Designer Q/A: Pirate King Hondo Ohnaka

Capital Games Team

25 days ago

(Aka Kondo)

In Hondo's kit, there is a lot of anti Sith and anti Jedi stuff, will the team be good against other teams because majority of the lead looks like it will only activate against Sith or Jedi enemies?

Ahhh, my perceptive friend! You see, while it is true that the Jedi and the Sith… how shall I put it… bring out my most profitable instincts, do not be fooled! Hondo Ohnaka’s brilliance is not so easily limited. Even when the board is filled with other resourceful opponents ,Mercenaries, Droids, angry Wookiees,my leadership still showers my crew with delightful stat increases. And then, of course, there is my favorite pastime: Lightning Raid! Always reliable, always devastating. One flick of my blaster, and poof! A key enemy vanishes before the fight even begins. So, do not underestimate me, my friend, whether Jedi, Sith, or some poor fool in the wrong place at the wrong time, Hondo always finds a way to profit!

Hondo gains ultimate when allies gain profit. Allies also start the battle with profit. So, will Hondo start each battle with pre-loaded ultimate charge?

But of course! Do you think Hondo Ohnaka would ever miss such an opportunity? Allies begin with Profit, I gain ultimate,simple, elegant, and very, very profitable. You see, my friend, where others see rules, I see… loopholes. And no one exploits a loophole better than me!

Flat mastery gains on a 4 turn CD ability seems much worse than percent gains. What was the balance reason behind this?

Ahhh, an excellent question! You see, I am what the professionals call an “Agility Support” which is just a fancy way of saying that when I stack Mastery, I also stack Dodge. And trust me, my friend, when I was allowed to gain Mastery by percentage? Ohhh, it was glorious. Enemies would swing, blasters would fire, lightsabers would flash…and all of it, whoosh, right past me! I was untouchable, like trying to catch smoke with a net. Naturally, the galaxy cried out, “This is unfair!” (Which, of course, means I was winning.) So the designers decided to slow me down with flat gains instead. Steady, measured… but still building over time. Enough to be dangerous, but not so much that I become a literal ghost on the battlefield. In short: they wanted to keep things ‘balanced.’ Personally, I call it restraint. But even with restraint, Hondo Ohnaka always finds a way to profit!

When will the great Pirate King, Hondo Ohnaka grace us with his presence on the holotables?

Ah, the moment you’ve all been waiting for! On Wednesday, September 17th, the holotables will finally bask in the brilliance of Pirate King Hondo Ohnaka. I would say “you’re welcome,” but really, this is the least the galaxy deserves.

When a character increases their Mastery during battle, are the stat increases applied to the pre-mod stat or added to the current in-battle stat?

It is added to the current stat in battle. Which means, of course, that when I grow stronger, I stay stronger. A very profitable arrangement, no?

What colors of Magic best represent Hondo (and why is it clearly Rakdos or MAYBE Grixis)?

Grixis all the way, Rakdos is too aggressive at its core. He has the heart of a chaotic, self-serving pirate, but he operates with the mind of a brilliant, calculating strategist.

Mostly, yes. But credits are a very close second. As for Melch, he may not be at my side right now, but who can say what the future holds? With me, surprises are always part of the bargain.

They happen once a day until you claim it and are level 85, if you missed it, it will pop again the following day for the next 7-days

Does Hondo gain Ultimate Charge when an ally uses a Stealing ability, even if no buffs were Stolen?

But of course! Even the attempt to Steal counts when you sail with Hondo Ohnaka. After all, effort should always be rewarded… especially when it benefits me.

Why only allow the Pirates to ignore Taunt effects for 1 turn at the beginning (2 if there is enemy Jedi in the leader slot) via the Lightning Raid buff?

Because, my friend, that is how a proper raid is done! You strike quickly, you take what you want, and then you disappear before the big, angry defenders know what happened. Lightning Raid captures this perfectly. At the start of battle, my crew and I slip past your bodyguards and blast the prize target where it hurts. But if we were allowed to ignore Taunts forever? Ha! We would dismantle entire armies one by one, and where is the sport, or the balance, in that? No, no, the thrill is in those opening moments: fast, sharp, and profitable. Just the way Hondo likes it.

Pirates seem like a heavy turn meter driven team. Are anti-TM team like JMK expected to shut them down?

Only a few squads can truly give me trouble. It takes real durability, a way to blunt my critical strikes, a little turn meter control, and perhaps even stopping me from reviving my crew. Put all of that together, and yes, you can make my work more difficult. But remember…if it takes that much to slow me down, it only proves how dangerous I really am.

Is Pirate King Hondo intended for a more offense or defense role in PvP? Or is he good at both?

Ah, an excellent question! Truth be told, I perform admirably in either role, because really, when has Hondo Ohnaka ever been bad at anything? But if you force me to choose, offense is where I truly shine. Lightning Raid is far too fun to leave in the hands of the AI. On offense, I get to pick the perfect target, strike first, and Profit greatly. So yes, I can hold my own on defense, but on offense? That is where I make the holotables sing.

Brutus says whenever Pirate King Hondo takes damage all pirates gain a stack of profit. Is that from all sources (dots, exposes, etc.) Or just enemy or friendly damage?