would be interesting to add this in a urien deck and combine it with crucible to try to totally control your enemies' ability to get beefy non cmd units.

someone else try it, though

Pretty interesting card, and it could potentially be fairly powerful (by preventing your opponent from deploying their signature units, for example), but the best thing about this card is probably the art. It looks fantastic!

What better control then to control what units your opponent can or cannot deploy.  Love this card, and it's not unique!  Have this out and Klaivex in hand, oh boy, my friends are going to hate me!

Appropriately, this card is a trap.

I'll leave it to the Warpack reviews to explain why I think this is the case.

This is one of those cards in which it has to come out early. Had a game with it in my Urien deck and the first copy I saw was on the 5th round, by which point it was a dead card with no shields. I think this needs a few more playtests to see if it's worth it, but I'm starting to lose my appeal in it

Hard to say. Looking at most supports (Catachans, IQ, Staging Ground, KFG, Teleporta), whilst it's sub-optimal to play them late game they can still see some use. The problem with is card is that you're likely to have seen enough different units played by this point that you're likely to only prevent 1 copy of 1 particular card type from being played, if at all. Again, at least with the Rouge Traders/Void Pirates, as you've said, they're less useful late game but being a "win-more" card is still better than nothing.

I'm going to keep my hopes up for this card, but I'm just not sure about it just yet. Given as well that it's competing for space with the Twisted Lab and Archon's Palace, it makes it a tough call.

I'm going to keep my hopes up for this card, but I'm just not sure about it just yet. Given as well that it's competing for space with the Twisted Lab and Archon's Palace, it makes it a tough call.

No matter what, will it be fun to use on a strong sig. unit (Chosen, Council or the Khymeramasters) turn one.

And that's the reason why I still want to test it . I'm going to give this card a few chances before writing it off, but only time will tell. I particularly like it with Urien since he's unlikely to go to planet 1 first turn, and as such (especially if this is out) hit their RT/VP on a late planet early game. Given the partial mill that Urien can achieve, you can make it more likely for your opponent to then keep picking up the unit s/he can't play, and as such choking them further out of anything useful. 

Very much you should go and test it. Every card should be tested, if you can find the time. Doesn't change the theory-crafting assessment though, and in my mind this card looks pretty worthless.

Its a bit like Throne of Vainglory or Ork Landa. Sure, it could have  an amazing effect, but it probably won't.

I can't help but imagine that this is going to be horrible to play against. If it gets on the board in the first turn you're in for trouble.

Could be useful to stop an early-game Gift of Isha bringing back an Iyanden Wraithguard or some such beefcake! But to get it out early game you need to run 3 - and who'd realistically want to do that?

So I've done some testing with it. In most games it came out too late to be any use, which is unfortunate to say the least. The only game where it actually appeared in my opening hand played out like this:
- Opponent plays Biel-Tan Guardians
- I play Holding Cell
- Opponent plays 3x the same 2 cost unit (can't remember which) over their next 3 actions to make sure that it can't be put in the cell

I got the Biel-Tan on my Holding Cell .... and my opponent proceeded to never pick one up ever again, thereby negating its effect.

I'm starting to agree with Asklepios on this. The effect is great if it actually gets played early but is a dead card after the 3/4th round against everything but Eldar (only for the sake of Gift of Isha). Where Archon's Palace can still make its money worth cancelling a single resource gain late game, this just wont help. The only use it has late game is to be thrown via Wroth ....

It would short-circuit the trick I see some people doing with elites where you play a Fall Back to put an elite back in your hq after it is killed.

Never mind. It says cannot deploy.

It would short-circuit the trick I see some people doing with elites where you play a Fall Back to put an elite back in your hq after it is killed.

 

Never mind. It says cannot deploy.

Actually it could, but not for the reason you're thinking. Given the support is empty and you have initiative, your Reaction to attach it to the support would be before your opponent gets the chance to play Fall Back, hence preventing them from doing so. It's a one time hit but for 1 resource it's actually not a bad trade off. The issue is getting the conditions for such a play to occur ....

Are you sure that it only works if you have initiative?  If they play Fall Back and return the unit to play, it's still in the "after the unit was destroyed" window, so I would think you could still react and attach it to the holding cell.  There's no "from the discard pile" restriction on the reaction.  Right?

Also, Holding Cell doesn't specify that the unit is considered out of play.  Are there any effects that would be active on a unit in play attached to the Cell?  Who would count as the controller of the unit?

Fall Back says:

Reaction: After an Elite unit is destroyed, put it into play from your discard pile at your HQ.

Note "from your discard pile". So Kaloo is right.

Fall Back says:

 

Reaction: After an Elite unit is destroyed, put it into play from your discard pile at your HQ.

 

Note "from your discard pile". So Kaloo is right.

Yes, that is what Fall Back says, but Holding Cell doesn't say "from the discard pile", so you could still attach it to Holding Cell after Fall Back.

Edit: after getting clarification in the rules forum, it turns out the unit that Fall Back puts into play is no longer considered "that unit", so Holding Cell can no longer attach it.

Page 6 Rules Reference:
When a card is destroyed, it is placed faceup on top of its owner’s discard pile

Given that's the case, I'd presume that the reaction might occur before this kicks in, in which case you're right. Seems like this is one for the rules question thread

Thanks estyles for clarifying this:

http://www.cardgamed...bout-fall-back/

Short answer, holding cell blocks fall back, and fall back blocks holding cell.

The answer to my other question is that the card attached to the Holding Cell is considered to be in play, though it becomes an attachment (the chain of logic that leads to this is odd, and IMO not supported by the printed rules or card text, but it makes more sense than having it be considered a unit, which would lead to all sorts of weirdness), and is still controlled by its owner.  I'm struggling to think of any cards that would be problematic in this state, as anything referencing "this unit" would no longer work.

Player A use holding cell to capture an army unit of player B. Then the player A plays Power from Pain.

Can Player B sacrifice the army unit attached to the Cell? or is no longer in play? who controls that unit?