Icecrown Previews - Red Doesn't Run
September 3, 2010
Hello and welcome to the first official Icecrown preview that matters: the Horde! Don't get me wrong; it’s not that the Alliance is totally worthless. I mean, if you didn't have something lame (the Alliance) how would you know what's awesome (the Horde). See, I found a use for the Alliance after all!
Today's preview takes a sneak peak at everyone's favorite faction as we get a feel for what lies ahead in the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game’s twelfth set. A major theme in the Wrath of the Lich King block is the new Scourge reputation. The Lich King has unleashed his undead minions, and it is up to the Horde and Alliance to take arms before being overrun.
Our first preview is a Horde two drop that makes his living hunting the Scourge on the front lines of battle.
Buma is interesting because it inadvertently opens up a lot of questions about Icecrown. How many Scourge allies will there be? What do they do? What can we expect from Scourge heroes?
Our new Scourge hater could see Constructed action depending on how far reaching the Scourge become. If nothing else, I could definitely see Buma as a side deck card which could provide headaches for players who align themselves with the Lich King.
While some of the Horde spend their days chasing the undead, others are into the simpler pleasures in life. Like smashing fools for infinite.
Zaduru really encourages opponents to maximize their resources each turn...or else! Keeping five resources open for Mystic Denial? Take seven please! How about when players want to leave their resources ready to complete quest at the end of turn? Having Zaduru in play forces opponents to exhaust out their resources in an unintuitive order so they don't get blasted into the nether.
In Constructed, I see our new Priest ally being an anti-control option. Most control decks want to keep their recourses ready so they can make better use of reactive abilities. Zaduru punishes this strategy in a big way.
In Limited, Zaduru seems to be one of the better Horde two drops we could expect to draft. A 2/2 for two is on par with what you would consider normal, but this guy has the potential to trade with a much larger ally— that's quite the upside.
Our final preview showcases two Blizzard overlords who join forces to form one awesome Horde tag team.
Deathlord "Cory" Jones and "Ben" Brode were two of the original people who helped get the TCG off the ground in 2005. You may recognize some of Ben's work as the artist for such beauties as Hearthstone and Fortune Telling. Currently he is involved in Creative Development for Blizzard. Some of you might know Cory as the President of Cryptozoic and the Chief Creative Officer.
Deathlord Jones has a very respectable state line as a 4/4 for four. The fact that he comes loaded with some great abilities is gravy. Being able to blast an ally for 3 damage the turn he enters play is a surprising unique ability. There are no allies in the TCG that can unload that much ally-to-ally damage each turn for that low of a price. From a strategic viewpoint, I envision Cory making it difficult for opponents to commit allies to the board knowing that they are going to get nuked each turn.
If all Cory did is zap lesser beings for 3 damage each turn, he would be a reasonable card. Fortunately, Cory doesn't fight alone as we also get a 3/3 ghoul sidekick to go to battle with. Initially Brode comes into play exhausted, almost like he's sleeping on the job. It takes Cory to dominate a nearby peon for Brode to get ready to do work. On a side note, if Brode gets destroyed, Cory's ghoul readying power works with any ghoul you control. The more ghouls the merrier!
Remember when you play Deathlord Jones, it's more than simply playing an awesome ally. You're putting the likeness of two WoW TCG titans into play. Though one thing I'm curious about is the relationship between these two. Cory is Ben's overlord? I mean, hey, I'm not here to judge. I did try to meet up with Cory to get clarification on his card's origin, but every time I spoke he shot at me with bolts of lightning from his fingertips. At least I know where one idea came from.
What other dynamic duos await in Icecrown? You'll have to keep checking back right here each and every day for the latest sneak peaks!
-Phillip Martin
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