May the Power Protect You: Jason Lee Scott (MMPR Dragonshield Red)

Every single time I've played MMPR Dragonshield I find myself wondering "Why am I playing without the re-roll?" And then that Dragon Dagger comes out. Or I tank a shot that would kill every other character in the game. Or I realize that my deck is pretty hale and healthy, and everyone else's decks are in shambles. Don't play DS Jason if you want something flashy, cause you'll be in for a bad time. DS Jason is not flashy, he's not sexy, and he's certainly not going to have any tricks that you can say to others "LOOK AT ME!" But DS Jason doesn't care about that. He's here to tank shots, support his friends, and walk out like a bad-ass. And he accomplishes all these things with aplomb.

Your hand starts with the Dragon Dagger and Shield. Given how much energy we start with at in the early game that means that DS Jason can begin the game with a true explosion. Don't hold back this card! Just throw it out there and kill two minions and revel in the slaughter! Heck, take a hit on purpose so you can use the Dragon Shield and then follow up with the Dragon Dagger. This is one of the few times you'll be flashy, so take advantage of it! It will create an opening for your players that they'll appreciate.

Now, part of the reason why I suggest going all out in the first fight is because one of your next actions needs to be Recovery, so that you can put those two cards right into your deck. And this is where DS Jason begins to actually shine. You now have more cards in your deck than anyone else, and not only that but you have tougher cards than anyone else in the whole game. This means that there is no one else in the game that should be taking shots, by default. If someone else doesn't have a fancy trick you really should be taking those hits. And even then, sometimes you should take the hit anyway.

You can do either the Tyrannosaurus or the Dragonzord. Whichever one you pick is based solely upon what you think you'll need. The Tyrannosaurs zord is more generally useful, but the Dragonzord can take a single roll and make it so efficient that you may not need the Tyrannosaurus. If you don't have anything that really boosts attack power I'd go with the the Tyrannosaurus. But if the other zords are able to boost attacks I'd go with the Dragonzord.

This is not a flashy job. It is not a nice job. You are not going to be on the front lines, by and large, except for enormous bursts of power as you realize that you have the Dragon Dagger and the Power Sword, and then you get giddy. And yeah, you're doing things like Lead the Charge and Team Tactics and whatnot, but you really are there for one reason: to tank the hits so that way your team doesn't have to. And, assuming you do some smart uses of Recovery, you will find that you are still faring better than everyone else. And that's when you carry your group as they hurt. And they will. Trust me, they will. At that point you will walk out and practically solo whole fights, burning through your deck at a rate that will surprise even you. The entire paradigm will flip as your group supports you; you certainly have the depth of deck to do it!

But the moment will end; your compatriots will recover, and you will be back to your support and punching bag roll. But that's OK, because you're about the group. Unlike regular Jason, DS Jason can pull through in spots that no sane ranger could, ever. It's not flashy, because there's no insane tricks, you're just a badass. But it's never about you, it's about the group. Trust me, they'll forget about what you did. Who could blame them? They've got all these cool tricks and things they did that are really flashy and everyone will think about those! No one will remember you. But you, the player of DS Jason, didn't play this character to be remembered. You did it so that the group will triumph. And they will, because you were there.

And you'd have it no other way. I mean, c'mon, you're a Jason player

A special thanks to Jonathan Ying, who convinced me to try DS Jason again (and who I still apologize to for underestimating this character), and Joseph Cpg West, who proved I'm not alone in loving this character once I came around.