[Official] Shard of Patience | Shard of Patience

[Tiko]

Glad you put this here, Dag.

I've spent many hours from my limited online time in the last few days just to figure out at least one real nasty deck with my newly aquired So(a)Ps, but all these hours of nervewreckage finally brought me to the conclusion that it's just another theoretical powercard in Water's arsenal - alongside with Flooding.

The card's main targets would be (at least as I figured so far) Water's fragile little creatures: Squids, Physalias, Flayers, unupped Crawlers, or Puffers even, where the one turn damage loss doesn't matter that much, contrary to the big hitters where you're better off just playing another creature in almost any case (unless SoSa is in play; still, if chained, you're screwed anyways). Yet, even after they are soaped up, they don't put up much of a fight.
The +4/+4 with flooding sounds too good to pass, but even with the tightened flood-effect it's real hard to get there, it's a many card combo, and when you're finally there, you'll probably run dry of quanta by the time if you relied on squids/shield paired with the upkeep. Or if you operate with fractal, you find yourself lacking in defense, speed, and off-element quanta when completely countered by a single shield.

So the conclusion is: in almost any case it hinders you more than it threatens your opponent, and slows down a relatively slow element even more, which by itself is a suicide in the current fast-paced metagame. Sometimes I thought when playing that even the Permanent-freeze effect (which was the first idea of Zanz), though somewhat boring, would be much more of a service and overall useful than the current shard.

My best idea for a "slight" buff -while keeping the theme - would be making it a stasis effect also, delaying both sides of the field: this would eliminate it's suicidical (and almost unfair) disadvantage for you, but it may overshadow Sundial that way (though haste can still give you card advantage). Or just an additional Silence-like effect for your opponent in that turn. Personally I'd like to see the former, even the card text would be easy to modify.

Also it is real saddening to see how the AI fails to use it properly.

[aristalis]

How about in addition to the AP buff, have a purify effect on every friendly water creature + it's owner.
+2/+3 regen is nothing to sneeze at. And think of the synergy with overdrive :O

[Jangoo]

Why does it need a buff?

It's basically an Eclipse for water which will turn Crawlers into dragons and the already nasty squids into midrange attackers ...

Add the fact that it stacks (?) as opposed to Eclipse and you got yourself something pretty powerful.

[Atico]

I think that problem is not in Shard. Problem is in Water element... This shard will be much better for Air as buff Damsefly and Wyrms.
One turn delay isn't counter for SoS. 6 SoS gives 12 turns, here You have half of this time. We should remove this delay or give delay for both players.

[Daguerreo]

Poll added.

[Daguerreo]

Why does it need a buff?

Reasons have been explained well from Tiko, in my opinion.

[Dengeki]

My personal opinion is that this card is in the wrong element. This card would become stronger if it was changed to, Idk, a  card. Giving life a much needed counter to SoSa.
Other than that, the only way I see this card getting better is if a slew of new quick creatures gets added to water. Just my 2 cents.

[Bleys295]

I think that attack isn't what this shard needs. I think defense to fragile water creatures, (Squid, Mind Flayer, Chrysaora) would be an appropriate buff. I think +2/+4 would be wonderful for  . While the delay balances for the almost free board wide buff,  creatures still get the more needed boost. It would help against the currently popular shields, Spine and Flame, while also encouraging use of Gravity Shield. Really the synergies of increased defense water creatures is huge

[Sevs]

I agree with the others in that I cannot find a decent use for it. The turn delay ruins quite a few decks and sort of forces you to use it paired with squids. With the mechanics it has though, it would be hard to just tweak, If you remove the turn delay it becomes much stronger than nightfall and eclipse. and anymore attack or HP probably doesn't change the fact that the turn delay puts you at a huge disadvantage. If you expand the stasis to both sides, you get an unbreakable sundial chain since it isn't a perm.


I think if anything needs to be changed it would be the turn delay. There would still have to be a pretty big downside, but something different. possible ideas
   - prevent all abilities that turn?
   - take an HP loss
   - freezes some (idk 20%?) of your creatures or delays only some pf your creatures
 

i am all out of ideas

[Atico]

   - prevent all abilities that turn?

Maybe making delay creature as untargetable solve problem?

[Dm]

My personal opinion is that this card is in the wrong element. This card would become stronger if it was changed to, Idk, a  card. Giving life a much needed counter to SoSa.
Other than that, the only way I see this card getting better is if a slew of new quick creatures gets added to water. Just my 2 cents.

Adrenaline much?

[SnoWeb]

The problem is:

• change the one sided delay into something else because said side effect is too dramatic for the shard to have a real interest
  and
• not overshadow sundial
  and
• keep the theme of patience

I though about changing the delay effect for another drawback. Here are my ideas

• add +n|+n to all you creatures n being the number of turns you don't play any cards
  or
• add +1|+0 to all your creatures (+2|+0 for water, and +4|+0 if flooded) . Last until you play a card.
  or
  
• add +1|+0 to all your creatures (+2|+0 for water, and +4|+0 if flooded) . You cannot play or draw any card next turn.
  or
• add +1|+0 to all your creatures (+2|+0 for water) . Delay all your creatures not underwater.

I really like the second possibility. It opens quite a lot of cool strategy and interesting choices. It forbid the stack but if you play it wisely it has no drawback.
The fourth possibility is giving a different bonus for flooding: no drawback for creatures underwater. It's still tricky to play but it might work better that the present one