Today Justin shares more Prophecies of Christ phase 2 previews, including some classic cards seeing upgrades!

For those of you who have been around the game long enough, you might recall that when the Apostles set released, we had our first “card to be printed later” reference in a special ability. Anyone want to take a guess?

If you guessed “Transfiguration” you are correct (give yourself a gold star from me) and the “card to be printed later” it referenced was of course Elijah. It would not be until 2006 Nationals that the powerful Transfiguration, which could bring Warriors Moses into battle from pretty much anywhere, would finally get to bring both Elijah and Warriors Moses into battle for a very formidable attack.

Now the promo Elijah was pretty good for its time. Protection from Christian Martyr was very strong and being Purple, Elijah could use the most powerful good enhancement in the game— Authority of Christ promo. Tim “SirNobody” Maly, one of the top players from that era of Redemption, utilized a deck that used both Authority of Christ promo and Transfiguration to give himself multiple powerful attack options (with Elijah having synergy with both enhancements). One of the first tournament worthy decks I built was a white offense that included Transfiguration, Moses and Elders, and Lost Coin Found so that I could play Transfiguration up to 3 times in one game (though by the time Elijah came around, I had moved into the Type 2 arena).

Fast forward to today and promo Elijah pretty much never sees play—not even in booster draft since he’s a promo card and not available` in packs. An unfortunate thing for such a prominent Old Testament prophet…but no longer! I am happy to share this buffed version of a classic Hero…Elijah!

As you can see, Elijah keeps the important pieces of his old special ability (protection from discard and banding to Elisha, who got an upgrade in Phase 1) but also gets some additional tricks. He is protected from being banished, he can grab your Elisha from Reserve (for those who are running the Chariot of Fire dominant and like to start with Elisha in Reserve) and he has the option to choose an evil human to block. Now because of the rule change to choose the blocker (the blocker must come from opponent’s territory) this is not nearly as powerful as it would have been even last year, but that is the main reason we feel comfortable printing such an ability. Might we see an update to Elijah’s Mantle as well? Only time will tell… though I have no doubt that Elijah will find a place in many of the OT Prophets decks we will see this tournament season.

If you want to build a deck around Elijah and getting him out quickly is a priority, you’ll probably be interested in this next Hero.

This lady might have been a widow, but God had a great plan for her! During that time there was a severe famine in Israel and Elijah had run out of food. God directed him to a widow in the town of Zarephath and miraculously provided for her, her son and Elijah. Elijah would later pray over her son after he died and God brought the boy back to life! Because the widow provided for Elijah, she allows the player to exchange her for Elijah and then to grab a green enhancement from Reserve—not quite a miracle, but it might be just what you need to get you the Lost Soul you need to win! Also worth mentioning is that she prevents Evil Characters of toughness X or less so if your opponent is trying to use a splash defense, she’s going to limit their blocking options. Last, but certainly not least, she is a Cloud Hero! In Hebrews 11, it talks of those who had sons raised to life through faith, and that is exactly this woman’s story. So if you really want to get Elijah out quick, consider also using The Angel of the Winds for a potential double exchange!

One of those enhancements you might want to grab from Reserve with The Widow at Zarephath might be this new powerful battle winner for Elijah.

Wow! The only hard part will be deciding if you can afford to start with this in Reserve! Not much to say other than this thing is going to make the Widow/Elijah combo really, really good!

The final card of today’s previews is a reprint of a classic from the Women set.

While keeping the original “interrupt and redirect” ability, this version also gets the proper brigades to match the newer Jezebel (who might be a really strong defensive option this year, hint, hint…) and we also added in the ability from Taking Naboth’s Vineyard to give this card some added versatility. While many Site-stealing cards in past sets have specified “single-brigade” this one has no such restrictions and you could grab an opponent’s Ends of the Earth or Majestic Heavens to use for yourself!

Hope you enjoyed these previews! Be sure to check back here and on the Redemption forum for more Prophecies of Christ phase 2 previews!

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."