“Happy Feast of Winter Veil!”

Okay, maybe it’s a little early to begin the festivities, but as many of you undoubtedly know, UDE has just officially announced the Feast of Winter Veil Collector’s Set.

The Collector’s Set comes with a lot of cool stuff (like a deck box, three World of Warcraft TCG packs, and a pair of half-sized cosmetic “pets”), but on top of all that, there’s also an exclusive set of ten promo cards that you can’t find anywhere else. Every Feast of Winter Veil box is going to come with the entire ten-card set, so you won’t have to worry about not getting a certain gift you have your heart set on. When’s the last time you got a gift that was guaranteed to have everything you wanted? No need to thank us, we’re just awesome like that.

When we sat down to design this set, we really wanted to create cards that would not only be fun for players to toss in their tournament decks, but would also give them a real feel for what the Feast of Winter Veil festivities are like in the MMO. So how do we convey a holiday that’s about giving and commercialization, but in cards for a game where you’re trying to defeat your opponent?

He’s Real! (Don’t Touch the Beard!)

Our first preview is a perfect example of how everyone gets into the spirit of giving during the Feast of Winter Veil.

(I’m compelled to point out that this orc is not the actual Greatfather Winter (the supernatural being who walks the land late in the season with winter itself as his billowing cloak). Rather, he’s just a friendly fellow with a taste for gingerbread cookies and milk who was hired by the good goblin-folk over at Smokywood Pastures to impersonate the real deal.)

So, what can Great-father Winter do for you?

In team games or Raids, his most basic application is to give your side extra attacks. For example, imagine you and your friends are taking on Onyxia. The first player attacks with Great-father Winter. Then, after that combat, use Great-father’s power to pass himself to the next player on your team. When your teammate readies his or her cards, Great-father Winter will be able to attack again. Rinse and repeat until you run out of teammates. (Your last teammate can also pass him back to the first player so you can start the shenanigans over again the next turn.)

But what about when Great-father Winter isn’t giving himself away? You can attack with a huge beater and then pass him to your teammate for an additional attack on his or her turn. You can do the same for a weapon. You can play a high-DEF piece of armor and then pass it to whichever player needs it. Or how about a defensive ability like Devotion Aura or Shadowmeld?

Things really get interesting if you and your teammate each have a copy of Great-father Winter, since you can pass the same card back and forth. Imagine using Flight Form to make your heroes (almost) permanently untargetable.

“But what,” you might ask, “can he do in one-on-one games?”

On the one hand, he can protect your stuff from certain negative effects. For example, let’s say an opponent uses Shadow Bolt on your Guardian Steelhorn. In response, wrap her in a little bow and have Great-father Winter give her away. Since your opponent now controls her, he or she will be the one to discard from Shadow Bolt.

But why wait for something bad to happen to one of your guys before you get into the holiday spirit? Why not give your opponent the gift that keeps on giving: Pugg. 

He’s a Mean One . . .

With Great-father Winter, we really tried to capture the flavor and fun of the Feast of Winter Veil. But not everybody is into all that holiday cheer. In fact, some people can be a downright . . . well, you know.

Just about everyone has done the Greench quest in the MMO, and it’s one of the many festive quests your character can take part of during the Feast of Winter Veil. Your character is tasked with chasing down the mean Greench, who was responsible for hijacking a Smokywood Pastures delivery caravan. You have to head up to the Alterac Mountains and take him down without getting turned into a snowman. Watch out, though, because many other players are usually trying to do the same thing, and there are snowballs aplenty, making the quest a guaranteed snowball fight for anyone who undertakes it.

Unlike Great-father Winter, the Greench isn’t a giver in the TCG. He’s more of a taker. He starts off by taking one of your opponent’s cards, then another, and another, until finally he’s stealing not only their victory but also their candy and socks.*

The rest of the Feast of Winter Veil promos keep the theme alive, giving players of all varieties cards that they’ll enjoy and want to fit into existing decks, or build new decks around. We really feel that we’ve done a great job mixing flavor and some fun gifts for WoW TCG players into a nifty little package, so keep on the lookout when it heads your way in late November.

I hope you’ve enjoyed a quick look at a couple of the exclusive cards in the Feast of Winter Veil Collector’s Set. And remember: there are eight more just like these.

Well, maybe not as mean as the Greench.

* Okay, he can’t actually steal candy or socks. Not since he made Mike Girard cry and got nerfed in playtesting. What can I say? The guy likes his socks and candy.