HOLDER'S HEROES

One of the more simple and straightforward offensive strategies in Redemption is that of conversion. Make a rescue attempt and, when the blocker is presented, convert him/her and poof! A Lost Soul is redeemed. Okay, in real life play it’s rarely quite that easy, but conversion is a pretty simple offense to use. This article will offer some tips on playing a conversion deck.

Follow up:

For a conversion-based offense, gold brigade is a good way to go. With three convert Enhancements (A New Creation, Sanctifying Faith, and Fishers of Men), gold gives you a good start on a conversion offense. You can also add in Seeker of the Lost and Soldier of God, both of which are red/gold/blue brigades, which opens up other possibilities—now you can add in Power of the Cross (red brigade) and Baptism (blue brigade). Also, Lazarus (a red brigade Hero) has the special ability, “May use any Enhancement that causes an evil character to repent.” Therefore he can use convert Enhancements from any brigade as long as his special ability doesn’t get prevented or negated.

The green brigade has Repentance for converting an Evil Character as well as Sowing the Seed, the gift that keeps on giving—“ Selected human Evil Character decreases 2/2 per turn. At */0 or less, Character becomes a green brigade Hero with abilities (*/*) at face value. Then Sowing the Seed is placed on another human Evil Character in territory and continues.” Once the Seed is planted it keeps on converting Evil Characters every few turns, an easy way to shrink your opponent’s defense. Green also has Plague of Frogs, which can put one of those annoying immune demons back in its owner's draw pile. Then there’s the green covenant card I Am Patience: “At the end of your turn, if your rescue attempt failed you may convert one human Evil Character (except warrior class) to a green brigade Hero.” When played as an Artifact, I Am Patience can make two failed rescue attempts still count for something later on. Rhoda, Spy, and Ahimaaz make especially good use of this card because of their ability to withdraw from battle before a blocker is presented--which still counts as a failed rescue attempt.

The purple brigade got a convert Enhancement in the 10th Anniversary starter decks, appropriately titled The Word Spreads. This Enhancement has the added bonus of being unnegatable when played on a deacon, such as Stephen or Parmenas, both of which are in the purple brigade. Plus there’s the new multi-color convert Enhancement Preaching the Truth from the 10th Anniversary starter decks. As you can see, there is a plethora of Enhancements available for converting human Evil Characters.

(Ed - Do you even know what a plethora is? -El Guapo).

And don’t forget the Artifact Holy Grail, which can convert two human Evil Characters in territory (though not both in the same turn).

Unfortunately for the player who favors conversion, not all Evil Characters in Redemption are human. According to game rules, demons and animals cannot be converted, so a conversion deck must be prepared to deal with these Evil Characters, too. Leviathan and The Serpent are currently the only animals in the game and both are in the crimson brigade. A crimson defense will commonly have one or both of them in it. One way to deal with these Evil Characters is with your Artifact pile. The simplest way to handle demons is by using the Artifact Three Nails, which prevents demons from blocking. The difficulty with this is that a deck that relies heavily on demons in its defense will be prepared for Three Nails. You could also use Ark of the Covenant, so that when your opponent does block with a demon or animal he’ll be forced to discard it after the rescue attempt even if the block is successful.

If your conversion offense is gold, there are the Enhancements Furnace of God’s Wrath, which can target and discard a demon or animal, and Ambush the City, which cannot be negated and can even take an immune demon (such as Red Dragon) out of the battle. Sword Against Sword can be used to make two of your opponent’s demons and/or animals fight each other, taking out one of them, and it cannot be negated if used by a hero with a Judges reference. The gold enhancement Battle Prayer could be used to recur one of these Enhancements if needed. Of course, Angel of the Lord can be used as a one-time shot against a demon or animal, such as Prince of this World or King of Tyrus or Leviathan or the aforementioned Red Dragon.

There are some other Enhancement options for taking out demons and supplementing your conversion offense. The white brigade has A Child is Born, a regional tournament promo card with the special ability, “Discard all demons in play. Cannot be interrupted, negated, or prevented.” White also has Blood of the Lamb, which negates immune abilities on demons (the 10th Anniversary version does this, the Warriors’ version doesn’t) and discards a demon in play. Plus, white also has the Enhancement Gentle Resolution, which converts a human Evil Character to a green brigade hero. White combined with gold gives you the offensive tools to handle both humans and demons pretty effectively.

Purple combined with gold or white can be effective, too. Purple gives you Widow, whose special ability (“Widow may not be blocked by an Evil Character of */8 or higher”) can keep that King of Tyrus or Prince of this World—not to mention a host of other high-numbered evil characters—from entering battle. Purple also has Cast out Demons, which will discard a demon (and is made more effective when coupled with Reach of Desperation), and of course Authority of Christ, which will discard all evil characters in play. The promo version of Authority of Christ is best since it cannot be negated, but it can be difficult and/or expensive to obtain.

A conversion offense, when appropriately supplemented with the means to deal with demons (and animals), is a fun and simple offense to play. It can also be a bridge for opening conversation with an unbeliever about what it means to become a Christian. Give it a try!