Wave 5 FAQ

Stratagem

• How many stratagems can I play?
  You can play up to one stratagem for each different character, trait, or faction listed on the stratagem, as long as your starting team includes that character, trait, or faction. For example, if your starting team is all Autobots and includes Optimus Prime - Legendary Warrior, you can play both Heroic Spotlight and Duty & Honor.
• Where do I put my stratagems?
  Stratagems go on the battlefield. At the beginning of the game, as you reveal your team, you also reveal your stratagems.
• Some stratagems have an ability that causes them to flip. What does that mean?
  Flipping a stratagem essentially turns its ability off. This happens on one-time abilities to remind you that you've already used them.
• Does a stratagem count as a card in my deck of battle cards?
  No. Stratagems are never put into your deck.
• Can I put stratagems in my sideboard?
  Yes. Each one counts as one of your ten battle cards in the sideboard.

Head Mode & Body Mode

• What are Head & Body modes?
  Titan Masters Attack introduces two new character modes that work together: head mode and body mode.
  Cards with a head mode are placed above a character that has a body mode, combining them into a single character. The resulting character is a single character made up of both cards. The body mode card will tell you the character's stats and abilities, and the head mode card will give the character a bonus. That bonus may be an added ability or an increase to attack, defense, or health. Like other characters, that character starts the game in alt mode. If the character is KO'd, even if it's your last character card, the card with head mode is returned to the battlefield in bot mode. That bot mode character can't flip.
• The character card with head mode and the one with body mode each have stars. Do those stars all count toward my deck limit?
  Yes. Each card's stars count toward the 25-star limit. During the game, the character has all the stars from its two cards.
• What happens if the character flips?
  The body mode card can flip back and forth, from alt mode to body mode. The head mode card doesn't flip, so its bonus always applies, no matter which mode the character is in.
• Can I put any head onto any body?
  Yes. They're completely mix-and-match. You could even put an Autobot head onto a Decepticon body, or vice versa.
• If I have a head from one faction on a body from a different faction, which faction is the resulting character.
  Both. The character is both an Autobot and a Decepticon.
• If I have a character that's both an Autobot and a Decepticon, does my starting team have "only Autobots"?
  No. In order to qualify as "only Autobots," your starting deck can't have any characters that are another faction (even if they're also Autobots).
• Can I put a card with head mode or body mode in my sideboard?
  You can but note that each card is a separate character card. This means you could have a character card with a head mode or one with a body mode in your sideboard, but not both.

Hybrid Battle Icon

• What are Hybrid Battle Icons?
  Some battle cards in this set have a new style of battle icons: hybrids. These battle icons have a both a color and the symbol of a trait. For example, the battle card Nitro Booster has a black Car battle icon. Hybrid battle icons always count as their color, except if they're flipped in battle for a character that doesn't match their trait, that battle icon will have no effect that battle.
• If an effect refers to the battle icons you've flipped, can that effect see a hybrid icon if the character doesn't match its trait?
  Yes. For example, Mindwipe - Hypnotist (body mode) is a melee character that has an ability that triggers "when this attacks and flip at least one black battle icon." If Mindwipe attacks and you flip Master of Metallikato (a battle card with a black ranged battle icon), Mindwipe's ability will trigger, even though the black battle icon will have no effect.

Fortress Maximus - Great War Veteran

• Can Fortress Maximus have a different head than Cerebros?
  No. Fortress Maximus is just like other character cards with a body, except it's bigger, and it must have Cerebros as its head. Cerebros is unique in that it has both a head mode and a body mode. So it starts the game attached to Fortress Maximus, but you also get another head to put onto Cerebros. This can be Emissary or any other character with a head mode.
  The stars from all three cards count toward the 25-star limit. Note that Fortress Maximus, Cerebros, and Emissary have 25 stars combined.
• Does Fortress Maximus get the bonus from Cerebros' Head?
  While Fortress Maximus is on the battlefield, it gets the Bold 1, Tough 1 bonus from Cerebros, but it doesn't get the bonus from the other head attached to Cerebros. That head's bonus will apply to Cerebros after it's deployed.
• What do you do when Fortress Maximus is KO'd?
  If Fortress Maximus is KO'd, you put Cerebros back onto the battlefield in body mode, with its head still attached. Because a character can't flip into head mode, Cerebros won't be able to flip while it's on the battlefield. If Cerebros is KO'd, you put its head onto the battlefield in bot mode.
• Can I play Emissary with any character that has a body mode?
  Yes. Emissary is just like other character cards that have a head mode and a bot mode.

Autobot Nautica - Camien Engineer

• Doesn't the character always get +1 defense for each blue battle icon that's flipped?
  Autobot Nautica's bonus is in addition to the normal blue battle icon effect. Essentially, she gets +2 defense for each blue battle icon flipped.
• Where does the Armor come from?
  It must be one in your hand.

Autobot Whirl - Aerial Assault

• How does Autobot Whirl's ability to interact with other effects that modify the amount of attack damage a character can take?
  That ability doesn't directly modify how much attack damage is being done to Autobot Whirl (note it doesn't use "instead"), so it waits for other effects (like Blast Suit) to apply, then sees if Autobot Whirl is taking more than 5 attack damage from a Ranged character's attack. If it is, Autobot Whirl takes 5 attack damage.

Beachcomber - Geologist

• What happens if the card isn't the named card?
  You just put it back on top of your deck.

Crankcase - Data Collector

• What happens if I have 5 cards in hand when Crankcase attacks but during the battle I go down to 4 or fewer cards in hand? Does Crankcase keep the attack bonus?
  Yes. All that matters is that you had 5 or more cards in hand when Crankcase attacked. The attack bonus will last until the end of the battle, even if the number of cards in your hand changes.

Horri-Bull - Ground Trooper

• Does moving a damage counter using Horri-Bull's ability count as damaging that character or repairing Horri-Bull?
  No. Moving damage counters never count as damaging or repairing a character.

Megatron - Fallen Hero

• If Megatron defends and I flip at least one orange battle icon, but Megatron is KO'd in the attack, will his ability still work and do 1 damage to the attacker?
  Yes. Once Megatron's ability triggers, it will still work even if Megatron if KO'd.

Mindwipe - Hypnotist

• Can I make my opponent scrap a card with a hybrid battle icon of the color I chose?
  Yes. Hybrid battle icons count as their color.

Topspin - Air & Space Assault

• What happens if Topspin defends and doesn't have Bold?
  In that case, his ability won't do anything. Perhaps there's a head that will give him Bold?
• If Topspin has Bold 1 and Tough 1 and defends, what happens?
  Topspin's own ability will add to any Tough total he already has. In that example, he'll have Tough 2 and flip 2 more battle cards.

Trait

• What is a trait?
  Traits are things like Melee, Leader, or Tank. They usually appear as tabbed icons near the character's name.

Tracks - Autobot Warrior

• If I pick a character that shares more than one trait with Tracks, does it get a bigger bonus?
  No. The character will get a maximum of +2 attack, even if it's a Car and a Melee character.

Wingspan - Data Processor

• Wingspan's ability can put cards Upgrades scrapped from him under him. What does this mean?
  The cards under Wingspan are basically out of play and are used to count the bonus for Wingspan's alt mode ability. They're not considered on the battlefield, even if that's where they are physically, so none of their abilities apply. Those Upgrades aren't on Wingspan, and so on. They're also not in your scrap pile, so they won't be shuffled into your deck when it's empty.

Belligerence

• If I flip a blue hybrid battle icon, does it become an orange hybrid battle icon with the same trait?
  Yes.

Blade Flurry

• What happens if the character has a Weapon when I play Blade Flurry, but it loses it before it attacks?
  It will still have the +4 attack bonus. The bonus is determined when you play Blade Flurry and won't change even if the character gains or loses a Weapon later in the turn.

Conversion Expertise

• How does this Utility work with head and body mode?
  The combined character is in whatever mode the body card is in. If a character is in any mode other than alt or bot, Conversion Expertise won't give it any bonuses.

Crystal of Power

• Can I play this on a character that already has a Weapon?
  Yes, but you'll have to replace that Weapon so Crystal of Power can be in both the Weapon and Armor slots.

Energon Mace

• If the upgraded character is attacking an Autobot Leader, does it also get +1 attack from the first ability?
  Yes. Both abilities apply and the upgraded character gets +1 attack and Pierce 3.

Enhanced Power Cell

• Let's say the upgraded character normally has 10 health. It gets upgraded with Enhanced Power Cell, then gets 12 damage counters. If Enhanced Power Cell is scrapped, what happens?
  Any time the game notices a character with a number of damage counters equal to or greater than its current health, the character is KO'd. So your character is KO'd. Sorry.

Escape Capsule

• Can I upgrade a character that doesn't have a head with Escape Capsule.
  Yes. It'll get the +1 attack bonus, although Escape Capsule's triggered ability won't do anything.

Ghost Shield

• If an effect puts an Armor directly onto the battlefield without playing it, can I put Ghost Shield on a character that didn't have an Armor?
  Yes. As long as you're not playing Ghost Shield, its first ability won't apply.
• If one of my characters has a Weapon or Utility in its Armor slot (e.g. Energon Mace), can I play Ghost Shield to upgrade that character?
  No. In order to play Ghost Shield, it must replace an Armor in that slot.

High Five

• What is a trait?
  Traits are things like Melee, Leader, or Tank. They usually appear as tabbed icons near the character's name.

Intrusion Countermeasures Software

• If the opponent's card includes other instructions, are those followed?
  Yes. You won't scrap any cards from your hand and instead, you'll draw 2 cards, but anything else your opponent's card said to do, you'll still do. If part of the effect refers to the card you scrapped, that part of the effect won't do anything.

Lose the Initiative

• If I don't have any characters with the same number of stars or fewer than my opponent's character, can I still reveal Lose the Initiative to stop their character from untapping?
  Yes. Obviously, you won't untap any of your characters, but the original effect of your opponent untapping their character will be replaced with nothing happening.

Lucky Dodge

• How does the effect of Lucky Dodge interact with other effects that modify how much damage a defending character would take?
  If there are multiple effects trying to modify how much damage one of your defending characters would take, you may apply those effects in any order you choose. If applying such an effect means your character would take an even amount of damage, you don't reveal Lucky Dodge.

Master Sword

• If an effect puts a Weapon directly onto the battlefield without playing it, can I put Master Sword on a character that didn't have a Weapon?
  Yes. As long as you're not playing Master Sword, its first ability won't apply.
• If one of my characters has an Armor or Utility in its Weapon slot, can I play Master Sword to upgrade that character?
  No. In order to play Master Sword, it must replace a Weapon in that slot.

Regenerative Core

• What does it mean to have a damage counter on an Upgrade?
  Those damage counters simply track how many times you can use Regenerative Core's ability. Those damage counters aren't on the upgraded character, so other effects can't remove them. The counters also aren't removed if the upgraded character is repaired.

Speed Trap

• Do Secret Actions count?
  Yes. The game will see a Secret Action played face down as an Action.

Spymaster's Ruse

• If the Secret Action isn't revealed by the end of the turn, what happens?
  Both the Secret Action and Spymaster's Ruse will stay in your played area. The Secret Action will continue to wait for your opponent to fall into your trap.

Trithyllium Shield

• If the upgraded character is defending against a Decepticon Leader, does it also get +1 defense from the first ability?
  Yes. Both abilities apply. The upgraded character gets +1 defense and the attacker gets their Pierce total reduced by 3.
• If the attacking character is a Decepticon Leader but it doesn't have Pierce or it has Pierce 2 or less, what happens?
  If the attacker doesn't have Pierce, nothing happens. If it has Pierce 2 or less, it effectively won't have Pierce. A character can't have a Pierce total of less than 0.