Oh…ooooh…What a Revoltin’ Development This Is
by Drew “Darth Weasel” Barton
Raw Deal Staff Writer
darthweasel@hotmail.com

The Life of Riley was originally a radio show and later a television show that followed Chester A. Riley through escapades that, to put it politely, at times stretched the bounds of credibility. Riley typically misinterpreted a situation and believed it to be far worse than it was. In the climax of the episode he would learn that whatever negative situation he feared was about to occur was actually resolving itself favorably in classic sitcom style. At that point he would exclaim, “Oh….ooooh, what a revoltin’ development this is” as feared disasters turned into situations ranging from merely acceptable all the way up to triumphant.

In one typical episode entitled “Layoffs” Riley overhears his boss talking about layoffs and also hears himself mentioned as one of the employees getting 2 weeks. This episode is set shortly after the conclusion of World War II, so jobs are scarce and this is a disaster that threatens the health and wellbeing of his family. The episode revolves around Riley commiserating with various friends and neighbors about what he should do. For those with a dark sense of humor, the weekly encounters with “Digby O Dell, the friendly undertaker” are quite entertaining. As “Layoffs” comes to the culmination of the episode Riley confronts his boss about his upcoming job loss. The reveal then occurs…he is indeed receiving 2 weeks, but the 2 weeks is actually 2 weeks vacation. Across the nation hundreds of thousands of people instantly echoed the predictable “Oh….ooooh what a revoltin’ development this is” as Riley learned his worries were misplaced.

About this point you are probably wondering what this has to do with Raw Deal. I am going to argue that to some extent the Raw Deal online community has been living the Life of Riley. Bits and pieces of information about the next set, the aptly titled “Revolution”, have been setting the various boards afire with conversation. A great deal of the conversation has been somewhat worried about the quality and effects of the upcoming set.

Worries have ranged from the game becoming too complicated to the game having too many mechanics to the game being unfriendly to old players and more. The natures of the Internet and of rumors have combined to create at times an atmosphere that keeps deepening the fears.

Perhaps the most-cited fears have revolved around Revolution being a new game that invalidates all the cards purchased previously. The thought process seems to typically be people assuming All Axxess will fall by the wayside and players will be forced to either play Revolution or not play at all. (Note: this is a conglomeration of things I have read and is not referencing any one person or sight; it is to be understood in the same way historians discuss the “movements” of history such as the Enlightenment…you will never find any one person who explicitly stated the tenets generally accepted as being what society was teaching and believing but you will find those elements spread across various writings and recorded actions. I cannot stress enough that this is not meant to slight or invalidate anyone’s feelings as I believe it is of great value to have a variety of thoughts and opinions on various subjects. I include this caveat because I have somewhat of a history of having people misunderstand what I am attempting to communicate and want to make sure no person, website, or group feels they are singled out, attacked, or demeaned in any way.)

As the set has been spoiled more and more people seem to be changing their point of view. To be sure there are still some, including some rather high profile individuals, who still believe the direction of the set is negative. There are also numerous people who, as they receive more information, have come to appreciate some parts of Revolution both as a stand alone format and as a fresh take on All Axxess and Afterburn.

There prove to be several cards that can easily prove to be staples in either of the older formats. For example, look at this card:

72/130
Previously Unannounced Match
Pre-match: Event
The maximum number of Mid-match your opponent may have in his Ring is equal to the number of Pre-match you have in your Ring.

Here is a card that can work well for many deck styles. Take Technical Lashley for example. Currently a lot of Technical Lashley builds revolve around the card First of All to invalidate Backlash deck reversals. This results in a fearsome engine that can easily end the game in just one turn if the opponent has no appropriate Reversal in hand. Now Lashley has a second option that grants him more flexibility in the Pre-match phase. Instead of letting his opponent do whatever they wish, now Lashley can pack a toolbox Pre-Match and perhaps play only one or two cards in the Pre-match. Once he has lured his opponent into playing their one or two mid-match he has essentially created a First of All situation, albeit more beneficial to himself as he can play Mid-match reversals himself.

Another, perhaps more generally useful card would be…well, I shall call it Mini-Batista.

79/130
Underestimate the Competition
Pre-match: Event
Overturn 8 cards.
Your opponent’s non-unique Reversals deal no damage.

For the inconsequential cost of 8 cards, a cost people have grown accustomed to after facing Backstage Ambush, Run the Gauntlet, You Will Respect Me and so forth for years now, people no longer need fear the pain Reversal decks that generate their target Fortitude and then attempt to win the game by reversing every card thrown with Reversals that do damage. If you never play a single game of the Revolution format, here is a card that fits into All Axxess and Afterburn seamlessly to create a more open playing environment that encourages a more interactive game.

For aggressive players the AA and AB environments have just received an influx of cards reminiscent of Boot Lace, German Suplex (T), Precision Sleeper, Atomic Lariat, Atomic Kneedrop and Spinning Toe Hold; maneuvers with a high likelihood of being successful due to the difficulty of reversing them. Many of them have nice secondary effects ranging from recursion to search to discards for the opponent.

At the same time I would argue control players get some nice new toys as well. The Antics include cheap, difficult to reverse recursion, cheap, attainable mass discard, card drawing, and access to the Ringside pile that will be very difficult to stop. While most Control decks do not reach 15 Fortitude, they often have ways to play cards of that Fortitude level and there are numerous ways they can get Antics down to shift the game in their favor. It is not just play styles that have gotten a boost, however.

The set, in my personal opinion, provides a very nice boost for some out of print Superstars such as Edge & Christian (E&C) and the APA. Go back and take a look at the Maneuvers and Reversals that force the player who played them to discard. Then wipe the drool off your E&C cards as they have their biggest boost since the release of Back to Basics; cards with a high likelihood of being played successfully that give a benefit to the underplayed E&C. Judicious combining with the Blindsides could potentially revive E&C as a fun deck to play. The APA, as several people have pointed out, finally has a set of cards that function as Actions they have access to in the Antics.

Now that the set has been completely spoiled there is a shifting tide of opinion. It is unfortunate that some people do not like the set but it has been a pleasure to see the opinions of many more people change to a tone of optimism and excitement.

Much like the listeners to The Life of Riley the people who have had the benefit of knowing the full story…that Revolution is 2 weeks vacation, not a 2 weeks notice, the positive tide of recent opinion has led to an “Oh…ooooh what a revoltin’ development this is” as much of the online community has figured out Revolution is going to be a fun expansion that gives options for building Fortitude, having a more interactive play experience, and trying out many new strategies.

So I would encourage you to look at the spoilers as a bit of a Life of Riley episode. When there was partial information it might have had a look you did not like but after seeing all the information it is possible you too will look back, see things that make this look like one of the most entertaining sets ever as Fortitude should be sticking and a lot of fun new strategies open up. I’d unleash another “revoltin” blast but it is time for me to be…shoveling on.

You can listen to it (mistitled as “Life with Riley”) here: http://www.freeotrshows.com/otr/l/Life_Of_Riley.html
Okay, so other than Phillip “Fullur” Barton, I am the only on who gets that joke…I assure you it was funny.