. And thank you for answering my questions honestly.

  Thanks for reading.

  See you online
  

  Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  Discuss this article in the forums.

•    
  

  As announced in a press release today, effective April 1, 2008 Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) will report to Kazuo Hirai, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI). The new structure is designed to mutually benefit both companies by further accelerating the PlayStation business through SOE's strong online gaming expertise.

  SOE is currently part of Sony Pictures Entertainment. Under the new structure, SOE will continue to develop its games for the PC and the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3®) computer entertainment system.

  The day to day workings of SOE will not change and no employees will be let go. We are thrilled and excited by this change in structure! As Smed was quoted in the press release, "This move is going to broaden our capabilities and expand the development of our products into new and exciting directions."

  Press Release

• Thursday March 13th, 2008 Technical and Account/Billing will open at 10:30 am.

  Please visit the support site at http://www.station.sony.com/en/support/ to submit your inquiries.

  Normal Support will resume on Friday, March 14th from 10am to 7pm.

• By Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  LIFE IN THE FAST LANE

  Hello everybody. I'm back with another Unofficial Card of the Week article. This week's choice is this card:

  
  
  

  Many of you who know me know that I wasn't very active in the tournament scene during the last couple of months (just like many others). My reason was simple: Both the SG-1 and System Lords sets were nice sets and they were satisfying and I had great time playing with the cards from those sets but after a while I simply got bored. Actually that's the nature of trading card games after all; the player always wants more. The player always needs more.

  But now, as the release date of the new set called Rise of the Ori approaches, I thought that I had better get ready for it. And so I took the good old general George Hammond for a test ride last weekend. I won nothing, but I was satisfied with the results nevertheless. But before we talk about our beloved general and his deck, let's talk a little bit about the meta of Stargate TCG for a while. After the errata in September 2007, I was expecting that the meta would evolve and it eventually did; but much slower than I anticipated.

  After the change of Ishta's and Frank Simmons' gametexts, although many thought otherwise, the mighty Jack O'Neill deck still remained as the most-played deck in the tournament scene. Ishta was replaced by Charles Kawalsky but the rest of the deck was almost the same. Then slowly a new deck type arose; the so-called Pacifist deck. The team was UR Daniel Jackson, Harold Maybourne, Svetlana Markov and Jennifer Hailey. This deck then became very popular and during the October 2007 WCQ, three of the Top-4 spots were Pacifist decks.

  In the meantime another form of Pacifist deck called CSi was gaining popularity. Actually this deck was around even before the Pacifist deck became popular. It just took some time for the majority of the players to fully understand it and realize its potential. CSi by the way means Culture-Science-ingenuity. Just like the Pacifist deck, this one also skips Combat skill but unlike it, the CSi team (which by the way consists of UR Daniel Jackson, Narim, Kvasir and Lindsay) skips ingenuity as well. And one month later, during the November 2007 WCQ, three out of the Top-5 spots belonged to CSi players.

  And right at that point, a deck which many (including me) thought to be nothing more than a Tier-2 deck, hit the tournament scene and proved all of us wrong; the Villain Win deck.

  I really don't know what took people so long to realize the potential of R Osiris. Especially after the change of Ishta's gametext. There's a post of mine on the forums dated back 5.September.2007, which is even before the errata, where I talk about the potential of R Osiris and <when you play them> obstacles. I was never a VW fan, so I never even bothered to build a VW deck around her. But the cards were there and R Osiris was there. However, it took 3 more months for R Osiris based VW decks to become Tier-1.

  By the way, if we are talking about VW, we shouldn't forget to mention our fellow player Caveat. It was his neverending efforts that made this deck so popular in the first place.

  And so 2007 ended and 2008 came and surprisingly, another deck type started gaining popularity; the so called Toad Style. I first read about it on stargatetcg.org. There was an article about it which is dated 16.November.2007 written by another fellow player, Toku. And an improved and upgraded version of that deck then won the January 2008 WCQ, shaking the meta once again.

  So what is Toad Style? Some are calling it CI: Hammond as well. It is basically another two-skills deck build around George Hammond. The team is UR Daniel Jackson, UR Vala Mal Doran, Jacob Carter and George Hammond. And just like the CSi deck, this one also relies on Tabloid Research for mission manipulation. Toad Style aims to complete only Culture and Ingenuity missions.

  The reason I selected this deck is simple; it is currently the fastest deck out there. It has the potential to end the game right after the 4th glyph. That's amazing. Even CSi isn't that fast. And considering that the deck plays cards like the unstoppable Martin Lloyd, a real fat Joe Spencer, the mighty Oma Desala and the wise Kheb Monk among others, it is really very hard for the opponent to stop such an aggressive force.

  The one change I made to the original deck was to replace Nyan with Garshaw. Garshaw has a lot of synergy with Jacob Carter and that's why I use the card.

  Okay dear readers, one other article draws to an end. After two months, playing in tournaments was really very nice. I found out that the meta has changed a lot during my absence; a lot more than I thought. It seems that it's either VW decks or Hammond decks these days. Some are using a 3 skills Hammond deck, so by Hammond I mean both Toad Style and the regular version which is also very dangerous.

  I hope you found this article useful. I tried to summarize the meta of Stargate TCG; what it was, how it changed and finally what it has become. Especially if you weren't active in the last couple of months just like me or if you are new to the game, I hope this article helps you.

  Thanks for reading.

  See you online,
  Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• Beginning at 1am PDT/8am GMT on Wednesday, March 12th all SOE services including game servers, forums, game websites, and subscription services will be unavailable due to system maintenance. We expect all systems to be back up at approximately 7am PST.

  We apologize for this interruption and will resume all affected services as soon as the maintenance is completed.

• Your job is clear; hunt down the Forsworn and force them to retake their oaths to the Tribunal or face the consequences! You will not be alone in this. Along the way meet up with the Oathbound heroes Terin, Cyndra, Karlemayne and Eluviel and employ their special skills to help you achieve your goals.

  Inquisitor, the latest and greatest addition to Legends of Norrath, features 250-plus cards including new units, avatars, abilities, items, and loot. Get the scoop on all the new features here. Then head over to the Design & Strategy Articles forum where you'll find great articles on Inquisitor by the LoN game designers.

  Starting today and running through the weekend, the Tournaments Lobby will be hosting Release Events. Each player will receive one random Inquisitor Starter Deck and 3 Inquisitor Booster packs to build their tournament deck. Each participant will also receive a Burynai Rockshaper (3P2) digital promo card! Please see the Events Calendar for details. Don't miss it!

• Gary Gygax, co-creator of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game has passed away today. We here at Sony Online Entertainment count ourselves amongst the millions of people influenced by this mans ideas, dreams, and hard work. Many of our games are a part of the grand legacy of fantasy worlds inspired by our first steps into the lands of Greyhawk, Krynn, Toril, and countless others, made possible by Gary’s game.

  In his lifetime, Gygax was the creative mind behind not just the Dungeons & Dragons gaming system, but a host of other fantasy role-play systems such as Dangerous Journeys, Lejendary Adventures, and more. He lived and worked as a game designer, novelist, editor, businessman, gamer, and husband and father.

  Over the years Gary has received numerous awards for his contribution to the gaming industry including entry into the Origin's 'Adventure Gaming Hall of Fame,' tying with J. R. R. Tolkien on GameSpy's '30 Most Influential People in Gaming' list in 2002, as well as serving as the Premiere Guest of Honor at Gen Con in 2007.

  From the beginning of the RPG industry to his very last days, Gary has continued to contribute to a wealth of games and supplements that can be found in game shops everywhere.

  Our condolences go out to the Gygax family, and to all our fellow gamers with the passing of this gaming legend. Thank you Gary, for your work and influence over the years.

  

  Gary Gygax at Gen Con Indy 2007
  Source: Wikipedia

• Beginning at 9am PST/5pm GMT on Tuesday, March 4, 2008 all SOE Account and Commerce flow, the Station Store and the CSG Store with be unavailable for the purpose of adding Payer Authentication (Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode Programs).

  We expect this maintenance to take approximately 4 hours. During this maintenance period game servers will still be accessible. Please watch the forums for further updates regarding this maintenance.

  We apologize for this interruption and will resume the affected services as soon as the maintenance is completed.

• Every Friday the Community Team gets together in an SOE game for some (fun) competition and to experience the games from a player point of view. Now's your chance to get us into Stargate! Vote for Stargate Online and make us all step through the Star Gate looking for Jack O'Neill!

• by Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  STOP ME... IF YOU CAN!

  Hello again everyone and welcome to the 14th installment of the Unofficial Card of the Week series. Yep, it has been that many. For four months I have shared my ideas, experience, deck designs, possible deck ideas, card combinations and everything else I have in mind with you through these articles. As I am doing this freely and just simply because I love the game, your support was and still is the most important motivation for me. There were even times when I decided to quit writing. Thanks to your support, here I am.

  These articles, the Unofficial Card of the Week articles, are written by a player for the players. This is very important in my opinion, and it's also the meaning of "unofficial" anyway. So unlike most official stuff, you the reader, can always tell me what you want to read next. PM me finished decklists, raw deck ideas, card ideas, combos, cards you have questions about, anything else going on in the SGO world... I mean anything. I'll try to do my best to answer them here in this weekly column.

  This week, we will talk about this card:

  
  
  

  So far, I have talked about many cards to use in many decks, designed for many different formats. But until now, I haven't talked about one format; SL-Only format. Even though there are no such tournaments anymore, at least not scheduled ones, I will still try to give you some insight about the format and talk about a proven strategy.

  First of all; SL-Only means System Lords Only. In this format you can only play with cards from the System Lords set. In other words, no cards from the SG-1 set are allowed. So no Harsh Conditions, no Osiris or Tabloid Research.

  Well, we all know the power of Jack O'Neill-based decks. Even though such a deck is not very popular in Standard Constructed currently, there are still some other formats in which you can play a deck build around him and hope to win. SL-Only is such a format.

  In SL-Only, there are 3 powerful decks; skip culture Jack decks, Villain Win decks and fast skip combat Pacifist decks that use Daria Voronkova. If I remember correctly, I lost to such a Pacifist deck played by Thorval in the final and he won the very first SL-Only tournament. And I was victorious in the second as well as the last SL-Only tournament with my Jack deck.

  Here's the team I played:
  Jack O'Neill, Optimist
  Tolinev, Russian Lieutenant
  Barber, SG-5 Lieutenant
  Samantha Carter, Mathematics Wizard

  For mission manipulation I used Anatole Konstantinov. Even though he's not Walter Harriman, he got the job done. For adversary control I used Turn the Tables as well as T'akaya, and to boost my team characters I had Teamwork. Even though the deck looked like a weak copy of my old Standard Constructed version of Jack deck, the real secret here was Stoicism.

  Many may think of Stoicism as a Sense of Adventure variant. This is not fully correct however. Here's a demonstration for you which explains the reason:

  
  
  

  During the previous mission, my opponent defended very well and I had to assign all my team characters as well as all my support characters to complete the mission. He spent all his power in the meantime. I continued. The next mission is Avert Bombing as you see. I'm not using its gametext because I have a Stoicism in hand and enough power to play it. And look what happens then:

  
  
  

  Voila! See? With zero power, all my opponent could do is sit and watch. That's definately not something you can do with Sense of Adventure which also costs 4 power to play.

  And I think you also now understand why I was so successful in SL-Only tournaments. I was simply unstoppable thanks to Stoicism. There were many times, when I completed a mission with Tolinev and Jack or Tolinev and Barber and some support characters. Then I moved on, played a Stoicism and suddenly all my team characters were ready to assign while my opponent had only very limited (if any) power left.

  And a side note: You don't have to have three copies of Stoicism in your deck thanks to this mission:

  
  
  

  Gather Intelligence works as a third(or second) copy of Stoicism and it has also the Libra glyph which is one of the glyphs on Jack.

  And one final thing: I used Stoicism in a deck that only had one Russian team character and it worked very well for me. It could do wonders if you play it, for example, in a deck that has Daniel Jackson, Veteran Traveller and Daria Voronkova and at least one other Russian team character. Of course I'm talking about SL-Only format here.

  By the way, it is true that there are no official SL-Only tournaments anymore. But that doesn't mean at all that we can't play the format. If someone would organize such an event, I'd love to participate (even though I shared all my secrets here with everyone!).

  Okay dear readers, that'll be all for this week. As I said, please do tell me what you want me to write about next. Although I have still some topics in mind I'd like to talk about, I'm always open to suggestions.

  And thanks for reading.

  See you online
  Nafiz Erman, aka LordErman

  PS: In front of you all, I would like to thank to SOE but especially Minerva for giving me the opportunity to reach everyone with my articles from the front page. Thank you again Minerva.

  Discuss this article in the forums.

• To provide our customers with increased credit card security, Sony Online Entertainment will be partnering with Visa and MasterCard. In a few weeks SOE will add Verified by Visa and MasterCard Secure to our Station store purchase flow.

  Q. How will this affect an SOE customer?

  A. When adding new subscriptions, changing a subscription or purchasing software from the station store you, the customer, will be prompted to join Verified by Visa or MasterCard Secure. An application will pop up and prompt you to join the security program.

  Q. How much does it cost to join Verified by Visa or MasterCard secure?

  A. It is completely free to join Visa and MasterCard's security for online purchases.

  Q. Why should I give Sony Online entertainment my personal information?

  A. The information requested for these programs is not stored on any SOE servers. These programs are provided by Visa and MasterCard. Only Visa and MasterCard will retain the information you provide for your security.

  When accessing the Verified by Visa and MasterCard sign up page, please enter all requested information. This is a secure site and only Visa or MasterCard will have your information. After you have signed up for the security program, you will need to login again to verify that the card has been secured.

• 
  
  

  Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) today announced a progressive new scholarship program with The Art Institutes designed to educate and recruit more women into the video game industry. The official SOE G.I.R.L. -- Gamers In Real Life -- scholarship is the first of its kind with The Art Institutes to encourage students toward career paths in the creative and applied arts, ultimately resulting in the development of games that are more interesting for women to play. Read the full article at Earthtime.org and learn more about this scholarship program.

• SOE is currently looking to fill several intern positions on various teams. An internship at SOE is a prearranged learning experience designed to place students on a project that is relevant to their academic and professional goals. Interns will work as part of a team with people from many professional backgrounds while testing their skills working on a project. A mentor will be assigned to each intern, who will provide continual guidance and feedback until completion of the internship.

  These are paid part-time positions (approximately 9 weeks in length) that provide invaluable real-work experience and offer students an opportunity to grow both professionally and personally as well as make tremendous networks for future career opportunities.

  See all the intern positions SOE has available by going to SOE Career Opportunities.

• Monday February 18, 2008 Technical and Account/Billing staffing will be limited to Chat and email support. Please visit the support site at http://www.station.sony.com/en/support/ to submit your inquiries.

  Phone Support will resume on Tuesday, February 19th from 10am to 7pm.

  Thank you!

  SOE Customer Support Team

• by Evan "Heimlich" Lorentz, Game Designer at SOE Denver

  
  
  

  Skaara presented an interesting dilemma for the designers to discuss. Though a hero character, he spent more episodes of the SG-1 television series "possessed" by the Goa'uld Klorel. This led to the question of exactly how this situation should be treated.

  Some thought was given to the approach taken on Mark Devlin (and later used again on Brian Vogler), of having a single card act as a character on your turn and an adversary on your opponent's turn. This option was dismissed fairly quickly, however, since something about it implied a "back and forth" relationship between Skaara and Klorel that wasn't really very accurate.

  Once it was decided the two should be separate cards, the question was whether or not to have them specifically interact with each other in any way. Should Skaara be automatically destroyed or "suppressed" somehow if the villain player played Klorel? This idea was also dismissed, because while it captured the story well, it wasn't great for gameplay -- it would always make playing Skaara a bit of a risk for the hero player.

  As you know, the ultimate decision was to "do nothing" to specifically cover the Skaara/Klorel story. The assumption was that there could be many possible "story" explanations for the situation, should anyone find it odd. Skaara could be secretly possessed by a Goa'uld without the team's knowledge, apparently acting in the hero player's interest, but sometimes acting for the villain. He could be wearing one of the Goa'uld suppression devices depicted in the 3rd season episode "Pretense," which alternately allowed either the host or the Goa'uld to speak and act. Or perhaps one of the two crossed over from an alternate reality, as we saw characters do in episodes from "There But for the Grace of God" to "Point of View" to "The Road Not Taken."

  Discuss this card in the forums.

• On Monday, February 11, 2008 from approximately 3:45pm PST until 4:45 pm PST, all SOE forums will be down for maintenance. The downtime is planned for only one hour.

• John Smedley, President of Sony Online Entertainment, is back for another installment in his regular blog. In this edition, he shares details about SOE's fight with combating fraud and the solutions being implemented in the near future.

  Click here to read the Station Blog!

• 
  
  

  Due to some changes in hotel choices for Fan Faire the poll has been changed. Alas when changes are made to the polls the current votes are reset. Instead of resetting the current poll we will have a brand new poll for you to vote on.

  We love seeing the enthusiasm of our communities when it comes to Fan Faire! We apologize for the inconvenience running a new poll may cause, however it is only fair to give you the chance to select your favorite date and location from the new choices.

  What could possibly beat last year's Fan Faire in Las Vegas, NV? You tell us! The time has come to pick a new location and as always, we want your opinion. Go here to vote on potential cities, dates and costs for Fan Faire 2008. You have 14 days to give us your two cents and help determine where the next great event will be held – so vote now!

  What is a Fan Faire?

  The SOE Fan Faire is a Sony Online Entertainment-sponsored event designed to allow players the chance not only to meet one another, but also many of the more prominent SOE personalities. It's a great opportunity to meet the real people behind the online avatars and the game itself. Though attendees will have plenty of opportunity to mingle freely with one another and make new friends, they'll also have the chance to participate in a number of panel discussions and game-themed live events.

  When and where are the Fan Faire events held?

  Fan Faire events are held in various regions throughout the U.S. and occur annually. We try to choose locations that will accommodate as many players as possible.

• by Evan "Heimlich" Lorentz, Game Designer at SOE Denver

  
  
  

  Though the heavy makeup might make it hard for some people to tell, the character of Chaka was actually played by two different actors in the three episodes in which he appeared. Dion Johnstone, who appeared in various makeups in 9 episodes, originated the role in the episode "The First Ones," and returned to it in "Beast of Burden." This is arguably the more "quintessential" Chaka, and had been the preferred designer choice for the card's image.

  The trouble was, the space in the SG-1 set intended for Chaka really needed to be filled by a character who could have both Combat and Culture skills, which didn't suit this "first Chaka" quite as well. Though he did establish a friendship with Daniel Jackson in the course of these episodes, one could argue (pretty convincingly) that this was more of a testament to Daniel's Culture (diplomatic) skills than Chaka's.

  The Chaka of the third episode, "Enemy Mine," was a different story. In that episode, Daniel and the rest of SG-1 specifically approached him to act as a negotiator. It was a much easier fit for what the card needed to do mechanically, even though it meant using a different image that wasn't the "original" Chaka. You may be surprised to learn that this second actor, Patrick Currie, also made multiple appearances on episodes of Stargate SG-1, most recognizably as the human-form Replicator, Fifth.

  Of course, the fact that Chaka's character did grow and change in his different appearances does easily open up the possibility of doing a different version of the character card in a future set -- one that can feature an image of the other actor.

  Discuss this card in the forums.

• Due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, there will be limited Customer Service staffing on Monday, January 21. We appreciate your patience and understanding for any delays you may experience.

• 
  
  The year is 1720 and the New World is on fire.

  England, France, and Spain have unleashed their forces on the Caribbean. Naval officers captain massive warships through bloody engagements at sea. Freetraders charge through blockades and smuggle the war material needed to conquer the enemy's ports. Privateers raid enemy shipping, looting ships of their treasure and rival nations of their glory.

  Through it all sail the Pirates. Bloody, bold, and resolute, they serve no flag and heed no king. They live free, fight hard, and obey only fate.

   In Pirates of the Burning Sea you choose your destiny! 
  
  

  Blistering Naval Combat - Maneuver your ship in real time, turning one way to unleash a broadside and then cutting back to guard your damaged armor.

  Savage Swashbuckling - Our swashbuckling system is something you've never seen in an MMO before.

  PvP-Conquerable World - The Caribbean of 1720 is home to many dozens of ports belonging to the three great powers: Britain, France, and Spain. Each port is a valuable source of goods, equipment, and mission patrons.

  Sophisticated Missions - Our mission system gives you a starring role in your own epic. Each player accumulates a personal supporting cast of NPCs, including old enemies, new friends, lost loves, and treacherous allies.

  Dramatic Avatars - You don't have to look like everyone else. Our avatars are built with sixteen customizable slots. Choose hair, faces, footwear, hands, coats, hats, belts, jewelry, and much more.

  Action For Every Play Style - Whether your interest is in ship combat, piracy, commercial trading, or adventure, you have a role to play, and all your adventures take place in a dramatic world of conflict and change.

  Subscription Fees

  The Pirates of the Burning Sea does have a monthly subscription. The fees are as follows:

  • 1 month subscription: $14.99
  • 3 month subscription: $41.99
  • 6 month subscription: $77.99
  • 12 month subscription: $143

  Pirates of the Burning Sea is also included in the SOE Station Access subscription. A Station Access subscription will give you access to Pirates of the Burning Sea as well as: EverQuest®, EverQuest® II, PlanetSide®, Star Wars Galaxies™, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes™, The Matrix Online and EverQuest® Online Adventures™. Full access Station Access is available for a recurring monthly subscription price of $29.99/month (plus applicable sales taxes, if any).

  To learn more about Pirates of the Burning Sea, visit http://www.burningsea.com/.
  To learn more about Station Access read this article.

• What is Station Access?
  
        
  
  

  Station Access is an account subscription option offered to customers who want to subscribe to more than one of the SOE premium games and grants players access to EverQuest®, PlanetSide®, EverQuest® Online Adventures™ for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, EverQuest® Macintosh Edition, EverQuest® II, Star Wars Galaxies™, The Matrix Online, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes™ and Pirates of the Burning Sea.

  Full access Station Access is available for the low monthly subscription price of $29.99/month (plus applicable sales taxes, if any). The Station Access subscription fee is a recurring charge (just as current individual game subscription account charges), which means that SOE may charge your credit card each subscription period unless and until you cancel. Station Access subscriptions can be paid for with a valid credit card or debit card with the Visa or MasterCard logo. In addition to the fees described above, if you are a resident of a country or territory within the European Union, you will also be charged a value-added tax (VAT) equal to 17.5% of the applicable fee.

  Each Station Access subscription may only apply to a single account. You must sign up for a Station Access subscription for each account separately. Also, while you have access to all games as listed above, you can only play one game at a time per Station Access account (e.g. You can not run PlanetSide on one machine or in one window, EverQuest on another machine or in another window, both on the same Station Access account).

  With a Station Access subscription you will receive:
  

  Access to your favorite SOE Premium games - A Station Access subscription will give you access to your favorite live online games including: EverQuest® II, EverQuest®, PlanetSide®, Star Wars Galaxies™, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes™, The Matrix Online and EverQuest® Online Adventures™.

  Additional Character Slots - Receive additional character slots for Vanguard: Saga of Heroes (4 slots), EverQuest II (5 slots) and EverQuest (2 slots).

  Bonus Adventure Packs - Expand your adventures in EverQuest II with three Adventure Packs: The Bloodline Chronicles; The Splitpaw Saga; and The Fallen Dynasty, all included at no additional cost with a Station Access™ subscription once you have been subscribed to Station Access™ for at least two months.

  Casual Strategy game Packs & Starter Decks - Launch your pirate fleet with two game packs for the Pirates Constructible Strategy Game™ Online, as well as one of the four starter decks (randomly selected) from both the Stargate™ Online Trading Card Game and the Star Chamber game and a starter deck for Legends of Norrath: Oathbound.

  Newsletter - Sign-up for the Station Access newsletter for exclusive offers, featured content, SOE news and more!

  Standard features of Station Players™ - The Station Access subscription includes access to some of the standard features of Station Players™ for EverQuest, EverQuest II and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes but does not include access to the premium features of the Station Players service.

  A Station Access subscription does not include the software for the games themselves. You must purchase the software at retail or via a digital download and register a valid account key for each game/expansion you wish to play. For example, if you sign an account up for Station Access service but you have only bought EverQuest and PlanetSide, that account will not be able to play EverQuest Online Adventures unless and until you purchase a copy of EverQuest Online Adventures. A Station Access subscription also does not include subscription services for non-SOE published titles, such as certain versio