Vortex
Alert
Resource
Control
Info
Type
Power to Swirl
Swirls Pods Around
As a leader, after arrival, you may use this power and choose either “left” or “right.” Each alien must gift their cache to their neighbor in the chosen direction.
Legacy: Whenever a hazard manifests, each alien gifts their cache to the alien to their left neighbor.
Mimicking the swirling planets and stars of a solar system, the Vortexes wield centrifugal motion to turn the tide of battle in their favor. They are also capable of spining around really fast without getting dizzy.
Leader: Arrival
Optional
Wild Flare
As a leader, after arrival, you may discharge this flare. Each alien gifts a pod in their cache to their left neighbor. You may gift your neighbor this flare.
Leader: Arrival
Super Flare
After using your power, you may discharge this flare to use your power again.
Leader: Arrival
Modifications
- The original power name is Dervish. Changed the theme to merge together this power’s theme with Whirligig, which I also intend to modify.
- Originally the power to whirl. Changed to swirl to better fit the image of water swirling around.
- Original Wild Vortex can exchange caches with another alien when acting as defender. Modified to make the effect more of a weaker form of Vortex’s base power.
- Original Super Vortex is a burnout flare that receives a free foreign base when its wild flare is passed to it via its own power. Changed to avoid burnout super flares and better fit my version of the power.
- Vortex’s legacy invokes Vortex’s power to the left whenever a hazard manifests. It invokes the effect fairly frequently but also unpredictably, making it difficult to gauge when it is “safe” to gain pods as boons. It greatly hurts aliens that specialize in gaining pods, since they will only be rewarding their neighbor if they cannot use them immediately. Aliens like Healer and Outlaw are less incentivized to use their power. Ninja and Porcupine are incentivized to scrap good pods to stop their neighbor from getting them. Every alien is incentivized to use their best pod as quickly as possible. Original Cosmic has no legacies.
Tips
- With Vortex in play, every alien’s cache is in danger of being snatched away at any time, even more than when Trader is involved. Gaining pods can be a fruitless endeavor since you might just be earning them for someone else.
- Vortex can more easily “mulligan” its cache exchange than Trader can by rotating one way and then back the other way the next time it can use its power.
- Vortex will not be as tempted to use its power if it has a strong cache. Consider inviting it as a backward if you also have a cache you want to keep to help stack up its hand advantage.
- Vortex can render compensation a fool’s errand, especially if Vortex itself is targeted.
Development Notes
- I modified Vortex to always affect everyone for the purpose of consistency. One of original Vortex’s biggest weaknesses is that it lacks control over whose cache it receives and who gets its original cache. The power is criticized for being too chaotic and derivative of Trader. It is actually the same power as Trader if neither side has sponsors, whereas it is a much different power if everyone is at risk at all times.
- Vortex is perhaps the most punishing alien towards aliens that specialize in gaining pods. While it doesn’t make the powers unusable, it does demand that Vortex is leader-only, preventing it from using its power too often but still letting it use it often enough to be notable. Vortex may abstain from using its power if it finds its current pods valuable, so aliens that want to keep their caches may be able to appeal to Vortex to keep it in line. Depending on its opponents, Vortex might be able to gain more power from not using its power.
- Trader is the most comparable alien to Vortex, aside from Whirligig of the Dominion Galaxy. While Trader exchanges caches with the alien directly in front of it, Vortex will always trade with its neighbors. Vortex can play this intelligently when matched up against one of its neighbors by gifting its opponent its own cache, giving it information of its opponent’s cache without the opponent knowing anything about the new cache it received. Vortex can gain more of an advantage through memory, similar to Mind. Though it is not as powerful as Mind, it can gain information much faster than Trader if it so chooses. Trader has the advantage of getting to swap with a specific alien instead of being limited to left and right neighbors. If Vortex wants a particular cache, it might need to swirl many times, especially if there are 6-8 aliens in a match. Trader can also always gift the opponent its own cache, whereas Vortex can only sometimes employ such a strategy.
- The original power name Dervish takes a different approach to the theme. It is based around a Muslim order known for wild dancing and whirling. The alien power ropes others into the dance, getting them to exchange caches if they are participating in the encounter. I think the theme works better for the original version of the power that specifically targets actors. Vortex feels more all-encompassing, always targeting everyone like a force of nature.
- A vortex is a cool-sounding synonym for a whirlpool, which was another potential name for this power. It is similar in concept to a black hole, but it is less impossible to escape. Unlike a whirlpool, a vortex doesn’t strictly require liquid, and I wanted there to be less crossover with Tide. Anything trapped in a vortex will swirl around and around, unable to escape. It fits the mechanical power rather well.