Vacuum

Alert

VacuumBorderless

Destroy

Type

Power to Suck

Sucks Others’ Ships into the Warp

Whenever your ship(s) are destroyed, use this power to ravage ships owned by other aliens, up to the number of your destroyed ships. Choose how many ships from each alien get ravaged.

Legacy: Ravage eight ships from each remaining player.

A self-destructive race with bizarre biology, the Vacuums live by the creed of eye for an eye. When faced with destruction, they can warp their bodies into miniature black holes, which pull in and destroy whatever opposes them. Most aliens avoid fighting them outright since they suck so much.

Any: Any

Mandatory

Wild Flare

After any contact, you may discharge this flare to revive one ship for each revealed brigade.

Any: Contact

Super Flare

When using your power, you may discharge this flare to snipe the ships you suck instead of ravaging them.

Any: Any

Modifications

  • Changed power name to the power to “suck” instead of the power of “catharsis”, restoring the more thematic power name from the CEO version.
  • Vacuum’s legacy invokes a one-time large-scale ship destruction effect, sending a great number of ships to the warp. This can cause an elimination cascade, where one elimination causes more. Be wary of eliminating Vacuum if you’re low on ships. Original Cosmic has no legacies.

Tips

  • Vacuum has a lot of options available to it when it comes to using its power. Since it has so much flexibility when it comes to destroying ships, it can choose to focus down a specific target exclusively or divide its damage among the main threats. Using its power, it can usually ensure that no one has an empty warp pocket if it desires.
  • If Vacuum hates you, you’ll want them to lose as few ships as possible. Avoid making yourself a target or keep your ships stockpiled.
  • Use warp keys wisely. Vacuum is most powerful when ship counts get low. Lost ships can be revived, but lost bases are much more destructive.
  • Beware of Vacuum if you’re acting as an alien such as Gambler or Amoeba that benefits from ship advantage. Aliens like Zombie or Masochist can worry about it less.

Development Notes

  • Vacuum works differently between the FFG version and the CEO version. In CEO, Vacuum can stockpile its lost ships, allowing it to deliver one “super suck” toward the very end of the game and destroy one player entirely. This causes a problem because it deprives another alien of choice if pulled off, as the only counter to it is zapping Vacuum. It is especially troublesome in my version, where aliens are eliminated if they lose all their ships. It’s possible to reduce this by allowing Vacuum to only be able to suck their opponent, making it possible for Vacuum to wait too long and get no benefit, but I prefer the additional choice offered by the FFG version.
  • Vacuum’s legacy is a one-time effect, but it can apply at the start of the match just as easily as later, making it a valid legacy.
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