Astrid, a look into the character and her cards
today in the character "Gems" corner, we will actually be previewing a new character to the game as well as her support cards, that character is Astrid. Why did I chose her to preview some might ask? Because I've played fire almost since the inception of the game and it is a symbol I am VERY familiar with. This character is one of the few good [fire] beat stick characters in the current format, if not in legacy also. She may not have the near broken abilities of Promo Alex or Akuma6 but she does have a few VERY good tricks up her sleeve, now unlike how I normally do these discussions I am going to do 2 decks for this character, one standard, and yes the one dirty word in UFS, one LEGACY, and show the advantages of her symbols when all possible, of course keeping the deck within a certain new players budget if possible. Let us move on to the first part of this discussion the character herself.
Here we have a female characer with 6 hand size and 27 vitality, as I've stated before this is amazing stats especially with her symbol spread, if she needs more cards in hand she has order to fall back on, if she needs good vitality gain in legacy and general control cards in standard she has All, but the most important symbol of all, at least as far as I am concerned, is FIRE. Now onto her abilities she has 2 very simple and yet very good abilities. The first one is "You may play any Weapon attack as a reversal" I want everyone to note, this does not say "Your weapon attacks gain the Reversal Keyword Ability" so Bitter Rivals does not effect her. This ability works very well in conjunction with other cards within the ShadoWar set and even the SC4 set as there are a lot of fire weapon attacks. The other ability on her is "E: Commit 1 foundation: Your attack gets +1 damage for every 2 weapons in your discard pile." As I will discuss in a second most every card in her support set has the weapon keyword, so if your opponent has not killed you by turn 5-6 or even 7 you should be able to throw attacks that if not blocked are gonna be fatal(baring a Rejection or a Holding Ground), she is what Fire Aggro was meant to be and is giving love to a keyword that a lot of times has been abandoned. Onto her support now:
The first card we will discuss is a reprint of an old favorite from Blades of Fury(Dodge Step) in Warrior's Path. This little beauty is a 2/5 with a nice +2M block on it, and two very good abilities. The first being the same effect of Dodge step[if discarded from hand due to opponent's card effect, discard all cards in your opponent's card pool] but also has the added bonus of netting you 3 cards in return for discarding it. This is very good with a lot of discard decks starting to resurface in a lot of metas, it also is very good for legacy and gives characters like Dhalsim and Zasalamel something to worry about. The other effect is simply to give your attack +2 damage, which is just gravy onto an already good card, did I mention this card is a Common, yes very nicely done.
She is also one of very few characters to have more than 2 assets released in her set, the first one to discuss is Reaver's Axe, this card is a 2/4 Unique Weapon with a +2H block; The card has 2 very good abilities, one probably not suited for her but for cards out of Jedah's, the first is a free enhance of "Your weapon attack gets +1 Speed and +1 Damage." Very nice for a free enhance if I must say so myself, considering almost every Astrid deck will run 30+ weapons for her ability add this on top and your attacks are gonna get big in a hurry. The other ability is "E: Destroy this asset: Your ranged attack gets +2 Speed and +2 Damage." So far there are only a couple Ranged Weapon attacks but for those that there are a +3/+3 is nice for any attack.
Her second asset is Valkynsverd which is a 4/5 +3M Unique Weapon, the first thing a lot of people would ask "ok a 4 difficulty asset it had BETTER be good", yes it is, but the very good ability comes with a price. The first enhance is a free enhance that gives your weapon attack -1 Speed and +2 damage, nice when you've already enhanced the speed up to above unblockable speed and you are needing 1 or 2 extra damage to finish your opponent. The other ability is a Fire ability, "E: Commit, Commit 1 foundation: Your attack gets -1 Speed and +3 damage. Only playable if you have no other assets in play." Now this one is the tricky one, you have to play this enhance very smartly but I will let the kids in on a secret tech with this card, have Reaver axe in play, play both its enhances (hopefully the attack being enhanced has Ranged in it for max effect, then play both e's on Valkynsverd to give your attack a whopping +1/+8 boost from just blowing up one asset, committing one asset and committing one foundation a nice trade off if you ask me.
Her final asset is an unusually one in Valkyrja's Shield, it is a 3/4 +2M Unique asset with the weapon keyword and Breaker 1 response ability. The abilities on the card are very unusual compared to her main support, as it deals with damage reduction: "E: Commit 1 foundation, discard 1 weapon card: This attack gets -x damage. X equals the control value of the discarded card. If you have played this ability more than once time this turn, destroy this card and lose 2 vitality." Now why would you really want to run this card, because it in a pinch can give you a -4 or 5 damage since it isn't weapon attack, it also gets weapon cards in your discard pile to maximize your ability. The other ability on it is very simply a good turn killer ability: "E: Commit: if you block this attack, your block gets Breaker: 2." Yes that ability itself kills turns if timed just right, your opponent tries to kill you way to pre-mature and commits out his board, this will end his turn.
Onto the attacks, she has 6 very playable attacks: the first one is Astrid's Wolf Strike, it is a 5/3 4M4 with a +1M block, and a very nifty enhance if it is played as a reversal: "E: If this attack was played as a reversal, it gains Multiple: 1." I know many Fire and All decks that have been waiting for a good stat card like this, and it has fire so react with drifter in an all/fire or fire/order deck and this will be played as a reversal. Fierce Twin Slash is the next card we will discuss, a 6/3 with no block but amazing 4M5 and Multiple: 1 as stats add in the nice enhance on the attack "E: If this attack gets +4 damage. Only playable if you have at least 2 weapon assets in your staging area" Yes that combo I gave you earlier would work very well with this card, if somehow you give it a very nice speed bonus before enhancing it. The only drawback to the card is no block, but who needs a block with such a solid card. Next is Pommel Smash, a 3/3 no block 2H1 Stun: 1 attack while it may at first seem like a "poke" attack it is much better than that, it has a very, VERY good ability to go with the near horrid stats, "E: Commit one CARD in your opponent's staging area" do I really have to explain why a lot of all, fire and order decks should look for a playset of this uncommon? Didn't think so.
The next is Raven's Claw, as it is a card that many will probably run despite its sub-par control check of 2, it is 4/2 Ranged Weapon with 4M4 and a +3M Block, with a nice ability of "destroy a weapon asset: This attack gets +2 Speed and +2 damage" This card plus Reaver Axe is a nice combo if you have another weapon asset in play that is. Tyr's Warding Smash is the utility card of he support, as it is a 4/3 +1H block 2H4 attack, that gives the next weapon attack you play this turn +2 damage if this attack deals damage, not a bad card to say the least, if not for Astrid maybe for a couple other characters as well. Final attack is one that Fire and All decks MIGHT run for a kill condition in Odin's Wrath. This beauty is a UR but with justifiable stats to be a UR, it is an 8/3 with 4H10 and a +2M block but a blank text box, what makes it worth running in Astrid at first glance, the fact that it has a Astrid Desperation ability of 6 difficulty, so after taking a beating you should be throwing these puppies for massive damage mid-late game.
Her Foundation support is as diverse as her attacks are, I shall explain starting with the first card Bloodied but Unbowed, a 2/4 foundation with no block but 1 ability[2 when in desperation] That can win you games if timed right, "F: Reveal the top 2[3 if in desperation] cards of your deck, add all revealed weapons to your hand and discard the rest." OK, you're out of attacks, you use this to hope and pray you can get more to your hand, if nothing else to block with and reverse with for your opponents turn this card can be a life saver, this card combined with visions of destiny for All will be a good card for any character. Determined is the next foundation that is really when you first look at it a horrible card, but after looking again it is a good card, it is a 2/4 with a +2M block and "E: Destroy 2 foundations: Your weapon attack gets +4 damage. Only playable while committed." Play an attack miss by 1 or 2 on the check and make sure you commit these and give huge damage bonuses, also I must say, AMAZING artwork on this card.
The next card we will look at will show the amazing synergy between Astrid and her cards, that card is Envoy to the Queen; this is a 1/5 with a +3L block and the Weapon keyword, yes a foundation with the weapon keyword printed on it. This amazing card has one ability: "R: Commit: After you play a weapon card, discard the top 5 cards of your deck." now before you ask "wait... why would I wanna do that???" simple really, mainly for Astrid you are trying to get as many weapons in your discard pile as possible, this card will greatly increase the chances of you getting 3-5 weapons in your discard pile to make your character's enhance even more deadly, and in some other decks it will help you to get rid of some bad checks you fear might be on top of your deck. Paying Respect to Your Ancestors is next on the list, this is a 3/5 no block foundation that has 2 amazing abilities for so many decks: The first one is "F: Commit, discard 2 weapons: Draw 3 cards." Amazing ability for when you are trying to draw attacks and only have assets or attacks you can't use at the moment in hand and very tech for Astrid players. The other ability is "Astrid R: After your weapon attack gets a damage bonus, that bonus gets an additional +1." Yes that's right as long as you have at least 2 weapons in your discard pile and you got 4 of these puppies out (ready) you get, at least, +5 damage to all your attacks, the ONLY downside to this card is it is an Ultra Rare... but still very good.
Queen's Champion adds to the weapon tutoring of this character, 2/5 no block foundation with a very simple e: "E: Commmit: Reveal the top card of your deck. If it is a weapon, draw it. If it is not a weapon, put it on the bottom of your deck." Now this can be a positive and a negative for most decks, one it can get an attack to your hand, the only drawback is if you reveal a foundation or an action with your 5cc that you need for the next attack you play or for a block, this will put it on the bottom of your deck, but with cards on the bottom of your deck, with help from a couple cards in Alex's support you should be able to get those cards back, or in legacy run Hidden Base to return those cards to your hand durring your draw step. Relentless is the next foundation, this puppy is a 2/4 Foundation, also with the weapon Keyword, and allows you to refresh your hand with the following ability: "R: Commit: After you play a weapon card, draw 2 cards. Only playable if you have at least 2 weapons in your card pool." don't think I have to explain this card very much, as card draw will be very important with trying to spam out a lot of attacks turn 3-4.
The last card is probably gonna be the foundation that will see most play with high vitality characters, the card is titled Resourceful, It is a 2/4 with a +3M block and the weapon keyword; it has the following ability: "R: Commit, discard 1 momentum: After you are dealt 4 or more damage due to your opponent's attack, take 1 weapon attack from your discard pile and add it to your hand." AMAZING ability with high vitality characters, if your opponent cannot one shot you or if you return the normally fatal attack to its printed damage(Healer for Fire, Fight or flight for All or Fire and Holding Ground for Order) this card will retrieve one of your attacks for you to hit your opponent with on your next turn(or the current turn if that attack was a reversal), shouldn't have to explain much else.
Now after such a long winded explanation of the cards I will build a deck for standard that should do very well for any player getting in the game, warning though there will be only a few blocks in the deck as I am planning on using every foundation from her support.
Character: Astrid*
Actions(8)
Kung-Fu Training x4 2/5 +1M
Warrior's Path x4 2/5 +2M
Assets(3)
Reaver's Axe x3 2/4 Weapon Unique +2H
Attacks(24)
Astrid's Wolf Strike x3 5/3 4M4 Weapon +1M
Cleave x3 5/3 4H5 Weapon +0M
Fire Shadow x4 3/3 3L3 Weapon +0H
Odin's Wrath x2 8[6]/3 4H10 Weapon +2M
Pomel Smash x4 3/3 2H1 Weapon Stun: 1
Prime Moon Shadow x4 4/3 3H3 Weapon +1H
Tyr's Warding Smash x4 4/3 2H4 Weapon +1H
Foundations(36)
Blinding Rage x4 1/6 +1M
Bloodied but Unbowed x4 2/4
Commitment to Excellence x4 2/6 +1L
Determined x4 2/4 +2M
Envoy to the Queen x4 1/5 Weapon +3L
Queen's Champion x4 2/5
Relentless x4 2/4 Weapon
Resourceful x4 2/4 +3M
Tae Kwon Do Zephyr x4 0/5 +2L
Sideboard(8)
Willful 2/5 +2H
Empire's Ruin x4 1/5 +2M
possible additions
Paying Respect to Your Ancestors x4 3/5 [note this card is not entirely necessary but will help the deck, only put it in your deck if you can get them]
71 very good cards that interact very well with each other, the only card I might have to explain is Prime Moon Shadow, this card is the main way to life gain with this deck, if you have been beaten down this attack can save the game for you even if partially blocked it will net you 5-9 life late game. Tae Kwon Do I added due to the resurgence of Rejection in a lot of metas, it will help keep your attacks at AT LEAST their base damage so you can chip away at your opponent if you have to. Now onto the harder deck for me to give to you hardcore players, a Legacy deck. (warning: This deck will be commons and uncommons ONLY)
Character: Astrid*
Actions(8)
KFT x4 2/5 +1M
Warrior's Path x4 2/5 +2M
Attacks(24)
Astrid's Wolf Strike x4 5/3 4M4 Weapon +1M
Chain Throw x4 5/3 3M5 Weapon Throw Stun: 2
Cleave x4 5/3 4H5 Weapon +0M
Mark of the Beast x4 5/3 4M4 Weapon +2M
Pommel Smash x4 3/3 2H1 Weapon Stun: 1
Prime Moon Shadow x4 4/3 3H3 Weapon +1H
Foundations(36)
Adoration x4 1/5 +2M
Bitter Rivals x4 3/4 +2M
Envoy of the Queen x4 1/5 Weapon +3L
Footwork x4 2/5
Friends and Rivals x4 2/5 +2M
Masterful Duelist x4 3/5
Queen's Champion x4 2/5
Resourceful x4 2/4 +3M
Weapon Training x4 2/5 Weapon +2M
Sideboard(8)
Pull of the Tides x4 0/4 +2M
Martial Arts Champion x4 2/4
Simple deck, set up a Chain Throw usually about turn 3-4 and they should be doing enough damage to hurt your opponent, Mark of the Beast is in here for tech against multiples. The Foundation setup was for the easiest setup turns possible, with a variety of speed pumps and card draw, also some abilities to change zones of attacks and help make blocking easier. The Sideboard was simple, PotT was put in there for Defender Loop decks and Martial Arts Champion is for anti draw and card recursion, hopefully this will help people with understanding the versatility of this character and I hope to hear back from many of you about her, for now this is NJBrock22 Signing off.