Elemental bonuses

[Captain Scibra]

I have been looking into these with my cost theories, but I wanted some more direct community feedback on them.  Particularly, I want the community to see what they can find by the patterns of what they feel the bonuses for each element is.

A bonus is when a card gets a -1 cost due to meeting certain criteria.  It applies to cards whose function is thematical to the element, but is neither unique to the element nor does it define the entirety of the element. Vampire is an effect that is unique to Darkness, and airborne is a feature of every air creature (except nymph), so neither can be the bonus.  Creature control, for example, is something found in all elements, and in various forms, but Air has the cheapest and most efficient, leading to me believe that Air has a CC bonus.  (the only technical exception is Shockwave, but it has a freeze synergy that makes it quite powerful for 2 )

Bonuses observed (for each card that includes the following from the element, it gets a -1 cost):
  : Disruption
  : Creature Control
  : Denial
  : Poison
  : Sturdiness
  : Random Effects
  : Opponent Damage
  : HP-based Effects
  : Creatures and Creature Generation
  : Protection
  : Card Advantage
  : Duo (in addition to the normal)


*bonus is not confirmed to a specific model
What does everyone else think?

[Pineapple]

I'm pretty sure elemental bonuses do not exist. For example, you cannot say Aether has a "skill denial" bonus when it is the only element with skill denial effects (there no costs, that would not have the bonus, to compare to). Similarly, other bonuses you listed may not have basis is that there is nothing to compare to.

I'd like to give I do not think Air has a "creature control [cost reduction]" bonus. On the other hand, any cards which would be cheaper than "normal" (these cares are Fog Shield, Thunderstorm, Shockwave vs. Dusk Mantle, Rain of Fire, Lightning) are simply "knock-offs" that are cheaper simply because their effect is less powerful. The only thing this idea has going for it is that Unstable Gas may have free creature control added on, but I believe that is more thematic than formulaic.

The only identifiable "free elemental bonuses" are HP for Earth and Creature Cost Reduction for Life, and not all creatures in these elements are affected by these "elemental bonuses", so they are not truly elemental in the slightest.

I would like to propose an alternative way at looking at it: element-specific mechanics. These include lobotomize ("skill denial", as you called it) for Aether, drawing cards for Time, randomness for Entropy, outrageously high HP for Gravity. The difference is that these mechanics are neither unique nor universal, but would be strange out-of-element (or would at least have a higher cost, not necessarily in quanta).

[Captain Scibra]

I meant to put something other than skill denial, but other than lobotomy, we do have Web, which lines up with the theory.  I think the word I used in my main theory thread was negation.

[Captain Scibra]

I do not mean to be obstinate about it, but all the math suggests bonuses.  It just all lines up.  Believe what you will, but I hold true to my findings in mathematical patterns with the cards.

[Pineapple]

It's not elemental unless all 12 elements have exactly 1 bonus - no more, no less.

And cost analysis has never been an objective art. Mechanics cost more based on how much the card designer values them. That's why overpowered cards can be nerfed and underpowered cards can be buffed to promote game balance.

[Captain Scibra]

Well, they all have exactly one each.  I just haven't found 4 of them, and some are just broader or more used.

[Captain Scibra]

Updated with the rest of the bonuses.

[timetock]

Some elements have signature cards that give them other sorts of bonuses from different elements.
For example:
BH is both denial and healing.
Antimatter is... um... healing?
Water has purify and freeze, which is healing and soft-ish cc.
Aether has spell damage and immortal creatures.

bonuses aren't just a -1 cost, I think it's more of unique cards in each element. No other element can really compete with the draw power offers, and SoSac is just another OP card when there are no available counters. Immolation + SoB opens up rush opportunities. Randomness is only an option in .

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that I think there are unique cards, not unique elements. Does that make sense? Some cards may have similar characteristics/attributes (most creatures have large amounts of HP), but that's not an elemental trait; that's a trait of the cards within the element.

[Captain Scibra]

Yes, there is a crossover of mechanics such that it would also get a bonus in different elements. Yes, it's a trait from the cards.  But the thing is is that having a certain mechanic in a certain element has power to it.  Having the same mechanic in a different element is not as efficient or effective on a one-to-one relationship.  Note: due to the limited card pool, I don't really think that signature is a proper term for a card.

Also, not sure what you mean about randomness being only an option for entropy, since there are many non-entropy cards with RNG, like Fate Egg and Fog Shield.