The Guiding Hand Commons of Empire of Evil
By Josh Jurgensen
Greetings all!
Welcome to the first of a series of introductions to the cards of Empire of Evil. I'll start at what I feel is the most fitting part - Hand Commons. Why are Guiding Hand Commons most fitting, you ask ?
Keep reading and find out why.
I am certain that I am not alone when I feel that the Guiding Hand are one of the few "flagship" Shadowfist factions. Guiding Hand, The Dragons & Eaters of the Lotus are frequently the first three factions that many of our new players see in our games. They are the most evocative and encapsulatory factions of the Shadowfist universe. And don't think I don't know what you're thinking : "encapsulatory isn't a word, you mook". Well, sheddap and strap in while I open up a can of science on you!
A faction's commons set the tone for their presence for the next year or two - so it's important to properly represent them. Honestly, lately, it seems that the Hand's PR Sifu has been missing in action. They have a strong cardset, but they just aren't present in many brawls like many feel they should be. Were they laying low ? Was Quan Lo in bad health ? Was it a bad pork bun ? Were the dojos undergoing a makeover ?
Well, the answer is a little of all of the above. Most importantly - the hand is back in a big way, baby!
Let's start with some heat - I give you Blue Meditation.
If you've played at least one game of Shadowfist, you know that a faction's 0-cost events are their bread and butter. This card is poised to be a major player in the new world of shadowfist. Mechanically, it couldn't be simpler. An interceptor ceases intercepting - this will mean that, often, at least one of the Hand player's characters will get through to it's target unmolested. That is, if you are playing this for the benefit of your characters. You are playing this to help your hand characters sneak through, right ?
Next, we have Difficulty at the end of things -
This card is decidedly better than secrets of shaolin, in my opinion. This card is a free Confucian Stability against broke, event-playing opponents - but you mustn't mistake this for a Confucian stability - this card is only reliable to only further slow opponents that are powerless - but use it often enough and it has BOTJ potential - the leaders in your game will acknowledge that you could be holding this - and may wait one more turn to try for his win.
Ahhh.....Mountain Monastery. This is the card I've been waiting for. This is where the monks train - and rightly so. Witness the true power of the Shaolin! Seriously, monks are something the hand are not hurting for - and this thing catapults them into an immediately competitive archetype.
Speaking of Monks, here we have Stoic Wanderer. 3-for-4 is a solid power/cost ratio, so the ability to gain toughness and superleap against most of my opponents (on average) is a huge bonus. Plus, he's orange. I have a soft spot for the orange and violet schools.
Lastly (alphabetically only, I assure you) we have Willow Warriors. This is the kind of card that sells whole sets. This is proof that the game is alive and well and doing better than ever. And I suppose that yes, these guys are better than the golden candle society in most circumstances - but when's the last time you wanted to play them in a deck? We are almost in 2010, aren't we? I can only hope that Willow Warriors open up a whole Renaissance of plentiful kung-fu weapons.
Well, this wraps up this edition of previews - until next time, may all of your attacks find their targets!