Note: This post was originally published to our Medium on September 12th, 2018.

So, you’ve started planning your deck and rehearsing the downfall of your enemies. But before you can taste World Champ glory you need that one missing ingredient, that which will affirm (or deny) the might of your deck: God Powers.

Well, the wait is over. That’s right. You’re reading the first of six blog-posts exploring the unique powers of each God in the GU universe. These powers come included with each god, free for you to leverage in your conquest of glory.

And today, we’re looking at the harbinger of justice himself, the salvation of the nine realms: Thaeriel

Designing Thaeriel’s God Powers was an interesting challenge. We wanted them to be flexible, flavorful and simple. We expect a lot of new players might gravitate towards Light, and we didn’t want to bog them down with complex mechanics. These powers have come out great though, there’s a little bit of everything in there for all types of players! I’m excited to see what everyone does with The God of Light.

James Wakeham, Lead Game Designer

Each god has four “Basic Powers” to choose from at the start of a match— usable once per turn as a valuable counter to your opponent’s deck. Thaeriel’s are as follows:

Keep in mind these powers are subject to change as we go through more testing.

Summon Acolyte: Congratulations…you’ve just unlocked an unlimited supply of creatures. An excellent tool for getting some mid-late game value, Summon Acolyte is indispensable to Light players. There are many cards that benefit 2 attack creatures, and this power opens up some dangerous combos. And let’s not forget Thaeriel has taken the time to bless each and every one of these servants with immunity from spells and powers (wow, how generous of him).

Lesser Heal: A useful tool for keeping your creatures (and yourself) alive. Cheap and flexible, this power devastates in the right match-up. Just don’t get too caught up in healing yourself. After all, you can still win the game on the cusp of death. Leave vanity to the likes of Ludia.

Heavens Light: If you want to go all in on keeping your creatures alive, Heaven’s Light is the power for you. It can be a risky pick as you’ll need many creatures on the board to maximize value. But get yourself into a dominant position, and you’ll reap the rewards.

Chosen Visions: Do you believe in the heart of the cards? No? Well Chosen Visions might make a convert of you yet. This is a fun one and an exciting mechanic reveal. If you haven’t already guessed, one of Thaeriel’s central tenets is trust — in particular, trusting creatures to be there when you need them. The first time you play Chosen Visions a random creature in your deck becomes… “The Chosen One” and from here on out, every time you use this power, that creature gains +2/+2. So, who is this performance-enhancing minion? Well, that’s the fun part. You don’t know. Chosen Visions adds a whole new spin to the phrase “secret weapon.” Get lucky, and you’ll cast an acolyte whose mere presence eclipses the board-state. But, disciples beware: luck sometimes favors the dark. Draw the “The Chosen One” too late and all that healing will be for nothing. Whatever the outcome, one thing’s for sure: it’s time to start believing.

Now, if you thought that was interesting, here comes the fun part. Instead of selecting a Basic Power (usable every turn), players can unleash an Ultimate Power. These powers can be devastating, but, with a limit of one use per match, require some serious plotting. So, with that in mind, behold the might of Thaeriel:

Equinox: All will stand equal before the light. One thing about Ultimate Powers is that sometimes it’s best never to use them. This is especially true in the case of Equinox — a power which sets all creatures Attack and Health to 2. Sometimes the threat of turning all your opponent’s massive creatures into tiny wimps is enough to throw them off their game. And if used correctly Equinox will restore order to the battlefield — forging the inevitable path to glory.

So… will Thaeriel be the god you enter with into battle?

Or do you find yourself tempted by the shadows…

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