Walls of Ice Shard-Great or...not so Great

[ultimobean]

Ive been reading quite a few posts on how well this works and what a great move it is...but i am a little confused. Now i have played countless games and have come up against the tundra orcs many times only to make a fool out of them.

Maybe its just that people are not using it right but i have to say even i kind of find this move a little useless unless the summoner is all buy himself and you have the walls placed strategically to where he would still have time to deal a little damage to them before they reached him.

I am in no way taking away from that move though. Its great against the goblins but if your playing against someone who knows the game very well then i just don't think that walls of ice shard is going to come in handy.

Thats just my 1.50:cool:

[Creationist]

It works by placing the walls and attacking in the same turn. Then it will effectively bolster your defenses and hurt their forces.

[XCoconutMonkey06x]

I tend to stagger my walls so if they want to go after my summoner, they'll have to pass at least one of them. It can be situational at times but I always tend to use it at least once or twice a game when my opponent has a few guys next to my walls. If they're multiwound, it helps hand that extra wound on them so your other guys can take them down and claim the magic. Personally, I love it!

[Jexik]

I think it's mostly useful as a deterrent and defense against Engineers. Players tend to avoid leaving their 1-life commons adjacent to your walls with the Tundra Orcs, which makes it easier for you to summon guys where you please.

[Creationist]

I have a question. If a unit is adjacent to two TO walls, do they get 2 damage or 1?

[Cavalier]

I have a question. If a unit is adjacent to two TO walls, do they get 2 damage or 1?

http://www.plaidhatgames.com/images/sw/cards/grognack.gif
1 wound

[mrkurtb]

My favorite aspect of the Walls of Ice cards is not the Ice Shard Attack but rather the ability to put an all out blitz on the Elves.

By placing all my Orc Walls adjacent to my opponent's side of the board, Prince Elien is always within striking distance unless he is behind a unit or a wall. When you simultaneously send @3+ multi-life orcs down the board at once, there's nowhere to hide.

[Cleon]

I usually set up my walls (when playing the Tundra Orcs) in vertical lines with regular walls in front of ice walls so my opponent almost has to be adjacent to walls when they try to invade my side of the board. I told my cousin this tactic and he used it to make my first loss. Cave goblins were toast like every turn. I did make a terrible move and practically sacrificed almost all of my slingers to those walls which cost me the game. I still managed to end the board with Sneeks losing to a Shaman and Grognack. Grognack is an amazing summoner, but it's too early to say.

Edit: The Grognack card Cav posted is a prototype, a very good prototype. The real Grognack card is melee with 7 life.

[Tidus]

If your lucky this ability can really spread some serious havoc, especially against 1 lifers. Now combine it with ice walls and a protected Grognak and you have a icy death machine, that can rack of mana to.

[Jexik]

This might be one of the most frustrating abilities the TO's have. Usually I don't use it unless there are 4 or 5 little one-lifers adjacent to my walls, and there's so much riding on that 50/50 shot... but I also can't pass up that opportunity for such a big swing. I've had games where I miss 3 times in a row, and then you're usually sunk, and without any walls.

[gamjuven]

Yeah it is a weird ability/ card. My first game playing with the orcs the ice walls did nothing defensively, since the orcs tend to be very offensive with fighters and smashers, but hte second game after taking a lot of hits, Grognak was able to retreat back behind walls and stay safe until reinforcements could come, all the while keeping elves wary of being adjacent to the walls. This ability is great for the orcs (ability to keep people away from your walls). This allows you to summon units very easily since the walls most likely won't be blocked. If they are blocked, just ice shard them. It's a nice combo.

The best thing I've found about the walls is that they can be played as walls and you can quickly get that wall up far near the opponent's zone and allow for quick attacks. The way you use them just completely depends on how the game is going but I like the flexibility they offer. They are one of those cards that don't automatically show their merit since a lot of the time they serve to frustrate your opponent who has to be careful to not be adjacent to the walls.