Mot's Useless Card Review #31: Auto-Destruct Sequence

Bottom line, you rarely see this card played because you have to throw away one of your ships in the process. But there are times when such noble sacrifices are worth it. Remember, with Auto-Destruct, you can damage all other ships present at that location. That can be a real dampener on an Armada deck. Especially a Klingon armada, since almost all the major Klingon ships have SHIELDS of less than 8. Note also that the D'Deridex Warbird also has a SHIELDS of only 7. That'll be enough to keep those battle decks off your back, especially if you can deliver a one-two punch. After all, no one ever said you had to sacrifice your entire crew in an Auto-Destruct. You can use two ships, fly them to the target location together, then set the Sequence and fly away before it detonates. You can bait a little trap by sending out one personnel you don't value (don't even THINK it!) on a Type VI Shuttlecraft. It also pairs nicely with a Calamarain attack to get rid of particularly bothersome ships filled with powerful personnel -- a big plus for a Federation deck that can have great difficulty going on the offensive sometimes.

But then, it doesn't absolutely have to be one of your ships offered up in the sacrifice, despite what the card says. How about a Neural Servo Device, or a well placed Alien Parasites? Get whatever mileage you can out of your borrowed crew, then thank your opponent for their generous donation by giving their ship back to them with the Auto-Destruct Sequence engaged! ;-)