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Hidden Talents for a Vessel of the Winds

A Warhammer: Invasion Deck List by Guest Writer Torsten Krämer

The Capital Cycle and The Bloodquest Cycle have given tremendous new strength to the High Elves of Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game. Spurred largely by the leadership of their new legend, Eltharion the Grim (Rising Dawn, 2), this proud race, long neglected at top-level tournaments, is poised to vie for dominance of the Old World. Not only have the High Elves begun to represent themselves well on the field of battle, but they have found victory behind a variety of different battle plans. These swift and graceful warriors have now mastered several forms of indirect damage decks, Dragon decks, Spell decks, and even rush decks. In fact, the High Elves were better represented in the Stuff of Legends deck-building contest than any other race!

Today, guest writer Torsten Krämer presents the list for a High Elf rush deck and explains why tournament players may have to more seriously consider the High Elf threat.

The Judgement of Isha by Torsten Krämer

Back when I first saw it, I had dismissed Mage of the White Tower (The Imperial Throne, 113), thinking it was weak, just like the available High Elf attachments. Using weak attachments to power up a unit that is weak by itself seemed like a terrible idea. However, a friend made interesting use of the card in one of his decks, and it prompted me to play around with my own design. I ended up with a deck heavy on cards that are all weak in their own right, but strong when they start to work together:

Units: 12

3x Envoy from Averlorn

3x Valorous Mage (The Eclipse of Hope, 89)

3x Dreamer of Dragons (Redemption of a Mage, 68)

3x Mage of the White Tower

Tactics: 9

3x Charge of the Silver Helms

3x Shield of Saphery

3x Tear of Isha

Supports: 29

3x Warpstone Excavation

3x Blessing of Isha

3x Dragon Mage Wakening

3x Isha's Gaze

3x Starwood Staff (The Eclipse of Hope, 90)

3x Contested Village

3x Elven Steed

2x Ilthilmar Arrows

3x Judgement of Loec

3x Citadel of Dusk

 

This is a rush deck that hits opponent fast, with a single very high-powered unit. You can increase the hit points on your Dreamer of Dragons, damage him to increase his power, and heal him to repeat the process. You also have a lot of cheap attachments that can boost your Mage of the White Tower and let you draw more cards, often more attachments. Since most of the attachments and tactics are spells, the Starwood Staff can help even a Valorous Mage reach a power in the double digits, and if you equip a Mage of the White Tower with multiple copies of the Starwood Staff, it just gets silly. Like any true rush deck, you don't need many resources, and thanks to the Mage's ability, you often don't even need a lot of power in your quest zone.

Though the deck’s individual components mostly appear weak, I was fascinated to discover that they form a whole far more powerful than the sum of its parts. The deck has even won me a tournament, but more importantly, I greatly enjoy creating strength out of all the apparent weakness and getting to play with cards that, for a long time, I had completely ignored.

The lesson for me (and hopefully for my opponents, too) was this: Keep an open mind.

It might seem like everyone agrees a certain faction or type of deck is the strongest, that there's one optimal strategy for a faction, that certain cards are overpowered, and that others are useless. There are likely many good reasons for people to arrive at these conclusions, but that doesn't make them always and absolutely true. Moreover, it doesn’t make them true forever. Warhammer: Invasion is a Living Card Game, and that means it can grow, change, and adapt. You’ll find reasons to re-examine your cards, strategies, and opinions. It can make the game more enjoyable for you, and offer a distinct competitive advantage when you defy your opponents' expectations and hit them with something they never expected.

Thanks, Torsten!

It’s always worth noting that in an evolving card game, the best possible combination of fifty or more pieces can change with the introduction of any new piece. Sometimes, even the simplest abilities can prove far more effective than one would expect once you pair it with complementary pieces.

That said, in Vessel of the Winds, the High Elves benefit from the erudite Learned Mage (Vessel of the Winds, 70). Do you see this mage as a simple or sophisticated unit? What secrets does he hold? What secrets can he unveil? The key to understanding this Mage and the advantages he offers the High Elves may lie in timing the use of his ability very carefully. What will you make of his ability to manipulate your deck and your opponent’s?

You can look for the Learned Mage and other cards to weave the Winds when Vessel of the Winds arrives to a retailer near you. This fourth Battle Pack in The Bloodquest Cycle  is coming soon!

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Source: Hidden Talents for a Vessel of the Winds (http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=3423)