Phase 3 - Community Vote

[RavingRabbid]

Phase 3 - Community Vote

Phase ends when above poll expires.

It's time to vote for your favorite Master candidate!  Every community member has one vote. You can change your vote at any time as long as there is still time on the clock.

Vote based on who you think would make the best Master of that element. Do not vote based on who is the best player or who you know personally. Try to pick someone who you think would help the community the most.  Feel free to ask the candidates difficult questions to help you make your decision.

For reference, here are the 6th Trials Standings (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,43965.0.html) and Phase 1 Submission (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,43688.0.html) threads.

[deuce22]

Spoiler for Higurashi:

What is Aether to you?

What do you intend to accomplish as a Master of Aether? What is your vision for the element?

To me, Aether is the element above all other elements. It is the element of the gods. It is limitless in its wisdom and power. It is the one element that is forever unchanged.

As Master of Aether, I only have one goal, which is to make sure my element is in its rightful place above all other elements. Aether's reign has been much awaited, and it has finally come. I am very proud to have helped lead Aether to it's current glory, but Aether's influence spreads more than just by it's victory in war. It is no coincidence that two of the most influential members of the Elements community (Higurashi and UTAlan) are loyal to Aether at their core. My vision of Aether is to continue not only its reign in War and Brawl, but also it's influence in creating a welcome environment for all elements within the community.

Spoiler for einherjar145:

1. Which of these qualities should a Master have?(Choose 2 or less answers from below and explain why you have chosen those qualities)
    Integrity,Dedication,Humility,Assertiveness,Courage,Honesty,Compassion,Respectful,Attitude or any other qualities
2.Which of these qualities should a Master not have?(Choose 2 or less answers from below and explain why did you choose these qualities)
   Indecisive,Not assertive,Merciless,Boastfulness,Proud,Laziness,Disrespectful towards others,Dishonesty,Ill-Tempered, or Others(If Any)
3.If Dimensional Striker/Elite Dimensional Striker is added into the game now, how will it affect the game?
   http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,18641.0.html

1. All of the qualities you mention are important in a good master. But if I had to choose the most important of those listed, I would choose assertiveness. Assertiveness is more than being confident in your decisions, but also respectful to those with whom you council. In order to be a great leader, and ultimately Master, you must be respectful of your teammates so that they can respect you.

2. This is almost the same response as that of question 1. Basically, respecting others is of the utmost importance as master.

3. Adding dimensional striker will probably have a minimal effect in both upgraded and unupgraded environments because it can't be fractalled. Based on the attack bonus they receive, they are of little value until you have at least 4 on the field. I dont see this card being useful in stalls or rushes. I view this card as a slight buff to Immortal, which is already the least useful aether card (at least imo).

Spoiler for ji412jo:

1) If zanz came to you and told you he wanted to remove dimshield because its too op, and wanted a completely new idea for a shield, what would you come with?

This idea is so blasphemous, it's hard to imagine aether without dim shield, but I will try because you ask. When I think of aether cards, I think of immortality and high cost. I would create a shield that is immortal and deals spell damage to attacking creatures, thus allowing immortal creatures to bypass shields. I like it thematically, but not sure if it would influence the meta very much.

Spoiler for ZBlader:

Aether tends to be singlehandedly defined by certain 'key' cards that tend to be a central point in decks where they are involved. (example : Fractal, Dimensional Shield, Quintessence)
Do you agree with this statement?

In what area of the game do you feel Aether is the weakest, and why?
If Zanz let you tweak exactly one Aether card or Shard of Wisdom, which one would you alter and how?

Generally, I agree with your initial statement. In pvp, I classify aether decks into 3 categories: Dim-based, fractal-based, and other. There is obviously overlap, but the best aether pvp decks either purely rely on dims (+/- fractal splash) or purely rely on fractal. The one exception might be monoaether rushes in an upgraded environment.

Aether is weakest in the area of PC because it has none (Although, psions provide a sort of soft PC for shields)

I'm not a fan of shards, so I don't really care if SoW changes or not. So, for aether cards, I would tweak immortal. In its current state, it is completely useless in pvp. Decreasing it's cost by 1 seems the most balanced, but dragons are still better because they have higher damage. Honestly, the best thing would be to replace it with another creature card (Like dimensional striker?).

Spoiler for Laxadarap:

The two main aether duos focus on fractal and parallel universe.  Which one do you like better? Why?  Also, do you prefer lightning or dims? In what decks/matchups would you use the other?

Both fractal and PU are useful in different scenarios, but fractal is far more OP. Fractal is useful in both rushes and stalls, whereas PU is generally only useful in stalls or OTKs (exception being monoaether rush in 100% upgraded environment). When you look at aether's best war decks, they all use fractal with almost none using PU.

Lightning = best CC in elements (imo). Dims = most OP shield in elements. Needless to say, aether is a stall element Lightnings are more fun, but I feel dims are still more useful. Both lightning and Dims can be added to almost any deck. The main difference is dims stop multiple creatures/weapons, whereas lightnings only stop 1 creature. Also, there are many upgraded creatures with >5 HP, so lightnings become slightly less useful when upgrades are allowed.

Spoiler for mrpaper:

To all contestants.. could you make a mono or duo aether deck that make a good use of immortals (upped or not, you're choice).

Immortals are severely UP. SoW is the only card that makes them somewhat useful. And since they are so slow, it's pretty much a requirement to have x6 dims... Electrocutor there to help dims stall more effectively.

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Spoiler for furballdn:

Both of you are very accomplished players, and it seems hard to decide who should be the master of Aether.

Are there any specific aether cards that are UP or OP? If so, how would you fix this problem and why?

As an element, what does aether encompass and what does it lack? How would you introduce something to patch up what it lacks?

is the starting duo for an starting deck. Can I see you make a good duo deck with those two elements?

Which is your favorite Aether card? And why? Also what is your favorite creature and why?

Mindgate seems like a card that stands out in the element of aether. Could you write me a small paragraph (not more than 5 sentences) telling me about it, its synergies and uses, why it fits in aether, and then post a good deck making use of at least 5 of them?

UP = mindgate and immortal. OP = Dim shield and Fractal. I wouldn't fix them because I am not lead developer. Talk to zanz.

Aether encompasses immortality and it lacks PC. I wouldn't introduce a patch because I am not lead developer. Talk to zanz.

Spoiler for my favorite entropy duo:

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Favorite aether card is fractal because it is OP. Favorite aether creature is psion because it looks cool.

Mindgate is a permanent that adds a copy of the first card in your opponent's deck to your hand. This skill is called duality. It synergizes with QPs. It fits in aether because gods are able to read the minds of mortals.

Spoiler for x5 Mindgate deck:

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Spoiler for ARTHANASIOS:

Both candidates: What is your opinion of Immortality as an ability? Does it really worth all that high cost? And what about using Quintessence in Aether element? Does a 4 |3 cost really worth to make a Phase Spider or Psion or a buffed Spark immortal? Thanks in advance.

I like immortality as an ability. It is worth the high cost for dragons but not for immortals. Regarding quintessence, it really doesn't have much use for in-element creatures. Quint is mainly useful in growers, high attack creatures, or creatures with CC ability.

Spoiler for Absol:

Regarding a suggestion in Phase Dragon thread:
Would you agree to change Phase Dragon back to mortal, and tweak the stats?

I would not change phase dragon one bit. It seems that the discussion is centered around SoW usage. I really dislike the concept of shards, especially in pvp and in arena. Changing the ability or stats of a card to make a shard more balanced is ridiculous. Vivimancer pretty much said it best

Spoiler for Rutarete:

This should be a fun question.

If you were to rearrange all the stats of cards in Aether, and they had to be moved to another card, what would your result be for the New Aether? ( stats stay in pairs of Atk and hp they started out in)

Spark = 3/0 (5/0) --> Phase spider
Immortal = 4/3 (5/4) --> Psion
Phase Dragon = 8/6 (10/6) --> Turquoise Nymph
Phase Spider = 4/2 (7/2) --> Spark
Psion = 4/4 (5/5) --> Immortal
Turquoise nymph = 7/4 (8/5) --> Phase Dragon

Spoiler for Calindu:

Deuce: You won war, and you told me your best cards this war were Lightning, Dimensional Shield and Fractal.Any reason why PU wasn't included to this select list?
Alan: You were in my team last war, why do you think Aether came on top of us?

Both: Make a rainbow with Psions that contains both Nightmare and Mirror Shield.

Regarding PU, it just isn't as powerful as dimensional shield, fractal, or lightning. PU has it's uses, but given the stalliness of aether, a couple of random fractals are much more efficient in most decks. The problem with PU is that you usually need a decent number of powerful creatures in order to use it consistently. Plus, you can't rely on your opponent to play high attack creatures since they may use other ways around dims like bolts, poison, or fatter stalls. Lightning, fractal, and dims can essentially be used in almost any aether deck, but PU has its limitations.

(If Alan says anything other than RNG for his question, he's a liar )

Spoiler for Mirror Psionmarebow (aka grabbow variant):

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Spoiler for PlayerOa:

I would like to know what the biggest advantage you can have over your opponent in the Final Battle is.
Examples are upgraded cards, deckbuilding skills, countering skills, experience etc.

Please explain your answer. The best answer will most likely earn my vote, as I see you as two equally good candidates.

Everything else being equal (except upgrades, which I think only gives a slight advantage), it still depends on the rules of the final battle. If they were anything like masters tourney, there is a lot of strategy involved from game to game. And the only advantage you can give yourself is being prepared for just about anything. So, if I had to pick something to answer your question directly, it would be preparation. Nothing else comes close.

Spoiler for Laxadarap #2:

To deuce: You lead aether to it's first war victory.  What made you or your team better than the previous ones?  What do you think was the factor that most contributed to your win?

Despite our war victory, I still believe team aether from war 3 was the best aether has seen. That team dominated the entire war, then was subjected to extreme unfortunate RNG in the late rounds (especially round 11 with an EC making matches bo1). IMO, the only mistake I think our team made that war was not suiciding during Round 12, and even then it would still be a questionable decision. Would we have won war? Impossible to say, but we could have given Higs a better vault to work with when we were down to 1 deck.

As for why we won last war, I believe it was a number of things (ultimately, good RNG in round 11 determined the win). But I would say being creative and unpredictable as much as possible were the most important factors for our success because Aether has very classically strong decks that are very predictable and easy to counter if expected. Even with the classic decks, my team came up with some unique variants that performed very well in specific matchups (my favorite). Then, after going 0-2 in round 9, it seemed like we were doomed. We kept our head up and focused on beating fire. Again, you would not expect dims to perform well against a grabbow with 3 deflags, but testing proved that perception wrong. Same situation the following round against time's ghostmare. We modded the grabbow so that it had about 50% chance against ghostmare. Naturally, RNG decided that round and ultimately the war win.

Spoiler for deuce22:

@deuce22, you have a ninja dog for an avatar, that's pretty badass. I wonder what UT would look like as a dog. Please post a gif of what UT may look like as a dog.

Spoiler for was originally gonna post this:

Spoiler for then thought it was too inappropriate:

Spoiler for Warning, NOT work appropriate:

Spoiler for final warning:

Spoiler for justaburd:

If I were to compare apples to oranges, what would happen?

you would get hungry

Spoiler for Rutarete:

Since Aether is all around, what would be your idea for a field effecting card (like nightfall) for Aether?

The first thing that came to mind was a card that makes all creatures on the field immortal (both yours and your opponents). This could be a permanent like cloak that lasts for only a few turns, or it could be a spell that lasts a single turn. It would make for an interesting card as it not only protects your creatures, but also prevents buffing of your opponent's creatures. Also, it has a nice synergy with fractal.

Spoiler for furballdn #2:

I wonder if you guys would mind doing a PvP match Bo3 together with the same rules as Phase 2 challengers rules, both of you as aether.

wouldn't mind

Spoiler for bogtro:

To all participants (answer in your respective threads please): Choose the element that has least synergy with the element of your Trial, and explain why

Now make an effective unupped duo-deck with your element and the element from 1a.

Air has wings, which combo with spiders. Darkness has devtal. Death has bonebolt. Earth has various SS stalls. Fire has fractix, gravy has PUchargertal. Life has frogtal. Light has RoL hope. Time has Ghostal. Water has a weak synergy with flayers. Entropy has...not much that combos with aether. But an entropy duo does have one of my favorite decks.

Spoiler for my favorite entropy duo:

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Spoiler for OldTrees:

Define your element completely while being as concise as possible. (You cannot define your element as itself.)
So: clarity -> completeness -> conciseness.

pretty sure Higs asked a similar question. See above.

[UTAlan]

Spoiler for Who I Am:

Hi, I'm UTAlan. Some background info on me can be found here. I'm an Admin and a Brawlmaster. I'm 28, have a beautiful wife and daughter, and I love running, Ultimate Frisbee, and Borderlands 2. Also, I work from home doing 2nd level Tech Support.

Spoiler for Why Vote For Me:

Not because I'm an Admin, that's for sure. You'll have to find your own reasons for whether you vote for Deuce or me. However, I can assure you that my loyalty lies with Aether, Master or not. I believe I would make a great Master and intend to show that through my answers below. If you're on the fence, don't rely on this spoiler for deciding your vote. Figure out what's important to you and ask us about it. I'll gladly answer all questions thrown my way.

Spoiler for Higurashi:

What is Aether to you?

What do you intend to accomplish as a Master of Aether? What is your vision for the element?

Aether is ethereal. It is the mind personified. It is electric, powerful, eternal. It will remain standing, unchanging, when all others have fallen.

The eternal nature of Aether demands loyalty: I'd love to see more community members devoted to this Element.
Some of the ways I'd accomplish this:
* Form a cohesive bond between teammates during War and Brawl.
* Encourage Aether Elementalists (whether on War/Brawl teams or not) to contribute to the Aether portions of the Wiki.
* Continue to set an example for others of what a loyal Aether Elementalist looks like.

The powerful nature of Aether demands victory: I'd do everything in my power to defend the titles of War and Brawl Victors for Aether.
Some of the ways I'd accomplish this:
* Draft members who not only are talented and devoted, but have experience and love for the Aether.
* Use technology to make it easy for team members to stay in touch and contribute.
* Keep things fun. If it isn't fun, activity will drop and so will success.

The supportive nature of Aether demands growth: I want to see Aether Elementalists leading the charge to grow the quantity and quality of EtG Community members.
Some of the ways I'd accomplish this:
* Encourage those on my War and Brawl teams (including myself) to get at least one friend/family member to join the forums. (Quantity)
* Again: Encourage Aether Elementalists (whether on War/Brawl teams or not) to contribute to the Aether portions of the Wiki. (Quality)

Spoiler for einherjar145:

1. Which of these qualities should a Master have?(Choose 2 or less answers from below and explain why you have chosen those qualities)
    Integrity,Dedication,Humility,Assertiveness,Courage,Honesty,Compassion,Respectful,Attitude or any other qualities
2.Which of these qualities should a Master not have?(Choose 2 or less answers from below and explain why did you choose these qualities)
   Indecisive,Not assertive,Merciless,Boastfulness,Proud,Laziness,Disrespectful towards others,Dishonesty,Ill-Tempered, or Others(If Any)
3.If Dimensional Striker/Elite Dimensional Striker is added into the game now, how will it affect the game?
   http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,18641.0.html

1. Since I can't choose all of them, I'll go with Integrity and Dedication.

Dedication is important because a Master must be present, active, and interested in order to lead well. Others won't respect or follow a leader who isn't around, is around but otherwise occupied, or just loses interest.

Integrity is important for any leadership role. I play Ultimate Frisbee twice a week. It's a sport which is self-refereed - all fouls and close plays are called and resolved by the players. The idea behind this is that the Spirit of the Game should rule over competitiveness and selfishness. Masters should be respectful, honest, and humble in how they handle conflict, as well as how they compose themselves whether they have just succeeded or failed.

2. Pride and Dishonesty. I think these go hand in hand with my previous answer, regarding Integrity. A leader who is prideful and/or dishonest lacks integrity. These attributes are not very appealing for others to follow, nor does it lend itself to resolving conflict well.

3. Ambush effectively allows a deck with 5-6 Strikers to do 3-4 damage per creature. The Immaterial status prevents Fractal or traditional buffing (SoW being the only current way to do so). At best, a low to mid attacker that requires 5-6 per deck to be useful. All respect to the card designers, I doubt it would impact the game very much.

Spoiler for ji412jo:

1) If zanz came to you and told you he wanted to remove dimshield because its too op, and wanted a completely new idea for a shield, what would you come with?

Untargetable shield with a small chance to send attackers out of phase (can't be targeted, can't attack) for 1-2 turns. Or something to that effect.

Spoiler for Zblader:

Aether tends to be singlehandedly defined by certain 'key' cards that tend to be a central point in decks where they are involved. (example : Fractal, Dimensional Shield, Quintessence)
Do you agree with this statement?

In what area of the game do you feel Aether is the weakest, and why?
If Zanz let you tweak exactly one Aether card or Shard of Wisdom, which one would you alter and how?

Singlehandedly? Not at all. Some people (maybe even alot of people) will define it based on just a few cards, but no element should be. Every card in an element contribute to what defines an Element, adding or supporting to the themes surrounding it. Underplayed, often unappreciated cards such as Immortal and Mindgate play a large role in defining Aether.

I'm not sure how you're defining "area of the game", but in my interpretation of your question, I'd say Aether is weakest in rushing. The lack of a solid mid-range attacker (Immortal and Psion are the closest it gets, but neither of them quite cut it for a rush deck) really hurts. The best Aether can do for that is support another element - which it does quite well.

Immortal, for sure. Dim shield is OP, Mindgate is UP, but for the reason I just stated, making Immortal a solid mid-range attacker would have a huge impact on the types of decks that could be made for Aether.

Spoiler for Laxadarap:

The two main aether duos focus on fractal and parallel universe.  Which one do you like better? Why?  Also, do you prefer lightning or dims? In what decks/matchups would you use the other?

I prefer Fractal, mostly because it's more fun. Although playing PU on an opponents creatures is always a nice twist, especially if you can follow that with a lightning (so you are in effect stealing their creature). Devtal is my favorite deck, and Fractix, Frogtal, Death Balls (or whatever you wanna call the Bone Wall / BL duo) are all extremely fun to play.

I prefer lightning, as it seems to be effective in more situations than Dims. I typically only play Dims if I don't think I'll be facing any PC. Most Dim Shield based decks don't hold up too well if the Dims are rendered useless, and even less so if they are outright stolen. So yeah, if I know I'm playing against MonoLife or a Light/Air duo, I might pull out a Dim deck.

Spoiler for mrpaper:

To all contestants.. could you make a mono or duo aether deck that make a good use of immortals (upped or not, you're choice).

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Not fantastic, but had a decent number of 6 TTW against AI3. (Then again, it is fully upped vs AI3...)

Spoiler for furballdn:

Are there any specific aether cards that are UP or OP? If so, how would you fix this problem and why?

As an element, what does aether encompass and what does it lack? How would you introduce something to patch up what it lacks?

is the starting duo for an starting deck. Can I see you make a good duo deck with those two elements?

Which is your favorite Aether card? And why? Also what is your favorite creature and why?

Mindgate seems like a card that stands out in the element of aether. Could you write me a small paragraph (not more than 5 sentences) telling me about it, its synergies and uses, why it fits in aether, and then post a good deck making use of at least 5 of them?

Mindgate and Immortal are both UP. I'd increase the ATK and/or decrease the cost of Immortal. Mindgate probably needs a complete rework. This was my idea for how to do that. OP? Fractal and Dim Shield, for sure. I'm not sure what you could do to Fractal besides increase the cost or completely rework it. Dim Shield could have a cost increase and/or turn decrease (last 2 turns instead of 3).

2 different questions here, really. Aether encompasses eternity, power, and the ethereal realm. While it should be all powerful, it currently lacks power in the form of Permanent Control. Not sure the best way to introduce PC, probably something like this.

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Lightning, easily. Probably the best CC in the game, can target the opposing player, cheap, can be splashed into just about any deck, etc. Good stuff. Creature? I like the upped spidey quite a bit. The ATK for the cost is hard to beat, even with only 2hp.

Mindgate reveals a vital part of Aether's theme - the power of the mind. Its greatest synergy lies with the almighty Quantum Pillar/Tower, since that generates the quanta needed to play cards from an unknown opponent's deck. Dim Shield synergizes well, too, giving the power to stall while getting the cards to play from your opponent. It fits in well with Aether as the element is incorporeal, so the Mind goes perfectly.

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Spoiler for ARTHANASIOS:

Both candidates: What is your opinion of Immortality as an ability? Does it really worth all that high cost? And what about using Quintessence in Aether element? Does a 4 |3 cost really worth to make a Phase Spider or Psion or a buffed Spark immortal? Thanks in advance.

I love Immortality. It feeds into the theme of Aether and adds variety to the game. It's definitely worth the higher cost, as it makes the creatures nearly invincible. The cost is perfect, imo, but not for use on Phase Spiders, Psions, or Sparks. It's primarily a card for synergizing with out-of-element cards.

Spoiler for Absol:

Regarding a suggestion in Phase Dragon thread:
Would you agree to change Phase Dragon back to mortal, and tweak the stats?
Relevant conversation:

Spoiler for Hidden:

Mortal with 13|4 on one version. Not sure which, however. Probably upgraded.

Honestly, I think it should be mortal with slightly lower stats than the typical dragons, if that helps balance the usage with PU - which I consider basically a non-factor after the introduction of pendulums.

a non-immerteral phase dragon would also significantly nerf the Dragon + SoW spam that seems quite common

Immortals are much more popular for SoW usage than dragons due to being nearly half the cost.

Nerf Phase Dragon?  You'd actually say goodbye to Shard of Wisdom and say hello to Twin Universe spam again.

It would certainly make a change =) But the game has grown a lot since mono-aether was so dominant, there are more ways to contain TW spam now.  But really there is  no real reason to nerf phase dragons

SoW is better to use on Immortals and with Reflective anyways. There's basically zero reason after the introduction of pendulums to prohibit a mono PU dragon.

Pendulums are clunkier (probably ends up being 0.25 turns slower on average).

Slower than what? A duo being slower than a mono PU dragon rush? Then give Phase Dragon slightly less attack than the normal if it really is an issue, which I'd doubt. At this point, having immortal is just silly.

I have always thought that... It always seemed to take away that ALL dragons are supposed to be big vanilla beat sticks.

I think it would be a bad idea to take Immortality away from the Phase Dragon. This is the creature that most shows off the ability, and it is far from being OP as it is. If it was taken away, I think the stat changes recommended above would be sufficient to balance it out with the re-availability of PU.

Spoiler for Rutarete:

If you were to rearrange all the stats of cards in Aether, and they had to be moved to another card, what would your result be for the New Aether? ( stats stay in pairs of Atk and hp they started out in)

Spark (3|0, 5|0) => Phase Spider (This was the hardest one. None of the other creatures fit 0hp, but it'd be a waste of a Nymph, Immortality, or Spell Damage to give it to any of the others.)
Immortal (4|3, 5|4) => Spark (Because a Spark shouldn't be very powerful and this had the worst stats available.)
Psion (4|4, 5|5) => Turquoise Nymph (Phase Spider stats would be too weak while Dragon stats would be too powerful.)
Phase Spider (4|2, 7|2) => Psion (Upped spell damage, ftw!)
Turquoise Nymph (7|4, 8|5) => Phase Dragon (Needed the highest ATK available for a dragon.)
Phase Dragon (8|6, 10|6) =>Immortal (Okay, maybe a little over-compensation, but these stats would be OP for any other non-dragon creature in Aether, as well.)

Spoiler for Calindu:

Alan: You were in my team last war, why do you think Aether came on top of us?

Both: Make a rainbow with Psions that contains both Nightmare and Mirror Shield.

Until they went 0-2 in Round 9, they didn't do any worse than .500 in a given round. The fact that we went 0-4 in Round 6 absolutely killed us. Not only did it devestate our vault, but I think it hurt our morale quite a bit, as well. Activity dropped off quite a bit from that point on, and I don't think we had anyone around to pick up the slack. From what I understand, Team Aether was able to compensate for whatever activity they lost. While luck plays a big role in War, I think activity plays just as big of a role. If you aren't active, you won't have a chance.

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Spoiler for PlayerOa:

I would like to know what the biggest advantage you can have over your opponent in the Final Battle is.
Examples are upgraded cards, deckbuilding skills, countering skills, experience etc.

Please explain your answer. The best answer will most likely earn my vote, as I see you as two equally good candidates.

Upgraded cards is pretty important, as two evenly matched decks could easily come down to that card that does a little extra damage or is a little cheaper. Overall, though, I think upgrades are over-emphasized. Deckbuilding...I'm not gonna lie, this isn't as important when there are so many established decks out there. The ability to tweak established decks to fit deckbuilding rules is nice, but far from the biggest advantage you can have. I almost answered countering skills. This can destroy someone's morale, getting hard countered in 2 games in a row can lock a match down for you.

All that said, the importance of experience can't be stressed enough. Knowing when to Snipe your own flying Owl's Eye, Fire Bolt or Quintessence an enemy's creature, slow play your pillars & pendulums, or one of a hundred other things that rely on experience will be the difference between won and lost matches during the upcoming Final Battles. I think this is why (at least it seems) incumbent Masters typically have an advantage going into the Final Battle.

Spoiler for Laxadarap:

to UT: Keeping in mind that deuce did fantastically in war last year, what do you think makes you worthy of taking his place? Has he done anything you would have done differently? Honestly at the moment, I'm thinking "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".  So what could you improve?

It's about time this question came up! Deuce has obviously shown himself worthy of the Master title; I won't pretend like he hasn't. However, as an established member of the community, 3-time War veteran, and now 3-time Trials veteran, I believe I have shown my PvP experience and leadership qualities in many situations. There are a handful of things I would do differently than Deuce. For starters, if I become Master, I plan on leading Team Aether in Brawl (I would step down as Brawlmaster, of course). As stated in previous questions, I hope to get my teammates in War more active in Aether propaganda (Wiki mostly, CIA maybe, prepping them for Aether Trials even, etc). I feel like my responsibilities and access as an Admin will benefit me in the role of Master, as I'm more aware and capable of what the community needs are as a whole, and how they relate to Aether specifically.

If you want a Master who is dead set on winning the next War, you should probably vote for Deuce. I respect him a ton. He did what everyone wants to do, and he's hungry to go back and do it again. But while I hope for a War victory, as well, my goals as Master of Aether go beyond War. Winning Brawl, populating the Wiki, and spreading the love for Aether to vets and n00bs are all things I hope to do as Master.

So yeah. That.

Spoiler for deuce22:

@UT, you say you are loyal to aether, therefore you should be loyal to deuce22. Please post a gif showcasing your loyalty to deuce22.

Follow-up question for UT. In a week, you will be deuce22's sworn enemy. Please post a gif showcasing your future hatred for deuce22.

Spoiler for justaburd:

If I were to compare apples to oranges, what would happen?

You will be very disappointed in your apples. How 'bout dem apples?

Spoiler for Rutarete:

Since Aether is all around, what would be your idea for a field effecting card (like nightfall) for Aether?

It's a shame there's already a card named Thunderstorm because it would be cool to have a permanent that can be removed at any time (like SoP) which cloaks your opponent's field of play and gives a small chance to cast lightning against a random opponent creature. It could also affect the entire field of play instead of just the opponent (both cloaking and lightning), haven't thought about it long enough to know which would be better.

Spoiler for furballdn:

I wonder if you guys would mind doing a PvP match Bo3 together with the same rules as Phase 2 challengers rules, both of you as aether.

Not to be a spoil sport, but I think doing that would take a lot of the suspense out of the Final Battle. Even though the rules would be different, it would give us some sort of read on each other and overall, I think, make the Final Battle not as interesting. I'd be willing to do it after the FB, but I doubt there'd be much reason for it at that point. Sorry.

Spoiler for deuce22:

Need to distract UT from responding to questions

Spoiler for distraction:

Hey deuce, you want a tennis ball?!? Go get it!

[Higurashi]

People do change, so I have two questions:

What is Aether to you?

What do you intend to accomplish as a Master of Aether? What is your vision for the element?

[einherjar145]

Hi there.
I haven't been here for a LONG while so quoting what Higurashi said, 'People do change...'.
Questions for you guys 

1. Which of these qualities should a Master have?(Choose 2 or less answers from below and explain why you have chosen those qualities)
    Integrity,Dedication,Humility,Assertiveness,Courage,Honesty,Compassion,Respectful,Attitude or any other qualities
2.Which of these qualities should a Master not have?(Choose 2 or less answers from below and explain why did you choose these qualities)
   Indecisive,Not assertive,Merciless,Boastfulness,Proud,Laziness,Disrespectful towards others,Dishonesty,Ill-Tempered, or Others(If Any)
3.If Dimensional Striker/Elite Dimensional Striker is added into the game now, how will it affect the game?
   http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,18641.0.html

[MyNameIsJoey]

ohai aether contestants

questions !!

1) If zanz came to you and told you he wanted to remove dimshield because its too op, and wanted a completely new idea for a shield, what would you come with?

[ZephyrPhantom]

Aether tends to be singlehandedly defined by certain 'key' cards that tend to be a central point in decks where they are involved. (example : Fractal, Dimensional Shield, Quintessence)
Do you agree with this statement?

In what area of the game do you feel Aether is the weakest, and why?
If Zanz let you tweak exactly one Aether card or Shard of Wisdom, which one would you alter and how?

[Laxadarap]

The two main aether duos focus on fractal and parallel universe.  Which one do you like better? Why?  Also, do you prefer lightning or dims? In what decks/matchups would you use the other?

[mrpaper]

To all contestants.. could you make a mono or duo aether deck that make a good use of immortals (upped or not, you're choice).

[furballdn]

Both of you are very accomplished players, and it seems hard to decide who should be the master of Aether.

Are there any specific aether cards that are UP or OP? If so, how would you fix this problem and why?

As an element, what does aether encompass and what does it lack? How would you introduce something to patch up what it lacks?

is the starting duo for an starting deck. Can I see you make a good duo deck with those two elements?

Which is your favorite Aether card? And why? Also what is your favorite creature and why?

Mindgate seems like a card that stands out in the element of aether. Could you write me a small paragraph (not more than 5 sentences) telling me about it, its synergies and uses, why it fits in aether, and then post a good deck making use of at least 5 of them?

[ARTHANASIOS]

Both candidates: What is your opinion of Immortality as an ability? Does it really worth all that high cost? And what about using Quintessence in Aether element? Does a 4 |3 cost really worth to make a Phase Spider or Psion or a buffed Spark immortal? Thanks in advance.

[Absol]

Regarding a suggestion in Phase Dragon thread:
Would you agree to change Phase Dragon back to mortal, and tweak the stats?
Relevant conversation:

Spoiler for Hidden:

Mortal with 13|4 on one version. Not sure which, however. Probably upgraded.

Honestly, I think it should be mortal with slightly lower stats than the typical dragons, if that helps balance the usage with PU - which I consider basically a non-factor after the introduction of pendulums.

a non-immerteral phase dragon would also significantly nerf the Dragon + SoW spam that seems quite common

Immortals are much more popular for SoW usage than dragons due to being nearly half the cost.

Nerf Phase Dragon?  You'd actually say goodbye to Shard of Wisdom and say hello to Twin Universe spam again.

It would certainly make a change =) But the game has grown a lot since mono-aether was so dominant, there are more ways to contain TW spam now.  But really there is  no real reason to nerf phase dragons

SoW is better to use on Immortals and with Reflective anyways. There's basically zero reason after the introduction of pendulums to prohibit a mono PU dragon.

Pendulums are clunkier (probably ends up being 0.25 turns slower on average).

Slower than what? A duo being slower than a mono PU dragon rush? Then give Phase Dragon slightly less attack than the normal if it really is an issue, which I'd doubt. At this point, having immortal is just silly.

I have always thought that... It always seemed to take away that ALL dragons are supposed to be big vanilla beat sticks.