SW Preview: The Mother Gem
Brath, Gem Golems, and more.
Programming Note: Due to the large number of cards to preview, we are starting the previews before the pre-orders are available. Pre-orders will be up soon. Plus, Preview Monday will be twice as nice as usual, with TWO Summoner Wars previews per day. TWO!
It has been speculated by some that there is a power even stronger than that of the summoning stones. Perhaps even a source of power strong enough to end the Summoner Wars. When asked what power this may be, they say it's the Mother Gem. We know little about it, but a band of Deep Dwarves have made it their life's mission to explore the tunnels beneath Itharia in search of this power, and you know something? They may have found it.
The Gem Golem is rumored to actually be birthed of the Mother Gem. The creature seems peaceful at first but it would appear that Brath, the new summoner of the Deep Dwarves, has worked with these creatures for some time now and turned them into unpredictable and impactful units in battle.
Most obvious is their HARVEST ability, which provides an aura of protection to other Commons fighting alongside them. Not only that, but if that power happens to be what is sustaining a Common Unit and it is taken away, their spirit returns to the Mother Gem. While it isn't gaining you the magic like Gren might, magic denial for your opponent should never be underestimated.
You can further see Brath's deep understanding of these units and the power they bring. With Gift of the Mother Gem you can heal 4 Wounds from Units you control. While on the surface it seems like a reverse Magic Torrent, it has more of an impact than that. You're are capped at 4, but you are not limited to 1 Wound per Unit like you were in Magic Torrent's damage structure. This might be exactly what you need to keep a critically positioned Gem Golem around a bit longer or, heck, even healing a Champion. It does come at a cost though, and Brath is a bit more conscious of her magic than Tundle was.
You can easily see, Brath is a powerful Summoner. She throws 3 dice at range, and has 6 life. Her DEEP MAGIC is very strong, allowing you to put a card into your magic at any time. Readers... this will allow you to immediately trigger most Deep Dwarf abilities... THAT. IS. AWESOME.
Now, there is more to it than that. Brath doesn't have unlimited resources like Tundle does. In fact, you might find Brath going through her deck much faster than most summoners. Having to build that magic from the hand is typically not an issue, and actually can be incredibly handy to help clear a spot. It's the risk/reward that comes from burning a card off the draw that is both terrifying as a player, yet taps into the Mother Gem's power.
If she uses DEEP MAGIC from the draw pile, all Gem Golems increase Attack Value for that turn. You might not think a 1 AV Golem is very frightening, but once you play this deck you'll think anything but... and pray it's your enemy that thinks that way instead. We'll explore much more about that in future previews, but I'll go ahead and give you a little taste of it now.
When a Summoner is wounded, no one seems to hesitate walling them in for safety. A Spear Grounder never seems more powerful than when a surprise summon lands the final blow through an exposure opening in those "safe" walls or through some beefy blockers. Likewise, Will of the Mother Gem gives the Gem Golem reach that very few units in the game have. A strategically played Will of the Mother Gem can be detrimental, but perhaps its full potential won't be realized until you see the deck as a whole.
A little worried about discarding from the top of your deck with DEEP MAGIC and losing a super important card? I totally get it. (Hey, throw in some Owls.) There IS a way to assist though, if you were to lose a crucial card. Actually, 2 ways: two copies of Back to the Deep.
This is a versatile event card as you have two ways to play it. For starters, collect a card from your discard and shuffle it back into your draw pile, which allows you to get around a card you might have otherwise held on to as a result of DEEP MAGIC; this also gives you the option TO build a card from your hand instead of clogging, knowing you can get it back OR to reclaim your favorite events to play, to draw into them again later.
The other option allows you to throw a Unit card on the Battlefield back into your hand. This is not unlike Sairook if you opt to save a Champion, though I won't lie and say it doesn't also come in handy to bring back a wounded Gem Golem. Again though, all this might make more sense once the previews are complete. Just know that Brath's Deep Dwarves are not short of incredible combos, and might just be one of the most frightening summoners of this release.
Second Summoner Previews:
Kynstri's Mission
Saturos: Part 1
Natazga: Part 1
Malenatar: Part 1
Scraven: Part 1
Little Meda: Part 1
Shiva: Part 1
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Written by Brian Beyke |
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