Fallen Phoenix! Elien's Will
Commons and conjurations rise
The Fallen Kingdom and the Phoenix Elves share a theme of resurrection. The Fallen Kingdom brings back units from death; the symbol of the phoenix represents rebirth and resurgence.
It's appropriate, then, that the Fallen Phoenix alliance has a characteristic completely unique in Summoner Wars: units who are new versions of something old. Five of the eight units in this deck take at least part of their name and theme from an old Phoenix Elf or Fallen Kingdom unit, including Elien himself. Since this doesn't happen in any other Alliance deck, it drives that theme of resurrection and rebirth farther than ever for the Fallen Pheonixes. Take a look:
Does that artwork look slightly familiar? The Fallen Phoenix Warrior is indeed reminiscent of the Phoenix Elf Warrior. With an extra life and an ability with greater potential, it's no wonder that Hellfire Step requires a die roll to trigger. If you're wondering how a deck with Elien at the helm could possibly rely so much on luck, keep scrolling down.
Another 2/2 for 2 unit, and another ability that requires a successful die roll to trigger. Just trust me and keep reading. The Harbinger isn't much use to Prince Elien or Ret-Talus or Mad Sirian; only Queen Maldaria and the Fallen Phoenix summoner have conjurations among this group.
Note: For those who have not played the Phoenix Elf second summoner, here are the rules for conjurations.
Interestingly, even though this summoner does have a conjuration unit on his reference card, his deck contains no events that bring conjurations onto the board, so Harbingers are absolutely required if you want the following unit to be conjured:
Wow, how about this art, eh? Great stuff that goes in directions Summoner Wars hasn't been before. Ahh, and yes, another successful die roll needed. Wondering how this could possibly be an Elien deck with all the chance involved? Here's how: The dice land as Elien wills them to land.
This ain't your grandaddy's Prince Elien. This is a phoenix elf burning with revenge who now has immortality to help him seek it. Immortal Elien is able to recruit units with extra-strong abilities which require a die roll, ensuring via magic that those abilities will trigger when he absolutely needs them--not to mention ensuring successful attacks at any time. For each roll, he can move dice up to 3 pips higher in total, so a 1 to a 4, or change three 2s to three 3s, etc.
This isn't even the whole puzzle of Immortal Elien's attack-phase die rolls. One more critical piece will be revealed next Thursday.
In the meantime, see if you can name all the previously released units that can go into Immortal Elien's deck and whose abilities benefit from Elien's Will.
Summoner Wars Alliance Previews:
Sand Cloaks: Part 1
