Battle Lines: Renown & Recruit!

Ever since the events of Hivefall, the former rogues’ den of Skullhaven has become a place of great Renown, bringing in refugees while its people fight against The Hermit’s beasts. Meanwhile the Youngbloods Recruit everyone they can, hoping to keep their grove and way of life safe.

Welcome to the first of three preview articles for Battle Lines, Eternal’s newest set! Battle Lines is a set heavily focused on the five alliances that have risen in Thera after the fall of The Hive. Each is represented by three different factions, and each with its own mechanic found exclusively within those factions.

Let’s start with Skullhaven. Skullhaven is composed primarily of Bonepickers, Rangers, and Slayers, all groups known across Thera for their daring and dangerous trades. As such, their mechanic is Renown, which will be found exclusively in Shadow, Justice, and Primal in Battle lines!

Renown is a returning mechanic we’ve not seen since all the way back in Defiance. For those who weren’t playing Eternal then, or just need a refresher, Renown means “The first time you play a spell or weapon on this unit, do the following.”

Basically, Renown gives you or your units a bonus whenever you play something on them. In the case of Daring Pathcutter, you’ll get an Aegis and draw a card. That’s some good value!

Canny Hunter adds a new twist to Renown. By Ambushing it in and then playing a fast spell like Finest Hour on it, you can completely turn an opponent’s attack upside down! And this is just the start of the tricky things you can do with Renown.

Some Renown cards care about the cost of the spell or weapon played on them. Eris in particular is very interested in your most expensive spells or weapons, so how deep are your pockets?

Next up is the Grove Alliance, represented by Fire, Time, and Primal. It’s composed of the Youngblood Exiles, the Druids, and you might see an occasional appearance from the Skycrag Six! They’re looking to protect The Grove from the Hermit’s beast army, and are looking to Recruit anyone they can to do it.

Recruit is a game action that means “Draw a unit from the top five cards of your deck. If it costs less than this card, play it. Bottom the rest.”

If you play Calm Instructor and in the top 5 cards of your deck there’s a Twilight Lantern, and a Gnarled Ant, you could choose to draw either. If you choose the Lantern, you’ll then immediately play it from your hand as it costs less than Calm Instructor. Which is more important to your gameplan?

Units aren’t the only thing that can Recruit; spells and attachments can as well! Grove Defenses can stun enemies to pave the way for your attackers, while also Recruiting a new unit to your cause. Make use of the opening and push through!

You may also find a handful of cards within the Grove Alliance that have Inspire, which synergizes perfectly with Recruit. You always draw the unit you Recruit, even if you then immediately play it, so it will always benefit from the Inspire buff! Patrice’s ability to do both will no doubt serve the Grove well.

So who will you choose to bring at your side in battle? The renowned fighters of Skullhaven? Or the fresh new recruits from the Grove? Make your choice when Battle Lines comes out October 18th!

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