Thor, Donald Blake
Cost 8
Asgardians
Visible
20/19
Flight/Range
Game Text: Whenever Thor stuns an opposing character, you may discard your hand. If you do, stun each character with cost equal to the cost of a card discarded this way.
Flavor Text: “Son of Odin, God of Thunder; who commands the lightning and the storm. I am Thor!”
Illus: Oliver Coipel
MUN-247

It’s been awhile, almost too long since we have seen Thor in the Versus System TCG and I want to take my time in breaking this card down for new players and old players alike. I really want to define the flavor of this card and its version for the old players and put it into perspective for the new ones. This card definitely deserves to be reviewed with justice. Basically, I want to do what Darkseid Revenge is known for and that is bringing the source material to the card. First though I know what everyone wants to know about and that’s the Game Text, what does Thor do as an 8-cost character card?

Thor’s ability really has to be taken into context. First let me point out the flavor and why the heavy cost of discarding your hand. When Thor or Odin would exert this kind of power they had to enter a sleep state in order to restore that power, during this Thorsleep (new fans) or Odinsleep (old fans) the lords of Asgard were highly susceptible to attack. Thor is smart enough in his new series to take into account this vulnerability by having a coffin built that will protect him in this Thorsleep. It is as if there is a reservoir and that reservoir of power can be tapped for amazing feats, but has to be refilled, and the cost is usually high for tapping into that power.

No more evident is this than when Thor chose to awake all of the Asgardians from their mortal forms in the new series (Thor #6) and falls to the Earth like a rock exhausted from this feat. Discarding an entire hand in order to stun your opponents board is not such a bad thing when you look at the possible rewards and mix that with flavor. That the card gives you the option is even better. I would hate if you had to discard your hand any time you stunned a character.


Okay so now let’s talk about the power and let me point out one thing first and foremost:

***THERE IS NO USE OF THE WORD TARGET***

I point this out because every card we have received thus far everyone has been so quick to say Pathetic Attempt beats that because of the “TARGET” word. It’s becoming as if that is a cuss word in our game. Well now we have a card that Pathetic Attempt doesn’t beat, there is no targeting at all, so PA isn’t getting around Thor, Batman isn’t stopping Thor, there is little to stop Thor when he is determined and this card shows it. Next, notice that there is no conditional phase use, it doesn’t say defender or attacker, and the card doesn’t have any conditions, which makes the effect great on and off initiative.

On initiative this card is great simply because if you attack into the opposing 8 cost character you can stun the opponent’s entire board. Off initiative the card still works because your opponent has to ensure that whatever character they send into Thor has is not stunned as the attack concludes. Even if your opponent attacks him last it still doesn’t guarantee that their board isn’t stunned in return, which could be crucial in close games, especially in limited play.

*Editorial Note: An over sight by myself was the "each character" in the game text, so excited about the effect that i failed to see this will affect your characters as well. This card definitely works on initiative for its controller better than it does off initiative that taken into account. Thanks CS Spud for the quick eyes. Thor is the new Black Bolt with a associated card cost, he is a last man standing type effect. Still a very powerful and far-reaching destructive effect.

Now, keep in mind that I am not saying this effect will trigger every game. We barely make it to turn 8 in a lot of competitive games, so that means you are playing Thor in Stall and Curve Decks. Even then most would be prone to play other 8-cost characters, but we have yet to see what the rest of this team can do! In a normal curve deck you are probably carrying 3 6-cost characters, 2 7-cost characters and 1 8-cost character. So you have 3 character cards in your deck that will enable this effect to really pay dividends on turn 8. If you happen to have some search cards in hand then that’s great as well because you are sure to have at least 1 out of those 3 characters. There aren’t too many plot twist that you would really pack in your deck that have a cost of 5 or more, but that doesn’t mean these cards will not be without their uses against rush decks. Also take into account Limited play where you are building your deck to maximize on character drops to ensure you don’t miss a character, which is costly in limited. Thor could be the best thing on turn 8 to hit the field. Even if you only manage to get rid of a 7 cost character then it still helps. There is not even stamping to the cards you discard, you just have to associate card cost.

There are only two cards in the entire game of versus that beats Thor that come to mind at this time. One because of this associated card cost, Superman, Last Son of Krypton. The other is 9-cost Superman, Bulletproof who can’t be stunned while ready. Go figure 2 of my trinity would be standing face to face with each other. (For those that don’t know my trinity is Superman, Darkseid and Thor, although with Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning writing Nova, Superman may be taking a backseat to Nova joining the three.)Now let’s get into the character and the rest of the card.

Who is the God of Thunder?

I would argue one of the greatest moving forces in the Marvel Universe, you don’t believe me? You have met some of his biggest opponents in other titles. While his current ongoing series is doing really well and flying off the shelves of every retail comic book store prior iterations were not so successful. The largest issue plaguing these past volumes had to be the trappings of Asgard itself. Everything about Thor’s old series seemed to be trapped in the realm of Asgard with him fighting Frost Giants, Trolls and a constantly bothersome “brother,” Loki. The current volume spear-headed by J. Michael Straczynski goes a long way to re-imagine the God of Thunder, placing him squarely in the 21st century and in Marvel ongoing continuity.



Thor’s oft popularity definitely came down to those moments when he was teamed up with the Avengers or other teams. His own personal battles against Celestials, Thanos, Gladiator and even the likes of Galactus often go overlooked. I would credit the Ultimates series with a lot of Thor’s current popularity. He is featured, spotlighted, as the God of Thunder in a manner that allows him to integrate with the world around him. Straczynski may have honed in on this perspective and decided placing Asgard in the heartland of America would serve Thor better.

Thor hasn’t really integrated as of yet into current Marvel affairs, but I can’t imagine it being too long before the Skrull Invasion is at his doorstep. The Skrulls have not kept it a secret that he is one of those characters in the Marvel Universe they fear. They haven’t even accounted for his return which could play a larger role in his return. So we know Thor is not a Skrull, thank God, because I would definitely have been upset to read 10 issues of the exciting return of Thor to be told by Bendis that this isn’t Thor! I probably would have flipped Marvel “the Bird” forever after a debacle like that. I imagine a lot of readers are feeling that way since every character in the Marvel Universe is subject to the Spidey, “Ben Reilly” treatment.

This current Thor takes us back to the beginning, Thor and Donald Blake. There have been multiple Thor identities, but this is the original incarnation. The Donald Blake persona is a centerpiece to the return of Thor in the new series and Straczynski crafts it very well in his retelling of Thor, placing great importance on the symbiotic relationship between the Thunder God and his Alter Ego. When Odin was satisfied that Thor had learned his lesson in humiliating he discarded the persona and Donald Blake ceased to exist. After the events of Ragnarok, Donald Blake was restored from the limbo we find Thor sleeping in Thor #1. The importance of the symbiotic nature of these two identities has been explored to great depth and I hope Straczynski continues on this path as I believe it pleases old fans.


Let’s start by looking at the NAME and VERSION. THOR, DONALD BLAKE says a lot about how the boys over at UDE are looking at Thor now. Just as a history there has been many versions of Thor over his tenure in Marvel; Eric Masterson, and Red Norvell are two of the other more prominent identities, but Dr. Donald Blake has been the most important identity for Thor throughout the ages. When Thor returned it was the Donald Blake persona that took up the mantle once again. Straczynski is going to great lengths in the new Thor ongoing series to illustrate the importance of this symbiotic relationship as well. Thor #1 dealt exclusively at great length with this symbiotic relationship and how it served as the catalyst for Thor’s return. I am happy the first character card for Thor we are seeing in a long time bares the version Donald Blake.


At a Threshold Cost of 8 there is no doubt that this Thor is returning to the scene with just as much impact as he did in the comics, with a lot of power! This isn’t just Thor, this is the leader of Asgard, and here we have the God of Thunder who broke the cycle of Ragnarok. It is interesting that last week’s clue to the cards we would see this week was “the beginning and the end.” Yes, we have Alpha Flight previews as well, but this reference could be applied to the cycle of Ragnarok in the Norse mythology. Either way if you want to see why we got an 8-cost Thor since his long hiatus, no need to go far just check out Thor #1-3 (Check out the scans it’s up on my blog).


Thor’s power doesn’t stop with his Threshold Cost; at 20/19 he has decent stats’ for his cost. Add FLIGHT and RANGE to that and you definitely have a powerhouse. The FLIGHT stat may irk some as his actual ability to fly is “supposed” to be fueled by Mjolnir, but that has always been a point of contention with the character. Even when we were creating our Fantasy Cards in the VS Reflection series we questioned this. I am glad UDE decided he should have Flight.

Oliver Coipel’s work on the Thor series has really grown on me and I love his rendition of Thor, I am still trying to find a poster of the new Thor, I prefer Turner’s Thor #1 Variant cover, but Coipel’s work would be great as well. This image here I believe is during the first three issues when Thor is actually raising Asgard off of the ground. The flavor texts throws me off a little just because of context, it almost seems like we have the self-assured arrogant Thor, instead of the leader that Straczynski is painting in the new ongoing series, which doesn’t compliment the rest of the card, but I still like the quote.

The biggest thing about this card that has me thrilled is the AFFILIATION, ASGARDIANS. We haven’t seen this affiliation ever in Versus and it’s great because I was hoping that we would not get an Avengers affiliated Thor. He is no longer an Avenger; in fact he and the rest of the Asgardians are entities all to themselves. They are taking up residence in America and as Diplomats because not even the U.S. government or Iron Man knows what to do with them. Open up Mighty Avengers #14 and the Skrulls don’t even know what to do about him, he is one of those characters in the Marvel Universe that they can’t mimic to full potential and are worried about greatly with regards to their invasion. I really am hoping we get other Asgardians in the set other than Thor and Loki that will allow this team to be viable or at least hints of the team as they could appear fully in Marvel Evolutions later this year, but I am pleased to just see this affiliation in the game, which is promising.


So we have an 8-cost Thor for MUN, I hope we see an Ultimates version of Thor in MUL, especially since he served as a centerpiece for Marvel Ultimates Volume 1 and 2. I wouldn't be too shocked to see at the very least a new Mjolnir equipment card for Thor in this set. TBS and the creative crew have appeased this VS TCG player either way. I hope you enjoyed the review minue my faux pas. If you are a Thor fan stay tuned to Darkseid Revenge for the review of Thor #9.