Lightning

Alert

LightningBorderless

Invasion

Control

Type

Power to Strike

Cancels Invasions and Prepares Ambushes

When not the invader, after a successful invasion, you may use this power to destroy the invader’s flagships. If you get zapped or do not use this power, place a “charge” in your nexus.

At the end of any invasion, you may scrap 3 charges from your nexus to ambush the invader or defender of the invasion.

Legacy: An invader’s flagship is destroyed after the first invasion.

Bound to their mysterious space clouds, these recluse beings have only been witnessed by a handful of races that still exist today. Only glimpsed, never observed, they have charged up their energy in secret for millennia and are now poised to strike at the heart of the Cosmos. Let it be known that when Lightning strikes, it does so much more than twice.

Not Invader: Encounter

Optional

Wild Flare

During the warpfall of another invader’s second invasion, you may discharge this flare to draft 3 pods.

Not Invader: Warpfall

Super Flare

When gaining a charge, you may discharge this flare to gain an additional charge.

Invader: Contact

Modifications

  • Original Lightning uses the power of “Speed.”
  • Original Lightning’s power does not destroy flagships or end encounters. It simply gets the charges when second encounters happen. With my version, I wanted to add an engaging choice for the Lightning player to make that isn’t overly punishing to the other players. Negating second invasions is an interesting design space that no other alien touches, and it fits with the theme of their flagship being zapped by a lightning bolt.
  • Original Lightning does not get charges when zapped. I like the theming of lightning charging up from the zap and the tradeoff of being able to get your second encounter by giving Lightning a charge.
  • Lightning’s Super Flare originally gets double charges from using its power, rather than from not using it, since my version gets charges from not using the effect. 
  • Lightning’s legacy shortens turns for all aliens, preventing the offense from winning two invasions in a row to sweep the game. Aliens like Mite and Bandit that gain advantage from having more turns as invader can benefit from this legacy. Original Cosmic has no legacies.

Tips

  • Lightning only has the chance to gain charges when an alien wins the first invasion, either through combat or a deal. Lightning can end an alien’s turn prematurely or it can help them win two consecutive invasions and gain two charges.
  • Lightning has little point to destroy an invader’s flagship after a second invasion, unless they have remaining fuel. The turn would end either way, so they would just be losing a charge for no reason.
  • In order to gain more invasions, Lightning has to balance when to use one half of its power and when to use the other. Allowing its allies to have more invasions gives it more turns as an ally and can even make other aliens more friendly toward it. Indiscriminately striking everyone would allow Lightning to be the only one to have two consecutive invasions, but everyone might turn on Lightning and make it difficult to win.
  • Lightning does not gain charges when acting as the invader, making it more risky to invite allies. Winning with too many allies will shorten the length of the game, reducing Lightning’s chance to gain more encounters.

Development Notes

  • Destruction of the flagship was specifically utilized instead of the abstract “turn end” effect in order to make both Lightning and Machine work in the same game naturally. Lightning can destroy Machine’s flagship whether it wins or loses in order to force it to burn through resources faster. Or it can farm charges off Machine by letting it take multiple turns in a row. On the flip side, Machine isn’t helpless and effectively negated as a power just because Lightning is in play, and Lightning isn’t necessarily incentivized to strike Machine unless the automaton starts nearing the finish line.
  • Lightning is another alien that takes advantage of my “ambush” keyword that Invader uses. Lightning, Machine, and Invader all fall into the same category of “more invasions” aliens. Lightning is unique in the sense that it’s the only one that reduces the number of invasions for other aliens, while also getting the chance to obtain its own. Invader gets more invasions than Lightning on average, limited by destiny, while Lightning is limited by how much other invaders win. Machine can theoretically have more invasions than both of them, but it could also have much fewer if its hand is restricted or is attacked by compensation tactics.
  • In a normal 5-alien match, each alien needs 5 bases to win. Excluding the game-winning base and Lightning as the 5th alien, that would be 4 bases for 4 aliens, or 16 potential charges maximum. This number will actually be much less on average due to aliens getting bases through allied wins, but even 8 or 9 charges will still give Lightning the ability to have 2-3 extra invasions. 
Back to My Aliens