Renee Delaney

EVENT:  Prevents your opponent from playing a Special card next turn.

Perhaps no other card has gone so abruptly from relative obscurity to "This
card must be banned/restricted!" then Renee Delaney.  Frankly, I'm kind of
surprised.  I've been using Renee since it was first released.  Even with the
release of other anti-Special cards like Wargames West and Honor Bound, Renee
remains the most reliable way to stop the play of Specials.

But first, the game mechanic questions.  Fortunately, there isn't much.  Renee
Delaney is an Ally.

Although Renee refers to the play of _a_ Special card in the singular, this
encompasses the entire turn.  Thus, even if you are using Chessex, you can't
skip playing one of your two Specials and then playing the second:  that
second one is still _a_ Special and thus unplayable due to Renee.

So what use is Renee?  You play your only Special, your opponent can't play a
Special.  It seems like an equal trade, and one that gives you no huge
advantage.

However, anyone who has run up against the recent spate of lean and mean
"buzzsaw" decks can tell you that isn't the case.  Why?

Primarily because you, the Renee user, are building your deck around Renee.
You can de-emphasize the use of Specials in your deck other than Renee.  While
your deck is built to de-emphasize Special usage, your opponent's probably
isn't.

Nefertiri or her Quickening(s) are a popular choice when using Renee Delaney.
Using Nefertiri gives you access to Desperation, a powerful card that lets you
cycle cards quickly, get to your Ranees faster, and still play her the same
turn you use Desperation(s).

If we're examining Nefertiri and Renee Delaney, then consider using
Battlefield (CotW #3) or Factory (#23) as your Location of choice.  Both of
these are countered if your opponent uses Nefertiri or her Quickening(s)
themselves.  However, against anyone else you can almost inevitably put them
into a cycle of defense loss plus inability to play Specials that can give you
the game.

Another helpful card here is Dirty Trick/Shove.  If your opponent is hit by
this card, they can't attack _or_ play a Special.  And if they dodge it. .
.they probably still can't play a non-Ranged Attack.  Duck, Distract, and Jump
users (Duncan, Connor, Nakano, Amanda, Annie) can bypass this to some degree.
Those who use Combination or Extra Shot to play Dodge for that additional
attack can _not_ however, since they have to be able to play those cards . . .
which Renee prevents!

One note:  to pull off this rapid playing/cycling of Renee Delaney, you will
probably want to use the Khan Quickening to reduce Endurance loss as you burn
through your deck.

That's the most popular use for Renee Delaney these days.  There are others.
One of this author's favorites is the simple expedient of a "free" Power Blow
user like Slan or The Kurgan who plays Renee Delaney and then makes a Power
Blow.

An opponent faced with this choice will probably have to dodge, since they are
probably unwilling to Power Block.  if they were holding on to their Ancestral
Blades, waiting for a Power Blow, they can't play them due to Renee.  And if
they're dodging, they usually can't make a Hidden counter-attack.

Why wouldn't they already have an Ancestral Blade out?  Because AB is best
played the turn _after_ your opponent makes a Power Blow.  Play it out
earlier, and your opponent can Thief or Misfortune it.  Ancestral Blades are
best played conservatively.

Renee Delaney plus Catwalk is a formidable combination for Slan and The
Kurgan.  Both tend to use Ranged Attacks, since they have Shooting Blade and
do an extra point of damage with Pistols, respectively.

If you have a Catwalk in play, on your next turn play a Ranged Attack plus
Renee.  Your opponent can't use Holy Ground, Narrow Escape, or Disappear, and
can't play a Location to remove Catwalk.  If they don't have Reconnaissance,
you've nailed them.

Renee Delaney is also a nice supplement to some of the other non-Special
cards.  If you have a Wargames West on the table, play RD.  Yes, you played a
Special so your opponent can also . . . however, due to Renee, he can't!  Even
Focus or a Katana-Exertion won't let her get out of that one.

If you want to use Focus, this tactic will also work with Honor Bound (ME
version).  This can extend your opponent's inability to play Specials just
that little bit further.

Renee can also help Special "lock down" for Garfield (CotW #25).  You are
advised not to have multiples of this card down when doing so, since you must
Focus past Garfield to play RD.  Turn of Events (#17) might also warrant the
use of Renee, although it can get rather expensive for you Exertion-wise to do
so (unless you use Focus).

So overall, Steve gives Renee a _9_.  Her ability to stop Special playing is
unparalleled, much like that of Challenge/SE (CotW #31).  Once Renee Delaney
hits the table, there's nothing your opponent can do about it.  In a tight
lean & mean deck, or in conjunction with other anti-Special cards, you can
keep opponents dancing to your tune indefinitely.

What Our Other Raters Say:

Ben - [Abstain]

Jeff - My first thought with this card is:  huh?  Why would I give up playing
a Special for a turn just to prevent my opponent from playing a Special?  That
was before I came across the theories of card cycling.  Renee, as an Event,
allows you to cycle a card a turn, but locks up your opponent's Specials.  No
Focus required.  In the right deck, it's borderline abusive.  My current fave
card that, like my Katana cheese deck, I'm sure I'll tire of when every other
deck becomes this type.  =)

Rick - It keeps them from playing Specials but it keeps you from playing one
too (since you had to play Renee).  I'd only use this deck in a degenerate
denial deck like "The Buzzsaw".

Hank - Renee is a fun card for hack & slash decks, especially combined with
other non-Special cards like Honor Bound and Wargames West.  I like it a lot,
it does exactly what I would want it to do...

Alan - Until recently, this card was _seriously_ overlooked.  But then it was
discovered that when used in a slim deck (typically Lean & Mean), it can be
one of the most annoying cards around, creating an "active lock" for your
opponent.  Great when you're using it, but seems broken when you're on the
receiving end . . .

Jim - One of the best active denial cards in the game.  You can use Renee in a
slim deck to deny your opponent the ability to play Specials.  If you play
with six Ranees in a slim deck (L&M for instance), you can keep your opponent
from playing for a good deal of the game.  This card may be vulnerable to
future anti-Ally cards, and is vulnerable to current anti-Events.  Since the
anti-Event cards such as Garfield and Turn of Events are short-lived, Renee
remains a very powerful card.

Wayne - Renee is the most powerful card available for straight combat decks.
It shuts down cheese, heal, Sedarius, while loading up your opponent's hand
with Special cards.  Eventually there will be an Edge card that counters
Renee, but presently I consider this to be a staple card in almost any attack
deck.

Ratings Overall:

Steve                   9
Ben                   N/A
Jeff                    9
Rick                    7
Hank                    9
Alan                    8
Jim                     9
Wayne                  10

Average:                8.71