FEBRUARY 2018 Promo:

Nebulawood Barrier

Type: Symmetry

Edition: Promo

Artist: Odysseas Stamoglou

Set: Crystal Forge

"Nebulawood Barrier" is the brand-new Promo card being released for the month of February! This beautiful Symmetry lets you put any creature from your hand into play on ANY phase during ANY player's turn! Keep in mind, 'put into play' does not count as a summon as it does not use the word 'summon'. The way this card functions can be compared to Apparition Grove from (Set 2) Galaxy Tides. However, 'put into play' has a lot more possibilities in the long run. For example, if the opponent bounces a creature back to your hand with something like Reversion, you can use Barrier to surprise them and drop a creature back down on their turn. It'll surely astonish your opponent as you could use it to disrupt their entire Attack Phase. A well-timed Barrier paired with something like Carcery the Chemical Oddity could end the game entirely.

As for how it might best be played beforehand, an energy-spread strategy might prove successful (i.e. playing lots of smaller piles of energy every turn rather than building up big creatures). Leaving a blank pile or two opens up the door to use Barrier in a split second even if your opponent opts for Unsummon rather than Reversion. Invoke is also a very underplayed option that becomes better with this new card.

Furthermore, it combos perfectly with many of the other new cards coming out, so don't miss out on getting a couple of these for your next deck or collection!

MARCH 2018 Promo:

Drifter's Beginning

Type: Symmetry

Edition: Promo

Artist: Roy Ugang

Set: Galaxy Tides

If this card looks familiar, it's because it should! Early adopters/veteran players may remember this card from 2016. With all of the new players joining the game, we felt that making this Promo obtainable once again would be a good way to space out the newer Promos. This textbox-less Symmetry allows you to turn a vanilla 3-star Rare into a double-attacker like Legendary Blade Luhzarus! Well, not exactly like Luhzarus, but you can effectively attack two opposing Rare creatures at once, splitting your damage however you like. Running this card gives you a solid excuse to pack more Symmetries into your Main Deck since you won't need as many creatures as your opponent. Couple that with some Dimensional creatures and the Symmetry card Dimensional Dust and you've got yourself a graveyard-fetching, attack-splitting engine. Your opponent might laugh when they see your creatures don't have any Abilities, but you'll be the one laughing after you smack them across the dimensions!

APRIL 2018 Promo:

Mortarbloom Liege

Type: Creature — Treefolk

Edition: Promo

Artist: Roy Ugang

Set: Crystal Forge

 With Shardveil having frozen nearly half of the planet in only 6 months, Treeforge is bringing out the big guns. This cannon-wielding Treefolk has the Ability "Clarity Cannon", which reads "When this creature is put into play except by a summon, each player reveals the top 2 cards of their Main Deck." The key words here are 'each player', meaning that its Ability will go off on ALL players. Be extra careful (or exploitive) with it during Multiplayer. While using its Ability isn't as simple as summoning it, it could pay off in a huge way when running max copies of creatures like Vanquish, Reverser of Time and Harbinger Mushroom. Mortarbloom Liege will fit lovingly in any kind of Reveal-based deck, so watch out for Treefolk & Mushfolk players!

MAY 2018 Promo:

Tethered to Eeventide

Type: Symmetry

Edition: Promo

Artist: Roy Ugang

Set: Galaxy Tides

Available as a vibrant 2018 reprint, Tethered to Eeventide is arguably the single strongest removal currently in the game. Being a destruction effect, it goes beyond the likes of Unsummon and completely gets rid of the target creature along with its energy, giving your opponent nothing. However, it's not widely played because, you guessed it: you must be at exactly 1 Life Point to use it. It makes for a great late-game-changer if you can live with it taking up valuable space in your decklist. In spite of it being a very balanced card, you might want to pick this up at your nearest tournament as there may be cards released in the future that combo with it...

JUNE 2018 Promo:

Handbell Dancer Gravitas

Type: Creature — Order

Edition: Promo

Artist: Nivea Toliver

Set: Crystal Forge

 Hear the bells toll and silence every opponent who stands in your way!! Splashable in just about any deck, Handbell Dancer Gravitas is the first new Order support since (Set 2) Galaxy Tides, a creature type that will not see much more support moving forward. Creature type aside, his "Silencing Toll" Ability can stop ALL of your opponent's creature Abilities from triggering for an entire turn! Every. Single. Ability.

As long as you put this creature into play using an effect and not just dropping him from your hand during your Creature Phase as a summon, opposing creature Abilities that would normally activate will be nullified for the turn. Any ongoing Abilities your opponent might be using will still be in effect, but this will stop the majority.  If you bring him into play during your opponent's turn, they won't even be able to use summon Abilities. There is so much potential with this card and we can't wait to see how it fares in the competitive landscape!

JULY 2018 Promo:

Glimpse of the Sanctuary

Type: Symmetry

Edition: Promo

Artist: Marzena Piwowar

Set: Galaxy Tides

This gorgeous reprint was originally a $10 Promo, but has nearly doubled to the $15-20 price range due to high demand in the states and very low supply overall. It's a powerful boost to many decks, but requires precision-timed plays so as to not give your opponent(s) free energy. Allowing each player to add 1 energy to a blank pile on their field from their Energy Deck, it also lets the original owner draw 1 card from their Main Deck. The added draw power is what makes this a highly attractive option for aggressive decks. It can really help during those times when you whiff a card off the top of your deck and find yourself in need of something a bit more.

*TIP: It combos perfectly with Forest of Crags, snatching a card of choice from your Main Deck to your hand all whilst recouping the energy spent on the cost!

*STORYLINE HINT: The name, text box border, and artwork of this card allude to the fact that we haven't yet seen the entirety of the Sanctuary or its true power! Not to mention that it is the final card to be made available just before the release of Set 4?!

Join us for the next News Column where we'll take a gander at which Guild appears most popular right out the gates!

https://www.exodus-cards.com/monthly-promo-card.html