“My imaginary play thing is gonna destroy you for reals!” - Victoria Glassfire

Click here to pre-order The Duchess of Deception, The Roaring Rose, Ashes dice, and more at the PlaidHatGames.com store! Ashes pre-orders come with a FREE exclusive Phoenixborn; Orrick Gilstream now available with Victoria and Leo orders!

Last week’s preview of Victoria highlighted her powerful unique ability and the seemingly endless power of her unique card, Illusionary Cycle. This week, it’s time to take a look at her vicious summon spells!

Victoria’s sneaky shadows use some familiar mechanics in a clever new way. The Phoenixborn of Smogborough has a few new tricks in store for older cards as well, in the form of her new alteration spell. So, without further ado, let’s take a closer look at Victoria’s shadows!

This conjuration is easily the cutest one to date. So why do I get the feeling that it’s up to no good? For a main action and a , you can summon the Shadow Spirit to your battlefield and start tying up enemy units!

Similar to the Summon Butterfly Monk spell from Aradel Summergard’s Mist Guardian Deck, the life value of a Shadow Spirit unit is equal to the number of Summon Shadow Spirit Spells on your spellboard. Players already know how life can start to stack up with Butterfly Monks, but with the Shadow Spirit’s 2 attack value, this cuddly conjuration is an offensive force to be reckoned with. When the Summon Shadow Spirit Spell is at Focus 2, you’re summoning a unit with two attack value and 3 life value for just a single power die!

These spirits can easily turn the tide of battle late in the game. While the “Illusion” ability might seem like a liability at first, reserve your judgement until you see Victoria’s new attachment spell. It might “invert” your opinions of “Illusion!” But before we take a look at that spell, let’s meet Victoria’s next scary pet, the Shadow Hound!

The Shadow Hound certainly isn’t as adorable as its formerly mentioned counterpart, but it’s definitely got a lot going for it. For just 3 and a main action, you get to summon a unit with 3 attack value and 5 life value. This rivals some of the most powerful conjurations in the game in terms of value, and gives Victoria a bit of bite in her spellboard. When you combine that with the powerful focus ability of the Summon Shadow Hound Spell, there are few units in the game that stand a chance.

These nightmarish hounds can be a bit fragile, though. The “Illusion” ability means players have to be smart about when they choose to send the Shadow Hound into battle. Luckily, Victoria has a solution to this problem: Body Inversion!

Body Inversion is a game-changer. No, literally. It changes two values in the game out with one another! When you attach Body Inversion to a unit, the unit’s printed attack and life values are switched. Prepare to reassess EVERY unit in Ashes! Body Inversion lets you use units in a completely different way, and the benefits don’t stop there. When you attach Body Inversion to a unit that has the “Illusion” ability, you get 2 illusion dice back, and on the face of your choice! That means this card pays for itself, if you attach it to the right unit. The best part about this card is that units with the “Illusion” ability have some pretty large life values, like the Shadow Hound. Or the False Demon…

Well, there you have it! Victoria’s shadowy summon spells are some serious hitters, and her new alteration spell gives her all sorts of ways to attack with them. Watch out for them, because these shadows pack a serious bite! Victoria’s cards are some of the smartest (and strangest) in Ashes so far, and I’m excited to come back next week and show off some more of her tricks! Be sure to keep an eye out for Bob’s preview of Leo Sunshadow's cards later this week!

‘Til Next Time,

Callin Flores

Click here to pre-order The Duchess of Deception, The Roaring Rose, Ashes dice, and more at the PlaidHatGames.com store! Ashes pre-orders come with a FREE exclusive Phoenixborn; Orrick Gilstream now available with Victoria and Leo orders!

Previous Victoria and Leo Previews:

Victoria Glassfire and Illusionary Cycle

Leo Sunshadow, Glow Finch, and Anguish