Forum Brawl #4 - Round 3 Voting

[ARTHANASIOS]

Time's up!

Standardized voting will use this table:

Spoiler for code:

Code: [Select]

[table]
[tr][td][table][tr]
[td]Team Vote[/td][td]Round 3[/td][td]by [/td]
[/tr][/table][/td][/tr][tr][td][table][tr]
[td]Boss[/td][td]***[/td][td]***[/td]
[/tr][tr]
[td]Artist & CD[/td][td]***[/td][td]***[/td]
[/tr][tr]
[td]DB[/td][td]***[/td][td]***[/td]
[/tr][tr]
[td]FE[/td][td]***[/td][td]***[/td]
[/tr][tr]
[td]OT[/td][td]***[/td][td]***[/td]
[/tr][tr]
[td]Writer[/td][td]***[/td][td]***[/td]
[/tr][/table][/td][/tr]
[/table]


DO NOT FORGET TO OFFER A PROPER EXPLANATION FOR YOUR VOTING DECISIONS!

Spoiler for BOSS:

A Ghost of the Past...

Write a review article about the Battle forum game!
(http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php?action=battle)

Spoiler for Meaning of Life:

September 12^th 2025
I received a request from the King containing a map of this weird place, and a note saying "This land is ridden with monsters. I would like you to help our current forces fighting there as they are currently depleting in numbers and would greatly appreciate your help".
I can understand why he sent it; I used to be the general of one of the 6 armies. However, those days are behind me now. I will need to think of this further.


September 15^th
So after a long debate with the king, I am here. Kind of a shame, though I cannot really do much about it. On first look, the place seems quite vast. I am very glad that the King organised accommodation for me beforehand; I would never be able to find a house in here...
I decided to study the map further and this place is quite expansive! It seems like there are a lot of places to go and things to do upon first look. Maybe I will look into this... just maybe...


September 16^th
So today I went to the tavern to find out more about this place, when someone, a local presumably, ran in asking for help about a monster of sorts. Is this what I was sent here for? Menial tasks? I do not know, perhaps it will get better later...

So the monster turned out to be a flesh spider. Oh well... good to brush up on my old skills I guess. The monsters here seem more hostile than those in other parts of the world, perhaps this is what I had to look into.


September 30^th
Two weeks since my last entry. Have been too busy for anything other than that. Alas, I think my time here is approaching its end. I have been killing a lot of the monsters, which are increasing in both difficulty and hostility, turning this into quite the challenge. I have been battling some of the other swordsmen here, which provide decent challenge and entertainment to pass the time. That is always fun.

I think in a couple days I will have to return home however... My family must be missing me by now and I do not want to be away from them for too long. All in all, this experience has been quite entertaining, however the bursts were quite short lived and I was not able to get as much done as I would hope in a day, though I guess that is fair... If I had to give numbers, I would probably rate it something close to 7/10, for the aforementioned reasons. What I did like about it was the diversity of the creatures, as well as the different quests. And with the laws being more laid back in this part of the country, I was very glad to be able to fight other swordsmen in the area! I must say, it was quite a good and scenic trip.

September 42^nd
Ugh, I am unsure what happened... I decided to one more quest before I... I cannot remember what I was going to do... The quest I tried was named 'The Ultimate Showdown'. I think I must have died or something because I have since awoken in the Hospital of Ruzewja from a coma-like state with barely any recollections of what happened. All I know is that I must kill this thing. This is what the King sent me here for, I know this now.

Send the King my kindest regards.
~Dawn

Spoiler for Frostbite Borealis:

Review of Forum Battle Game: The Terrible Truth

Having never before delved into the potentially savage world of the Forum Battle Game, I had really no idea what to expect. Like my approach to any RPG, I started off rather bull-headedly and went straight for "Explore". It's the same sort of approach that lead me to attack a False God on my 6th ever Elements Game - I like to see where I will eventually be.
Actually I tell a lie, my first act was to try to attack Naesela, planning to kill her and write a review slamming the game for letting me kill one of our very valuable Brawlmasters, but sadly it wouldn't let me do that. Something about not attacking Level 0 players. This seemed like a useless feature. if you can't kill n00bz then what's the point.

Anyway - Explore.

1st battle....




WHAT?!! It's a CAT, and it's half-sort-of-dead before the fight even starts?! What kind of weak thing am I?!

I decided that exploring wasn't the way to go, when stray cats can leave me bloodied and battered. I assumed that quests would start pretty simply, so I went questing.




NO NO NO. This is highly unrealistic. There was no option for "Run for your life." I have just been brutally dispatched by a dead pussy, I'm hardly going to go in swinging to a massive spider am I? Oh well, obviously the Battle Me is a bit more gung-ho than the real me.

I decided to check out the place where I'd likely wind up if kittens can tear my face off - the graveyard.
Lo' and behold - I saw one of my team-members (probably bitten by an ant or something):



I had plenty of gold tucked away, so I just clicked...



SUCCESS! A revival, I am a GOD with powers of Resurrection! A benevolent healer on a mission to revive! What's next, I can do anything!

I realised I might have just been unlucky against the cat - probably just caught a bit of rabies or something, so I went exploring again... A Guardian Angel stepped.. er hovered? flew? APPEARED... I guess my character is a little chaotic so I tried to KILL THE ANGEL.



Obviously Angels aren't blessed with the vicious destructive ability of a kitteh. So I attacked again.. and again...

Sadly I didn't have enough health to kill it, so I retreated and bought a Heal from the shop. Really I wanted to find that Angel again, it only had 4 health left, so i started exploring again. And what did I find?




Wh... What??
 
I believe this game is RACIST. It paint a picture of the Entropy Elemental community as a thieving, thuggish band of miscreants and I will not stand for racism.
I took my robbed, scratched, bitter, still level zero character and wandered back to the quest section. I caught that same Flesh Spider another 4 times (which is all I am good for apparently).  Now, I have 0 energy, 0 stamina, and nowhere near enough money to purchase more of either.

And the worst thing? I am now COMPLETELY ADDICTED TO THIS GAME, and I have to wait FOUR HOURS to play it again.

This game should come with a set of warning labels:
1. HIGHLY ADDICTIVE. Do not play if you have addiction issues with Gambling, or wish to continue being a functioning member of society.
2. Don't stroke the kitteh.
3. Don't trust Entropy, they aren't like US.
4. Punching Angels is fine.

Spoiler for Ragnarok:

BATTLE
the obscure and pretty unknown game that exists on the forum
For those that have not tried it (which will probably be most of you), it is basically a very simple RPG. You explore and fight monsters, gain experience and level up. However, basically every action is randomized, and there are very little choice in what to do. Completing quests just consists of clicking a button and hoping you are lucky, with higher level quests having less chance of completion. Exploring is similar, where you have both random encounters which can give advantages or hurt you (and the outcome is again completely random) and monster battles, where you fight creatures from the Elements world. Duels do not consist of much choice either, it's simply Attack or Flee.
Another thing about the game is that it has an Energy system, just like those Facebook games we all hate. However, here you can't pay (real) money to regain it, but have to either spend some Gold in the ingame shop or simply wait until it resets (at GMT 0 I believe).
There *are* some choices involved in leveling up though, where you can choose which stats to increase. All stats simply makes you either better in fights or lets you have more Energy to do stuff, but there are choices nonetheless.

Basically, Battle is very luck-based, very grindy (But we have all played Elements, so this shouldn't be a problem) and has an Energy system, which makes it take a very long time to actually get anywhere. There is of course still some satisfaction involved with eventually taking down dragons with ease or finally unlocking those last quests, and there is also a high scores list you can attempt to get on (but it will take quite a while).
But all in all, the game is not very deep and it is basically just clicking on the same buttons over and over again and hope for the best.
However, since there is not a lot you can do each day, you could probably play for a few minutes every day if you're bored and get slowly get stuff done.

Spoiler for Red Stars:

Are you ready for adventure?


Welcome brave warrior! So, you have come to rid the world of evil monsters? Do not take on more than you can handle!




Battle is a rpg forum game involving all the members in the forum (that's right, everyone is in it) and while its popularity has largely died, it still has some die hard players that refuse to let it go. But what is battle about?

First things first, to open the game you need to click in the Battle button







and you are greeted by this screen. You can see your stats to the right, level, HP, attack, etc, monster slays and player slays (that's right, if killing monsters gets boring you can kill each other too) as well as a History of the last things that happened in the game. There is also a shoutbox, where you can talk with your fellow battlers, some primers on how to play, what monsters you can face and a ranking of the best battlers. But the place where everything really happens is the navigation tab to your left.

It gives you a couple options on what to do that we'll break up:

Explore: Choosing to explore will lead you to this pretty map.



Lets click on it to explore and get things going



Oh noes! A Skeleton! Kill it! Kill it!



I won but somehow it is still alive (I guess it means the cointoss). Attack again, I guess



Take that skeleton!

There are several things that can happen when you explore.



Like shady deals



Darn



False Gods trying to steal your lunch money (just say 'No' and it goes away)



Arm-wrestling



it's a miracle!



What could possibly happen?









Following the game's advice, lets go visit the shop. As in any rpg, this is where you buy items to help you by recovering and modifying your stats.



The itens are all well explained and anyone coming for the first time can understand what's happening. Do note (on your stats) that there are caps for attack, defence, stamina, etc. so you can't buy anything that increases them if they are maxed out. There is also no inventory, so you can't buy stuff to use later and when you get something as loot you use it (like the miracle I got).

Since we are tired and need more stamina to continue, lets buy a Stone Skin





Onwards to adventure!

Instead of more exploring lets do something different and click the next button "Battle", which is where members face each other.



Uh, these guys are too pro for me



that's more like it.



0/10, would not play again. It turns out that you can't attack anyone you like, which is actually the way not to play the game, just remain at level 0 (aka do nothing). Lets try attacking someone at level 1



big_cor, I choose you!



I have regrets.

Let's go on a quest instead.



There is one quest for each level up to 10. Since we are at the awesome level 0, we'll go to the tavern.





well, that was easy. The last thing to see is the upgrades. However you need stat points to get them (You gain 5 points every time you level up. You level up at every 30 xp).



and that's it the other buttons are a graveyard to show which battlers are dead and monsters, game stats and settings are redundant with the ones in the home screen.

The monsters button by the way leads you to a list of all the monsters. Good thing I didn't met this guy.



So, this is battle. It is not the most thrilling game ever, even for a text based rpg and things get repetitive real quick, but it is worth it to spend an hour or 2 to know this piece of the comunity history.

Spoiler for Gravy Train Co.:

Battle!
To start off, here is a quick little explanation of the different tabs in Battle!
Home: This is your home screen, where it displays various things, such as instructions, bestiary, settings, and even a restart option!
Explore: Here is where you explore the world! Each time you click on the map, you lose 1 stamina, and may encounter a monster, or some other event. Sample event: You find a dragon's cave, do you enter? If you do, you may either strike it rich and find 70 gold, or get shredded by the angry dragon and lose 10 HP.
Shop: Buy your items here! You can heal, boost stats, and even increase energy and stamina!
Battle: This is the PvP option. You can only fight members within 10 levels of you.
Quest: Go on a quest! You can spend energy to go on a quest, that may or may not give you some free gold!
Upgrade: Use stat points gained from level ups to improve your various stats!
Monsters: The Bestiary.
Game Stats: See the various highscores others have set!.
Graveyard: List of all the dead members. You can revive them for some gold... if you're feeling nice.
Settings: Change your settings here.

At a glance, Battle seems like a stereotypical RPG. However, it differs in that there is no "grinding" in Battle. You have a set amount of Stamina (max 25) that recharges every 8 hours. While recharging energy with gold is possible, it's very costly at an early stage. The amount of Stamina you have prevents you from really grinding much, and the battles go by quickly. Because of this, Battle is a casual game that you can play when you get bored, or when chat is dead.
To level up in Battle, you have to kill creatures (duh). While you do gain experience from killing creatures, an unique feature is gaining experience by dealing damage to creatures as well.

Spoiler for Finding a Creature:

Spoiler for Fighting a Creature:

Of course, no Forum game would be complete without a PvP option! Battle limits picking on the weak with 2 restrictions: You may not attack level 0's, and people who you attack must be within 10 levels of you. However, a downside of PvP is it gets really boring after you get to higher levels (100 atk whaling on 100 defense = More boring than grinding EtG  ) Killing someone sends them to the graveyard, and it's a mere 40 gold for a revive! Don't kill too many, or you may end up in there yourself  .

Spoiler for PvP:

Note: No eaglgenes1 or Chrysaoras were hurt in the production of screenshots.

Summary: Although Battle is more simplistic and more casual then other games, it still holds an undeniable charm. While some glitches are annoying (sometimes the stats screen glitches, supposed to be a fix for page refreshes), there's nothing a good refresh won't fix. The quests could also do with some fixing. The probability for succeeding at a quest is very high for the first few, but sharply declines to a measly 25% on the 3rd one (it doesn't even feel like that most of the time), and a 0.5% on the last one. Finally, the repetitiveness after the first 30ish levels is overwhelming, as you begin to one shot everything and take no damage.
Despite all of this, this game is still fun to play on a casual basis due to it's simple, yet enjoyable mechanics, and would be suitable for a forum event. (hint hint).

Gravy Train Co Reviews gives Battle 8/10 Gravys.
 

Spoiler for ARTIST & CARD DESIGNER:

Zanzarino's Cube...

Create a card using Cubist art style and a dice themed effect.

Spoiler for Meaning of Life:

Twist of Fate | Twists of Fate

Most Elements players presented with "card design" and "dice themed effect" think Entropy.  While a given roll of dice is naturally a random event, the application of dice rolls can be in orderly constructs.  An example is the casting of lots.  Historically, casting or drawing of lots has ties to religious practices (Sortes - ancient Rome).  Within Elements this would generally tie to the element of Light.  Thus, team Meaning of Life presents a dice themed Light card. Regarding the card design: Non-upgraded card is a type of 'anti' card to Entropy's Chaos Seed - a positive effect randomized from an in-element list of effects. Upgraded card is a type of 'anti' card to Entropy's upgraded Pandemonium - a positive effect on your field of creatures randomized from an in-element list of effects. Different art used supports this with one set of dice for the targeted effect and multi-dice art for the multi-target card. The non-upgraded cost of 1 light was determined by average cost of the spells Blessing, Holy Light, and Luciferin which is 1 + 2 + 3 divided by 3 resulting in 2 light to include a -1 reduction due to random nature providing instability of spell result. This also jives with consideration of Chaos Seed cost 1 entropy. The upgraded cost of 4 light was determined by considering the cost of Pandemonium non-upgraded and upgraded - 3 entropy and 5 entropy, respectively - with the average value being used.  No reduction given for random nature due to application to ALL your creatures and exclusion of opponents creatures. Regarding the card art: Non-upgraded art depicts one group of two dice (Who can find the hidden message?) relating to the limited target-nature of the card effect. Upgraded art depicts many pairs of dice relating to the multi-target-nature of the card effect. What is there to hate about good colored pencil art?  TWO card arts here for the price of opening just one spoiler! Spoiler for Card art: Click to enlarge

Spoiler for Frostbite Borealis:

This can target pendulums as well (simply didn't have space to fit in anymore details), and can target pillars/pends on either side of the field (like NT). But, if you target the opponent's pillars, you'll be the one taking damage. And obviously, vice versa.

Spoiler for Ragnarok:

NAME: Weighted Dice ELEMENT: Gravity COST: 4 TYPE: Spell ATK|HP: TEXT: Target Creature or Weapon's ATK and HP becomes 6.	NAME: Weighted Dice ELEMENT: Gravity COST: 2 TYPE: Spell ATK|HP: TEXT: Target Creature or Weapon's ATK and HP becomes 6.

ART: Frozengaia IDEA: Kakerlake NOTES: Damage is dealt if the creature is above 6 HP. Weapons targeted by weighted dice will gain 6 HP when flown. You can target already airborne weapons. Who said all dice were fair? These dice always land on a six, and turns a creature into a 6 | 6. Use it to upgrade your vampires, downgrade thier dragons, or prevent pesky bugs from getting past your gravy shield. Or prevent things being bolted. Voodoo OTK ftw SERIES: Frozengaia's Forum Brawl (+ Kakerlake)

Spoiler for Red Stars:

Magitek Factory | Magitek Factory

The wording is a little tricky, but this card gives a target creature +1|+6 the first time it is used. Then, the next creature to be targeted gain +2|+5, the creature after that gains +3|+4 etc. After giving out the 6 buffs, this card destroys itself. It can target 6 different creatures if you like, or use it 6 times on the same one. Stealing this doesn't reset the buff / uses counter. This card is based off the opposing sides of a standard 6-sided die. 1 is opposite to 6, 2 is opposite to 5, and 3 to 4. It ends up giving an average of +3.5|+3.5 to 6 targets over 7 turns, but giving much less attack than HP at first. The whole concept had a rotational and mechanical feel to it, like clockwork. You can imagine a factory crafting equipment for your creatures to use in battle. That's where the basis for the art came from, which andre did an amazing job on.

Spoiler for Full Resolution Art:

Spoiler for Gravy Train Co.:

NAME: Quantum Dice ELEMENT: Entropy COST: 0 TYPE: Permanent ATK|HP: TEXT: Generate 1-6 random quanta for every random effect generated.	NAME: Chaos Dice ELEMENT: Entropy COST: 2 TYPE: Permanent ATK|HP: TEXT: Generate 1-6 for every random effect generated.

Random effects do not include effects that activate every turn, such as Quantum pillar and Discord(Effects that can happen every turn but must be activated activate this effect) . Pandemonium activates once for every creature affected.

[ARTHANASIOS]

Spoiler for DECKBUILDER:

Your victory is inevitable!

Build a deck designed to make the other person win without decking out.

Spoiler for Meaning of Life:

Limitless Speed - Am I Doing This Right?

Hover over cards for details, click for permalink

Deck import code : [Select]

6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6u7 7di 7dr 7f2 7f2 7f2 7jv 7jv 7n9 7q0 7q0 7q5 7q5 7q5 7q5 7q5 7ri 7ri 7te 80b 80d 80d 80d 80d 80d 80d 8pu

Explanation of cards:

• OTK Combo Cards (listed in play-order - LS and AM can be switched and TU and Blitz can be switched):
  
  • Ruby Dragon - base of 15 ATK
  • Improved Blessing x2 - increasing to 21 ATK and 8 HP
  • Rage Elixir - increasing to 27 ATK, reducing to 2 HP
  • Liquid Shadow - self-kill key part I - 27 ATK damage now also returned as 27 healing, addition of (1) poison counter
  • Antimatter - self-kill key part II - 27 ATK inverted, swapping to 27 self-damage also given to opponent as 27 healing (and with shield bypass!)
  • Twin Universe - make another copy of the 27 ATK LS+AM dragon for total of 54 on-field self-damage and opponent healing
  • Sky Blitz - doubles to 54 ATK LS+AM dragon totaling 108 on-field self-damage and opponent healing
• Phase Shield x6 - defend against opponent's attacks to make the most legitimate self-OTK situation.
  
• Electrum Hourglass x4 - draw power is needed to get the combo before opponent gets rolling to "real kill"
  
• Quanta Sources:
  
  • Quantum Tower x7 - generation of at least 6 (Antimatter), 4 (Improved Blessing x2), 8 (Sky Blitz), 3 (Liquid Shadow), and help of the requirements
  • Fire Pendulum x3 - generation of additional with increased demand for Ruby Dragon (damage base), pendulums and not towers to support delicate balance
  • Time Tower x2, Time Pendulum x2 - generation of additional for demand of Hourglasses, split of tower and pendulum to help against EQ and for balance between and
  • Aether Mark - requires the most constant and reliable quanta generation as Phase Shields are the only means of defense
  
  Note: this deck is fully capable of defeating itself and leaving opponent with full health up to AI3 opponent level, including PvP - the limiting factor is the maximum self-damage of 104 in a single turn.  It can do the self-defeat at higher levels but not as self-OTK.

Spoiler for Screenshots of actual results against AI3:

Additional In-game Strategy:

• Draw draw draw DRAW! Get the draw power going ASAP.  You will encounter only a few situations where you don't "always draw".  1 - You do not have enough quanta to play all the combo and one-more-draw COULD give you the last combo card.  2 - Multiple shields in-hand with low quanta and tight hand space.
  
• If you have a good flow of quanta do not be afraid to play a new shield over a non-expiring shield to free up space to draw.
  
• Card counting is STRONGLY recommended so you know what to expect when you draw - is it more likely to be quanta? a combo card? a shield? - along with remaining in-tune with the board and what you need or don't need in your hand.
  
• Once you have the quanta required for the combo do the math on how many cards you can draw next turn and how many are left in the deck.  If you can draw-to-the-last-card next turn then prepare by discarding an extra shield or playing a new one if level permits.  This way you know next turn you can drop the dragon and start the combo even without all in-hand - draw power will take you through the rest of the deck!
  

Plan B - 0 TTL mod: Start duel, click "Menu" > "OK" > "Menu"... loss without deckout!

Spoiler for Frostbite Borealis:

Frostbite Borealis

Hover over cards for details, click for permalink

Deck import code : [Select]

52n 52n 52n 52n 53e 53e 53e 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ua 6ua 6ua 6ua 6ua 6ua 72i 72i 72i 72i 72i 72i 72i 7am 7am 7am 7am 7am 8pn

Play Schrodinger's cat, spawn skeletons, play bonds to stay alive and a sosac to invert healing with damage and kill yourself, surprising but pleasing the enemy.

Spoiler for Sometimes in order to win, you gotta lose:

Spoiler for Ragnarok:

    Damsel of Nightmares

Hover over cards for details, click for permalink

Deck import code : [Select]

7ac 7ac 7ac 7ac 7ac 7ac 7ac 7ac 7ac 7ac 7ac 7ac 7an 7an 7an 7an 7an 7ap 7ap 7ap 7mt 7mt 7mt 7mt 7mt 7th 7th 7th 7th 7th 8pt

After increasing the LOST counter by 100+ games with several decks, Damsel of Nightmares is our indisputable winner:

Turns to Lose 6,2 turns

Time to Lose    74,7 seconds

It's important to note here that the fastest and most effective deck is by all means a combination of SoSa (unupped), SoB and Fire Lances.
However since creativity is a priority in order to make things more interesting we decided to go with a less potent but more amusing deck.

Deck Breakdown
In order to have an optimum defeat,initially check the field and calculate if it worths to use Epipherine or Mitosis on any creature on the opponent's side of the field.
The following link provides the formula used by Epipherine.

Spoiler for Hidden:

http://elementsthegame.wikia.com/wiki/Adrenaline?action=edit&section=1

Supposing that the opponent has no creatures or even no pillars we proceed on playing a Damselfly and use Nightmare to fill the opponent's hand with
 0 Cost cards that he can use.
Buff those creatures accordingly with a combination of mitosis and epipherine.

Lay on your back and enjoy defeat!

Spoiler for Red Stars:

OTS - One Turn Suicide

Hover over cards for details, click for permalink

Deck import code : [Select]

6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u7 7di 7jv 7n9 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q5 7q5 7q5 7q5 7q5 7q5 7qb 7qb 7qb 7qb 7qb 7qb 7te 80b 80b 8pj

The combo is Ruby Dragon + Improved Blessing + Improved Antimatter + Liquid Shadow + 2*Twin Universe + Sky Blitz = 100 self damage that's also probably going to grant your opponent an EM.

The deck is fast enough that you should have plenty time to kill yourself long before your opponent does it for you. And even if they do, they're just helping you out really. There may be other, faster and more efficient ways of killing yourself, but where's the fun in that. If you're going to commit suicide in game, make it classy, make it elaborate. Impress your opponent as you fall on your own sword. This deck is the elegant way of doing things, none of those cheaty Singularities or SoSacs. It's even totally rareless, so even newbies can have fun purposefully losing games.

Spoiler for Gravy Train Co.:

Hover over cards for details, click for permalink

Deck import code : [Select]

6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6u2 6u2 6u2 6u2 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 80i 80i 80i 80i 8pu

Explanations
Supernova: Use these to generate Singularities
Chaos Power: Use to buff your opponent's creatures
Fractal: Fractal a Singularity to kill yourself faster
Ah, Singutal. The main idea is to play 2 Supernova on one turn to generate a Singularity, and Fractal it. There are no Entropy Pendulums because 2 Supernova generate 4  quanta, and you really only need to play 1 Fractal. Besides, Singularities are expensive at 10 . A nice side effect of the Singularities is preventing your opponent from taking lasting damage (unless they play SoSac?). After Fractaling the Singularity, death arrives as fast as a multiplying-vampiric-adrenalined Singularity will allow. Enjoy feeding your PvP2 opponents wins!

Spoiler for FORUM EXPERT:

Does Zanz really exist?

Write a theory article on how we can restore interest in the forum without Zanzarino.

Spoiler for Meaning of Life:

Expect small. Plan medium. Dream big.
(Disclaimer: This is only a theoretic article, covering all possible solutions. Please refrain from trolling, flaming and sending us glitter/stink bombs. Thank you)

Awards, Rewards and Lots of Shiny Stuff

You like gifts. We like gifts. People generally like gifts. They also like to show off. In terms of the Forum, this means two things: award icons and ultra rare cards.

We think that an increased frequency in the events that reward people with these would, in the long run, increase traffic and popularity of the forum. As soon as people learn that they can get ultra rare cards this way, they will come; awards are just an added benefit for those already integrated in the community.

This, however, would mean that not only should there be more events where one can win these gifts, but that more people would be awarded in the same event (like how Tournament second place used to receive gift codes as well - as is the case with 32+ players).

Another method would be to tie in more things on the game with the forum for more rewards. For example, something as simple as giving rewards to those who achieve Rank 1 in Arena would make the forums have more people, as many players either grind in the Arena or build decks for those grinders. Doing this would also increase the novelty of creating a first place Arena deck.

Social Media, or How to Herd the Shepherds

In the world that we live in today, which is dominated by the various sites committed to social media, people tend to flock to the ideas and phenomena that are supported by others.

For us, that means increased activity on sites such as Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Imgur, Reddit and so on.
There are several ways to do this.

One that requires lots of input but that is also the most rewarding is regularly creating and posting new content by staff.
Another option is running a 'Refer a friend' campaign, where people would get something small - or even special - for every or every second new member they refer (codes and awards work here as well)

Though not exactly a social media site, advertising on Kongregate chat should not be forgotten. Lots of people play there who probably have no knowledge that this forum exists. Therefore, there is a big group of potential members that we could harness.

Cross-country Rambling and Other Off-topic Activities

People like to talk about things. What they like to talk about differs, of course, but there is at least one topic for everyone that they are really interested in - besides EtG.

Currently the forum is solely about the game and its various aspects. The only exception from this is the Off-topic section, but that's only for forum games and some jokes. Otherwise it is dead.
If our members had interesting topics and people to talk about or talk with, that would revive this section and the whole forum. All game and no learning makes us dull boys and girls.

This revival could be done in several ways. One of the simpler solutions is to run a sort of Sunday School or Learning Channel thread, where people could write and read about lots of interesting things, be those from their own lives or just some scientific/artistic/whatnot article they have seen somewhere.

The Flame Wars - Attack of the Clones

And finally, the biggest issue of the community, and the best solution to most of our problems: get hold of Zanzarino and have him continue development or hand over rights and code of the game.
Provided that this is something we cannot achieve, there is only one thing we can do: move beyond EtG.
The single most pressing issue is that the game is static. There are no changes, therefore any attempts at reviving the community will fail in the long run, because for every new member we get we lose a veteran.
What we can do is to develop our own version of the game. (Whether we should or not is a different issue. Please remember the Disclaimer.) This is already done in oEtG.
Provided that we can stay true to the atmosphere of the original game and give credit where it is due, and bring the graphics up to the level of modern Flash games, it could and would basically serve as a new update to the game.

In the 'new update' new cards could be added, which would yet again give meaning to CIA section. This would also provide options to new combos and new decks, which would stir the currently stagnant waters of the gameplay. New content would also bring back old members who gave up on us. Finally, we could keep up with the ever changing market of free to play Flash games.

In short, what we really need is a live, evolving game. How we get it is up to us...

Spoiler for Frostbite Borealis:

First I'll openly admit a conflict of interest when I theorize how the elements community would continue without Zanz

Let's take this thought experiment far: Zanz blips out of existence. elementsthegame.com goes down (& the name promptly bought by some domain name troll)

The community forums remain. They have three options, now that the game's site that brought them together is gone

1) Disperse. This is the least favorable option, but without action is what will occur

2) Become a general gaming forum. Having the site be an exploded PC/Video games probably wouldn't draw new interest, but perhaps moving PvP efforts into PvP events for various games could draw interest from those other games. Still, probably better to find forums already dedicated to those games

3) Having the game's ruleset described throughout the forum, but without an implementation, the community could create an implementation of those rules. There might be some controvery over what Zanz would've wanted, and since in this thought experiment Zanz has blipped out of existence, it would be a rather theological debate. Nevertheless, a community driven implementation could have the game share funding with the forum, & integrate PvP events with the game (Tournament modes, Bo3 matches with sideboard). The source would be open source so that a single person blipping out of existence wouldn't bring development to a halt. Masters could take part in developing new cards for their element

Personally the third option seems the best to me. The forum lives on with the game, & the game would have to live on without Zanz.

Spoiler for Ragnarok:

As many people have seen, a forum without our glorious leader Zanzarino is in many ways inferior to one with him. Forum games and events still go on, of course, but without ongoing development the game’s meta becomes stale, and even worse, boring, causing many older players to leave, which in turn degenerates the community further.
            However, all hope is not lost. Despite zanzarino not making a post since December 2013, the forums maintain a healthy level of activity, even if they are not quite at the level they used to be.  War and brawl move on as always, events and competitions are still held, and mafia will never die. That said, a primary reason for this lack of activity is not only that old members are leaving, but there aren’t as many new members to replace them. This, I think is the best way to encourage activity and interest in the forums: new players.
            The best way to foster an active, interested community is to provide an influx of new players. How to do this is the real question, though. My first thought is to have a revamp of the old referral system. For those who are unaware, in 2010 these forums had a recruitment competition (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/competitions/recruit-a-friend-competition/), where people attempted to recruit others to sign up for the forums using their designated referral link. The referral links still exist, in fact, lying dormant in your profile page. A revival of this competition, with adequate rewards, could definitely bring a substantial amount of activity to the chat and forums.
            The second way is via advertising. Ads, as annoying as they can be sometimes, are an important way to increase publicity and attract new players. Now, I’m not suggesting we pay to put up ads all over the internet, but we could definitely benefit from some threads started on Kongregate or on places like r/cardgames. Who should do this, though? I don’t think it’s correct to appoint advertisers or anything, but this meshes nicely with my first proposal: A referral competition would give people incentives to advertise in plenty of creative ways, ensuring that a lot of new potential players see the game.

Spoiler for Red Stars:

The Elements Community has always been a community that was about both PVP and non-PVP.  From the inception of masterships, to become a master of an element, players were expected to both be expert PVPers with that element and knowledgeable about it in other areas.  Masters often have to design cards and decks representative of their element, both competitive decks and creative decks.  The absence of Zanzarino has, to many, made the PVP aspect of Elements stagnate – no new cards have been added to the game, no nerfs or buffs have been made, and the meta of competitive play often feels repetitive.

These problems resulting from the absence of the Zanz have led us to a relatively low point in the community’s history – Leagues participation is at a low, Duels are dying if not already dead, PVP Events are few and far between, and even weekly tournaments sometimes struggle to reach 8 players.  Non-PVP activity on the forums has likewise slowed to a crawl, with card design, creative deckbuilding, and Elemetns Lore all being underexplored of late.  What competitions have been held have been sparse in submissions.

But hope still springs eternal in the World of Elements, and the community can be revived, even without the reemergence of Zanzarino.  Nostalgic or unique PVP Events still draw significant crowds of players both old and new.  The reappearance of old greats like willng3 and 10_men for the last War showed that the biggest draw events still can succeed by sheer power of their name and prestige.  On the other hand, RootRanger’s Sacrifice event managed to draw 32 competitors, an astonishing number given general forum activity, due to the creativity of its ruleset breaking people out of what they perceived to be a standard meta.

To revive the PVP side of the community, creative and meta-warping events must be regularly integrated into the existing PVP calendar.  A greater percentage of the tournaments need to have creative and unusual rulesets – Shoe Cobbler’s Dilemma and Rationality and Superstition being two excellent examples, and making PVP Events whose tactics resemble elaborate strategic labyrinths will give players something new to solve beyond the unrestricted metagame many believe they’ve already solved.  Creating and promoting alternate rulesets for BL and CL matches will aid in this effort.

Reviving PVP alone, however, will not truly revive the community.  The non-PVP side of the community needs a serious dose of love.  Just as War and the World Championship are viewed as the pinnacle of PVP but supported by Leagues, Events, and Tournaments throughout the year, Brawl should be viewed as the pinnacle of non-PVP competition.  Brawl, however, needs to become supported by a regular series of competitions throughout the year in each of its disciplines individually – card design, deckbuilding, writing, art, and more.  With Elements related opportunities for individuals to become better at all of these, Brawl can truly become the showcase it deserves to be.  In addition, with regular writing competitions we can really begin to tell the story of the world Elements is set in – having Lore Writers write the tale of a grand world filled with creatures high and low, Elders, Half Bloods, and False Gods.  Even those who have given up on canon (Zanz-given) updates can be drawn into the community and kept engaged by the stories we create together.

Finally, the PVP and non-PVP sides of the community need to re-unite in Trials as they did in ages past.  The Proving of Worthiness tasks from the most recent Trials were a good way to force would-be-Masters to engage with their element in non-PVP contexts, but there was one unfortunate flaw.  With nearly all submissions receiving full points, mediocre effort and excellent submissions were not distinguished.  If non-PVP engagement with your element becomes a vital component of Trials and one that actually can make the difference in a player’s score, the most prestigious titles in the community will belong to those who embrace it both inside and outside of PVP – exactly the way it should be.

Spoiler for Gravy Train Co.:

Zanzarino went missing right around the same time I did.  Since I have returned, he can not be far behind.  Perhaps I am actually zanz?  Probably not. I'm not actually sure.
There are many ways one can revitalize the forum of a game that hasn't been updated in a long time.  The best way is one that encompasses them all.  Events like Brawl should stir up far more fervor than they seem to, and they help, but we need more!  The forum games are a nice touch.  Tangentially related to Elements the Game, but easily able survive without it.  openETG is a good idea.  Probably.  I haven't played it.  I propose something even more radical.  The forums are what we need to save.  The community may have been brought together by zanz's Elements, but we have grown beyond the need for it.  What we can do is branch out to other games.  To keep some semblance of consistency, keep them dedicated to online card games.  How about a subforum for Mytheria? It shares many gameplay elements with EtG.  How about Kongai? I've heard good things about it, and we would attract more of the Kongregate crowd.  Of course, we should never abandon Elements entirely and hold out hope for my... I mean zanzarino's return, but until then, we have other options.

Spoiler for OFF-TOPICKER:

Anti-Reliquary!

Write a farewell article of an EtG card that supposedly leaves the game forever!

Spoiler for Meaning of Life:

Hello my dear forum goers, I must deliver a message...at least I think it's a message, more a burning compulsion to say these words I have after I was struck by lightning. So, without further adieu.

Spoiler for Hidden:

Hello. I am The Immortal. Yes, there is only one of me, why you sometimes see and use more than one of me I won't explain...I doubt you'd understand anyway. I'm sure you've noticed that I'm to be leaving soon... though the blank look on your face suggests you didn't. Odd... I was sure this would cause you dismay.  You wonder how I could have known what you look like, as this text has been written before you read it... but that is not information you'll have any use for. You wonder how I know THAT too. Well, I suppose telling you won't compromise the plans set out for you by the great... well, you wouldn't understand its name. Time doesn't flow for an Immortal, such as myself, as it does for you. I see events faster than they happen and must rely on my memory to interact in what you call the present... Sometimes I make mistakes. These mistakes affect you, though you never notice...you don't often notice anything I do. So long as I attack whom you wish... how simple you must think I am to believe that is my only purpose.
     That is neither here nor there, though. What is both here and there is the fact that I'm leaving. Forever. And you still aren't as troubled by this news as you should be. I suppose you have yet to find out my true purpose...that would explain your lack of pure, unbridled panic... I could explain this to you I suppose...no I don't believe I will. Ignorance never seems to bother you. If it did you'd have done something about that phase spider crawling up your arm... it's there, don't worry. You see them as insignificant as well...what a sad miscalculation. If you really must know why I'm leaving I suppose you can handle the information pertinent to your dimension. This being that you call Zanz has been unsatisfactory to me. I've decided to replace him. I feel I could do a far better job with my extensive knowledge of electricity and swordsmanship. You ask how this will be of use in an online card game? Well, you've mastered neither I'll bet so how would you know it isn't? I must depart now...perhaps my actual departure will cause you due panic.

Spoiler for Frostbite Borealis:

STEAL’S STILL STOLEN

It’s already 5 months since Steal’s mysterious disappearance. Steal is Darkness’ staple permanent control card, embodying Darkness’ core aspects but no one knows what caused the card’s sudden disappearance.

It was during the 9th War trials that it was reported that Steal has been missing from the game itself. This led to controversies and issues between the 12 teams that comprise the said war event.

Many speculated that one of the teams have hacked into the code to remove the said card. “If anything, Aether probably did it, because who would want to remove steal first before dimensional shield?” A sceptical Elementalist said. All teams denied any tampering with the game.

Team Aether’s theory was that Zanzarino was behind it. “It was probably long planned that steal would be removed from the game, there will probably be a similar card that will be added in the future.” However, many criticized this hypothesis, given that Zanz is inactive for almost a year and he is not likely to make such changes.

The card’s sudden disappearance hit most Elementalists hard, especially Darkness enthusiasts. “Steal’s our trusty permanent control card, now it’s gone…” one Darkness Elementalist lamented. Others also mourned for Steal’s disappearance, “Our rainbow decks will be much less effective without steal, we will have a much harder time against stall decks”, a rainbow fanatic said.

A final theory is that Steal has been removed by CIA operatives due to its criminal nature. Stealing is wrong folks, just because it is possible, doesn’t mean you should do it.

This controversy is still a hot topic among the elemental community, and the only thing we can wish for is Zanzarino’s return to fix the situation.

It is always hard to let go, especially of something important to you. Darkness, for now, has to adapt to move on without its staple control card.

Spoiler for Ragnarok:

Zanzarino:
Good evening Elementals and Players.
You are here to say goodbye to Dimensional shield, and I don't have a good word for it. Also known as Dims, he has been with us since the beginning. With a heavy heart I accept his decision to leave us forever. He has been a integral part of deck building and many decks wouldn't have been possible without him. He was called upon by Players time and again in dire situation, to rescue them. And he did a tremendous job at that. Dims is a very humble being, tirelessly working to fulfill his duty. He was always eager to help newbies in making a stand in EtG. I have never seen him piqued, be that for the load of work on him or continuous bother by critics, sometimes with their snide or derogatory comments. He accepted both praises and criticism gracefully. He will be missed a lot. Without further ado I call upon him to speak.

Dimensional Shield:
All my friends. Settle down let me talk, I will get more and more emotional. (crowd gets louder and louder as he composes himself). 6 or so years have flown by and this will be the last time that I will formally present a speech to all of you at EtG.

My stay here has been a wonderful experience and it is hard to believe that it has come to an end, but I would like to take this opportunity to thank people who have played an important role in my stay here. Nothing succeeds like success, and this company has been a wonderful success story. I’m privileged to have been part of that success, along with the people in this room. So thank you Zanz, for making me part of your incredibly magnificent creation.

During my stay here I was part of quite a few outstanding decks. Notably Firecell FG OTK,Limitless speed FG OTK, Flay 'em, Fast-Draw False-God Killer, The Essential Halfblood Farmer, Psiontal. This wouldn't have been possible without the untiring works of Chapuz, Amilir, Djhopper :), Essence, Higurashi. I would like to thank them for making me part of their glory. (crowd roars excitedly)

As a part of my work I relentlessly stopped all attacks. It was vigorous but satisfying to see all those creatures and weapons fail to go past me. But now and then there were some tricky ones which sneaked past me, thankfully they were few and far between. Creatures and weapons with Momentum were my ordeal. My team's weapon-master Lobotomizer rescued me against Momentum, my one dreadful nightmare, so many times. So a big thanks to you my friend. we had a fantastic partnership. I was fortunate to prevail over my counterparts and recognized for job well done.

I am proud that I could aid innumerable newbies get their first False God kill and feel blessed to able to share in their excitement and utter joy at that moment. It was also pleasing to help them in initial stages to farm FG/HB so they can gain a foothold in this resilient stalwart world of Elements. I will miss the excitement. The innocent joy on their faces. I thank them for giving me the opportunity to help them and making me part of their success.  It's getting a little bit difficult to talk but I will manage.

I was also a prominent part of PvP matches, featuring in it time and again. Had a fruitful run too albeit not without difficulties. There were certain aspects of my work which I detested more than most, case in point, when the opponent Player would steal and force me to work against my owner. It used to haunt me in my dreams. But alas, such is life.

No matter how well you perform your duties throughout your career, someone will always criticize you. The more successful you are, the more you might become a target of criticism. I was no exception. But I took it in my stride and kept pushing ahead for I was driven towards success and glory.The thing which bothered me most is the very people who benefited from my success in one dimension versus AI, criticized me for their failure in PvP versus Players. Nevertheless I thank them for their critiques without which I couldn't have improved myself and probably would have been complacent. So thank you for helping me better myself.

The time has come to retire and put an end to this enduring eventful and memorable journey. I know my speech is getting a bit too long (crowd roars), but this is the last thing I want to say. I want to acknowledge all the wonderful colleagues from my team aether and other co-workers from EtG with whom I've worked with over the years, who made my stay here memorable and delightful. And last but not the least thank you Players for sticking with me over the years, without you I couldn't have achieved what I have.

Thank you all for sharing this celebration dinner with me and thank you for the support and friendship over 6 years. I wish you all the best in your future. Hope you liked my company as much as I liked yours. If I have missed out on saying something, I hope you understand. Goodbye. (And he leaves the podium for a thunderous applause)

Spoiler for Red Stars:

This has been coming for a long time now.

I remember the good old days, when things were simpler. I remember the friends I had, and the things we'd do. You wouldn't believe what we got up to back then, so much adventure and fun. That's what it all came down to in the end. We used to have such an amazing time, that we forgot it wouldn't last forever.

As time went on, the people I cared for most changed. They seemed to forget the time we'd all spent together, and they moved on with their lives. But I never could move on. I lashed out at my friends for the way they'd simply discarded me and moved on. They told me I was becoming obsessed and I had to let it all go, and leave it all behind me, but I couldn't see it. The times we'd had were in the past, and the past is gone. I was obsessed with a time that didn't exist any more, just a memory beginning to fade.

I see now what they did and why they did it, and I see the mistakes I made. That's what this all comes down to; mistakes. I was never supposed to be like this, I was supposed to help people. I don't know why I became who I am. I've been a nightmare, I've upset the ones who tried to help me, I've pushed people away. I've hurt too many people to stay here. Everyone who I cared about has gone, and I fear that no one here cares for me.

Even if there was a way to turn back time, and regain what has been lost, I couldn't stay. I can't live in the past any more. I'm nothing but a ghost of who I was, of what things used to be like. It's time I left for good, I don't know what the future holds, but I hope to leave my past behind me.

Farewell, GotP

Spoiler for Gravy Train Co.:

That's it.  I'm done.  I'm tired of not being appreciated.  Never used.  Always called underpowered.  Like HP doesn't even matter anymore.  I mean sure, my attack isn't as high as the other dragons, but it's higher than Colossal!  I mean yeah, he has more HP than I do and is in the same element as gravity pull, but that's a worthless combo! Armagio does it better!  I've got nicely balanced stats, why doesn't anyone appreciate that?  I'd eat the damage spells that would have hurt you or your other creatures and I'd do it with a smile!  It's not like I can just be ignored when I'm on the field, I'm not that weak.  Yeah yeah, your shriekers and graboids are more cost efficient for an attack, but pretty much anything kills them!  You'll see!  You'll miss me when I'm gone!  How will you run your fancy single element theme tournaments without me?  What's Earth gonna do without a dragon? What other creatures does Earth have that's airborne?  That's right none!  Even the Warden can't hurt airborne creatures, I'm all Earth has!  But I'm tired of being under-appreciated!  You're on your own Earth elementals!

Screw you guys, I'm going home.
Sincerely,
Stone Dragon.

Spoiler for WRITER:

Epic False Gods of History...

Write an Epic Rap Battle of False Gods!

Spoiler for Meaning of Life:

DESTINY VS DECAY

It's already over
you will die
to my chaos power
no need to try
don't even fight
you call that a deck?
get our of here with your pests.
Gimme just 8 turns - now it's a wreck

ETG, this the game I play
I summon some pests
from June to May.
I Never stop
I suck on your quanta
I hit like a truck,
Make ya cry to your mama

Me cry? Why, you're funny
you're more fragile than the eggs I throw at ya
They turn into drags and beat you up
and if you still didn't get enough
my mutants will make your HP drop

Your eggs, I eat 'em for breakfast
while I time my fractal to release the masses.
You can't fight my army with your powers alone.
So your fallen druid trying to call a Donkey Kong?
But your mutants, they ain't no X-men,
they don't scare me, I'll just siphon them.
And your demons? Never been so useless, so poor,
They both can suck on my Electrocutor

Need me to rewind and remember ya?
Your pests do nothing against my supernova.
No need to think about it for an Eternity
I can see your Destiny
you're losing to me

When I attack, you Decay
you're my prey
'cause when the night falls
you can't see me.
I kill your creatures, it's not even fun,
Cause you have no life for me to siphon

(Who won, who's next, you decide!)

Spoiler for Frostbite Borealis:

Frostbite Borealis Round 3 Writer Task

In the spoiler below is my submission. If you think this task should only rely on writing, feel free just to read.
I think that hearing rhythm is really important to rap, so I recorded myself, please follow link to soundcloud, and read the lyrics while listening!
JcJ Raps LOLOLOL

Spoiler for Rap of the Gods:

Follow link to Soundcloud, please listen while reading the lyrics.
Rap of the Gods (link)


*Oracle Sings*

In the Realm of the False Gods there’s a battle going down,
So I called in Zanzarino to work it all out…

*Zanzarino*

Hey Mr. Oracle, lay down a beat,
I’m feeling like this argument just needs a little ‘street’
So instead of all you moaning at me, claiming who’s the best,
I’ve come up with a task, a Rap Battle, it’s a test,
So tell me if you’re brave enough, just let your rhymes unravel,
The “All time greatest” False God is the winner of this Battle!

*Fire Queen *

I’ll start out with a warning, all you Gods who’ll follow this:
Don’t be messing with the Fire Queen, I’ll burn you with a kiss,
I’m watching with my Eagle Eyes, I don’t like what I see,
Not a single flaming one of you compares to Queen Bee,
‘Cause my creatures are as Feral as the Bonds upon my field,
But I have a little empathy, you can give up now and yield!

*Decay*

Your arguments don’t matter, and neither does your deck,
The fact that you need Quanta is the noose around your neck,
I’m Decay, I don’t care about your Bonds or Bolts or Flies,
I’ll Devour, and Devour, and I'll leave you there to cry,
This battle is just pointless, you all know I’m the best,
It is clear, I Eclipse you with a field full of Pests!

*Chaos Lord*

And what if all my quanta is too much for your denial?
Supernovas, Quantum Towers, are you feeling suicidal?
I’m the Chaos Lord, Mutating and creating my own luck,
And, Decay, like your Devourers, you just plain SUCK.
To the rest of you, my Dissipation Field will sort you out
With my grotesque army of Mutants I’m the best without a doubt!

*Divine Glory*

The problem with that theory, my Chaotic little friend,
You seem to have forgotten the Explosions I intend,
That’s the end of your disappointing Dissipation Field,
So now I’m free to show you my immortal battlefield –
full of Glories, they fly out from my hand into my foe,
Really, I’m Miraculous, as my Miracles will show.

*Incarnate*

“Miraculous” “Immortal” get the hell over yourself,
I’m Incarnate, and your Glories just can’t penetrate my shell,
A Wall of ever growing, dead, regenerating Bones,
Leaves my Vampires and Skeletons to knock you off your thrones,
My creatures are undying, so I will never die,
Step on up, any one of you, I’d like to see you try.

*Octane*

I’m fed up with this battle, none of you can understand,
The insane explosive power that I’m holding in my hand,
This pretty little bottle, let me show you what it does…
(and after all these years this part still gives me a buzz)
But first Mr. Oracle, I’m in need of some assistance,
The rest of you watch this, but just make sure you keep your distance,
This rap battle needs excitement, Oracle, I need you soon,
Crank the volume, drop the beat and let the
Bass…

Go…

BOOM!!!!!

Zanzarino: Aww Octane you do this every time....

Spoiler for Ragnarok:

Epic Rap Battles of Elements!

Diviiiiine Glory!
versus
Eeeeliiiiddddnis!

Begin!

[Divine Glory]
When I apply my Morning Glory, Dims just happen to explode.
So sorry Elidnis, you only win in Chaos Mode.
What's with your quanta? Could it have been worse?
You tried to make Life work by splashing Twin Universe!
I'll school you anywhere: AIO to Half-Bloods!
All your fishies seem more suicidal than Squidward!
My deck is stremlined AND smexy; you better be scared,
And fun fact: My number of cards equals 6 squared!

[Elidnis]
You've got no idea what you're messin' with here, boy!
I got 15-cards mark-splashed. That's how I roll, y'all!
You look like someone who dies to any big voodoo doll!
I'll be stretching out the rhyme, like my games stretches time,
When you try to put your little counter deck against this kind of mind!
I’m the worst, I'm the Godd of anti-science!
But I'll be dropping less ups when facing vs. PDials!

[Divine Glory]
My Miracles beat PDials too, given some luck!
But all your critters are like l'il rubber ducks!
You can't blast my shiny swords, for serious!
Ripping bigger holes in you than the one in your QI theory was!

[Elidnis]
There are ten million, million, million, million, million, million (by 10E33) players that Zanz has observed.
The Oracle took the ugly ones and made 'em kick your butt.
You wanna bring the heat with the burning towers you're playin'?
I'm about to break out the bonds like Ferox and Fire Queen!
And while it's true that my deck's fatter than you,
My damage never stops, but yours is stuck in a loop! Oooh!

Who Won?
Who's Nest?
You decide!

Spoiler for Red Stars:

Alright Ladies and Gentlemen, are you ready for a Rap Battle? We've got a real treat over here, we've got two Gods in the house. Fire vs Water. Earth vs Air. Hot vs Cold. This is about to get nasty. Gentlemen, whenever you're ready...

My name is Neptune, I’m the god of the sea!
You think you’re tough, huh? Well just listen to me,
Your puny creatures’ gonna realize how harsh I can be.
Brother half of my whole deck is CC!
If you think you’ve got a chance,
Then you’re in some kind of trance,
I’m gonna brew up a storm when I dance my rain dance,
And when the heaven’s open,
Well then you best be hoping,
That you brought your umbrella cos you’re about to get soakin’
Wet! You really think that you can beat this!
I’ll shoot your dragons down like target practice,
You can be sure that you’re headed straight down to your grave,
When I hit you with a freeze, and then a shockwave!

Bitch please!
Who you trying to freeze?
Don’t you know that you’re messing with the God of Fire, Hermes!
If you want to beat me then you should have brought an army.
I’ll cut up your squids, and serve calamari.
I’m destroying everything! Hour after hour!
I am the walking definition of fire power!
I explode! I’m the harshest God on the field!
You get beat by noobs with Dim Shields.
At a glance, you don’t have a ghost of a chance.
You’ll be pissing your pants, once you see my Fire lance!
Now I’m out, we both know this battle's done
I’m a forest fire and you’re a water gun!

Spoiler for Gravy Train Co.:

EPIC RAP BATTLES OF ELEMENTS!
Hermes vs Ferox
BEGIN!
Yo, I'm gonna start this off with a bang,
Meet my Burning Towers and the Brimstone Gang.
Plants, chickens and frogs? Your cards are so weak,
The power of Earth and Fire will put you to sleep!
I'm the strongest God here, you can't deny,
Once my Fahrenheit drops, we both know you're gonna die!

You don't know what you're in for, you hot ball of mud,
My Jade Dragons can already taste your False God blood.
Bringing the heat? You've got no defense,
The speed of my Leaf Dragons is beyond intense.
Your damage is useless, 'cause I've got the heals,
I'll EM your punk ass, this fight is a steal!

You think those Feral Bonds make you look cool?
Say hello to my Explosions, you tree-hugging fool!
One Fire Storm and you can kiss your army good bye,
What good are those heals when I torch all your allies?
A Life and a Light deck? You're green and white trash,
I'll make like a Phoenix and turn your ass into ash!

These Rays of Light aren't just for show,
Watch me Photosynthesize and let my Life force grow.
Those Golems of yours are strong, you think?
I'll be dropping 12|9s on you before you can blink!
I'm the fastest God around, there's no way you can stop me,
Watch my Adrenaline'd Frogs smash your health down to nothing!

I can't wait to see your slimy weaklings burning,
My hot Fire Buckler makes short work of those vermin.
Don't think my Destroyers can't outrush you,
They're armored up, enraged and ready to crush you!
You really think your puny Life deck is the best?
I'll Fire Lance chain you and put you to rest!

See this Jade Shield? Just try casting a Bolt,
I'll reflect it back at you, you're gonna get rolled!
Start running, Hermes, with your tail between your legs,
The speed of a Life Rush will take you down a few pegs.
And even the Simulator says I win this round,
I'll take a 62% chance to put you back in the ground!

WHO WON? WHO'S NEXT? YOU DECIDE!
EPIC RAP BATTLES OF ELEMENTS!

[ARTHANASIOS]

Voting has started!

[JonathanCrazyJ]

<<< poshest rapping ever.

[flyingcat]

<<< best rap ever 

[flyingcat]

Public voting FTW

Team Vote Round 3 by

Boss Gravy Train Co Ragnarok Artist & CD *** *** DB Red Stars Gravy Train Co FE MoL Red Stars OT Gravy Train Co Frostbite Writer Gravy Train Co Frostbite

Boss: I feel that the other three were more of let's plays instead of reviews, but maybe that's just me.
Artist/CD: Nope, I know nothing about cubism, and even less about how 'balanced' these would be
DB: MoL has Dim. Why would you want to stop damage? Other OTK will probably die before getting off combo. Frostbite used SoSac, and while I like the healing -> damage idea, I just feel SoSac is a little cheaty for this task.
FE: I felt those were the best, nothing else to it.
OT: I liked ours a lot, and I think Frostbite had the better one out of the rest.
Writer: Ours is best. It rhymes, has a nice rhythm, and feels a lot like a real rap. JCJ... let me channel my inner scumbag for once goddamnit. Frostbite's is just the best out of the rest.

[JonathanCrazyJ]

Arth started a fun thread - vote, for fun, on which False Gods won each of the writer Raps!

http://elementscommunity.org/forum/literary-arts/who-won-in-each-epic-rap-battle-of-false-gods/

[rob77dp]

Since I see a public Brawler vote above that is mistaking this aspect of the MoL deckbuilder submission I'd like to make it clear:

- LS AM dragon will hit right-on-through your own Dimensional Shield
- The deck is designed to allow self-OTK against AI _or_ human players alike (certain other decks on this task cannot make the same claim) even if the goal of self-kill was known and attempting to be avoided.


... that is all... for now.
Carry on.

[flyingcat]

To clarify my point, I was saying that Dims prevented your death because the opponent would be unable to damage you. On the flip side, it seems to me that the lack of dims would get you killed before your OTK could take place. (If that team can disprove me, I will reconsider)

[JonathanCrazyJ]

Team Vote Round 3 by jonathancrazyj

Boss Frostbite Borealis Gravy Train Artist & CD Red Stars Frostbite Borealis DB Ragnarok Frostbite Borealis FE Meaning of Life Frostbite Borealis OT Frostbite Borealis Gravy Train Writer Frostbite Borealis Gravy Train

Boss: I loved our submission, I think it took what could have been quite a one-dimensional task and made it entertaining while still having the form of a standard new-player review. 2nd I think Gravy's was the most accurate from a review standpoint. Red Stars was close, and the most similar to ours, but the length and formatting made it feel a bit stale.

Artist+CD: Hard to judge. MoL was beautiful picture, but i dislike the fact that the effect didn't need a D6. And D3s don't exist. Overall, I think Red Stars had beautiful art, and the effect was VERY dice themed, as each effect is the opposing sides of a D6. Ours felt very cubist, and the effect i think would be a nice addition to both denial and direct damage decks. i like the utility very much.

DB: Rag clear winner, and the only one that had a mechanic that our team had not considered. Bravo. Ours, while it does use a Single Sosac, it is the Feral Bond healing that is the important factor, and I think if people think about their own deckbuilding discussions, was probably another mechanic that might not have been considered.

FE: MoL has most rounded ideas and best presentation. Ours I think is maybe a little bleak, but actually is probably the most accurate and concise in terms of what will likely need to happen if Zanz's disappearance continues to Years.

OT: Loved ours. Tabloid newspaper feel and a nice funny title. I also liked the part about Dim shield. Of the rest, I thought that Gravy's was the most witty, and gave a nice reason for him leaving. Won't be able to look at a stone Dragon the same again.

Writer: This is the reason I am posting here this round. I was very pleased to see that FlyingCat was willing to vote for ours despite having a wager with us. I believe his is the SECOND (hehe) best rap also. I hope the fact that we are both voting how we actually think regardless of our wager will help to discourage tactical voting throughout the rest of the competition. Side-note - loved this task.

[Treldon]

-snip-
Artist+CD: Hard to judge. MoL was beautiful picture, but i dislike the fact that the effect didn't need a D6. And D3s don't exist.
-snip-

It is a d6 system. Using an x sided die does not necessiate having x possible results. For example check the critical ranges in any d20 based game: while a natural 20 is immediate success, most equipment has a critical success range of 18/19-20 - just as 2-5 is most often failure.

And there is a d3: (1d6)/2

[JonathanCrazyJ]

-snip-
Artist+CD: Hard to judge. MoL was beautiful picture, but i dislike the fact that the effect didn't need a D6. And D3s don't exist.
-snip-

It is a d6 system. Using an x sided die does not necessiate having x possible results. For example check the critical ranges in any d20 based game: while a natural 20 is immediate success, most equipment has a critical success range of 18/19-20 - just as 2-5 is most often failure.

And there is a d3: (1d6)/

To clarify, you would have been my 3rd choice, I just preferred the submission as a whole of Red Stars