Lying. Cheating. Stealing. Murder. Lust. Addiction. Sin. Since the time when Adam and Eve fell into temptation back in the Garden of Eden, man had become victim to his own sinful nature. To be human was to sin, and there was no escape from the curse of sin and death. Atonement could be made through the blood of animals, but the atonement only covered past sins. Another sin meant another sacrifice would need to be made. Then, Jesus came to earth and gave himself as a perfect sacrifice to atone for all sin—past, present and future. He gave himself to lift the curse of sin that had gripped a broken humanity. Romans 8:1 says “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” The curse of sin can no longer hold those who are in Christ Jesus, who have confessed with their mouths that He is Lord.

Much like the sin in our lives, in Redemption Curses often inhibit what a person can do or work to destroy what a person has already put in place. Rain Becomes Dust stops a player from drawing. Captured Ark gets rid of an Artifact. Confusion of Mind negates Heroes. Perhaps the most powerful Curse in the game, Covenant with Death, both negates characters and restricts players from playing Enhancements outside of a battle. Even with all the ways to discard Curses, Covenant with Death shuts many of them down by restricting the use of Enhancements to a battle.

When Christ died for us and rose again, He lifted the curse of sin and death, and that is the inspiration for the card Lifting the Curse. Prior to the Disciples set being released, Curses had become extremely powerful cards in the meta. In particular, Captured Ark, Unknown Nation, Confusion of Mind and to some extent Rain Becomes Dust had made defenses very strong. Furthermore, because of its ability to shuffle away a “defensive” Artifact, Captured Ark had become an offensive weapon as well. It was clear that some cards were needed to counter these powerful Curses. The Disciples set gave us many of these, including Lifting the Curse. Although not used as often as other anti-Curse cards, Lifting the Curse has a key advantage that could very well cause it to become more widely used. Like many anti-Curse Enhancements, it is territory class, but the effect can be delayed until the player is ready to use it. This allows the player to essentially keep an extra card in his hand because it can just sit in the player’s territory. Furthermore, if Lifting the Curse has already been played and activated, a player can use its ability to discard the powerful Covenant with Death Curse that is otherwise extremely difficult to get rid of. It can also discard an evil Enhancement in the player’s territory such as the increasingly popular Abomination of Desolation.

As we celebrate Christ’s resurrection this Easter season, let us thank God for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that lifted the curse of sin from our lives so that we could be saved from the power of death!

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

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."