Ed The Undead Head Is Overpowered (Munchkin Zombies)

[KetchupHungry]

I solely made an account for the purpose of solving this madness. Ed holds too much power and is ruining the lives of me and my fellow zombies. Either my family is using it incorrectly or this head on a plate is the strongest card in the game. Here's why:

Context: Me and my family (5 total) have been playing Munchkin Zombies for a couple of months now. We own the second expansion and are close to having the third. Many of us have extensive knowledge of the game and its cards. Even though we all have different play styles, my family can mutually agree that Ed is a menace if it lands in the wrong hands.

The Desperation: A highly desired Mojo to have when we play is Voodoo. Usually in the mid game there will be around 2 or 3 Voodoos on the table depending on our luck. That means that these Voodoo Zombies are already on the lookout for Ed. On top of that, if one of the zombies isn't Voodoo yet, they more often than not have a Cheat card they are saving for Ed. Once Ed has been pulled from the Treasure deck, chaos erupts. People blackmailing, throwing out crazy offers, or presenting trades that would only make their zombie weaker. Just so they can hold Ed. But you may ask "What's the big deal? They'll just have to use Ed eventually to beat a monster." And to that I say, you are terribly mistaken. Consider this scenario (which unfortunately has already happened to my family many times).

The Helplessness: It's around the middle of the game. Someone has Ed. Everyone is looking for easy fights so they can quickly go up levels. Someone who doesn't have Ed Looks for Trouble with an easy monster. It's now the turn of the person who has Ed. They use Ed's ability to grab the monster the previous person just discarded and proceed to Look for Trouble with it as well. Easy fight, no one wants to add monsters or use amplifiers because it would be a waste. Basically free level and Treasures for whoever has Ed. This pattern can continue for many reasons. A person may not always end up fighting something on their turn, it could be a casual turn where they pull two Door cards and nothing happens. That means that the same easy monster could be at the top of the discard pile when it's the Ed holder's turn again! If there is something undesirable at the top of the discard pile, the Ed holder can simply carry on with a normal turn where there's a chance of them pulling ANOTHER easy monster for themselves. The rest of the zombies stare in awe as the Ed holder rapidly increases in power. But what if the Ed holder kicks down the door and its a strong monster? Wouldn't they have to use Ed then? At this point, the Ed holder has fought easy monsters time and time again, so they have racked up a significant amount of levels and treasures. They have become too strong. The Ed holder most likely has stronger items down that can take care of the monster they are fighting. If not that, then they have gathered an arsenal of "Usable once only cards" that could deal with any threat. Ed is an unstoppable force. Even if he is used in a fight, he always comes back. Here's more scenarios where Ed comes out on top.

Ed is Used in Battle - Ok. He's been discarded. That's a sigh of relief. Wrong. Cards like Long Bony Fingers or Re-Use, Recycle, Reanimate quickly bring Ed back onto the table. Since everyone playing knows what it is capable of, it is commonly chosen over better cards such as Riches Beyond Imagination or a Go up a Level card.

Ed Holder is Weak and Encounters Strong Monster - More often than not an Ed holder having to Run Away is meaningless. A majority of the monsters' Bad Stuff result with the Ed holder not having to worry losing Ed. A Protester may knock off your Headgear. A Cycle Gang takes your Armor. The Pizza Guy makes you lose your Footgear. There is no monster in the first or second set of cards that results in a zombie having to lose something they are holding in their hand. The Ed holder doesn't always have to Run Away. They value Ed so much that they are willing to make wild offers to people eager to help. They prey on weaker zombies or zombies that don't have many Items. Anything to keep Ed. If a potential helper makes an offer too outlandish, the Ed holder can simply roll the die with no worries.

Ed Holder Dies - Death in the eyes of an Ed holder is something they do not fear. A simple death would mean that they have the Tough power and that they only have to discard what's in their hand, so they keep Ed. If they are not Tough, Ed remains of the table regardless. It'll be taken by another zombie who will abuse it as well. It is also prone to a Rob Zombie card, so anyone can get a taste of the power Ed holds.

Someone Challenges the Ed Holder - Say the Ed holder is in the winning fight or someone got tired of their antics and decided to throw in another monster to make life harder. As mentioned previously, the Ed holder is most likely fighting a low level monster, so that power level added onto whatever monster was added is relatively low. The amount of Items and amplifiers the Ed holder has gained at this point will overpower the group of monsters. This results in the Ed holder getting more Treasures and MORE levels. With the right cards, an Ed holder can reach to powers levels of over 30 and in the face of a Cute Little Kid or Hawaiian Shirt Guy, there's no use adding cards.

Ed Holder is Cursed - A lot of Curses don't put Ed in harms way, so the cards intended to be setbacks don't put Ed holders in a bad spot. A Curse like Cainssss! is useless as well because it tells you to get rid of a card +3 or more and Ed is a +2. If the Ed holder loses their Voodoo Mojo, all they have to do is put Ed back in their hand and wait to potentially pull another Voodoo or a Cheat card.

Conclusion: Ed the Undead Head can best be described as a Puppet master. He's what we dread but also desire when going into a new game. When Ed is on the table, he gains dominance and control over everyone around him. If my family is using this horrid card wrong, please educate me. I need to put an end to his treachery. If we're using him correctly, what is there for us to do? Just put him aside so no one can get him? Who would've thought this grinning grape with a top hat could hold such power?

[emigio]

Originally Posted by KetchupHungry

If the Ed holder loses their Voodoo Mojo, all they have to do is put Ed back in their hand and wait to potentially pull another Voodoo or a Cheat card.

you can't put back cards in your hands, you simply keep it on your table sideway

never thought this card was so important XD

[Andrew Hackard]

That is a very long entry to boil down to "We think the card is too powerful." If it's tearing your group apart, I recommend removing that card from the set for future games.

That said, a card that lets you draw the top discard rather than some other card once per turn just doesn't seem that overpowered to me. Maybe I'm not as sadistic as your group is.