One of my favorite things to do with each new expansion is try to find older cards that become more valuable, based on interactions with newer cards. Sapphira (from the Women’s expansion, and also later in the G/H decks) is one such card. Crimson received several new single-color evil Enhancements in The Early Church (TEC) expansion I’d like to highlight. They are:
Dissension in Antioch – Withdraw all heroes in battle. Cannot be prevented.
Disagreement Over Mark – Underdeck two heroes. Cannot be negated by a NT card.
Hypocrisy – Return any number of heroes to owners’ hands. Cannot be prevented.
All three of these Enhancements can be played on Sapphira in battle without being prevented by her ability. They join a host of other cannot be prevented (CBP) crimson Enhancements, including Invoking Terror (great on the 3 multicolor crimson magicians), Drawn Sword/Forest Fire (these need Ezekiel or a Babylonian in play to work), and of course, the G/H version of Deceit of Sapphira. Fighting by the numbers on offense is still a very strong strategy used in many top decks. Since two of the crimson multicolor magicians are also Babylonians, crimson could assert itself as a viable CBP defense.
What makes these Enhancements great if played in battle on Sapphira (assuming her ability hasn’t been negated) is that your opponent might not be able to negate them. Only a CBP or cannot be negated (CBN) negate will work. Dissension in Antioch and Hypocrisy can both hit all Heroes in battle, and there is very little protection from withdraw and return abilities. (Plus, Sapphira could negate most protect abilities, such as Asahel’s). As for Disagreement Over Mark, there aren’t many cannot be interrupted (CBI) and CBN Hero bands that have more than 2 Heroes; you’ll probably have at most 2 Heroes to deal with. All 3 of these TEC Enhancements have a good chance of winning you the battle if played on Sapphira. And with Sapphira being a N.T. human, she gains the benefits of the popular N.T. evil support cards, such as Herod’s Temple, Caesarea Philippi, Golgotha, and Chorazin. I expect to see Sapphira splashed into heretic defenses, and maybe even some Babylonian ones, in the future.
To buy singles, sealed product, and other gaming supplies mentioned, please visit Three Lions Gaming!
