Last week, we kicked off preview season with a look at one of the new legendary creatures included in Shadows over Solis. We also promised you that the set is jam packed with other new mechanics. Today, we’re digging into those new mechanics with the introduction of two new keywords: Augment and Blast!
Attachment Theory
In Battle for Whitefang Pass, we introduced Exalts—a mechanic that integrated perfectly with SolForge Fusion’s lane-based combat system. Exalts presented some design challenges, though. For one, Exalts are more difficult for players to interact with than creatures. They generally remain on the board for the duration of the game, and their persistent effects add complexity to the game by asking players to continuously track what they’re doing. These realities created development limitations, and while Exalts remain an important part of the game (including a new Exalt featured in Shadows over Solis) they didn’t meet the criteria to become a permanent (or evergreen) mechanic.
This led us to explore a more flexible mechanic that retained many of the benefits of Exalts while offering greater design space. Enter Augments.
Augments are creatures and spells that attach to another creature, granting them new abilities. Unlike Exalts, Augments go to the banish pile when the creature they’re attached to is destroyed.
The temporary nature of Augments allows us to push their power level while introducing fresh gameplay dynamics. Let’s dive into some of the cards featuring this mechanic:
Veilbyte is a well-stated Stealth creature. You can play it in a lane with no opposing front row creature, attack, and then replace it with a more powerful creature. The new creature gains Veilbyte’s Attack, Health, and Stealth keyword, making it an efficient way to get the most out of your creatures,
When we first started exploring Augments, we knew we wanted Augment creatures. Through playtesting, we found that giving another creature an Attack and Health buff equal to the printed stats of the Augmenting creature offered clean, clear gameplay. We also refined the method by which cards attach over time to reinforce faction identity. Initially, all Augment creatures triggered by replacing a creature—they were inspired by effects like Charger Mammoth and Gizzy Mo—but over time we limited this replacement interaction to the Alloyin faction as part of ensuring that each faction had distinct Augment mechanics.
Burning Lance highlights the potential of the Augment mechanic. Its Attack buff is on par with standard buffs, but adding Breakthrough to a creature while the Augment remains in play can significantly shift the game’s momentum.
Once we had a working mechanic in place, we built off of it by ensuring that every faction has payoffs for playing with Augments, rewarding players who lean into the new mechanic. Kas, Arcweaver is a prime example.
Kas provides aggressive stats and also comes with the Aggressive keyword, ensuring that every Augment played on him is impactful. As he levels up, he spreads his buff to more allies, making him a formidable force and a strong build-around card when looking at deck fusions for the set. We hope players will have a great time experimenting with Kas and the other Augment payoffs we’ve cooked up.
Now We’re Blastin!
The second major keyword introduced in Shadows over Solis is Blast—a mechanic designed for aggressive, tempo-driven gameplay. With the current meta favoring control-oriented decks, we wanted to introduce a keyword that encourages proactive strategies.
We’ve snuck in a sneak peak of the Blast mechanic in the SolForge Fusion Campaign Mode, but for those who haven’t seen it, here’s how it works:
Blast allows a creature to deal a set amount of damage to a lane. If the lane is empty, all of the damage goes to the enemy player. If there’s an enemy creature in the lane, Blast deals damage to the creature first, and any excess damage then spills over to the enemy player. By default, Blast targets the opposing lane, but some abilities allow it to hit other lanes as well.
This mechanic enables players to remove blockers while simultaneously applying pressure—creating a new, aggressive playstyle. Blast is more faction-specific than Augment, though, appearing primarily in the Alloyin and Tempys factions. After all, what says “blast” better than laser guns and elemental attacks?
Let’s explore some of the standout cards featuring Blast.
Stormstrike exemplifies how Blast accelerates tempo. As it levels up, it plays more creatures while dealing increasing amounts of damage. Combine it with minion-generating cards and opponents will struggle to keep up!
Blast also shines in setting up persistent threats that repeatedly chip away at an opponent’s health, such as with the Snofir.
A Defender that threatens direct damage every turn is reminiscent of Specimen, a creature introduced in our first set. We found this play pattern to be fun and unique, and Snofir refines the concept with high Health and consistent Blast damage each turn. This isn’t a one-off design, either—Tempys features several similar cards, reinforcing a fresh approach to the faction’s strategy.
Join us again next week as we dive deeper into how Shadows over Solis expands on Nekrium and Tempys mechanics. Stay tuned!
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