(orig. published Mar. 25, 2024)

Garp Garp was taught the power of thrash by the legendary Blue-Haired Bard, who belted odes to the god Thrashikus and inspired Garp to become a bard himself. So when, years later, Garp heard rumors that Thrashikus was leading attacks on towns throughout Lyrea, he knew he needed to investigate.

However, he soon learned this “Thrashikus” was no god at all, but a charismatic and dangerous dwarf wielding a battle axe guitar. Alongside the Blind Berserker, an infamous outlaw with an unquenchable thirst for destruction, and a devoted cult of groupies, he left nothing but ruin in his wake. Garp Garp knew at once – these were False Prophets of Thrash, besmirching the name of the real deal!

When they finally came face to face with our heroes, Garp was especially gutted to find a centaur named Gerald (her-ALD) caught up in the frenzy! Gerald was once a protégé of Kingbird, but after Garp outplayed him in front of the Queen, he pledged new loyalty to Thrash, and vowed to travel the land singing its praises… only to fall in with the False Prophets! Eventually, he’d face off against our heroes in an ambush at the Unseen Library. Their ensuing battle proved heavy in more ways than one.

From a gameplay perspective, I wanted these cards to play off each other very naturally, by combining the impulsive stat buffs of Inspire with artifact/enchantment hate to convey their wanton destruction. For instance, “Thrashikus” obviously pairs well with the Blind Berserker, gaining buffs each time she smashes something, but he also gets pumped up when ANYONE cracks an Inspiration token (since each one is an enchantment leaving the battlefield). Combine that with Gerald’s recursive Inspire ability, and you’ve got a potent combat engine!