Wow, that was quite a bit of information on Monday. Two deluxe expansions, new dice, deck boxes and an event series?! There’s certainly a lot in the pipeline for Ashes, but today I’m going to show you a little bit more! Let’s take a closer look at the War Within, and what it will mean for the fate of an upcoming Phoenixborn.

Every Phoenixborn has a choice to make in the War of Ashes. The drive to destroy and consume the power of other Phoenixborn will eventually win out, but there are those who resist in an attempt to safeguard the cities and regions they defended during the Great Cleansing. Up to this point, we’ve highlighted just a handful of stories from the world of Ashes, but the War Within will allow us to see much more of the conflict spreading across Argaia. Starting this spring, players will be invited to take part in a series of tournaments designed to emphasize the conflict of Light and Dark taking place in the world of Ashes. This event series will be broken up into three separate tournaments, each focusing on a different aspect of the internal struggle within each Phoenixborn. Players will register to one of two opposing “Spheres” in each event, and the sphere that gathers more players will affect the art, ability and cards of the upcoming Phoenixborn. To demonstrate how the decisions of a Phoenixborn affects the lives of those around them, players will be awarded special alternate-art versions of certain Allies based on which side they choose to align with.

These exclusive alternate-art allies are meant to show how differently some of the characters in the world of Ashes would have looked had they chosen to side with another Phoenixborn. Pledging your power to one of the different spheres could reward you with the ally you want, but remember that it will also strengthen one of the opposing spheres and decide the fate of the future Phoenixborn. As the event series continues, we’ll be sharing some of the abilities and cards being considered for this character. Finally, the winner and runner-up of each tournament will be able to claim an alternate-art version of the Phoenixborn featured in that event. We’ve got a sneak peak of the art for those cards as well!

Be sure to check back soon for more information about the War Within, including how your store can register to run the event series at their location!

New Faces, Old Rivalries

Well, we could cut things short here, but I suppose we did say we’d debut a few new decks today… How about two more?

The Masters of Gravity

“Just as the waxing and waining of the moon, just as the tidal push and pull of the Glow Sea, you too are predictable. I can influence your every move to work to my ends. A small adjustment here and simply standing becomes a burden too great for you to bear. You walk and endless path, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Join me and I can lift the weight of this long war from your shoulders.” - Echo Grestorm

The Path of Assasins

Born in bonds, nursed on hatred, honed to kill. Like an assassin’s arrow, from her mother’s bow, Jericho flew. She stalked and killed each of her mother’s slavers, and when the last Pirate King fell, she despaired. Another hand took hold of her then, and aimed her at the Last Dragon. He too, soon lay slain at her feet. The killing continued. Today, Jericho Kill sits the throne of Abylon. She has now become the wielder, and her people are her weapons.

Echo’s deck will use Divine and Sympathy magic, manipulating the forces of Gravity to strengthen his units while tearing down his opponents. Jericho’s deck will rely on only basic magic, meaning players can use any combination of dice with her! The Assassin Queen can customize the magic she uses to any foe she faces. Be sure to check back often for more on these decks, as well as the Law of Lions and the Song of Soaksend very soon!

Well, that’s all for now, but fear not! We’ve got even MORE wonderful Ashes news coming up in the next few weeks, including more announcements, interviews and event coverage. Be sure to check back soon for more awesome Ashes coverage!