by sigmazero13
I can see what you are saying, though I disagree with most of it. I have never had issues with it as being anywhere close to "overpowered". Strong, yes. Coveted, yes. Overpowered, no.- Commonness? There are only 4 of them. While that is indeed relatively common, that "relatively" needs to be qualified - getting a Direct Hit is still somewhat "uncommon", especially with the expansions. In the base game, there are about 100 cards; that's a 4% chance of any one card being Direct Hit. With the expansions, there are about 170 cards, reducing those odds to 2.3%. There are FIVE Sabotage cards, so the chances of getting a card to protect yourself are better than getting this one.
- Decisiveness? Depends on the battle. In my experience, the majority of attacks are pretty one-sided; the attacker will bring in rather superior forces. If the attacker has Direct Hit, it will make it even more of an advantage. If the defender has it, chances are the loss of one ship won't lose the battle in itself (only if coupled with poor luck overall). But there are plenty of other cards that can have equally potent effects. Emergency Repairs can really swing a battle, as can Shields Holding, Morale Boost, etc. Direct Hit only kills one ship.
- Potency? The ability to kill a big ship is strong. But there are ways to protect against it, especially with the Shattered Empire expansion - Nanotechnology isn't that hard to get to for the majority of races, and is useful for more than just a protection (getting planets refreshed can be very useful on its own).
I do think Direct Hit is a good card; it's one I like to get, and like to keep away from my opponent. But except in rare situations, it's not SO good that I would use a Synchronicity or Touch of Genius to mimic (I don't think I've ever used those cards for a Direct Hit).
Of course, that's just based on my own experience, and thus my own opinion. I've just never seen Direct Hit be a big game-changing swing in any game I've played over the past 6 years.