Happy Anniversary!

Believe it or not, it has been exactly one year, since the very first Badge Roundup.  It has been a year of highs and, slightly-less high-highs-but-still-pretty-high.

Havoclad became the first platinum Badge of Lore winner.

Trice became the first platinum Badge of Assistance winner.

We shared a few laughs and basked in the glory of our own triumph.

I also spent a good deal of time making bizarre and obscure references to television, poetry, Sha Na Na and a few things that defy logical classification.

So, as a sort of monument to my own hubris, I have collected all of the extra sources of badge information over the last year.  Enjoy!

Badge of Assistance points are awarded based on a combination of nominations from the this thread, suggestions from the other Devs, and…

… my private consultations with a 2-XL 8-track robot.

… the Lucid Dreams that Tadius experiences every week while watching Two and a Half Men.

… advice from the wise mice who live in the grandfather clock at Challenge Games Mansion.

… fridge magnet letters pulled randomly from a WDC Sud Chugger.

… direct input from Texas Secretary of State Phil Wilson.

… prophecies coded within the text of “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” by Judy Blume.

… picks from a rainbow, love and ice cream powered super-computer known only as ‘Ubermind’.

… input from the ghost of Nobel Prize-winning Physicist Niels Bohr.

…  input from three time Iditarod champion sled dog Stormy, as translated by his Musher, Doug Swingley.

… secret notes passed between Tadius and Bhaal while Blerg is facing the chalkboard.

… the lyrics of classic singin’ cowboy Gene Autry.

… the whispers that I hear… when the dark comes…

… the ancient stone Wheel of Fate, located deep within Duels Island.

… input from my Boston Terrier, Cap’t Joe Slobberpuss, via renowned Pet Psychic Sonya Fitzpatrick.

… my guess as to the players that Samus Aran would think are cool.

… oh I can’t focus… I can be a kitty-cat soon!

… the messages that I now receive while staring into my water bowl for some reason.

… input from the Council of Elderly Rockstars (consisting of Jagger, Bowie, Crosby and Micky Rooney).

… [INSERT CLEVER/OBSCURE REFERENCE]

…  input from a portly, sarcastic feline, a white beagle dancing on the roof of a red dog house and an abusive Englishman in a green cap.

…  input from random sunbathers that I had the opportunity to speak with over the holiday weekend.

… he whims of a mad man/woman/cat/ape.

… information transmitted by all the voices of the mountains and then painted with all the colors of the wind.

… blood, sweat, tears and gumption!

… good old fashioned true grit.

… the visions granted to Tadius by staring into said moon for hours at a time or until he gets tired and/or distracted by falling leaves.

… input from The Great Pumpkin, my unshakable faith in whom is an object of near constant ridicule around the Duels Fortress but some day he will come and they will all see, all of them.

… information held in musty tomes, stored deep within Duels Fortress, in a cobwebbed corridor, under an archway adorned with skulls and bats, and having names like The Morbis Occultus, The Necrobibliokill and The Bridgesof Madisoncounty.

… the flip of fate’s fickle coin.

… advice from the singing sugar-coated treat faeries that I have been seeing for the last three days or so.

… the advice of a smug, but usually correct enchanted mirror that I picked up at a yard sale in Akron, Ohio.

… Bowser from Sha Na Na.

… a little technique that I like to call “Turkey Scrying”.

… other criteria, each as unique and fleeting as a snowflake.

… Five… goooooold… Rings!

… a partridge in a pear tree.

… a list of who’s been naughty and who’s been nice.

…  a crippling fear of what new horrors the coming year will bring.

… advice from old man 2008 as he slinks away to the retirement castle of history.

… the musings of an alien who looks incredibly like Abraham Lincoln.

… the touching, inspiring lyrics of “Rock You Like a Hurricane”.

… a little help from Sha Na Na.

…  in fair Verona where we lay our scene…

… all over this land.

… a third strike in the last frame.

… the whims of the winds.

… advice from those darned lying squirrels (don’t worry, that won’t be happening again).

… inspiration gained while watching the spring dandelions bloom.

…  the… Hmmm… I was going to say something about prairie dogs… Did I already make a Groundhog Day reference this year… Can’t remember…

… almost a year’s worth of hard-earned experience.

We are nearing the release of our second premium mini-set: Nightmare. The set art will give a small preview of what to expect from the Shadow Expansion this summer, as well as what might have been, had the Orzayans triumphed.

We will have additional previews in the coming week, but I thought I would start things off  with the artifact stats as they currently stand.

Nightmare is finishing where Noble Set V started. There are four Artifact weapon types that weren’t represented in that set: A fist weapon, a shield, a sword and a wand.

NOTE: All items are still in development and may change prior to release.

Swazahr’s Talons Power Rating: 826 Main Hand: Fists 60-135 Damage +75 Strength +35 Speed +30 Perception -25 Stamina -25 Resist +10% Hit Nightmare Artifact

Swazahr’s Spine Power Rating: 719 Off Hand: Shield 1260 Armor +95 Stamina +75 Resist -30 Strength -30 Speed -30 Perception +10% Dodge +14% Block Nightmare Artifact

Swazahr’s Scimitar Power Rating: 795 Main Hand: Sword 60-135 Damage +90 Speed +45 Perception -20 Strength -20 Stamina -20 Resist +10% Critical Nightmare Artifact

Swazahr’s Femur Power Rating: 799 Off Hand: Wand 60-135 Damage +80 Intelligence -20 Stamina -20 Speed -20 Resist +10% Critical Nightmare Artifact

This is my review of Shadow of the Colossus, a PS2 title. This game is pretty slick considering how fundamentally simple it is. You have a sword, you have a bow, and you have a horse…..NOW DEFEAT THE MONSTER THAT COULD RIVAL GODZILLA! You have 15 (or maybe 16) Colossus to defeat — Go defeat ‘em all!

The game has a pretty simple story, man meets lady, lady falls ill, man wants to save lady, man must defeat all in his way to save her. But the way it’s told is very interesting, throughout the game, they do not speak in a language known to our world its like some sort of “made up mumbo jumbo language”. Not to mention had I not told you that you might assume it was something real!

So now that I have told you a little bit about what you have to use and what story you are a part of, it is time to go into depth about who you will be defeating. I won’t spoil it but let’s put it this way: each Colossus you have to fight is dynamically different both in look and build than the previous. And it is your task to figure out how in the world to take down this gigantic creature.

The other interesting thing about the game is rather than having the level design aspect be the environment it is actually the enemy’s body. Since these are gigantic creatures you have to crawl up the side of them to defeat them in their vitals. And while you’re attempting to not get stomped on or not get thrown off to your death, you hang on for dear life as you are nothing more than a pesky flea to this Colossus.

I wish I could tell you a lot more about the enemies but I don’t want to spoil the awesomeness of the game and its compelling bosses.

If you’re expecting complex skill trees or even any skills this isn’t the game for you. If you want a definite challenge with simple mechanics and very entertaining enemies, this game will suit you!

The only negatives I can say for this game is, if your PS2 eats your save file you will feel like dying because some of the colossus’s took ages to figure out (without cheating) to beat! Save often and save in many places just in case. I hate losing save data; it’s one of the most frustrating things as a gamer to have happen. Even Mao from Disgaea 3 knows all about that, if you get the reference you will get a laugh!

If you have any questions about the game fire me an msg.

Diocyatchin

CG Designer

In today’s newest Duels Newsletter, (you can find your copy waiting in your email box, or check out the newsletter here!) we announced that a Shadow Mini-set is in the works. I’m a little impatient, and can’t wait to give out more details and sneak peeks of the set! See below for a look at two new headpieces currently being crafted by our Phyrran artisans, and scroll down further for some very important news- the launch date!

These are two of the head pieces that will be released in the Mini Set.

The Shadow Mini Set, our next premium-style set, will be released on….
*drum roll please*

March 26th!

Stay tuned for more news, sneak peeks, and details as it gets closer to the launch date!

-StarryEyed

PS- If you’re on Twitter, you can now add Duels as a friend. Our Twitter feed keeps players current with updates, maintenance messages, new sets, and even more! Click here for some Twittery fun!

 Like most folks in my generation, I quite literally grew up alongside video games (Pong was released in 1972 and I was born a scant three years later. Donkey Kong was released when I was six, Super Mario Bros, when I was ten, etc), and as the medium matured from simple dots in a black void to the full-fledged, story-driven honest-to-god art form it is today, there are a few signposts that stand out, games that changed the landscape and opened my still-pliant mind to the possibilities of interactive entertainment. Super Mario Bros. was one. So was Resident Evil. So was Dragon Warrior. And, so was Street Fighter II (actually, I can remember seeing the original, oft forgotten, Street Fighter I, the funky version with the big plungers instead of buttons, at an arcade in the late eighties, but that was more of a novelty than a revelation).

These were some of the games that set me on the path to my current station as an internationally beloved Game Designer/Sex Object. Though I was still playing Street Fighter II well into my college days, with each minor iteration featuring a new hyperbolic adjective and a series of seemingly random letters (Super Street Fighter II EX, Ultra Street Fighter II, HIGGLDY PIGGLDY Street Fighter II DSXI MEGA-AWESOME Edition XXX, etc)my interest in waned and, by the time Street Fighter III was actually released in 1997, eight years after Street Fighter II, it had completely evaporated.  Then, in October 2007, yet another decade after the last new Street Fighter sequel, Capcom announced Street Fighter IV, via an absolutely gorgeous ink-stained teaser and I found myself, once again, looking forward to a Street Fighter game.

So, first thing first. Street Fighter IV is freaking gorgeous. The ink-stained motif carries over to the final game and, even though this is a big, fat cliche, it really does look like a painting brought to life. But even more impressive than looking like somebody frightened a squid in the game’s vicinity is the amount of honest-to-golly-gosh character that they infuse into every fighter.  Everything from body language to facial expression informs the character’s attitude and personality. A few months ago, I got pretty into Soul Calibur IV and, at the time, was impressed by that game’s characters and graphics but, having played Street Fighter IV, the various pretty boys and girls on display in that game feel more like sword wielding mannequins than real characters.

Street Fighter IV is also comfortable. As soon as you pick up the controller, you feel like you are playing Street Fighter. Even the new additions are, for the most part, simply extrapolations of the old familiar move sets.

Street Fighter IV  is not, however, easy. I have read quite a few reviews complimenting the game on its noob-friendly design and, frankly I don’t see it.  The regular control scheme is complicated enough. When you then factor in EX Moves, Focus Attacks, Super Combos, Ultra Combos, Super Finishers, Ultra Finishers and you have a wonderfully deep and complex game, but not one I would describe as “Noob-Friendly”.

But that’s okay. Street Fighter has always been a series designed to stay entertaining over the long haul and, based on the last three sequels,  we will probably still be playing STUPEFYING Street Fighter IV GXB MONDO EDITION, when Street Fighter V is announced, some time in 2019.

Greetings!

As we near the release of the  next Duels Core Set, I thought I would take a moment to share the current designs for the set’s Legendary items.  We are shooting for a mixture of things this time around. Some very low-powered Legendaries to help you fill out those last few points in a loadout, some basic, meat and potatoes items and a few new weapons that are unlike anything that has been seen before.

The lore on these items focuses on Phyrra’s favorite serialized adventure star Avika Krauss and some of her most thrilling escapades.

NOTE: This is a preview of items still in development - All elements are subject to change prior to release

Avika Krauss and the Living Shroud Power Rating: 242 Back: Cloth 4 Armor +40 Intelligence +10 Stamina +5% Hit Duels Core Set VI Legendary

“After more than one hundred years, the serialized adventures of Treasure Hunter Avika Krauss remain popular favorites of the Phyrran theater scene, with reenactments regularly playing to sold out audiences. In Avika Krauss and the Living Shroud, we find our Heroine in search of the burial shroud of Kesterfax, a vile Gostian Warlord said to have risen from death seven times only to return and terrorize his countrymen. The brute was finally stopped by poisoned wine, followed by an arrow to the head, followed by strangulation, followed by decapitation, followed by dismemberment, followed by cremation, all courtesy of his serving boy, Palo. His meager remains were then placed in an enchanted shroud and buried deep beneath the Gostian mountains. Legend said that any who donned this shroud would be granted similar immortality, at the cost of their very soul. Such a rare and valuable item was too enticing for the enterprising miss Krauss to pass up and, after a series of daring escapes, close calls and comical misadventures, she found herself high in the Gostian Mountains, captive of the Kesterphiles, crazed cultists devoted to resurrecting the fallen Warlord. When her plucky teen sidekick Buttons distracted the Cultists by accidentally setting her hair on fire, Avika was able to snatch the shroud and escape via a thrilling chase on the backs of a stampeding Mammoth herd.” - The Complete Adventures of Avika Krauss

Avika Krauss and the  Spirit Drape Power Rating: 257 Back: Cloth 4 Armor +35 Speed +15 Perception +5%Critical Duels Core Set VI Legendary

“After more than one hundred years, the serialized adventures of Treasure Hunter Avika Krauss remain popular favorites of the Phyrran theater scene, with reenactments regularly playing to sold out audiences. In Avika Krauss and the Spirit Drape, a recently deceased aunt leaves our Heroine the deed to her spooky hilltop castle. All that Avika had to do to claim her inheritance was spend one full night in the supposed haunted fortress.  That night she entered a castle, filled with priceless artifacts and very angry ghosts, with only her plucky teen sidekick Buttons for company. After a series of daring escapes,  close calls and comical misadventures, Avika was captured by a family of spirits with a taste for human flesh. Unfortunately, being ghosts, they lacked physical form are unable to actually consume our Heroine and decided just have a possessed suit of armor throw her off the roof. When Buttons distracted the ghosts by putting on a sheet and making ‘Wooga Wooga’ sounds, Avika was able to pull back the heavy black drapes, dousing the spirits with sunlight and killing them.” - The Complete Adventures of Avika Krauss

Avika Krauss and the Heavenly Sheet Power Rating: 269 Back: Cloth 4 Armor +40 Strength +10 Stamina +5% Dodge Duels Core Set VI Legendary

“After more than one hundred years, the serialized adventures of Treasure Hunter Avika Krauss remain popular favorites of the Phyrran theater scene, with reenactments regularly playing to sold out audiences. In Avika Krauss and the Heavenly Sheet, we find our Heroine in the sky-city of Oxiaan, a legendary, undiscovered Metropolis that hovers high over the Weslun Sea, in search of the Heavenly Sheet, a bed linen with the ability to defy gravity. After a series of daring escapes, close calls and comical misadventures, she was captured by the dashing sky-pirate, Captain Jet Cloudskipper, who intended to make her his sky-bride (the Captain was a bit of a traditionalist who had a habit of marrying his conquests just prior to having his way them and then filing for divorce via tossing them off the ship). During the ceremony, the Captain was distracted by Avika’s plucky teen sidekick Buttons, who had been hiding inside the wedding cake and emerged, covered in frosting and holding a cutlass by the wrong end. Avika was able to snatch the Heavenly Drape (which, unbeknownst to the Captain, was being used as  her wedding veil) and escape via a thrilling chase through an airborne Dragon nesting site.” - The Complete Adventures of Avika Krauss

Avika Krauss and the Haunted Axe Power Rating: 209 One Hand: Axe 12-35 Damage +10 Speed +10 Perception +1% Critical Duels Core Set VI Legendary

“After more than one hundred years, the serialized adventures of Treasure Hunter Avika Krauss remain popular favorites of the Phyrran theater scene, with reenactments regularly playing to sold out audiences. In Avika Krauss and the Haunted Axe, our Heroine comes into possession of the fabled Sternbloke Battleaxe, final resting place of the spirit of Igor Sternbloke, infamous Alchemist and madman.  The deadly, foul-mouthed weapon led Avika to into a trap and she was captured by her chief rival, the Countess Nivia Dreddock. Dreddock believed that she could use the spirit of the doomed Alchemist to help her create an army of super-human golems. Avika, on the other hand, believed that such a powerful relic belonged in a museum or, at the very least, in the hands of a wealthy private collector. After a series of daring escapes, close calls and comical misadventures, Krauss and Dreddock found themselves battling over the rim of an active volcano. It was only when Dreddock was distracted by Avika’s plucky teen sidekick Buttons, who had gotten lost and accidentally awoken a horde of angry magma rhinos, that Krauss was able to gain the upper hand and send the evil Countess over the edge and into a deep, black pit, surely never to be heard from again.”

Avika Krauss and the Gavel of Lost Souls Power Rating: 798 One Hand: Mace 36-108 Damage +75 Strength +20 Speed +20 Perception +5% Hit Duels Core Set VI Legendary

“After more than one hundred years, the serialized adventures of Treasure Hunter Avika Krauss remain popular favorites of the Phyrran theater scene, with reenactments regularly playing to sold out audiences. In Avika Krauss and the Gavel of Lost Souls, our Heroine discovers a plot by her nemesis, the Countess Nivia Dreddock, to steal the famed Gavel of Lost Souls from its place in the Royal Museum at Estlam. According to ancient Aangeloran legend, the Gavel of Lost Souls was used by Poros the Gatekeeper in passing judgment over the souls of the dead.  Dreddock believed that she could use the gavel to raise an army of soulless super-human warriors.  After a series of daring escapes, close calls and comical misadventures, Avika found herself captured by Dreddock’s undead army and was only able to escape when her plucky teen sidekick Buttons distracted the army by accidentally drinking the bottle that contained their eternal souls. Avika snatched up the gavel and escaped via a thrilling chase through the subterranean land of lost spirits, culminating in Dreddock’s fall into a seemingly bottomless Soul Well, surely never to be heard from again.” - The Complete Adventures of Avika Krauss

Avika Krauss and the Kehran Blade Power Rating: 752 Off Hand: Sword 1-3 Damage +200 Strength Duels Core Set VI Legendary

“After more than one hundred years, the serialized adventures of Treasure Hunter Avika Krauss remain popular favorites of the Phyrran theater scene, with reenactments regularly playing to sold out audiences. In Avika Krauss and the Kehran Blade, our Heroine finds herself in the capital city of the savage and mysterious Abtu-Kahn, in search of the legendary Blade of Kehra.  After a series of daring escapes, close calls and comical misadventures,  Avika was captured by the evil Zealots of Corveyne, who intended to sacrifice her to their dark god. Avika recognized that their sacrificial sword was the Blade of Kehra itself and, when the Zealots are distracted by her plucky teen sidekick Buttons, who had accidentally sacrificed the wrong person while undercover, she was able to snatch up the blade and escape via a daring chase through the inter-dimensional portals that surround the city.” - The Complete Adventures of Avika Krauss

Avika Krauss and the Grooved Halberd Power Rating: 198 Main Hand: Staff 12-35 Damage 20 Armor +10 Intelligence +5 Speed +5 Stamina +1% Dodge Duels Core Set VI Legendary

“After more than one hundred years, the serialized adventures of Treasure Hunter Avika Krauss remain popular favorites of the Phyrran theater scene, with reenactments regularly playing to sold out audiences. In Avika Krauss and the Grooved Halberd, our Heroine is in search of the Halberd of Horrid Hallucinations, a cursed staff said to cause strange visions in anyone who touches it. The staff had fallen into the hands of the Jolly Jokesters, a group of long-haired cultists devoted to expanding consciousness through altered states of mind. The Jokesters would touch the staff as a group and then ’see god’, a process that seemed to involve mostly a lot of listening to sitar music and staring at their own reflection in the mirror. Avika tracked the Jokesters to their lair, an upscale penthouse in Phyrra’s Arts District, and after a series of daring escapes, close calls and comical misadventures, Avika found herself captured by the Jokesters, who intended to ‘expand her mind’ by forcing her to touch the staff. Just in the nick of time, the Jokesters were distracted by Avika’s plucky teen sidekick Buttons, who had taken hold of the staff while no one was looking and was now certain that there were snakes in her hair. This allowed Avika the opportunity to don gloves, snatch the staff up and escape via a thrilling and decidedly light-hearted chase through a series of hallway doors. It should be noted that, when performed, this sequence is generally scored by the sitar hit ‘Chooga Chooga Chooga, I Got Love For Yooga, Yooga’, as originally performed by Phyrran bards The Raspberry Time Experience.” - The Complete Adventures of Avika Krauss

Avika Krauss and the Orc Queen’s Staff Power Rating: 803 Main Hand: Staff 36-108 Damage 200 Armor +75 Speed +30 Intelligence +20 Stamina Duels Core Set VI Legendary

“After more than one hundred years, the serialized adventures of Treasure Hunter Avika Krauss remain popular favorites of the Phyrran theater scene, with reenactments regularly playing to sold out audiences. In Avika Krauss and the Destroyer’s Staff our Heroine’s nemesis , the Countess Nivia Dreddock, plans to steal the priceless Staff of Ung’Gubok, form the Clavinon Museum of Oricsh Relics. The Countess believed she could use the staff to become Queen of Vistav Orcs, thus granting her a savage army of super-human warriors. Avika pursued Dreddock to the Vistav Mountains and after a series of daring escapes, close calls and comical misadventures,  Avika was captured by the Vistav and prepped to be eaten at a banquet in tribute to their new Queen.  However, the Countess was distracted when Avika’s plucky teen sidekick Buttons held a mirror to her face. Dreddock had not predicted the side effects of the staff’s power and, when she saw her tusky, snout-nosed new appearance, flew into a rage and murdered three of the nearest Orcs which, in turn drove the tribe into a murderous frenzy. This gave Avika the opportunity she needed to snatch the staff and escape via a thrilling chase mounted on charging stankhogs. The Countess was taken away by the remaining Orcs, surely never to be heard from again.” - The Complete Adventures of Avika Krauss

Avika Krauss and the Face of Gurp Power Rating: 843 Off Hand: Shield 1008 Armor +75 Stamina +65 Resistance +5% Dodge +11% Block Duels Core Set VI Legendary

“After more than one hundred years, the serialized adventures of Treasure Hunter Avika Krauss remain popular favorites of the Phyrran theater scene, with reenactments regularly playing to sold out audiences. In Avika Krauss and the Face of Gurp, our Heroine travels to the Aangeloran Desert, in search of the titular Face, an ancient oracle said to hold the secrets of time travel. Unfortunately, Avika’s rival, the Countess Nivia Dreddock, also heard of the Face’s unique powers and planned to use its abilities to alter history and allow herself to succeed in previous thwarted attempts at raising an army of super human warriors. It was a race to find the relic, with nothing less than the fate of all time hanging in the balance. The Countess reached the Face first and after a series of daring escapes, close calls and comical misadventures in time, the rivals found themselves in combat, on the rim of an active volcano, with their former selves. Avika was able to gain the upper hand when her plucky teen sidekick Buttons distracted the Countess with a heated argument with the other Buttons, regarding the nature of self, which woke a herd of angry Magma Rhinos, which in turn knocked the Countess into the volcano, surely never to be heard from again.” - The Complete Adventures of Avika Krauss

Avika Krauss and the Heirloom Dagger Power Rating: 260 One Hand: Dagger 70-82 Damage Duels Core Set VI Legendary

“After more than one hundred years, the serialized adventures of Treasure Hunter Avika Krauss remain popular favorites of the Phyrran theater scene, with reenactments regularly playing to sold out audiences. In Avika Krauss and the Heirloom Dagger, our Heroine is reunited with her estranged Mother, Doctor Henrietta Krauss, in a hunt for the stolen Krauss Dagger, an ancient dagger of unknown origin, that had been in their family for generations. It seems that Avika’s rival, the Countess Nivia Dreddock had also reunited with her Mother, the Duchess Dorthia Dreddock and the two had conspired to steal the dagger and use funds raised from its sale to finance research into the creation of an army of super human warriors. After a series of daring escapes, close calls and comical misadventures, the Krauss girls were kidnapped by the Dreddock ladies and suspended above a pit of ravenous Goblins. They were, however, able to escape when Patches, the mother of Avika’s plucky teen sidekick Buttons, distracted the Dreddocks by pretending to be inspectors from the Phyrran Organization for Goblin Rights and presented them with extensive paperwork to file. Once free, Avika knocked both Dreddocks into the Goblin pit, surely never to be heard from again.” - The Complete Adventures of Avika Krauss

Avika Krauss and the Endless Gauntlet Power Rating: 781 One Hand: Fists 36-108 Damage +75 Stamina +50 Resist +5% Dodge Duels Core Set VI Legendary

“After more than one hundred years, the serialized adventures of Treasure Hunter Avika Krauss remain popular favorites of the Phyrran theater scene, with reenactments regularly playing to sold out audiences. In Avika Krauss and the Endless Gauntlet, our Heroine’s rival, the Countess Nivia Dreddock, discovers the whereabouts of the Famed Endless Gauntlet, a jeweled glove, adorned with the six Endless Jewels, and rumored to grant the bearer control over all time and space, which she hopes to use to control The Revengers(Captain Aseti, Eagleye, The Red Mage and The Visionary), a group of super human warriors known for their flamboyant costumes and propensity for causing massive amounts of collateral damage. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Avika saught The Revengers to warn them. Captain Aseti, took Avika to be a villain and attacked  After a series of daring escapes, close calls and comical misadventures, Avika and The Revengers joined forces, set out to thwart Dreddock’s evil scheme, and were promptly captured. The heroes were able to make their escape when Avika’s plucky teen sidekick Buttons, with help from The Revengers’ mascot Rip Jennings, stole the Endless Gauntlet but then got stuck trying to decide whether to use her newfound cosmic power to turn everyone in the universe into unicorns or turn all the mountains in the world into candy then was distracted by a butterfly, allowing the heroes an opportunity to take back the Gauntlet and attempt to arrest Dreddock, who detonated a hidden explosive device, surely never to be heard from again.” - The Complete Adventures of Avika Krauss

Avika Krauss and the Jeweled Eye Power Rating: 776 Off Hand: Wand 36-108 Damage +60 Speed +25 Intelligence Duels Core Set VI Legendary

“After more than one hundred years, the serialized adventures of Treasure Hunter Avika Krauss remain popular favorites of the Phyrran theater scene, with reenactments regularly playing to sold out audiences. In Avika Krauss and the Jeweled Eye, our heroine sets out in search of the Jeweled Eye of Ooloos, an Orzayan artifact said to allow the bearer to see any place in the universe at any time. Krauss tracked the Eye to a temple in the lush jungles of Orzax, where, after a series of daring escapes, close calls and comical misadventures, she found herself in the Chamber of the Eye. Unfortunately, when she took the artifact, Krauss set of a series of treacherous traps that alerted the native Orzayans, who chased her from the temple and into the waiting arms of her rival, the Countess Nivia Dreddock, who took the Eye and left our Heroine to be killed by the angry natives and then fell into a spiked pit, surely never to be heard from again. Avika was able to escape, albeit narrowly, when her plucky teen sidekick Buttons was frightened by a large spider and ran into one of the temple’s support pillars, bringing the entire structure down in a spectacular crash.” - The Complete Adventures of Avika Krauss

Avika Krauss and the Mouth of Madness Power Rating: 412 Off Hand: Wand 70-82 Damage Duels Core Set VI Legendary

“After more than one hundred years, the serialized adventures of Treasure Hunter Avika Krauss remain popular favorites of the Phyrran theater scene, with reenactments regularly playing to sold out audiences. In Avika Krauss and the Mouth of Madness, our Heroine finds herself in the grip of The Mouth of Croluthloo, a cursed wand, created by a race of interstellar monsters, known only as The Really Old Ancient Ones. Anyone who come in contact with the wand is cursed with horrible visions of cyclopean cities and unspeakable evil lurking just outside the edge of perception. These visions invariably lead to madness and violence. After a series of daring escapes, close calls and comical misadventures, Avika finds herself found herself held captive by a group of savage Croluthloo worshippers, held in the grip of the cursed wand. She was able to make a daring escape when her plucky teen sidekick buttons accidentally took hold of the Mouth, went immediately crazy and attempted to remove her own eyes with a ceremonial wooden spoon. Though Buttons was unsuccessful, due to the fact that she had her eyes closed, the distraction was sufficient to allow Avika time to snatch up the Mouth, which tried to taint Krauss’ mind as well, but was ultimately defeated by the greatest power in the universe. That power, was love.” - The Complete Adventures of Avika Krauss