Piecing Together Marvel Puzzle Quest: Ghost Rider – Robbie Reyes

Robbie Reyes might be new to the whole Ghost Rider thing, but that doesn’t stop him from dishing out righteous punishment to the deserving criminals that cross his path. Equipped with his trusty Hell Charger and the Ghost Rider’s iconic chains, Robbie’s set to take “Marvel Puzzle Quest” by storm. We caught up with D3 Go! Senior Producer Josh Austin about the newest Ghost Rider and his fiery abilities.

Marvel.com: Robbie Reyes’ Ghost Rider has been exciting fans ever since he peeled onto the scene a few years ago. What specifically made the team so eager to add him to the roster?

Josh Austin: We’ve wanted to make a stronger Ghost Rider for some time and Robbie Reyes will be a great addition to “Marvel Puzzle Quest” as our latest 5-Star! His art looks great and the Spirit of Vengeance’s abilities were just begging to get upgraded to a 5-Star power level.

Marvel.com: Johnny Blaze is all about covering the board in hellfire and building up to that big damage Penance Stare; what will Robbie’s attack plan be?

Josh Austin: This version of Ghost Rider focuses on creating multiple tiles that deal damage and generate AP. Robbie Reyes also punishes characters who make matches or have dealt the most damage to his team. His 5-Star abilities make him a great hero to have on your team to help bring down a character that the enemy team is relying on to do tons of damage!

Marvel.com: Let’s talk about his abilities. How does Robbie make the bad guys regret their evil deeds?

Josh Austin: Robbie Reyes’ first ability, Hell Ride, costs 9 Green AP. Robbie’s muscle car revs its engines and creates Repeater tiles that, every turn, destroy 3 surrounding Red, Green, or Black tiles. These destroyed tiles give AP and deal more damage depending on the level of the power.

Robbie’s second ability, Chain Whip, costs 7 Red AP. This is a cool looking ability that focuses on his Chain Whips that will stun the enemy and creates a Red Countdown tile that also deals damage to the targeted enemy when they make a match. While that tile is on the board, this power becomes Judgment Day. Judgment Day removes the Chain Whip Countdown tile for 7 Red AP and deals more damage to the targeted enemy, reverting this power to Chain Whip.

His last power is called Damnation. For 10 Black AP this ability focuses on the enemy with the most evil heart and drags them to the Underworld to atone for their sins. This ability does some hefty damage on its own, but will do even more if the target is the enemy that has done the most damage on the enemy team.

Marvel.com: Judgment Day sounds like a dastardly weapon you can use to target specific problematic enemies—maybe a really over-leveled opponent in PvP?

Josh Austin: That’s right! Robbie punishes opponents that do the most damage on the enemy team. He’s a good teammate to try and turn the tide of the battle by swapping to the enemy that’s causing you the most grief.

Marvel.com: What kind of covers are we looking at for Robbie? Right now I’m thinking 3/5/5, just so we can do maximum damage with Judgment Day and Damnation.

Josh Austin: That’s a good choice, focus on the powers that punish an enemy, but 5/3/5 is also a great choice to have his first power generate Red, Green, and Black AP for a team composed of characters that can benefit from this AP generation.

Marvel.com: And his teammates? Are there any particularly good backseat drivers for Robbie?

Josh Austin: He works well with characters that are built around closing off options from the enemy team. Characters like Doctor Strange (Sorcerer Supreme) and his Flames of the Faltine makes the enemy afraid to activate powers. Using Peggy Carter’s Do as Peggy Says can force a targeted enemy to make matches by stunning the other non-target enemies. Yondu’s Yaka Assault can follow-up with Ghost Rider’s assault by focusing on the character with the least amount of health.

Marvel.com: So when do we get a chance to pick Robbie Reyes up?!

Josh Austin: Ghost Rider (Robbie Reyes) 5-Star is available January 25! His debut event will be Galactus Hungers that runs from January 25–29, and players can earn tokens to the Engines of Vengeance cover store from the event. Both his limited Vault and special Legendary Store starts on January 25 and runs until January 30.

Go for a ride with Robbie Reyes here and keep an eye on Marvel.com and @MarvelGames for more “Marvel Puzzle Quest” news and interviews.