Invasion - Omens of Ruin (Morrsleib cycle)

[maelzch]

The estate hall was thronged with Dark Elves of Har Ganeth, their eyes bright and their smiles cruel and calculating. Outside the window of the estate, a fat green orb hung in the sky, leering down at the scene with an emerald radiance. Morrsleib, the chaos moon, was considered amongst some Dark Elves as an auspicious omen for launching a raid for plunder and slaves. In the center of the room, fine furnishings and slave-skin banners had been removed to make a cleared circle of marble where two brothers faced each other with drawn blades.
      - From "Omens of Ruin," the included short story by Ross Watson

Cruelty and deceit are the hallmarks of the Dark Elves, ever-prepared to strike at their hated foes...

Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce the upcoming release of Omens of Ruin, the first Battle Pack in The Morrslieb Cycle for Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game! This winter, a strange moon will rise, casting the Old World in a sickly green light. What horrible future can be foretold? And what does this mean for the factions vying for control of the Old World?

For more on The Morrslieb Cycle and what it holds in store for Warhammer: Invasion, read The Chaos Moon is Rising, an article in which developer James Hata shares his design goals.

Kicking off this exciting series, Omens of Ruin introduces the nimble Wood Elves and their mysterious Forest Spirit allies. Meanwhile, the mighty River Troll joins the fray and Dark Elf Infiltrators invade the ranks of their enemies! With three copies each of twenty never-before-seen cards, Omens of Ruin is designed to augment existing decks and add variety to the Warhammer: Invasion metagame.

[Draig]

Wood Elves might actually get me back into Invasion if they are interesting.

If anyone buying the character packs anyway and not looking to play the Asrai has an inkling to sell me their Wood Elf cards I'd be mighty interested.

[Mike]

I read that as...

Women's Institute - Omens of Ruin

Ethel.... we've run out of tea and Victoria sponge for the church fair... WE'RE RUINED!!!!

[fatolaf]

Nice cheap ungors there, just what Chaos has been lacking, could be good times for them in this cycle...

I smell a WE / LM / HE combo burning 

[fatolaf]

Nice peek at a very good Orc card from this set...

"The first major goal of The Morrslieb Cycle is to encourage players to build developments. [...] There will be several cards in this cycle that will encourage players to consider developing (especially from the hand) as an important strategic decision. If I were to characterize this set in a phrase, it would be that this is the cycle in which 'developments matter.'"

One immediately noticeable manifestation of this design direction is that many cards in the cycle cause some punitive effect in zones with no developments. In this way, players are compelled to develop, at least a little... or possibly pay the consequences. Can you afford to risk it?

For the Orcs, what could be more thematic than smashing through an opponent's defenses? Boar Pen, a two-cost support card, does just that. By targeting your foe's undeveloped zones, or by taking down his developments first with a card like Smash-Go-Boom!, you'll secure an uncontested assault! And for a faction like the Orcs, such an attack can be a devastating game-ender.

[maelzch]

Ooh, me likey boar pen! It'd fit ace into a rush deck!

[fatolaf]

Korhill, brings some rock hard CC goodness to the HE

The hero Korhil is a solid four-cost unit, with his high number of hit points and respectable two power icons. His real strength, however, is in the ability to inspire other High Elves to join his cause. Whenever he attacks, you may reveal the top card of your deck, putting any High Elf units (of three or less cost) in play! At best, you'll add some extra power to your strike (for free), and at worst, you'll learn what your next card will be.

There are plenty of candidates to hope for when revealing that top card, since a wide range of High Elf units are at or below the three cost mark. You might pull the Silver Helm Brigade, Archmage of Saphery, or Scion of the Everqueen. Or better yet, the Sea Guard Captain could add his indirect damage to the attack, and the Loremaster of Hoeth and Ellyrian Reavers each trigger additional effects when entering play.

[fatolaf]

At last we get to see some Woodies..

Athel Loren is inhabited by many strange and powerful spirits, some of whom are as ancient as the forest itself. When a conflict arises, these otherwise ethereal spirits can bind themselves to the husks of dead trees and fallen branches, making the silent form uproot itself and meld into a powerful shell with which they can oppose interlopers. In motion, these vessels appear as a horrifying parody of a man, though one that stands well over eight feet tall on its gnarled and twisted legs. They remain vigilant and ready to strike with lethal ferocity should an enemy stray too close, waiting with unceasing patience for weeks upon end should it be required. More than one careless trespasser has had his life cut short by these Tree Kin.

Now whilst I am a little sad about the lack of Hit points on a Treekin, the mind boggles at the opportunities with it's ability...

Spirits of the Forest

As we announced back in October (and repeated a few times since), The Morrslieb Cycle is designed to encourage an emphasis on developments. As the cycle's new neutral "faction," the Wood Elves exemplify this design philosophy beautifully; they tend to have powers that generate, enhance, and manipulate developments in various ways. For a specific example, take a look at one of the Wood Elves' subtypes, the Forest Spirit. Many Treemen, like the Tree Kin on the right, have this exact action: "Spend 2 resources to have this unit become a development until the end of the turn. It no longer counts as a unit."

This sort of versatility can be great in a number of situations. You may need to quickly increase your number of developments to trigger certain beneficial effects, like that of Troll Slayers. You might want to spare Tree Kin from the effects of incoming Troll Vomit, or use it to protect an entire zone from the Judgement of Verena...

...and the list goes on and on. We'll take a look at more Wood Elves in the coming weeks, but suffice it to say that in the hands of a clever player, these mysterious protectors of the forest can be used in some exciting combinations.

[maelzch]

the dryads open up so many possibilities!

[fatolaf]

Nicely priced beastie me thinks..

This pack is out next week...

[maelzch]

ooo shiny

[Draig]

Nice artwork!

[fatolaf]

Nice artwork!

It slipped a bit in the last cycle, I think they are making an effort in this one...

[Veldemere]

funny I was thinking how disappointed I was with the artwork. It looks a little cartooney to me. I prefer the dirty dark grimy style of artwork, but that could just be me

[fatolaf]

Out on Monday, order your copy now