Ashes Preview: Immortal Forces
Grave Knight, Immortal Commander and Rally the Troops!
Welcome back, Ashes players!
We’re moving right along through our preview season of the Protector of Argaia and the Grave King expansion decks! Today we have more additions to James’ army of the undead. Let’s dive right in!
Grave Knight
The Grave Knight is quite possibly the gold standard of 3-cost allies. Being in the two dice types that most center around allies, Grave Knight boasts some of the best offensive potential with a healthy 3 life and 2 recover, and a fearsome 3 attack Battle Advantage! The Grave Knight puts a ton of pressure on other similar allies like Hammer Knight and River Skald, and can even help sustain Phoenixborn like James who sacrifice life for power with the Smite 1 ability. Pairing Battle Advantage and Smite onto one unit demands a quick and clean removal answer from your opponents, so if you are looking to dominate the battlefield, bring your Grave Knights!
Immortal Commander
Leading the horde of James’ Fallen, we have the Immortal Commander! This ally bears some resemblance to Shield Mage with the Exert ability, but focuses on bolstering the attack of your fellow units rather than their life. When fielding many Fallen units, activating Command 1 on Immortal Commander presents a terrifying boost in offensive power! But the Commander’s influence in the game does not stop with their presence on the battlefield. Soul Fire 2 can be activated when the Immortal Commander leaves your discard pile. This ability allows you to spend a Divine Power die to immediately deal 2 damage to a unit! Using a side action Ceremonial Power die or Xander’s ability to return the Commander can be a great way to clear an opponent right before launching a Vengeance attack!
Rally the Troops
Last for today, we have the action spell Rally the Troops. This utility spell lets you return an exhausted army of allies to your hand and heal an equal amount of damage from your Phoenixborn. Gaining a fresh hand of useful allies, clearing up units bogged down by Blood Chains or Regress, and healing your Phoenixborn is a ton of utility from a single card. Additionally, being a side action, you can play one of the allies you returned in the same turn,so there’s no need to leave yourself defenseless.
Thanks for reading! Next week wraps up the previews for our next two decks. I hope you are all as excited to play these new cards as I am!
Until next time,
-Nick Conley
| Posted by Nick Conley Nick Conley is the lead playtester for Ashes and a dedicated fan. |
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