Noah: The Master of Shadows

 “Your every success furthers my purposes.” – Noah Redmoon

Woah, what was that? It’s Noah week, and let me tell you, you’re in for some surprises! Saria is deceptive, but at least she’s civil, and Coal is fast to act, but far from subtle about his intentions. Noah, on the other hand, is unreadable. It’s hard to understand his purposes, and his deck The Shadows of Viros will keep your opponents guessing as to what’s coming next! And it’s coming at them fast!

What You Need To Know About Noah

The Stats:

Each Phoenixborns statline is unique in Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn and will help you decide what strategies to use, and what cards to play with. The following is a list of Noah’s stats, and how they affect games played with him as your featured Phoenixborn.

Life Value 20: With a life value of 20, Noah can afford to take a little damage during the course of a game if it helps him pull off his strategy. It is above average, and will allow him to guard his units when that would be useful to him. Here’s a little hint: Often it will be more advantageous for Noah’s units to take one for the team!

Battlefield Value 6: A battlefield value of 6 is above average among the initial Phoenixborn, and will allow Noah to leverage advantages some other Phoenixborn can’t manage. Noah will often have more options for attacking than your opponents.

Spellboard Value 3: Noah’s spellboard value of 3 will encourage a more focused strategy than other Phoenixborn because it is the lowest spellboard value in the base game. Action/reaction spells are generally more powerful than ready spells, and allies are generally more powerful than conjurations, so I guess you’ll just have to play with more powerful cards! Darn…

Ability: Shadow Target

So you were just thinking that it’s not fair that other Phoenixborn can use more ready spells than Noah, weren’t you? Good for you that Noah feels the same way! But Noah's ability, Shadow Target, is even better than more spellboard slots. You get to pick what spell your opponent can’t use! For 1and a side action you can shut off a ready spell for 1 round, and you can do this every round!

If your opponent has a conjuration that’s cramping your style, turn it off. If he or she has a spell that is perfect at denying your strategy, just don’t let them use it!

Where’d that Beastie Come From!

Look at the cost for putting this guy into play! Look again, that’s a side action! You can attack with this guy the turn that you summon him, or the turn you play the ready spell if you find yourself in a position that you need to defend! But let’s not kid ourselves, Noah wants to sneak this guy in for damage.

Now check out the focus ability. That’s right, it only costs one magic to put an attack value 2 unit into play, as a side action, when you focus Summon Masked Wolf! It’s fascinating to me that a ready spell can generate surprise damage and, though I don’t want to spoil the surprises, this is a theme in Noah’s deck!

The Strategy of The Shadows of Viros

Sneaky Damage, that’s the operative phrase of The Shadows of Viros. Ambush your foes with surprise damage, change the dynamics of the battlefield at unexpected moments, and maintain an air of inscrutability. Knowing what your opponent is doing, stopping their plan, and not letting them know your own strategy is where the battle is won!

In tomorrow’s article we’ll cover the tricks and surprises Noah uses to secure victory! Come back and check it out if your heart can take it.

Thanks for reading!

Bob

Game Overview Previews: Phases of Play, Attacking/Defending, Placement, Card Types, Dice Powers, Multiplayer and Drafting
Maeoni Previews: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
Coal Previews: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
Saria Previews: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
Noah Previews: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
Jessa Previews: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
Aradel Previews: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Click here to pre-order Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn and get a $15 pre-order discount as well as the Dimona Odinstar Promo Pack.

Written by Bob Klotz.
Bob Klotz is the lead playtester for Ashes