Throwback Thursday is a common theme on sites and blogs where you hearken back to something interesting or random from the past. On Land of Redemption, our current Throwback Thursday trend is re-posts of preview articles from years and sets past.
We now move into the Thesaurus ex Preteritus preview articles. Enjoy!
Do you ever have difficulty using your evil cards because of the special ability on a certain Hero? Is there a good Fortress that keeps you from using your evil cards to their full potential? Are you sometimes frustrated that you can’t even present a blocker, much less get initiative to play an evil Enhancement? Well, help is on the way! Thesaurus ex Preteritus contains some evil cards that address those concerns. One of those cards is Image of Jealousy.
Do you recognize this card? This is a reprint of a card from the Prophets expansion. The title, icon box, art, and reference are identical to the previous release. But there are a few key differences: First, the card is shiny (but you probably can’t tell that by the picture). Second, it has a special ability. Third, is that a new icon under the icon box?
New Enhancement Class: Territory
That icon denotes a new type of enhancement: Territory Class. These Enhancements can be played during your preparation or discard phase on a character of matching brigade in your territory.
Like healing Enhancements, they give their effect immediately and are immediately discarded (unless the special ability tells you to place them somewhere else, like this card does). Alternatively, they can be played in battle, obeying the rules of initiative.
Each brigade gets one territory class Enhancement in this set. Additionally, there is an evil multi-color territory class Enhancement that can only be used by a Herod. Those 16 Enhancements will add fresh game play to Redemption all on their own. The evil territory class Enhancements are especially useful because they can be used during your own turn, so they are unaffected by opponents that choose a blocker or use ignores to keep you from using your evil cards in battle
Designing and Testing the Card
In the Bible, Ezekiel saw a vision of an image of jealousy set in the temple. The people of God had abandoned the intended use of the temple, and set up a sinful substitute in its place. The Image of Jealousy card does a similar thing: by negating the special ability on a Temple or other good Fortress, or even a Hero, it limits the usefulness of that card.
When we first began to test this card, it only affected Fortresses. Then, one of the other play testers suggested improving the card by adding the option to place it on a Hero. At first it seemed like it wouldn’t make sense to have an Image of Jealousy (an idol) placed on a Hero, but, sadly, it does fit. Sometimes we set up idols in our hearts that we allow to take God’s place. Those idols limit our effectiveness as “heroes” of the faith. Thankfully, God abounds in grace and forgives us when we confess our sin and repent.
Countering the Card
The ideal counter to placed evil Enhancements such as Image of Jealousy depends on what good brigade you are using.
Teal has several Enhancements that discard evil Enhancements in play. For purple royalty, King Hezekiah works very well. In Thesaurus ex Preteritus, a couple more helpful Heroes arrive. The green prophet Nathan, who was bold enough to confront David in his sin, can remove Image of Jealousy at least temporarily. For silver, Attending Angel can remove it from a hero, though not from a Fortress.
If you are not using those brigades, or if you’d like a backup card to be sure you get to use the special abilities on your Heroes and good Fortresses, consider using I Am Grace. Just as God’s grace saves us from the sin that causes trouble in the heart, so does I Am Grace save you from the evil Enhancements that cause trouble in the territory.
To buy singles, sealed product, and other gaming supplies mentioned, please visit Three Lions Gaming!
