Elements the Game Forum - Free Online Fantasy Card Game

News and Announcements => Forum News and Announcements => Topic started by: mathman101 on July 01, 2017, 03:41:51 pm

Title: Elements Community Newsletter: July 2017
Post by: mathman101 on July 01, 2017, 03:41:51 pm
(http://i.imgur.com/Q3g8B.png)
July 2017
(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/fa/40/49/fa40490e0dd946124213aaeba35d571a.jpg)
War is around the corner!
(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/08/21/article-2399431-1AB6C538000005DC-690_634x526.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/qLvvbmd.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Fd9tssk.png) (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/board,190.0.html)

  • The 2016 PvP World Championships may have started back at the end of October, but they are still ongoing as we reach the Final Matches (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/pvp-world-championship/pvp-world-championship-2016-finals/). The third place game has occurred and JonathanCrazyJ has emerged with the bronze over Aves. After a brief questionnaire to the gold medal game participants, there is no current knowledge of when the final game will occur. We wish you luck in your deckbuilding, and hope to see the game soon.

  • Grandmaster Battles (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/trials/grandmaster-battle-3-rules/) are one of those wonderful matches between two amazing masters for the ultimate title of Grandmaster. While this may have started its planning back in March and with the first portion of the battle occurring in April, we are still awaiting for the epic finale to conclude.

  • Draft (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/draft/draft-iv-match-thread/) continues its matches as the teams slowly are eliminated due to absences. 6 teams remain, and 4 more rounds of matches need to occur before the end and a winner is declared. It could be any team's victory, stay tuned for next month when we find out who comes out on top.

  • War is but one of the major three events that occur on this forum, and is slowly rounding the corner for our participation again in the 11th rendition. The Warmasters have already posted about some of the potential changes to come (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/war/war-11-planned-changes-(work-in-progress)-(discussion)/), one of which includes the experimental market price list (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/war/war-11-market-prices-(experimental)/). We eagerly await the start of this event and wish the Warmasters luck with the many preparations.

(http://i.imgur.com/bzJG6ju.png) (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/board,186.0.html)

  • Card art is such a wonderful thing, as it is usually made by talented artists. Even more exciting is fancy foil card art, like those that were recreated for the Foil Art Competition (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/competitions/art-competition-foil-art-(voting)/). andretimpa took the stage as his new rendition of death's soul catcher earned him a neat little forum award. (view above for the winning art image)

  • There is none more worthy than that of a mighty champion to lead their element when it is called upon them. Card Designers had to be aware of this might as the Competition Organizers challenged them to create a creature that was representative of its element. Check out the submissions thread (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/competitions/card-design-competition-champion-(voting)/msg1265962/#msg1265962) and vote for your favorite.

  • Leagues are always better when you have an award to show off after you've won. Show off your art skills in the League of Battle Champions Art Competition (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/competitions/art-competition-league-of-the-battle-champion/) as you design a new forum award for Elements League (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/pvp-league/elements-league-22017/). Give it a shot,  and head on over now to submit your creations.

  • Are you one of those people who have a forgetful mind? Are you interested in being notified of specific reminders so you won't forget when the next competition is? Then sign up today for the Competition Mailing Lists (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/competitions/competitions-mailing-lists/)! You can sign up for any one specific type of competition, or all types, or any combination in between.

(http://www.myrtlebeachhotels.com/images/made/media/images/Medieval_Times2_600_450_80_c1.jpg)
(http://www.millvalleytrophies.com/index_htm_files/265.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ltbBRSY.png) (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/board,77.0.html)

  • Without a master to control light or gravity, the elements became uncontrolled. Glory of Titans (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/pvp-tournaments/weekly-tournament-june-4th-glory-of-titans-upgraded/) was a tourney on June 4th that required all decks be part light or gravity, with only a minor ban list. andretimpa showed us he knew his way around gravity, and used his momentum to claim first place. Congratz on the win.
    Did you like the tourney in general? How about the rules?
    Well, it was a tourney where I got to play with mostly :gravity , of course I liked it :P. It was also on a time I could play, which is rare, and I tend to enjoy upped tourneys more.

    When, for you, was the most exciting moment of the tournament?
    G1 vs glen was the most exciting, he was one topdeck short of winning. The other matches were pretty much smooth sailing.

    In just a short sentence, or even one word, how would you summarize the whole tournament?
     :gravity > :light   :sillyspin: :sillyspin: :sillyspin: :sillyspin:

  • Diversity of cards is needed when using more than a few elements. The TOs removed all cards that would cost more than 5 quanta in June 10th's Rainbow Riders (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/pvp-tournaments/weekly-tournament-june-10th-rainbow-riders-unupgraded/). Contrary to the name of the tournament DANIEELA shot her way to the top with only a mono and a duo deck. Congratz on the win.

  • Grace and Beauty shone its face on us as we were forced to indulge in the presence of Nymphs. Wonder Women (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/pvp-tournaments/weekly-tournament-june-17th-wonder-women-unupgraded/) was a tourney that required players to have 6 Nymph's Tears and a Water Mark for the deck. glennfoo proved that he knew his way around these wonderful women as he flowed right to the winners circle. Congratz on the win.
    Did you like the tourney in general? How about the rules?
    I really like the tournament. I like the rules as well, although it seems there are certain nymphs that are stronger than others, thus making other elements not used, unfortunately.

    When, for you, was the most exciting moment of the tournament?
    During the last match with kaempfer, in which it is down to the winner getting the mark. being round robin, we actually have a total of 7 matches

    In just a short sentence, or even one word, how would you summarize the whole tournament?
    Sexy??

  • The faster you are, the better you can be. Speedbuilding sneaks back into June 25th's The More The Merrier (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/pvp-tournaments/weekly-tournament-june-25th-speedbuild-the-more-the-merrier-unupgraded/) as players build decks with cards based on the names of the participants. Showing off his speedbuilding skills was Linkcat, who shot right to the win in the final. Congratz on the win.
    Did you like the tourney in general? How about the rules?
    This tourney had a great ruleset. I really like the idea of having each participant influence the card pool. I decided to go with Grabbow because it was the strongest deck that I saw and it countered Mono Entropy. Shoutouts to Dudua, glennfoo, and phoenix1211 for contributing the letters to such a clean looking deck.

    When, for you, was the most exciting moment of the tournament?
    It was in game 3 of the final against kaempfer. Due to the unfavorable matchup, I gambled by keeping my Shrieker unburrowed and vulnerable to Lightning. (This play actually won me the game.) The most exciting moment was at the end when I counted out my damage and saw that if I burrowed my Shrieker that turn, I would still have just enough to kill him next turn with the Lightning in my hand. He didn't have enough quanta for Miracle, so the only way I would lose was if he played Dim. He didn't have any in his deck, and so for the second time I had RNGed my way into taking a tourney win from a Gravity elemental.

    In just a short sentence, or even one word, how would you summarize the whole tournament?
    It helps to have all of the good players on the other side of the bracket.
(http://i.imgur.com/0bdKGuA.png) (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/pvp-league/battle-league-12017)

  • With just over half way through the season, phoenix1211 is in the lead, but the top 4 are all close together. They are not too far away from the rest and with more than a month to go, it will be interesting to see who else closes the gap. Rather than sitting bored during summer, start playing league games and fight for those mark codes, and have some fun!

  • For those who can't decide on their own restrictions, there are Weekly Featured Rules (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/pvp-league/weekly-featured-rules-63397/) to tickle anyone's fancy! Just hop into chat and ask around for a match!

  • With succulent Nymph/Mark and Electrum codes up for grabs, there's no reason NOT to jump into Leagues! It's a great way for new players to pick up the meta in preparation for war, or more experienced players to strut their stuff, or even try out some fun deck concoctions to see how they do! What's more, the max number of games per opponent has been increased to 15, and you no longer have to wait 20 hours between matches! Get involved now!
(http://i.imgur.com/o8DpIud.jpg)
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/elKgDE5gc9I/maxresdefault.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/iNI1OdZ.png) (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/forum-games/)

  • The Pipeworks (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/forum-games/pipeworks-ii-by-cleanonion/) continue to struggle under many threats as fires burn, and invaders run rampant. After 19 rounds (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/forum-games/pipeworks-ii-by-cleanonion/msg1265947/#msg1265947) within these sewers two of the factions have already been eliminated. Will the remaining three be able to cooperate and get out alive or will they turn on each other forcing only one winner. Only time will tell as they fight for their survival!

  • The Mafia World Championship (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/forum-games/mafia-world-championship-2017/) match that our representative(rob77dp) was in has concluded. rob managed to make it all the way to the end of round 6 (http://www.mafiauniverse.com/forums/threads/8685-Season-4-Game-5-So-You-Think-You-Can-Be-Super-The-Mafia-Championship?p=1215256&viewfull=1#post1215256) where he died as one of the final 5 members alive. He may not have been voted to progress directly to the final from that game, but he still has a chance to claim 1 of 30 wildcard spots. We thank you for representing our community well thus far rob, and wish you luck in claiming a wildcard spot.

  • Mafia games on our forum have had a roller coaster effect from great games with large crowds to small pathetic games which are halted and stopped mid-game. Forum Games Organizer Linkcat has started a discussion about the future of our mafia games (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/forum-games/the-future-of-mafia/). After a few polls and much discussion a decision has been made on what the next step is for this forum games classic, and we look forward to the fun times ahead.

All Over The Place!

  • Computer nerds and mathematicians unite! Several members have mentioned in chat about Project Euler (https://projecteuler.net/about) and the neat little challenges it has for those who want to further their math and coding knowledge. Check it out and see if you can beat our current high scorer, Jenkar with 116 problems.

  • Have you noticed something exciting happening in the forum that isn't in our Newsletter, and that doesn't fit in any of the other categories? Then please message the NLW team, and tell us what else you want to see in this section in any upcoming NL.



Staff Changes (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php?action=staff)

  • News about the community may now be shared efficently again with the hiring of mathman101 as our new Newsletter Writer. We look forward to all the creative information that you can provide the community with.

  • July is a time of change, and in the EtG community we all know about the changes to come. The end of July is when new council members are hired to help keep the community running smoothly. Check out the past terms requirements (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/forum-news-and-announcements/13th-elements-council/) to get a head start on making your application for the next council term.




Tea Time with Espithel

Below is a portion of the interview:

What is your favorite source of disturbing gifs? (andretimpa)

Gifs are for the weak. I do not care for them.

I'll change this question to "Where do I find all the strange crap in general"? After all, I'm infamous for it. It's a mixture of various sites you have to dig very deep into. It often tends to be one site, one for the folder, so I can't really recommend a single true source. The closest you'll get are the Hmmm and Hmmmgifs subreddits. While not quite specialist in what they deliver, they deliver oddities in a consistent and reliable fashion.

I'd share you some of my more favored haunts, but I'd get kicked off the site.


What member of elementscommunity do you look up to the most? (TribalTrouble)

Me.

...Is this the part where I have to pretend I like you all or something? Fiiine.


What does your name mean? Answers in poem form are preferred, thank (CleanOnion)

Imagine if cthulhu was a 4 year old who was into hardcore rave.

Oh, it has to be a poem. Err... Fine? I guess?


Find this answer and more in Espithel' official interview (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/elements-council/featured-community-member/)


(http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;attach=1087;type=avatar)

(https://media.tenor.com/images/f29a2f6b56d90a1830451052ba7caf09/tenor.gif)
New Members (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/board,367.0.html)
Here are the members who posted in the Introduce Yourself (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/introduce-yourself/) board within the past month. Just click a certain name to be redirected to the corresponding introduction post. Don't be rude, say hello to newcomers! ;)
  • Darthvarda (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/introduce-yourself/hello-there-i'm-darthvarda!/)
  • AlaGamer (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/introduce-yourself/greetings-64629/)
  • mitandwii (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/introduce-yourself/hello-elements-forums/)
  • Dowy (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/introduce-yourself/noob-of-readiness-i-am-here!/)
  • randyjohns (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/introduce-yourself/randyjohns-introduction/)
  • qweplm123 (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/introduce-yourself/hello-64667/)
  • bob7757 (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/introduce-yourself/hello-friends-64674/)



TUNE OF THE MONTH!

These are dark days for Elemental Leaguers as games go unplayed. Use this catchy tune to help remind you to go play League games and if you haven't joined, go sign up now.

>>> Click Here to listen to "Elements League" (External Link to Soundcloud) <<< (https://soundcloud.com/user-639955302/elements-league/s-9TeoU)




(http://i.imgur.com/3yODds7.png)

Shipwrecker (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/trial-final-battle-results/(11th-trial-of-water)-jonathancrazyj-5-1-spielkind/)

Hover over cards for details, click for permalink
Deck import code : [Select]
6r9 6r9 6r9 749 77e 77e 77e 77e 77e 77e 77f 77f 77f 77m 77m 77m 77m 77m 7gk 7gk 7gk 7gk 7gr 7gr 7gr 7gr 7hi 7hi 7hi 7hi 8pl

Deck idea (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/trial-final-battle-results/(9th-trial-of-water)-ddevans96-5-4-jonathancrazyj/msg1194265/#msg1194265) by JonathanCrazyJ. (Deck 2)

Key usage of the deck in war, by team :earth (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/round-6/(earth-lieutenant)-ryli-3-0-kuroaitou-(time-general)/)

Card by card:

Gravity Shield: Gravity shield is a great counter to a lot of :water decks. Nymphs, SoP'd creatures, Ice dragons, upgraded crawlers, all get blocked by gravity shield.

Gnome Gemfinder: Gnomes are not only gemfinders, they are little gems in and of themselves. Allows water to make this a consistent trio deck. They are pillars, which grow to deal massive damage with sopa, and power the other :earth creatures. Need I say more? What seems like a small, useless creature, is what makes this deck possible, it would lose a whole lot of power without it.

Pulverizer: Oh pulvy. Pulverizer is the adding to this deck that changes everything. A lot of permanents can counter SoPa decks, sundials, wings/dims are a few examples. PC is, in my opinion, a must in any good SoP decks. It is not always possible to add some, like in a usual patient warden deck, which is why I think, even with the removal of trident, shipwrecker is an upgrade to sopwardens. I do not mean it is better in any and all occasions, some situations will still have sopawarden as the best deck.

Vanadium Warden:Wardens delay another creature. But what they also do that we can forget, is deal damage to non-airborne creature equal to their attack. Due to the fact they start with 0 attack, they need to be buffed for this added ability to be made use of, and this is where Shard of Patience comes in action. SoP would already delay the warden anyway, and it increases it's attack, which increases kill potential, and increases the CC potential too. Those two cards make for an awesome combo.

Water Towers/Marks:well, each deck needs quanta.

Arctic Octopus: Octopii are the much needed creature control in this deck. Wardens, while they can deal damage, only do so to non-airborne creatures. In this case, octopii will be much more effective since wardens only delay for one turn. Also, while they usually have low attack, Shard of patience makes them strong attackers.

Shard of Patience:As said earlier, combos extremely well with wardens, and gives a win condition to this deck through damage.

Mark of Gravity: Powers the pulverizer ability, and makes it possible to play the gravity shield.


Strategy:
The story of this deck is two-fold for me. One really needs to understand sopawardens first, to then transition to shipwrecker.
In a standard sopawarden deck, as can be seen here : http://elementscommunity.org/forum/trial-final-battle-results/(11th-trial-of-water)-jonathancrazyj-5-1-spielkind/ (deck 5) (can also include Trident), You rely on the CC generated from squids and wardens to stall the game until you get to the point where SoPa gives you enough damage to win. Trident can also help reduce the speed of your opponent's deck, as well as reduce his stall power. However, in shipwrecker, you decide to take away the Trident, removing some potential consistency, to add pulverizer which deals with the counters to sopawardens. While I do not mean that there is no counter whatsoever to sopawardens, I think it is an extremely powerful deck, which explains our extended use of it in war.

Strengths:

Any deck that excells at a deck archetype is strong, any deck that can do great in two decks archetypes is strong, a deck that excels at two deck archetypes is godlike, and that's what shipwrecker does. It's a very strong stall and stallbreaker. Adding the pulverizer to get rid of pesky permanents makes it even better.

Weaknesses:
Being a trio, it will never be the most consistent deck. Compared to SopWardens, it cannot run trident and therefore lacks the quanta denial that the deck could have provided.

Alternative deck choices:
Sop Wardens (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/trial-final-battle-results/(11th-trial-of-water)-jonathancrazyj-5-1-spielkind/) (deck 5)
Or for another SoP deck that includes permanent control
SopaDolls (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/trial-final-battle-results/(11th-trial-of-darkness)-physsion-5-3-ji412jo/) (deck 8)

And congratulations to JonathanCrazyJ for winning :water trials.




(http://i.imgur.com/RMJj4mM.png)

Quantum Chronometer | Quantum Metronome (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/card-ideas-and-art/quantum-chronometer-quantum-metronome/)
This Card review was written by mathman101

(http://imgur.com/NnfmTCj.png) (http://imgur.com/mmx53Qw.png)


:time Time is an element that excels at manipulating the pace of the game. It is very versatile in that it has the potential to slow down your opponents play style with cards like Reverse Time or Sundial, as well as the potential to speed up your own play tempo with cards like Electrum Hourglass and Precognition. OdinVanguard brings us another one of his many creative ideas with this month's card idea as he explores an additional quanta production for :time Time.

Quanta Production

:time Time has five creatures with costs over 5 quanta (Devonian Dragon, Ghost of the Past, Pharaoh, Anubis, Golden Nymph), and any way possible to add quick quanta generation would benefit it. Combining Quantum Chronometer with repetitive card draw cards like Golden Nymph or Electrum Hourglass could prove an efficient way to scroll through your deck and continually gain quanta in a mono-Time style deck. In non-mono decks this could be used to assist in generating that off-element quanta should you only splash in the off-element cards without quanta producers, or be used itself as a card splashed into a non-Time element focused deck. Some have considered this card similar to Immolation in that it is a quick way to gain 6 quanta with only a minor sacrifice. In this case a card is re-shuffled into your deck instead of killing off one of your own creatures, which allows for the potential to draw your 'lost' card again later from your deck.


Here is a deck designed by mathman101 that shows an effective way to use :time Quantum Chronometer| Quantum Metronome!


Hover over cards for details, click for permalink
Deck import code : [Select]
4t9 4t9 4t9 4t9 5rg 5rg 5rg 5rg 5rg 5rl 5rl 5rm 5rm 5rm 5rm 5rm 5ru 5ru 5ru 5ru 5ru 5s4 5s4 5s4 5s4 5t2 5t2 5t2 5t2 5t2 8ps

(Relics represent :time Quantum Chronometer)

Mono Time can be a very fast and efficient way to rush down your opponents when using the right style of deck. In this example you can see there are multiple high-cost creatures to utilize the extra quantum generated by the Quantum Chronometer. By utilizing high draw power from both Electrum Hourglasses and Golden Nymphs, the deck can quickly be cycled through to keep many cards in your hand at any point during the game. While the deck may on first glance appear to be under quanta'd the Quantum Chronometer can have a double edged sword effect on this deck by both adding an additional quanta generator for playing the high cost creatures, and shuffling cards from your hand back into your deck to keep space open for both Electrum Hourglass and Golden Nymph to replenish your hand. Knowing when to use the Chronometer's ability will all depend on which deck you fight and the opposing strategy against you.



:time Time is a controlling tempo based element, that can help alter the game in your favor with it's manipulative properties. Understanding the two play styles of slowing your opponent and speeding up your own play can both benefit from the addition of the  :time Quantum Chronometer| Quantum Metronome card if it were to be added to EtG.

To see more card ideas check out the Card Ideas & Art (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/card-ideas-and-art/) section!

Until next time!




  • Top image
    https://www.pinterest.com/madzounian/pike-and-shot/
  • PVP Events
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2399431/The-worlds-violent-hobby-My-skull-shattering-stab-medieval-fighting.html
  • Competitions
    Original Art by andretimpa
  • Tournaments
    http://www.myrtlebeachhotels.com/blog/bring-your-appetite-for-battle-to-medieval-times-myrtle-beach/
  • Leagues
    http://www.millvalleytrophies.com/index_htm_files/265.jpg
  • Forum Games
    http://toonclips.com/design/5475
    Modified with color by mathman101
  • All Over The Place
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elKgDE5gc9I
  • New members
    https://tenor.com/view/bat-cute-baby-gif-3415215


Many thanks to:
-Espithel for the interiew.
-ji412jo for DiotM.
-worldwideweb3 for Leagues section.
-all readers for reading ;)

Title: Re: Elements Community Newsletter: July 2017
Post by: iancudorinmarian on July 01, 2017, 04:54:06 pm
Loved the tune of the month xD

Nice newsletter :)
Title: Re: Elements Community Newsletter: July 2017
Post by: JonathanCrazyJ on July 01, 2017, 09:05:21 pm
Lovely work. Dat song XD  :-*
Title: Re: Elements Community Newsletter: July 2017
Post by: Jackanory on July 01, 2017, 10:54:06 pm
Enjoyable and informative read once again, thanks.
Title: Re: Elements Community Newsletter: July 2017
Post by: TribalTrouble on July 02, 2017, 08:05:38 pm
I was searching my whole life for that tune, thank you mathman. My purpose in life is now fulfilled.
blarg: JonathanCrazyJ,Aves,andretimpa,DANIEELA,glennfoo,Linkcat,phoenix1211,rob77dp,Jenkar,mathman101,Espithel,shockcannon,BurnOne,DarthVarda,DonaldFrict,AlaGamer,Zhoom,tts01008,TeslaTheNinja,mitandwii,FissionChips,Dowy,Struvvv,Klingzog,Jamesevern,bob7757,InsignificantWeeaboo,RickyDee,Hanzo,nostrobank,qweplm123,seebee,dmananta4,KiraPavaix,Wraith Touch,Howardmog,KristinolLi,TitaniumCurse,BrianSnaws,rip_pepe,wyrmaker,Aurise,OdinVanguard,ji412jo,worldwideweb3