Faction Highlight: Vanguards
Live longer, hit harder.
The Vanguards can be summed up in a word: resilience. For one thousand years they have been battling against Ret-Talus, and emboldened by the righteousness of their cause, they will fight until the bitter end. Even when their backs are completely against the wall, the fight is never over until they say it is.
The Vanguards are led by Sera Eldwyn. Despite her mere sixteen years of age, she is as robust as the likes of Oldin and packs just as much punch. She can also use magic to heal all but the most serious wounds. In the latter stages of a game Sera is capable of sustaining her chosen Champion to outlast all opposition.
To set up the aforementioned combination, the Vanguards-like several factions before them-possess the A Hero is Born Event card which synergizes quite well with Summoning Surge.
Summoning Surge epitomizes the Vanguards´ resilience: finding extra strength and turning it into Magic. Unlike Reinforcements, this Magic can then be spent immediately to summon aid-even in the form of a Champion.
Her own power is not Sera´s only means of healing: another is Divine Strength. As all the Vanguards Commons have two life, there are often plenty of targets for this Event.
Sera can also use Intercession in a desperate moment, taking the wounds of another Unit and absorbing the damage herself.
While risky, making such a move can be the difference in keeping a vital Champion alive and ensuring victory.
The final Event in Sera´s arsenal is Holy Judgment.
Often overlooked, this is an extremely powerful card-particularly if it can be used either in multiples or with multiple Priests.
But the Priest does have other uses. Thanks to his own healing Abilities, a Priest is excellent when coupled with a formation of Stalwart Archers or to support a Guardian Knight who is protecting a vital Champion. It is sometimes beneficial to use a Priest´s healing power on a Champion, even though it costs a point of Magic.
Guardian Knights, while inexpensive, are able to control the flow of combat, forcing an opponent to attack the Knights. In doing so, they allow the Vanguards player to place more important Units, such as Sera Eldwyn herself, into the heat of combat.
A group of Stalwart Archers standing back-to-back represent one of the greatest Common offensive threats the Vanguards possess. The downside is it takes at least two (preferably more) Archers for this offensive power to be seen.
The Archangel is one of two seven-cost Champions at the Vanguards´ disposal. The Archangel´s strength is his mobility.
The Vanguards must be careful to not overextend the Archangel despite his six Life. It is all too easy to move him too far forward, leaving him vulnerable to attack where he can be felled before he receives healing.
The last of the Vanguards Champions is the mighty Kalon Lightbringer. With eight Life, Kalon is difficult to bring down and when coupled with the healing powers of Sera or a Priest, Kalon is capable of surviving for many, many turns. A skilled Vanguards player can capitalize on Kalon´s Ability to Transform when threatened, but also to keep his Life down to a normal, non-threatening level after he unleashes his attack. In this way, Kalon alone can stand against the mightiest of opposition with healing support and other units (such as a Guardian Knight or Wall) protecting his flanks.
