“I bring only death and leave only corpses.”

–Jain Zar, Phoenix Lord of the Howling Banshees

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce Against the Great Enemy, the fifth War Pack in the Death World cycle for Warhammer 40,000: Conquest!

As a rain of blood pours down on Nectavus VI, the forces of Chaos run rampant, eager to devour this verdant, deadly world. Noisome daemons and foul Warp-things alike are opposed by the might of the Imperium—powerful Space Marines and legions of the Astra Militarum—but unbeknownst to all who bleed and die on this tormented world, a new player has entered the scene. An Eldar Phoenix Lord has joined the fight, moving invisibly and bringing death without warning. Her only goal is to destroy those who have brought the abomination of Chaos into the material realm, and she will slay any who stand in her way.

Against the Great Enemy is a new War Pack in the Death World cycle, and within this expansion, you’ll continue to find support for this cycle’s major themes. Additional Deep Strike cards enter the card pool, giving your units, attachments, and events new ways to arrive at the battlefield unseen by your foes. Elite units continue to become more effective and dangerous, even as a new Eldar warlord and her signature squad invite you to lead the Howling Banshees into the battle for Nectavus VI!

The Storm of Silence

With this War Pack, a new Eldar warlord joins the battles for the Traxis sector and gives you the opportunity to destroy your opponent’s plans before they can ever come to fruition. This warlord is none other than the Phoenix Lord of the Howling Banshees, Jain Zar (Against the Great Enemy, 87).

Jain Zar is a fearsome warrior, renowned throughout the Eldar craftsworlds for her speed, athleticism, and ruthless attacks. What’s more, the masks worn by Jain Zar and every Howling Banshee are designed to amplify their keening shrieks into brain-liquefying shockwaves. Even a glancing blow can cause paralysis, and Jain Zar is certainly adept at stopping her enemies’ tricks: once per round as an Interrupt, whenever you opponent targets a unit at Jain Zar’s planet with a triggered effect, you can cancel that effect for free!

Canceling your opponent’s effects is obviously extremely useful. Even though this cancel is there on the table for your opponent to see, you still choose which effect you want to cancel—meaning that until you use Jain Zar’s ability, your opponent must add it into all of his calculations.

Of course, Jain Zar herself isn’t the only way to cancel your opponent’s effects within this objective set. Her name translates to “the storm of silence” in Low Gothic, and within her signature squad, you’ll find two copies of the event, Storm of Silence (Against the Great Enemy, 90). This event can be played whenever a card effect targets a unit to cancel that effect, and if the effect targeted one of your units, you can ready your warlord as well! Obviously, card effects that target units comprise a huge portion of the effects in a game of Warhammer 40,000: Conquest, so Storm of Silence should be useful in every game. Best of all, however, your opponent has no idea this effect is coming, so whether you’re canceling Chaplain Mavros (Wrath of the Crusaders, 93) or Awakening Cavern (The Great Devourer, 3), Storm of Silence can help ensure you get the upper hand.

Alternatively, you may simply steal the benefit of your opponent’s effects with Intercept (Against the Great Enemy, 89). You can exhaust Intercept after your opponent targets a single unit with a card effect in order to change the target of that effect to any unit you control! Granted, your opponent will see that Intercept is on the table before he chooses to trigger one of these effects, which may prevent him from using his effect at all. Still, even if Intercept never triggers, if it keeps your opponent from using his card effects, it will have more than paid for itself.

Jain Zar’s signature unit offers another way to capitalize on canceling your opponent’s effects—after you cancel any card effect, you can put the Banshee Assault Squad (Against the Great Enemy, 88) into play at any planet for free. With four copies of this unit in your deck, your enemy won’t just fear your canceling effects, he’ll have to watch out for your units suddenly appearing wherever they’ll serve you most.

Finally, you can unleash the mind-breaking power of a Banshee Mask with The Mask of Jain Zar (Against the Great Enemy, 91). This Relic can only be attached to Jain Zar, and so long as it is attached, whenever an enemy unit at Jain Zar’s planet triggers an ability, you can deal a damage to that unit! You can even choose to cancel that effect with one of your other cards, and The Mask of Jain Zar still deals damage to the unit, helping you cut through your opponent’s forces and leave them bleeding out in your wake.

The Call of the Jungle

A shadow is moving through the Warp-enraged jungles of Nectavus VI, faster than the mortal eye can see. As the battle for Nectavus enters its final stages, only the most determined warriors will stand triumphant. Will the planet fall to Chaos, or will the armies of the Immaterium beat a path through the jungle to destroy the Chaos warlord? The choice is yours.

Look for Against the Great Enemy at your local retailer in the third quarter of 2016.