This month’s card is a Skyrim native son who has decided to follow the strong Nordic tradition of aggression and glory in battle. He believes that to hang back on the defensive is cowardly and not befitting a brave warrior such as yourself, preferring instead to rush into battle to prove your honor, and earn your place in the Halls of Glory. And why shouldn’t he? After all, he’s sworn his life to protect one of the most controversial figures in all of Skyrim: Ulfric Stormcloak.
That is quite the payoff for breaking enemy runes! One of the biggest weaknesses of aggressive decks can be that they sometimes empty their hand very quickly and then run out of steam when the opponent answers the first onslaught. Not so with Ulfric’s Housecarl! Drop this bad boy, break a few runes, and he should be able to provide you with enough gas to finish your opponent off.
The Housecarl himself doesn’t even have to be the one breaking the runes to get the card drawing benefit, so he’s going to be particularly effective when you already have a board of creatures ready to attack when you play him. Of course, if your opponent has been answering your creatures as you play them, Ulfric’s Housecarl will do a perfectly fine job of breaking the runes on his own as well with a respectable 3 power.
Ulfric’s Housecarl does not have to be relegated entirely to aggressive decks. Slower Crusader decks still tend to be interested in powerful rune-break payoffs like Dawnstar Healer or Burn and Pillage, and the Housecarl should fit in nicely there as a way to keep up pressure while maintaining a full hand to help answer opposing threats as they appear. Imagine a board involving Dawnstar Healer, Ulfric’s Housecarl and Haafingar Marauder; every time you break a rune you’ll be gaining 3 health, drawing a card, and getting an item to bolster your army!
No matter how you decide to shatter your opponent’s defenses, hop into ranked mode this month to claim your copies of Ulfric’s Housecarl and remember: SKYRIM IS FOR THE NORDS!