Loner Tommy is the hardest hitting character in the game, is the most vulnerable, and is also practically invincible if you get him going? Yeah, he's a bit strange. He's got (for my money) the best card in the game and, while he's certainly risky to play, there are few other characters who are as distinctive, or who give a rush playing with. Loner Tommy is the black ops of the rangers, able to go anywhere and wreck shop and then get the heck out. He's awesome.
Loner immediately pigeonholes Tommy. He has one goal: to get by himself and kick ass. And he can! As most people know, assuming Tommy rolls well he's great. But be careful; do not jump into battle alone unless you have all the cards you need. There's been plenty of times when I've looked at an area, thought "Oh, I can do that" and found out the hard way that I really shouldn't have done it. Look before you leap, because you could be opening your team up to a world of hurt that didn't need to happen. That being said, don't be surprised if you don't clear areas. Your job isn't necessarily to unpanic zones, but to keep everything manageable for the rest of your team. And don't forget your deck is the same size as everyone else's! Don't go in unless you've either got a full deck or know you can stand taking a hit or two. Or four.
Solo Strike (known at our table as "The Boomerang") is, far as I'm concerned, the best card in the game. In a game without a basic attack option cards that stick around are automatically better than any other option you have in your hand. Solo Strike is the most flexible of the recall cards. Yes, you are giving up your die to recall it. But when faced with a full contingent of four minions Tommy can reliably clear up at least three of them, using only this card. This means you can send Tommy to areas that are panicked or are close to panicked and reasonably expect him to clear the area, assuming he has one copy of Solo Strike. Fighting monsters with just this card isn't really as sure of a thing, but why're you sending Tommy to fight a monster by himself in the first place? But we'll get to that in a minute.
Dagger Solo is probably Tommy's second most useful card in solo play and definitely his most useful card in groups. I'm generally pretty cautious about taking a hit, but Dagger Solo is so useful that I would gladly take a hit to get it set up, especially since it means that Dragon Shield is free! Multiple Dagger Solos make team play a snap, with any energy generated after that being icing on the cake. Take the time. Dagger Solo.
Dragon Dagger says to repeat the attack. That means that, whenever you're ready to use this sucker, have everyone throw everything they have onto the first attack, because it does the exact same thing twice. This makes you a sweeping giant, even if it's just for a moment! You have the potential to take out two boss cards in one hit, which is amazing! And, if you're solo, it's the card that you must have if you're going to take on a monster. Do not take on monsters alone without Dragon Dagger and Solo Strike. With both these cards you have a pretty good chance of cutting down any monster who isn't Pudgy Pig (who is an evil mess for Tommy, particularly solo). It's not for sure, but if you're having to go out of your way to take out a monster it means that your group's in a lot of trouble to begin with. If your team is in that position you can rest assure that you have a better chance than anyone else.
Dragonzord is... ridiculous. Just ridiculous. I've never not seen this card get used in a round without high fives following it. Throw in a Zack or Kimberly or some other high-damaging character and you will find yourself wrecking multiple cards at once. I mean, don't get me wrong, Dragonzord should be ridiculous, he's the best zord in canon, but my goodness, you get Dragonzord paired with the right folks and the enemy is going to be hurting. It takes some set-up, but the pay-off is so large, so overwhelming, so incredible, that it beggars description.
Loner Tommy is a mini-team to himself. He can deal a whole ton of damage, but he can't take what he dishes out, so be careful with him! But, provided you respect the size of his deck and that you choose your targets wisely, Tommy will completely redefine your game. If you don't... well... Tommy will redefine your game! Just not the way you would have liked!
In the interest of clarity, I was a playtester for the Green Ranger. Thank to you Jonathan Ying and Renegade for giving me the opportunity.
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