General description:
First version of the NX-01's captain, with a familiar design.
Uses:
Starfleet decks will come to depend on Archer's Commander keyword for events like Deploy the Fleet and Mission Accomplished. He's also one of just a few Starfleet personnel with a command star.
Strategies and game play:
Be wary of his ability. Although it gives you access to Fed Diplomacy missions (aka Investigate Maquis Activity), you should not rely on him when choosing missions to include in your deck. Captain on the Bridge is a great way to replace a lost Archer; he should mostly remain aboard Enterprise so you can get your Mission Accomplished points and keep staffing aboard the ship.
Combos with other cards:
How Would You Like a Trip to Romulus? with Archer grabs you Starfleet's best transportation option. He also gives you half of the 2 Diplomacy personnel needed for Interstellar Treaty: early Starfleet decks may choose to include some guest stars from other affiliations to help their early exploration efforts.
Ways to counteract it:
Far-Seeing Eyes decks vs. Starfleet should consider taking Archer out of the picture first. Also, Archer is a great choice for Sluggo or Quite a Coincidence if an opponent is using him in mission attempts.
Strengths/Pros:
Engineer, Officer, and Security on one personnel is going to be helpful in many different mission attempts. Attributes of 6/6/6 will help get past Molecular Reversion Field, and his command star will be most prized by Starfleet players depending on him to fly the Enterprise around the board.
Weaknesses/Cons:
3-cost is always the breaking point for personnel; often 3-costers do not live up to the same benefits that three 1-cost personnel will provide. However, Archer is going to be central to most Starfleet decks until Dangerous Missions becomes legal.
Variations:
There are two versions of this card from To Boldly Go; one is foiled, the other is not. There are subtle differences between the two: most obvious is the foiled version's lack of italics in the Commander:Enterprise keyword. A new version of Archer is due out in Dangerous Missions on September 1st.
Artwork and aesthetics:
Decent picture for his defining card, if a little wimpy. The foil version is one of the better foils from To Boldly Go.
Overall rating:
7 of 10. Not too strong, but still very useful.
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