Posts with tag cryptozoic

The WoW Trading Card Game just got a whole lot more epic with Battle of the Aspects, the newest raid deck that pits three or more players against an automated Deathwing, complete with heroic modes. Yes, you heard that right -- Deathwing in the Battle of the Aspects raid deck has varied levels of difficulty.

Raid decks allow players to take on the role of one of the four dragon aspects fighting against Deathwing. Each character has unique abilities and are displayed on oversized hero cards with (presumably) beautiful-as-always Cryptozoic art.

The coolest feature, in my opinion, is that Deathwing himself has different tentacles that you can add to the game that increase his power and the game's overall challenge. Cryptozoic promises that even veteran players will be up against the wall if they play on the hardest setting. There are even achievement cards that force you to change the rules or play the game differently in order to meet a new goal and still come out victorious. Suffice it to say, there's a lot of replayability.

Battle of the Aspects is part of the Aftermath block of the WoW TCG and will be launching in August for an MSRP of $30, with nine-card treasure packs for $6 each.

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Cryptozoic, makers of the WoW TCG, is showing off new cards, artwork, and game systems from the newest TCG expansion, Crown of the Heavens. This set prominently features Hyjal and its guardians, meaning lots of dryads, ogres, and satyrs and more demons than you can shake a stick at. A demon stick. Monsters are still the name of the game, however, since we're in the monster block.

Since Crown of the Heavens is a set based on Hyjal, there are bound to be a ton of familiar friendly (and not-so-friendly) faces showing up. What does that mean, you ask? It means awesome artwork done by Cryptozoic's amazing art team of some of your favorite characters.

First, you should see some of the awesome new demon and satyr cards coming with Crown of the Heavens. Cryptozoic had a really cool writeup about the new monster heroes coming in the new set, including a Daughter of Cenarius named Arisella and Iso'rath, servant of the Old Gods. How cool is that? You can play with Iso'rath as your monster hero.

Are you a fan of awesome in-game mounts from WoW TCG? Well, you should be, because it's awesome, and Cryptozoic is giving you a chance to win three different mounts from its new Facebook contest. Between now and Jan. 2, 2012, you can go to Cryptozoic's Facebook page, become a fan, and then Like, comment, and share the loot giveaway picture for your chance to win.

Up for grabs are the coveted Spectral Tiger mount, a Wooly White Rhino mount card, and the new Wasteland Tallstrider, one of the first new tallstrider mounts to be introduced to the game. Remember, you must become a fan of the WoW TCG on Facebook in order to be entered, as well as sharing, Liking, and commenting on the promotional picture. Good luck!

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12 Days of Winter Veil is under way here at WoW Insider. That means 12 days of giveaways, from loot codes to gaming mice to decor and apparel. Whether you've been a good goblin or a naughty night elf, there's a chance that WoW Insider has a holiday gift for you this season.

Today we're giving away the second batch of Assault on Icecrown Citadel raid decks donated to our holiday celebrations by Cryptozoic Entertainment. The Assault on Icecrown Citadel raid decks are a four-player, full-game experience where you play as Jaina Proudmoore, Tirion Fordring, Sylvanas Windrunner, or the Lich King himself. The Assault on Icecrown Citadel includes:

• Lich King raid deck
• Highlord Tirion Fordring deck
• Lady Jaina Proudmoore deck
• Lady Sylvanas Windrunner deck
• 4 oversized hero cards
• 9-card treasure pack
• Rulebook (naturally)

To enter for a chance to win, leave a comment on this post before 11:59 p.m. ET, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012. You must be 18 years of age or older and a legal resident of the United States or Canada (excluding Quebec). You can only enter once. Make sure the email address you use to post your entry comments is one you check regularly, because that's how we'll contact our winners. We will pick six winners randomly. Official rules here.

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12 Days of Winter Veil is under way here at WoW Insider. That means 12 days of giveaways, from loot codes to gaming mice to decor and apparel. Whether you've been a good goblin or a naughty night elf, there's a chance that WoW Insider has a holiday gift for you this season.

Today we're giving away six of the 12 Assault on Icecrown Citadel raid decks donated to our holiday celebrations by Cryptozoic Entertainment -- your chance to win the other half of its contributions will come next week. The Assault on Icecrown Citadel raid decks are a four-player, full-game experience where you play as Jaina Proudmoore, Tirion Fordring, Sylvanas Windrunner, or the Lich King himself. The Assault on Icecrown Citadel includes:

• Lich King raid deck
• Highlord Tirion Fordring deck
• Lady Jaina Proudmoore deck
• Lady Sylvanas Windrunner deck
• 4 oversized hero cards
• 9-card treasure pack
• Rulebook (naturally)

To enter for a chance to win, leave a comment on this post before 11:59 p.m. ET, Friday, Dec. 23, 2011. You must be 18 years of age or older and a legal resident of the United States or Canada (excluding Quebec). You can only enter once. Make sure the email address you use to post entry comments is one you check regularly, because that's how we'll contact our winners. We will pick six winners randomly. Official rules here.

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The Winter Veil holiday begins tomorrow morning within the World of Warcraft, but it's also kicking off right here on WoW Insider. If you're a long-time reader, you may be familiar with how we celebrate the 12 Days of Winter Veil. If you're not, allow me to explain: We give away a lot of stuff. Like, a lot of stuff. Not only do we clear out the neat things that have accumulated in our storage closet over the course of the last year, but our friends at various WoW product vendors participate, too.

In addition to what's been sitting in my office closet (hint: BlizzCon exclusives), this year you'll be seeing prizes from ...

Cryptozoic, the creative minds behind the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game, have just announced a brand new WoW project called World of Warcraft: Clash of Champions. This stand-alone deck building card game pits players against famous raid bosses from WoW's history such as Ragnaros, Onyxia, and the Lich King while playing as some of Azeroth's greatest heroes. Thrall, Jaina, Varian, Garrosh, Sylvanas, and Magni Bronzebeard are all available for players to choose.

If you've never played a deck building card game, the general goal is to accumulate cards to build yourself a larger and more powerful deck of cards, allowing you more levels of control and strategy to defeat challenges that the game throws at you and to compete against your fellow players. You start off with a few cards and through various means purchase or earn cards to build your deck based on the decisions you make. Fans of the wonderful deck building game Dominion know the drill. Cryptozoic is adding a twist to the genre with the new ability for your hero to level up after a boss is defeated, granting new powers and abilities for your deck.

One of the best parts about deck building games is how easy it is to incorporate expansion packs, new factions, and heroes. Clash of Champions looks promising enough to become its own universe, infinitely expandable for all different types of playstyles.

World of Warcraft: Clash of Champions is coming in early 2012 and will retail for $44.99. Look for it soon.

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Cryptozoic Entertainment, which puts out the WoW Trading Card Game, has announced a new way for you to enjoy the Warcraft universe with Clash of Champions, a new deck-building card game. This game allows you to take on the role of a major hero of the Warcraft universe such as Thrall, Jaina, King Magni, Garrosh, or Varian Wrynn and fight monsters and epic bosses. As you fight, you level up, and you can add new abilities and loot to your card deck.

As you may expect from the basic outline of the rules, this will be a separate game from the TCG, with new rules and new ways to play, but it sounds like an epic playing experience and a fun way to battle with your favorite characters from the Warcraft mythos.

The new game is expected in spring 2012.

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Steelseries, makers of World of Warcraft-licensed peripherals and gaming hardware, has just announced a contest to send two lucky winners to BlizzCon in October. The grand prize includes two tickets to BlizzCon, airfare to get there, accommodations, $200 in spending money, $200 at Morton's Steak House, and front-of-the-line access to sponsors' events at the convention. What have you got to lose?

Even if you don't win the grand prize trip, there is still over $2,500 in prizes up for grabs, including gift certificates to Jinx, WoW Legendary gaming mice from Steelseries, game guides, a WoW atlas, and WoW TCG class starter decks from Cryptozoic. Free prizes! Who doesn't love potential free stuff?

Check out the contest over at Steelseries. The contest ends on Sept. 30, 2011, so get your entries in soon.

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The World of Warcraft Trading Card Game is getting a monstrous new expansion set on Oct. 11, bringing new creatures such as the ogres, murlocs, and naga into the game as playable characters. Aftermath: Throne of the Tides is the first set in the Aftermath series, set after the Cataclysm and Deathwing's rage-fueled destruction across Azeroth. Matt Place, the head designer of WoW TCG and lead designer on Aftermath: Throne of the Tides, wrote up a comprehensive preview of the new mechanics and many new heroes coming with the newest set.

New monster heroes and allies will be given brand new rule sets that make them unique and fun, providing lots of flexibility for deck builders and new game play experiences. Monster allies, for instance, have no restrictions based on the hero that the deck is built around, giving them added flexibility. On the flipside, a monster hero deck featuring only monsters gets some cool benefits as well. Monster heroes each have a permanent power on the back of their cards.

The murlocs run in packs, granting each other bonuses that the others possess. I immediately thought back to my Magic: The Gathering days with the Slivers and was instantly excited, since the Slivers were some of the coolest creations in TCG history. The murlocs sound like they are going to be a numerous force at all times, swarming your opponent and building up lots of cool bonuses.

As the Worldbreaker series comes to an end, we now turn to the aftermath of Deathwing's destructive awakening into Azeroth and the continued battle against the elements and the Twilight Hammer Cult. The newest WoW TCG expansion, Aftermath: Throne of the Tides, puts players in control of murloc, naga, and ogre heroes as exciting new additions to the WoW TCG hero lineup.

Playing as some of the more monstrous races in the World of Warcraft universe is pretty cool, with all new keywords and abilities to take advantage of during gameplay. In addition, Throne of the Tides has been built from the ground up to be a smoother draft and sealed play experience, preparing even the newest players for fun, engaging tournament play. Read on to learn about the Epic Collection and the new in-game goodies that await TCG fans.

From Aug. 4 through Aug. 7, Cryptozoic Entertainment will be hosting the Darkmoon Faire Indianapolis at Gen Con Indianapolis 2011. Players can check out the newest WoW TCG sets, learn from the Cryptozoic pros, compete in a beginner's tournament, and challenge Alexstrasza to become a Dragonslayer. Class starter decks for the WoW TCG will also be on sale at a discount at Gen Con and you can check out board game demos as well.

If you're going to be at Gen Con Indianapolis 2011, check out Cryptozoic and the WoW TCG at booth #1749. Cryptozoic loves to teach the WoW TCG to new players and is really welcoming when it comes to learning about the game. You'll have a blast. See if you can try out the Assault on Icecrown Citadel four-player game while you're there. Our own Mike Sacco loved it.

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A couple of months ago, it was announced that Cryptozoic Entertainment, publisher of the WoW Trading Card Game, would be publishing the Warcraft and Starcraft manga exclusively through its comics reader app. The initial release included Warcraft Legends Vol. 1 and 2, World of Warcraft: Death Knight, and The Sunwell Trilogy Vol. 1: Dragon Hunt. It was also announced that other manga titles would be released over time via the app. Apparently, the time for more manga is now, as two new Warcraft titles have just been released to the comics app.

Warcraft Legends Vol. III is a collection of short tales, including the continuing story of Trag Highmountain, first seen in the Sunwell trilogy. Also included is the story I Got What Yule Need, written by New York Times bestselling author Christie Golden, and The Thrill of the Hunt, a story involving Hemet Nesingwary, one of the better known NPCs in game. The Legends series is one of the better ones out there, and at $5.99 for 160 pages worth of manga, it's a good deal.

Also released this month is the second book in the class series, World of Warcraft: Mage. This stand-alone story tells the tale of Aodhan, an apprentice mage whose dreams of making it big as a spellcaster are suddenly and violently interrupted. This volume delves into the story of Aodhan, but it also sheds a little light on the conflict between the Blue Dragonflight and the Kirin Tor highlighted back in Wrath of the Lich King. Like the other manga available on the app, Warcraft: Mage is also a steal at $5.99.

All titles are available for purchase through the Cryptozoic Comics App, and the app itself is free for download via iTunes. If you missed any of the manga releases, this is an excellent way to pick them up.

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