Master and beast let out a wrath-filled how that sent a shiver of fear down the spine of even the Hag Queen herself. Each Dark Elf in the city knew that the Witch King was seeking vengeance. In the midst of festivity their master had declared that war was at hand and, as his people, they were bound to join him.     –Warhammer: Dark Elves

Dark Elf society is rife with intrigues and treachery. Nevertheless, when their Witch King leads the Dark Elves to battle, they unite in their hatred of their foes. Little holds greater sway over the Dark Elves’ hearts than their burning hatred for their many foes and their constant thirst for vengeance.

Wreaking vengeance

The next Battle Pack for Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game, City of Winter offers Dark Elf players an insidious new tactic to help them lay their ambushes and wreak their vengeance. Call of the Kraken (City of Winter, 95) explores the nature of “loyalty” in the Dark Elf army. One might not expect to find much loyalty among the Dark Elves’ ranks, but Call of the Kraken suggests that a Dark Elf unit’s loyalty cost might reflect not only the difficulty of swaying it to your cause, but also the influence it may hold over others.

Few Dark Elf cards have high loyalty costs, but a pair of Dark Elf leaders, Malekith (Legends, 36) and Lokhir Fellheart (Assault on Ulthuan, 30), share five apiece. Any deck seeking to benefit from one of these leaders will undoubtedly run multiple copies to use its abilities as quickly as possible. Call of the Kraken allows you to gain much greater benefit from your duplicates of these leaders than you would gain by developing them. Discarding your duplicates to Call of the Kraken allows you to play expensive and powerful units like a Black Dragon Rider (March of the Damned, 27) much earlier in the game, accelerating your resources and putting you in better position to push your advantage.

Ambush Call of the Kraken can do more than accelerate your resources, though, as your foes will assuredly learn. The tactic allows you to stage ambushes with your units, giving you the ability to play them outside of the capital phase. Opponents attacking your seemingly undefended zone may find themselves in a deathtrap when your Call of the Kraken summons a Seasoned Corsair (March of the Damned, 26) to snuff out one unit and defend against another.

The Dark Elves may not be known for their loyalty, but they are feared for their wrath and guile. Get ready to see the intimidating impact of your Dark Elf legends and stage terrifying ambushes with Call of the Kraken when City of Winter arrives. The time for your Dark Elves’ vengeance has nearly arrived!