
Science Fiction Double Feature
Previewing House Logos and House Mars in KeyForge: Age of Ascension
“So, this nonlethal containment field; how lethal do you want it?”
Order your own copy of KeyForge: Age of Ascension at your local retailer or online through our website today!
In KeyForge, you journey to the endlessly diverse planet of the Crucible where ethereal Archons clash in tactical battles as they fight for control of the invaluable Vaults and incredible knowledge and power they contain. By uniting team members from three of the Crucible’s seven Houses, the Archons race to gather Æmber and hold off their opponent long enough to claim victory.
In Age of Ascension, the second set of the world’s first Unique Deck Game, each of the seven Houses of the Crucible gain new creatures, artifacts, skills, and technology to help in their pursuits of power as the world continues to grow and develop. With a new pool of 204 previously unseen cards mixed with 166 carefully selected cards from Call of the Archons, this new set challenges you reexamine the game you thought you knew and discover new powers and synergies just waiting to be found.
Today, Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to offer you a closer look at the shiny new upgrades to House Logos and House Mars in KeyForge: Age of Ascension— now available for pre-order at your local retailer or online through our website!
Titans of Titan Industries
House Logos is home to the foremost theorists and engineers of the Crucible. Many of these intellectuals work at Titan Industries, where they tirelessly work day and night behind locked doors to make new technological advancements that constantly push the limit of what is possible. Now, in Age of Ascension, you gain increased access to the secrets of this House.
No one on the Crucible can recall what the bodies of the original Logotarians looked like—whether they had always been in their cybernetic forms or their power to extend life by leaving flesh behind was learned only after they gained access to Æmber. But regardless of the practice’s origins, members of House Logos have become famous for their technological body augmentations that maximize efficiency by minimizing bodily needs like sleep and food. For example, Pip Pip (Age of Ascension, 116) has extra arms to help build his lead foot, while Professor Sutterkin (Age of Ascension, 118) never needs to pause his studies as he continues to learn from the Crucible’s greatest teacher, himself. But perhaps the Logotarian who has undergone the biggest upgrade is the Helper Bot (Age of Ascension, 112) (Momo to his friends), who got his quantum death ray installed. Regrettably, no matter how pure his rage, the bot will always be undeniably adorable, sporting a power of one. However, when you bring him into the fray, you may play one non-Logos card so that others may do the destroying for him.
These scientists and their robotic helpers constantly seek efficiency and improvement, working to gather more Æmber faster than ever before. One of the actions they have been developing, Binate Rupture (Age of Ascension, 109), bears the new Alpha keyword, meaning it can only be played before doing anything else during the Play, Discard, and Use Cards step of your turn. While this means you cannot fill your pool before using its ability to double your Æmber, if you can spring it into play when you are bogged down by a Nyzyk Resonator (Age of Ascension, 184) or halted by a Miasma (Age of Ascension, 274) strike, you can embrace Logos ingenuity and turn a setback into an opportunity.
But the greatest achievement of House Logos is the is the new experiment they have been developing since Call of the Archons first launched. Now, with the upcoming release of Age of Ascension, their hard work is about to pay off. Obsessed with protecting their work, a Z.Y.X. Researcher (Age of Ascension, 123) lets you archive the top card of either your deck or discard pile when they come into play, while the Director of Z.Y.X. (Age of Ascension, 127) can archive the top card of your deck at the start of each turn. Then the grand product of their experimentation, Project Z.Y.X. (Age of Ascension, 152), lets you play an archived card as if it were in your hand and in the active House any time it fights or reaps. This further explores the archive mechanic by allowing House Logos unprecedented control over the area. By saving your work, you will be able to work smarter, not harder, and race to the finish before your opponent can even gather their thoughts.
Invaders from Mars
While the members of House Logos are famous for upgrading their bodies with technology, they are not the only ones. House Mars has also been hard at work since Call of the Archons first hit shelves, turning their members into monsters that can stand against even the sturdiest Sanctum knights. The
Yxlyx Stimrager
(Age of Ascension, 209) has undergone an incredible transformation that makes him significantly stronger than most of his Martian allies, featuring four power and two armor. Furthermore, whenever this Soldier fights, they can deal two additional damage to any creature as they throw it to the flank where they become easier to target with cards like
Bulleteye
(Age of Ascension, 299) or
Special Delivery
(Age of Ascension, 296), if you are allied with House Shadows.
Beyond those who choose to change their physical form, House Mars gains new upgrades that any loyal member of your team can take advantage of. The Killzord Mk 9001 (Age of Ascension, 201) may reduce your card draw in order to focus on its plethora of arms and lasers, but it increases both your chosen creature’s power and armor by two. If you can outfit this upgrade to fit one of Brobnar’s brawlers, like Ogopogo (Age of Ascension, 26), you are sure to make your enemies tremble with fear before your rage!
While House Mars continues to explore new avenues of destruction, their advancement reflects the continuing evolution of KeyForge as a whole. Age of Ascension continues to explore and expand the gameplay possibilities of KeyForge, not only with new keywords, but also new creatures that possess abilities never before seen on the Crucible. For example, the Mindworm (Age of Ascension, 168) takes possession of the creature it fights, forcing it to deal damage to its neighbors. If you can target a creature with the taunt keyword being used to protect weaker allies with powerful abilities, one key strike can destroy your opponent’s strategy and leave them scrambling as they watch their best allies become their worst enemies. Meanwhile, the Collector Worm (Age of Ascension, 162) grabs your enemies and drags them into your archive whenever it fights. Once you have abducted the creature, you may then purge it with Destructive Analysis (Age of Ascension, 194) to deal additional damage to a creature in your opponent’s battleline. And with five armor for your opponent to break through before dealing the Beast damage, slowing the slithering thing’s assault will prove a tall order for any Archon.
With increased control over your opponent’s team, you may find that you have more room to take a measured risk with Martian Generosity (Age of Ascension, 202), immediately losing all of your Æmber, but gaining two cards for each Æmber lost. If you play this at the start of your turn, you can leave yourself the chance to make up for the loss, but if you wait and reap first, you have the chance to draw more cards from the active House, which you can then immediately play. With a wide range of possible uses, when you choose to play this card will depend on the type of player you are and the situation you are in. Is it more important to get your Æmber back with a small boost, or do you need to slow you opponent immediately no matter the cost to your own side? How much must you lose in order to win? You must measure your risks carefully—the Martian elders are not known for their mercy!
Mind Over Matter
While some of the other Houses of the Crucible may rely on brute force or treachery to win the day, Logos and Mars know that true power is within the mind. And with a heart-stopping variety of needles and probes, they are better equipped than any to unlock that mind’s full potential. Through understanding of your enemy, your allies, and yourself, you are sure to discover the secrets of the Vaults and gain the full power of the Crucible!
Look for KeyForge: Age of Ascension when it hits retailers in the second quarter of 2019! You can pre-order your copy of the KeyForge: Age of Ascension Two-Player Starter Set (KF04) and your personal collection of unique KeyForge: Age of Ascension Archon Decks (KF03a) at your local retailer today or online through the Fantasy Flight Games website here!