It had been an eldritch thing - no wonder sensitive students shudder at the Puritan age in Massachusetts. So little is known of what went on beneath the surface - so little, yet such a ghastly festering as it bubbles up putrescently in occasional ghoulish glimpses. The witchcraft terror is a horrible ray of light on what was stewing in men's crushed brains, but even that is a trifle.
– H. P. Lovecraft - The Unnamable

With Aspirations of Ascension on store shelves right now (together with the last two chapters of Summons of the Deep), it’s time to look at what else the future will bring us.
The first look at the next asylum pack, The Gleaming Spiral, revealed the horrible truth that indeed; Shudde M’ell (The Gleaming Spiral, F91) is about to awaken to lead the Burrowers Beneath on a campaign of destruction.

Grasping Chthonian (Initiations of the Favored, F51) was the first of these beings rearing it’s pulpy, tentacle head, setting the tone for Chthonians to follow: those of support destruction. The next part of Shudde M’ells plot is played by Telepathic Chthonian (The Gleaming Spiral, F92) who makes sure that when something collapses, there will be collateral damage.

Self-Destruction

This should discourage anyone from bringing out support cards against you. But what if they won’t? The way Telepathic Chthonian is worded, it is totally acceptable for you to bring out your own support cards – and then smash them for the effect. Tcho-Tcho Talisman (Core Set, F150) works well for this, as it is cheap to play and can easily be brought back for another round of destruction.

Another interesting way to exploit the Chthonians is the use of a day/night cycle. Going from The Rays of Dawn (Twilight Horror, F19) to The Setting Sun (Twilight Horror, F20) and back again should give people a rough day. And if you focus on time-of-day based tricks, Unknown Kadath (Journey to Unknown Kadath, F120) will bring an endless stream of horror and death.

And remember: Every time a support card is destroyed, an opponent’s character is sacrificed per Telepathic Chthonian. It’s not hard for the Shub-Niggurath faction to get a full complement on the table. Cards like Under the Porch (The Horror Beneath the Surface, F36) and Shocking Transformation (Core Set, F140) make sure of that – as if those weren’t useful in a Chthonian deck before.