I can’t believe that it’s finally time for a new set to be released again! We’re seeing the return of so many fun themes from years prior. In the past metas of splash decks, clay, revelation angels, and coney, it’s refreshing to see themes like genesis and judges getting so much awesome support! I’m especially happy to see OT red getting some incredibly strong cards this year, as well as some reprints for Mighty Men who didn’t get any love in past sets. But you know, while David may be their commander, he can’t do everything for his troops. They need someone to lead them into battle to crush the enemy, not just get them ready for battle. Red needs a real punch hero, not just a bunch of guys who can set up combos. That was part of my thinking behind my winner’s card, The Mighty Warrior.

Before I talk about the card I made, let me first start with the card I didn’t make. At nationals, one of the best decks is saw was Josiah’s “Extender” deck, which made it impossible to actually complete a battle. He would just keep adding more stuff to battle whenever you took out his last character. I think that was my favorite deck I played against at nationals, and it stuck in my head when I made my first card: My Rock and My Shield.

It seemed like a pretty fun card. It combined my two favorite themes, Red warriors and Musicians, into a card that was both unique and powerful. I sent it off for review …and the elders sent back a resounding no on this one. A fortress/enhancement wasn’t a type currently in the game, so I couldn’t make this. Back to the drawing board!

I was slightly discouraged, but at least I knew the direction I wanted to go in: Red warriors that could work with musicians. While brainstorming, I remembered a card idea I made a while ago and posted on the boards called Soldier/Warrior. After discussing the idea with a few people, I ultimately decided to make a reprint of a classic card from the original boosters: The Mighty Warrior.

“The LORD goes out like a mighty man, like a man of war he stirs up his zeal; he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes.” – Isaiah 42:13

Now, let me explain a few of the unique things about him. First off, you’ll notice is that he is red and green. That’s simply due to the fact that he is an Isaiah hero, and it seemed like a good idea to give Isaiah some support, as they haven’t gotten a card since TEC with Isaiah’s scroll. (and no one plays it, so what’s the point?)

The second thing you’ll notice he is not a human, he is a symbolic character. The verse this card is based on, Isaiah 42:13 is comparing the Lord to a mighty warrior, not talking about an actual, specific warrior. That combined with the fact that the symbolic identifier is just super awesome justified it for me.

The third thing you’ll notice is that he involves music, which was something I accidentally stumbled upon. Isaiah, the prophet who wrote the book Mighty Warrior is referenced from, is a musician in the game. Ever wonder why? Well, let’s take a look at the header for verses 10 through 17 of chapter 42 of Isaiah. Oh, what’s this? “Sing to the Lord a New Song” is the title of this section, which means Mighty Warrior is referenced in a song Isaiah wrote! So, for all you fans of a musical red deck, here’s another great character to add to your arsenal!(You’re welcome, Jesse)

The Mighty Warrior is a great hero because he really does it all. Need to dig for a crucial card for your red or Isaiah offense? Mighty Warrior. Want your opponent to waste their enhancements before destroying them with a Bravery of David? Well just take a walk on in with Mighty Warrior! Oh, what’s that, your opponent wants to convert him with Falling Away, capture him with Unholy Writ, or try to block him with Red Dragon? Too bad, he’s symbolic! Oh no, your opponent discarded him? Isaiah and Music Leader can get him back from discard and David can pull him out of deck! And on top of all that, he is CBI!

A few decks that he fits right into are OT Red, and Isaiah, obviously, but I’ve found that he works especially well with hand and territory control decks. A few nice things to use in a deck with him are I am Holy, Jehu, and Jehu’s Sword. Another fun one is an Egyptian/red/silver mill deck, like the one Gabe posted on the boards. One thing that’s really nice about him is if opponent gives you initiative​ first, you get to play a battle winner and if they try to negate it, they have to toss the first enhancement they play! Provisions, anyone? I’m sure there are lots of other fun combos to be discovered, and I hope Mighty Warrior will see lots of play this year!

To buy singles, sealed product, and other gaming supplies mentioned, please visit Three Lions Gaming!

By Isaac Miller

Isaac began playing redemption in 2013, playing his first game with what he would later find out to be the yet to be released J starter deck. He most enjoys building decks and helping other players improve their decks. While he did had his first big competitive win in 2017, he likes to play casually more than competitively and would rather spend his time helping a newer player get better, rather than fine tuning a deck for a tournament.