The power 9 (Crushing Blow, Drop Pod Assault, and Indomitable) just became the power 12 with Primal Howl. Don't leave home without it. 

Yep. Though it's not always a great play to use it for the ability if you need the shield, there is just about no drawback to running 3x of this card as either a solid shield or an insane amount of card draw.

The fact that it synergizes with Blackmane's hunt just adds to it's versatility.

If I am correct, you can play Howl, grab a crushing blow, use Rag's reaction, play crushing blow. That's insane.

5/5...nuff said

card draw for free. YES PLEASE. I would gladly pay 1 for this card and still rate it a 5. since it is zero I am rating it at a 6/5. 

there are not to many cards that feel like auto include other then drop pod assault. This one just joined them. 

Fantastic Event card for SM again, not much can be added.

5/5

Agree with that.

If I am correct, you can play Howl, grab a crushing blow, use Rag's reaction, play crushing blow. That's insane.

You are correct.

Also, of interest to rules-lovers:

http://www.cardgamed...window-resolve/

Primal Howl's triggering condition is phrased identically to Ragnar Blackmane's ability, so the same rulings apply.

why do I think you draw 1 card and then another one at the beginning on the next combat round and then 1 for next combat round?

EDIT:

never mind, I am thinking wrong ... it's still before command phase so no combat rounds yet (;

why didnt they phrase it like: Limit 1 per turn ?

EDIT2:

hm, it seems there are no cards with Limit 1 per turn yet; there are many in SW LCG I must have mistaken it from there

Would you put 3 Primal Howl in a Cato SM deck?

I would put 6 in every Space Marine decks if I could.

EDIT2:

hm, it seems there are no cards with Limit 1 per turn yet; there are many in SW LCG I must have mistaken it from there

Not even sure how "Limit 1 per turn" would work in this game? There aren't really any "turns" in Conquest - just a player's "turn" to do things within a single "phase" shared by all players. 

Would you put 3 Primal Howl in a Cato SM deck?

Probably. You end up aiming to create the triggering condition with Ragnar, but it'll still happen with Cato, and even if it doesn't, it's good for 2 shields. Why wouldn't you use it?

I'm a big Dominion player, so I notice problems with things like this (+1 card, +1 action, anyone?). This card has NO COST. Whatsoever. At least it has the drawback of once per turn and enemy warlord, so it isn't just another Daeron's Runes (Lotr Dwarrowdelf Cycle).

Sure its situational, but if you can't use it, two shields!

I'm a big Dominion player, so I notice problems with things like this (+1 card, +1 action, anyone?). This card has NO COST. Whatsoever. At least it has the drawback of once per turn and enemy warlord, so it isn't just another Daeron's Runes (Lotr Dwarrowdelf Cycle).

Ok, don't get me wrong here, I rate this as a 5/5 card, but it is not a card with no cost. It has two costs.

The first is tempo cost. You can't trigger it for benefit until you intercept the enemy warlord, and unless your'e playing a predictable Warlord (e.g. Coteaz with ork allies, or Shadowsun) its very hard to arrange this collision. Sure, you can often predict where they're going to be, but thats not always where you want to be. Generally, a good place to commit a Warlord is where it wins you a command struggle you were going to lose, and/or where it gives a battle boost and battle ability you wanted. This is unlikely to coincide with your opponent's desires in that regard, so in practical terms, its normally about 1 in 4 of the first 4 game rounds that Warlords collide. In late game, collisions are much more common, but at that stage of the game the card advantage this card provides is much less important: you're ditching a 2 shielder card in the hope of drawing 2 shielder cards, so it becomes a bit pointless. Late game units without the resources or game time to draw them is virtual card disadvantage.

As you're a Dominion player think about in terms of a Village: sure, that card self replaces and increases a valuable resource (actions) but if you draw it on a terminal draw, you've weakened your hand. Straight Silver has better tempo. As a Dominion player you know that money + 1 smithy outperforms money + 2 smithies + village. Tempo, see?

For an in-game analogy, look at Homing Beacon. That is not a good card, though if we look purely in terms of card advantage, it pretty much gaurantees that. Again, tempo is the key.

The same thing, in different game circumstances applies to Primal Howl. All the while its in your hand, thats a unit or combat event that isn't in your hand. That might cost you command position or combats in early game, when a card like - for example - Drop Pod Assault might have won you a battle or Sanctioned Psyker might have made for a command win. Generating card advantage is important in LCGs, but maintenance of tempo is also important.

The second cost here is opportunity. For each Primal Howl you run, thats 1 card of 50 that isn't something else. Is Primal Howl a great card? Yes. Is it a better card for every Space Marine deck than say Crushing Blow or Eager Recruit? No. Those latter cards don't generate card advantage, but they do win games.

If you look at top SM decks, a lot of them DO run three Primal Howls, though a lot also run just two, and some one or none. There is always a cost to consider, even on a 5/5 card. Sometimes its better to take the card that wins games rather than the card that draws cards that win games.

Yes, 2-shield makes the decision easier, as it gives the card a little  but of extra functionality. However, there's lots of 2-shield cards we don't run in the game, so 2-shielding should always be considered as part of a card's strength, and not a reason to say "you can't lose out regardless".

Good thoughts. Just a minor disagreement on this one point above - I'd argue that this card draw late game, when players' hands might have been thinned out and bonus card draw from commands or Void Pirates is likely to have been locked down or eliminated, is even more important. Especially at the stage in the game where Space Marines might be specifically grinding for an Eager Recruit or DPA. And if you end up 'just' using it for two shields that's one of Conquest's best 'B abilities'. 

For me I come down to the logic that any Magic player will tell you - there's no stronger ability in a card game than drawing cards. Can't see why anyone would run 1-of though, that seems a waste.

Fair counter, though I'd observe that M:TG operates in an environment where your mana escalates on a turn by turn basis, while you draw only one card per turn. In that context, of course drawing cards = win, as it lets you play more spells.

Conquest is a little different, as you have most resources up front, and then a steady rate of resources through the game, as well as two cards per turn. This makes card advantage far less important than it is in Magic.

Card draw is a tool to allow you to get into a position where you can make game winning plays, just as resource acquisition is. I've beaten any number of players who blindly and determinedly seek out card draw on command as if that is the be all and end all of the game, while neglecting tempo and resources. I've seen opponents have massive card advantage while actually being at massive virtual card disadvantage, because they have units, supports and events in their hand that they can't afford to play, and losing because the delay in time spent establishing card advantage has given me a couple of matched planet icons already.

Specifically to Primal Howl, I have to ask: in late game if you're drawing with a view to getting that card that will win you the game, why not just add another copy of that card that will win you the game? For sure, you could and probably will be running 3 x Eager Recruit, 3 x DPA, 3 x Indomitable, but sooner or later you reach the point where you have to decide how to use those last few card slots, and can start asking questions like "Primal Howl or Crushing Blow?", "Primal Howl or Imperial Fist Siege Squad?" "Primal Howl or an extra Blood Angels Veterans?"

The roundabout point here is that while this is a strong card, its not a blind include, and at the highest level its entirely possible that reducing from x3 is going to strengthen a deck's play, not weaken it, because while Card Advantage is dead useful, its not as absolutely vital as it is in MTG.

Likewise, my favourite card game. Above Conquest, even!