I got a question, as I see many people refer to this AA card, "Silver Shadow" as one of the possible sources of new heroes for the game. I see that many of you refer to a sort of Captain Marvel (with a beard) dress in red and yellow, but I am surprised I can not find any references to the guy that appears below him, this pure energy guy that looks like Silver Surfer. And as far as I know, he is also a new hero. Am I wrong? Do we know if the Prime Wardens are five, or six? (AA, Haka, Fanatic, Tempest, the read-and-yellow Captain Marvel, and/or this Silver Surfer guy?
My guess is that both of them will be future heroes in the cosmic expansion we are seeing coming next year at some point. Thematically makes sense, at least. We will still have to deal with the Thorantian giant, but that is another story.
jagarciao is correct - it's AA's Silver Shadow. Note the stance, etc.
But there are other things hidden in the art (much of which has been discussed on the forums), so please don't let this stop you from continuing the analysis!
Because, at a future point in time, he's going to have a sword. Same reason Fanatic has her alternate version in that artwork: it's set at a different point in the timeline than the core set, but sometime before the events of the Freedom Six alternate cards.
Now if you're asking why / how he has a sword, that's a very different question that I'm sure will be answered in a later set.
But until then, the standard practice is for folks to throw out their own thoughts on how that kind of thing might happen, so feel free to start that thread!
My guess is that the sword is some form of trophy. He kept his shackles as a reminder of Voss's cruelty- I'm thinking the sword is another type of memento (as well as being a practical tool for his line of work). Whether he took it, won it, or was given it I do not know.
Maybe the fish he talked to in underwater correspondance pointed out the way to the Lady in the Lake. If anyone is on a noble quest worthy of Excalibur, it's Tempest.
To be fair, it's been pretty firmly established that the whole Iron Legacy/Freedom Six arc is an "alternate" timeline, so that picture doesn't necessarily have to be before it…just, different.
Well if we want to get into the how/why of Tempest and his sword, I have quite a few theories on the subject. Mostly related to the likely conclusion of the Tempest/Voss story arch coming in the "Cosmic" expansion featuring SotM's own version of Galactus (who can be seen in Nightmist's deck, holding the Earth in his grasp!). Nightmist's card Mist Bound also features a Grand Warlord Voss vowing to return for his revenge. There are quite a few references to Voss's return and/or domination of Earth (mostly within Visionary and Nightmist decks). I am 100% certain that Tempet and that sword are linked to a final showdown with Voss.
With regards to the Silver Shadow himself…who orwh exactly is he? I figure he's some kind of manifestation of the Adept's powers, hence him being the Argent Adept? Is he the spirit of all the previous Argent Adepts, or something?
It's his backup singer/musician, in my opinion. A manifestation of his power as the Virtuoso of The Void. Even the Adept only has one set of pipes, so he needs a little assistance through some kind of musician/singer manifestation he summons up with his powers. They're the guys that sing the chorus while he goes through the verses. It's especially cool when you can play more than one in a turn. It feels like a rock ballad!
Same reason Fanatic has her alternate version in that artwork: it's set at a different point in the timeline than the core set, but sometime before the events of the Freedom Six alternate cards.
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