This card gives a limited 2 Mark quanta -> 1 Elemental conversion.
2 : Gain [old version]
1: Gain and delay 1 turn [less useful intermediate]
0: Gain and delay 2 turns [current version]
I'm sorry, i didn't understand well what are you saying here.
I will read the discussion on Temples soon, now i'm at work and i can't!
However, i already knew the Temples, and i feel that Maker|Factory answers to a different quanta need.
It's more oriented to a mono deck who needs a very little splash of quanta without (almost) losing speed.
Temples are like pillars since they produce specific quanta. They also have an ability, so they must cost a little more than the standard pillar.
Maker|Factory is less than pillar, since it doesn't produce specific quanta. So i can add the ability without changing the cost of the card.
It's ability is paid in the future, so there is a gain now and a "loss" in the next 2 turns.