SW Preview: Surprise!
Your day of vindication has come.
Programming Note: Due to the large number of cards to preview, we are starting the previews before the pre-orders are available. Pre-orders will be up soon. Plus, Preview Monday will be twice as nice as usual, with TWO Summoner Wars previews per day. TWO!
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's the Vindicators! What? No, we're not announcing Colby's long lost Superhero game. Instead, meet the Shadow Elves' newest common unit, the Vindicator.
That cape and that facial hair? This guy's got style. Sturdy, too, with 2 life points. On the face of it, you'd think this Vindicator needs to stand like a statue to really hit some targets. And in some ways, that seems to work against the Shadow Elves' scary speed. Or does it? Summoning these commons using Blood Summon could certainly put them into position for two attacks. And in addition to that, think back to old Selundar and try to recall his movement shenanigans.
Back in the day, Stalking Advance let you move all your Shadow Elf units 1 space. Relentless Advance doubles down by letting you move them TWO spaces, although it comes at the cost of 1 summoner life. (And there is only 1 copy of this card in the deck.)
The Vindicator's double-attack restriction only counts on movement during the movement phase, so Relentless Advance gets around that by moving your units during the Event phase. Between Blood Summon, Relentless Advance, and your opponent cowering quietly in a corner, your Vindicators will get plenty of reach out of their Repeating Crossbows.
Speaking of reach, I heard you like reach so we got you some reach for your reach.
Notice a trend? Blood Summon? Greater Blood Summon? A wound on the summoner with the event above? And now, Blood Step. Read carefully. This ability happens BEFORE moving your Shadow Warrior. BEFORE. Get a wounded Shadow Elf unit in the fray and Saturos' reach becomes terrifying thanks to these guys. Just imagine surprising your opponent with the first wound on Saturos via Relentless Advance, followed by a Saturos forward move and a Blood Step! Yipes!
Although this deck keeps rules elegantly simple, the creativity and the positioning with them is quite intense. Some of that will have to be shown next time, but Shiiq offers a taste of it herself.
4-attack, and she, as well as her good friends the Vindicator and the Shadow Warrior, can pop up anywhere. Between Shiiq and the Shadow Warriors, every Shadow Elf is a dangerous Shadow Elf. And Shiiq's BFF hasn't even been shown yet. Next time. Fear their blood. Fear the shadows.
Swamp Orcs preview this afternoon.
Second Summoner Previews:
Kynstri's Mission
Saturos: Part 1
Natazga: Part 1
Malenatar: Part 1
Scraven: Part 1
Little Meda: Part 1
Shiva: Part 1
Brath: Part 1
Farrah: Part 1
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Posted by Joe Ellis |
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