Hello fellow humans. As the Toa Orde fanon contest draws closer, I would like to throw in my thoughts about Orde having a Sanok. As it has been popularized through its “cool factor”, I think it’s important to put together an argument detailing the shortfalls of using this choice of mask for Orde.
The general set up for Orde’s Kanohi comes from a response Greg Farshtey gave when prompted about the unknown Yesterday Questers’ masks. In his reply, Farshtey fairly simply laid out that it wasn’t a set idea, that any mask was fine as long as it made sense story-wise.
While there have been some good arguments for the Sanok, many I believe fall slightly short of fitting this story argument. One nicely presented argument that I would like to make reference to is this post by Bukkey. In it, Bukkey explains how the Sanok could be used to bolster the offensive capabilities of a psionics elemental.
One particular discussion point is on the auto-factor of the mask. Once launched, the projectile from a Sanok user will follow its target, regardless of the conscious effort of the user. However, though helpful in this circumstance, it is but a situational use type event.
In general, Toa of psionics have the capability to take control of and/or direct any projectile to wherever they desire. So, outside of one possible case, the Sanok is redundant. Not only to the point of one’s own projectile, but the telekinetic abilities of a psionics user being able to take control of other projectiles makes it even a little more dynamic in use than what the Sanok provides.
Another argument made was the lack of physical offence provided by psionics. True, it may not be as powerful as some other elements when it comes to physical attacks. However, it is not completely lacking.
Other than the base form of telekinesis, a sub-power ability is to send projections of force such as punches or kicks over a distance. This provides Toa of psionics with a strong form of offence. And also- who said anything about mental attacks being weak. Zaktan (who had a hand in defeating the Nuva in combat) was nearly torn apart mentally.
So, while the Sanok does have its uses, in comparison to other Kanohi abilities it is rather pointless. Orde doesn’t need a Sanok to be a good mark, and he can already send out various other offensive attacks.
What do you think? Let me know your thoughts on this topic.