Asterios
Balance- Asterios adds a lot of anti-squad punch to any army. I found that even if the rest of my army took more damage than they dealt, Asterios could still bring back the game if the other army had been cleared of its heavy hitters. Against squads he is harder to take down than a Hydra, having more life. He also packs a similar, albeit lesser, punch to a Hydra, making a tradeoff in number and degree of attacks for more mobility. However, when he has to face off against heroes he is considerably more vulnerable, since his powers are (mostly) nullified. Altogether I found him to fit nicely alongside the other 120 point heroes.
Playability- I liked to play Asterios alongside Raelin and sturdier squads like the Shieldsmiths. Whatever the rest of my army was, I usually used it to try to take down anything that might threaten Asterios--usually enemy heroes, particularly the ones with big attacks. Meanwhile my opponent usually tried to take Asterios out before the end-game. Whichever of us succeeded first didn't necessarily always determine the winner, but they certainly had an edge. Asterios at full health against anything short of an overwhelming number of Small- or Medium-sized figures makes any opponent a little uneasy.
Powers: Both powers are appropriately themed and scaled. Each of them applies restraint and originality in appropriate doses.
Appropriate Stats: The stats all feel right.
Visual Distinctness: Heroscape has no other Minotaurs, and this one looks great.
Creativity- A new twist on an old power combined with a simple new power, both in service to a cohesive theme? I like the application of creativity here.
Theme- The theme on this card is pretty cool. Asterios has by no means cornered the market on Minotaur-themes, but what he has works well.
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I found Asterios to be a well-designed and balanced unit that felt thematic and interesting.
I vote
Yea to induct Asterios into the Soldiers of Valhalla.