SW Preview: The Battle for Control
Don't answer the call.
Eight Summoner Wars Second Summoner decks are now up for pre-order in the PlaidHatGames.com store! You can buy them all separately, OR for a limited time, if you pre-order all eight together, get them for $59.95, $20 off the MSRP! Pre-order today!
Four weeks ago we introduced Shiva, the second Bender summoner. Shiva is able to skip her movement phase and instead move 3 (champion/common) enemy units 1 space each. This is a game-changing and powerful control-oriented ability that can happen every turn with no other cost.
Shiva's ability means her puppets, which aren't as mobile as other units, can have their enemies move to them instead. But sometimes moving a unit 1 space isn't quite enough, so for added range, we introduce to you the Siren.
The Siren will draw interesting comparisons to the famous Controller. The Controller costs one more magic and gets range, and can move ANY non-Controller unit after it attacks, not just enemies or non-summoners.
But the Siren's advantage, besides affordability, is important for Shiva: Sirens can move a nearby enemy unit at any time during the attack phase. So the Siren itself doesn't have to be an attacker. And also, this can be done before any units attack if needed. The versatility is hard to describe; you'll have to see it in action! Especially considering the Siren's 1-magic cost, you can imagine multiple Sirens shuffling an enemy unit along into their own path or the path of a puppet or, better yet, toward Haku!
The Benders aren't generally what you'd call beefy. Mercenary champions commonly make an appearance in their decks when some life is needed. Endrich's deck brought us the Owl Gryphon, who has the same stats as Haku, but when the game's pace is rushing along, it's tough to take advantage of the owl's ability! When you've brought the enemy intentionally into your own back yard, Haku is who you want watching your back.
This guy has survivability. For any enemy attack, his expected wounds are lower. But what is the most fun are the odds for whiffing. Usually a 2-die attack has only an 11% chance to miss completely. With Haku, it's over 26%. Meanwhile, a 3-die whiff goes from about 3.7% to over 11%! A 1-die attack misses over half the time. And with Sirens moving enemies into the best positions for Haku, Haku can last a long time.
Of course there are always those units who try to skirt the rules, placing wounds instead of rolling, etc. We can't have that. I know that there's some way to deal with it, but I can't quite bring it to mind... My usual ability to remember card names is gone... It's on the tip of my tongue but it's like I'm having some sort of mental block...
"Control" is the Bender's preferred playstyle, and Shiva's cards certainly live up to the Benders' reputation. You will do what we want. You will not do what you want. And you will die.
Frank and Brian will be bringing you Farrah and Brath previews next week. I can't wait to get back to Shiva for some more exciting cards soon!
Eight Summoner Wars Second Summoner decks are now up for pre-order in the PlaidHatGames.com store! You can buy them all separately, OR for a limited time, if you pre-order all eight together, get them for $59.95, $20 off the MSRP! Pre-order today!
Second Summoner Previews:
Kynstri's Mission
Saturos: Part 1, Part 2
Natazga: Part 1, Part 2
Malenatar: Part 1, Part 2
Scraven: Part 1, Part 2
Little Meda: Part 1, Part 2
Shiva: Part 1
Brath: Part 1
Farrah: Part 1
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Posted by Joe Ellis |
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