With the release of The Serpent and his paralyze ability, I believe we might begin to see a new defensive strategy emerge as a viable option. In The Early Church set we gained a card in Adjourn that paralyzes Heroes and can win a battle by causing a stalemate. It stands to reason that more are on the way in future sets. In the older sets, we see several paralyze cards such as All Hope Lost, Judah’s Sin and Fear of Danger, but none so strong that made the paralyze strategy a viable one. That could very well be changing. We all know how strong Judges decks are, but imagine if you were able to paralyze The Angel Under the Oak and Samuel early in the game…all of a sudden Judges don’t seem quite as menacing. Imagine a Disciples deck not being able to use Thaddeus or a Genesis deck not being able to use Joseph. Paralysis starts to seem rather intriguing, does it not?

Now if you find yourself with the sudden urge to go build a paralysis defense, that’s okay. Go ahead and do that, but then come back when you’re done to read the rest of the article because it’s actually not about paralysis.

You’re back? Cool.

The above was all to set up what this article is really about—an ability that I believe will start to see more use as the power of paralyze increases: healing.

Long ago, Brass Serpent was a staple in top decks. Particularly when banding offenses ruled the day, people wanted to have some insurance in case their opponent managed to play a Wrath of Satan they could not negate. It also came in handy for other strategies that only had one powerful Hero that the player could not afford to lose to a timely Christian Martyr. When Angel Wars released, an even better healing option was available in I am Healing. Not only could it be used twice (if played as an Artifact), but it only healed your Heroes and not those of your opponent. Through the years as decks became more geared towards offense, healing cards began to disappear from top deck lists. In 2012, we had Martin Miller’s banding deck utilize Brass Serpent on its way to the T1 2P National title, but since then healing cards have often not made the final cut. Most decks started including several strong Heroes in their offenses and losing one to Christian Martyr didn’t really slow the offense down at all. (Even the most recent T1 2P National winning deck did not include The New Covenant despite being a 56 card Disciple deck.)

The Early Church also gave us another great healing card in Love, but we’ve already had an article highlight the usefulness of Love so go here to read about that. In my recent online play experiences, I’ve seen more and more balanced decks being used with one or two key Heroes that make the offense viable. With the threat of paralysis looming, I can definitely see healing cards making a comeback so players are able to keep their key Heroes in the Field of Play and ready to attack.

If I haven’t quite made you a believer in the healing ability for Redemption, that’s okay. This first part of the article was mainly intended to get you thinking about healing so that you come back later for Part 2…

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By Justin

Justin began playing Redemption in 1997 with his brothers and a few other friends from his church though it was not until 2002 that he discovered and became a part of the wider Redemption community. While his involvement in the game includes being a tournament host, a playtester and a national champion player, the aspect he finds most rewarding is the amazing friends he has met through the game. "I am simply amazed at what God has done through the game of Redemption, both in my life and in the lives of others, and I am excited for the ways in which He will continue to use it."