Introducing House Ekwidon

The Merchant Compacts of Ekwidon (House Ekwidon, for short) are a vast network of traders obsessed with making deals and new investments across the Crucible. They are masters of subtly gaining the upper hand in any situation.

Members of House Ekwidon travel throughout the Crucible serving as diplomats, arbitrators, traders, and artists. They have absorbed and inspired a myriad of cultures, and talented individuals of all species and backgrounds are welcomed into their ranks. They are commonly found working alongside their insect-like cybernetic companions known as “synthsects.”

The most numerous species within House Ekwidon are the Getrookya: asymmetrical creatures whose anatomy has been adapted to complex discourse and negotiation. They have a hard carapace and multiple limbs: one oversized and powerful arm (the disagreement arm), one mid-sized arm (the expressive arm), and two small arms, one of which is ends in a bowl-shaped appendage (the weighing arm) and the other in three slender fingers (the counting arm). They have two thin legs and a muscular tail that they often use as a third leg.

All members of House Ekwidon prefer to wear dramatic clothing featuring bright colors and asymmetrical patterns and cuts. Individuality is held in high esteem, so most also heavily accessorize their outfits to express their areas of speciality, experiences, and personal tastes. A very popular accessory is the “talking tray” that is held in one hand and used to display a visual summary of the current state of a negotiation, or a proposed deal.

House Ekwidon’s penchant for trading is reflected in their card designs. A common theme in their gameplay mechanics is giving an opponent something in exchange for receiving something greater. Let’s take a look at Closed-Door Negotiation, which is a common action card. Its text says:

“Play: Your opponent draws a card. Steal 1 Æmber. If you do and your opponent still has more Æmber than you, trigger this effect again.”

Let’s set up an in-game example to fully illustrate this card:

Your opponent has 5 Æmber and you have 1 Æmber. You play Closed-Door Negotiation and immediately gain 1 Æmber from the card’s bonus icon, bringing your total to 2 Æmber. Your opponent draws a card. You steal 1 Æember from your opponent, bringing your total to 3 Æmber and your opponent’s total down to 4 Æmber.

Your opponent still has more Æmber than you, so the effect triggers again. (Note the Æmber you received from the bonus icon is not part of this effect, so it is not repeated.) Your opponent draws another card and you steal another Æmber, bringing your total to 4 Æmber and your opponent’s total down to 3 Æmber. Now, your opponent doesn’t have more Æmber than you, so the effect is completely resolved and Closed-Door Negotiation is placed in your discard pile.

The net result of playing Closed-Door Negotiation is you gained a total of 3 Æmber and your opponent lost 2 Æmber and drew 2 cards.

Now, you might be thinking that while it’s nice to steal some Æmber, letting your opponent draw those cards is giving them a little too much. That might be true in some situations, but imagine following up Closed-Door Negotiation by playing Talent Scout. That card reads:

“Talent Scout may be used as if it belonged to the active house.

Play: Look at your opponent’s hand and play a creature from it as if it were yours. Your opponent takes control of Talent Scout.”

It’s a good thing you let your opponent draw those cards, because now you have more to look at when resolving Talent Scout! You get to play your opponent’s best creature as if it were yours, and in exchange, they get a 2-power creature. Oh, and don’t forget you get the bonus Æmber from playing Talent Scout.

Of course, any good negotiator always has a backup plan. Another good followup to Closed-Door Negotiation is using Flea Market, which reads:

“Action: Look at a random card in your opponent’s hand. You may give your opponent 1 Æmber. If you do, play that card as if it were in yours.”

Finally, if your trading efforts didn’t quite play out as hoped, you can always go for a Mass Buyout:

“Play: Destroy each creature. Each player gains Æmber equal to half the number of creatures they controlled that were destroyed this way (rounded up).”

We can’t wait for players to get their hands on “Winds of Exchange” Keyforge decks that feature this fascinating new race. If you haven’t already, we hope that you’ll consider supporting our Gamefound Campaign for KeyForge: Winds of Exchange here.