This is what someone posted on their blog back in 2008: "Update: redeemed my four rune packs and here is what I got: 3x Dwarven Windfury (Exclusive) 1x Sacred Tundra Amulet (Exclusive) 1x Dwarven King 1x Faultbreaker 1x Carrion Colossus This purchase was a great success, with two titans and three Windfuries, currently the most sought after rune in the game. The Windfury is very powerful, being ranged, with a strong melee attack and survivability, so this rune should hold its high value extremely well over time." Buff Windfury! Also, damn poor sap. Who would've thought the rune would be no where near as valueable.
Cost: 78 Dam: 8 (-1) Spd: 6 Rng 1 (-2/-4) (-14) Def: 1 HP: 48 Base Abilities: Attack: Physical - 2 Nora Zephyr Shield - 12 Nora (+6) Running Strike - 15 Nora (Give the champ a -2 Modifier to make up for melee)(Up duration to 2 [Buffs Skeezick Ripper and that Centaur]) U1: Arrow Throw [Rank 1] (Default) Riposte [Rank 1] (+0 Nora) Counterstrike [Rank 1] (+2 Nora) U2: Sweep (Default) Mobility (-2 Nora)
Updated suggestion a tad to add Running Strike. Lets him still have ranged potential while synergizing with Zephyr Shield. @Sokolov would you mind terribly to let me know if my costing is close?
I want to like your suggestion, but something inside me doesn't want to see Windfury being melee. After Roughneck became melee, and Sharpshooter is out of meta, I don't want Windfury to become another physical melee beater. We have too many already. Love your suggestion of Zephyr Shield. Maybe adding Berserker in U2? So he becames some kind of mobile and annoying ranged unit, but with low damage output.
Yeah thats why I added Running Strike so he could theoretically get his range back up to 5. Originally I had Sweep on base and U2 as Hammer Throw 1-3
While Zephyr Shield would be flavorful, I don't believe that ability is appropriate on a combat unit, especially one without Mobility. The reason it works on Wind Sprinter, for example, is because he doesn't need to expend AP making attacks and disengaging; he can utilize Zephyr Shield to its fullest extent, spending all his AP just to acquire stacks. On a unit such as Windfury, Zephyr Shield would be a sandbag 90% of the time. Since it takes 3 AP just to get one stack of it, he would have to spend all his AP every turn just to proc it and make an attack. The only time it would benefit him is on the turn he runs into combat, where he could possibly get a few stacks up, whereupon he would be engaged, and to get further stacks would require him spending 3 of his base 6 AP just to move 1 space (if you don't upgrade Mobility that is, but Sweep is just such an amazing ability that it's hard to resist taking it). Now, if he became 2-4 range and had Attack - Physical, Sweep, Zephyr Shield, and Mobility base (about 26 nora in abilities) that would be the ideal base kit for him to properly use Zephyr Shield. You could even move Sweep to upgrades to reduce his cost. This is all assuming you still want to base him around Zephyr Shield, which isn't a bad idea at all btw. Personally I would enjoy the following iteration of Windfury: Dam: 8 Spd: 6 Rng: 2-4 Def: 1 HP: 45 Base Abilities: Attack: Physical - 2 nora Sweep - 8 nora Fellowship - 4 nora Upgrade Abilities 1: Mobility - 4 nora Vivify - 8 nora Zeal - 6 nora Upgrade Abilities 2: Zephyr Shield - 12 nora Running Strike - 15 nora Berserker 1 - -5 nora This gives you the option of forgoing the expensive ability lines altogether by taking Berserker 1, which is not as much of a downside as it seems, since he has so many other ways to gain AP. On the other hand, if you do take one of his expensive upgrades in line 2, all three of the line 1 upgrades give him the ability to fully utilize either Zephyr Shield or Running Strike. This would likely put him at around his current cost, but should be no more than 80 nora. I suppose he could go to 3-4 range if his cost needs to come down any lower. Swapping Running Strike for Preparation on line 2 would also work.
Just sayin but neither of the other Zephyr Shield champs have Mobility. Granted Dustdevil can get it from Domain.
Rather see him work his way into an equipment deck. Windfury: damage:9 speed:6 range:1-3 50 hp defense:2 abilities: attack physical combat awareness Berserker 3 dodge 1 Up1: Provison defense Provison offense Arrow throw 1 Up2 mercenary reckless liability