4th Trials - Phase 3 - Community Vote

[Terroking]

A difficult vote as ever....

I will ask a few questions too, not really directly related, but I vote for masters that I think are qualified, not just in love with the element.

-How often do you tl;dr on posts?
-Do you keep up with changes to the element in the Cards forum and In Development forum?

Now for an actual related question:

Antlion or Graboid?

TL;DR is essentially just writing up a summary at the end of your post for those who don't want to/don't have time to read. I don't tend to make long posts that aren't battle summaries very often these days, though I would generally include it if I felt it was needed. Adding a TL;DR at the end of my post takes little effort from me and saves considerable effort from others. If I misunderstand and this is asking how often I skip a post due to wall of text, then I'd respond by saying that if it's at all important and I have time, I will try to read a post fully.

I would imagine that everyone active keeps up with all the changes as long as there aren't an absurd amount, seeing as Elements has a small card base and details are important.

As for Antlion vs. Graboid... While I do love Antlions, Graboid, by math, are the clear winners here.

Even if you are able to play Antlions a turn earlier due to the cost (Which is fairly rare, considering their costs are so low and so close), Graboids still win easily.

Antlion gets 4 damage out turn 1, the only time it's ahead of Graboid, but afterward it just falls so far behind. If we're talking unupped, of course, there's even less reason to use Antlion. It's a Graboid without Evolve that does less burrowed damage and doesn't start burrowed.

It's not hard to see that

Earth is versatile and can make effective duos with quite a few elements.  Explain why earth is so versatile and name your favorite earth duo (duo must be at least 50% earth).

Earth's binary nature is one of the things that make it so versatile. BB, Warden, Steel Golem, and Antlion are such good cards that you can put them into almost any deck with another element and have it be successful. The stalling power of SS and Diamond Shield and the obvious speed of Graboid allow for Earth to fit into a variety of decks and deck archetypes.

My personal favorite duo would be the Devourer/EQ lockdown deck. It's very strong when properly used and can absolutely wreck an opposing deck if they have no counter-measures.

by Terroking

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58o 58o 58o 58o 58o 58o 591 591 591 591 593 593 593 593 593 593 596 596 596 596 5aa 5aa 5aa 5aa 5um 5um 5um 5um 5um 5um 5up 5up 8pt

There are, obviously, many variants to this deck, including the one kirch posted, but this is a more Earth-based deck. (In fact it's made to be 25% Darkness) Devs come out fast once you get the first one out, and Shriekers and EQ do the same, helping to stop your opponent's progress and ensure that you are winning the damage race as you do so. If I could fit more cards into this deck, I definitely would, but unfortunately I would hesitate to go above 32 cards with such a deck, seeing as your control can be broken easily if you don't draw enough EQs.

"Why Earth? How would you improve it?"  Please answer in at least 500 words.

joking    lets move away from wardens and grabboids for a moment...

Protect artifact while obviously beneficial, can be considered a dead card against some decks.  What situations do you feel warrant the use of this card in pvp?  How many copies would you include in your deck?  Please answer in at least 500 words. 

*disclaimer: pictures are worth a thousand words*

PA is, obviously, a dead card against decks that do not carry PC, and a not-very-useful one against decks where your Permanent's lifespan will not decide the victor. I would generally use this card in PvP when your opponent could be expected to use EQ, Pulverizer, or Trident, or in a situation where your deck relies on key permanents (Phase or Diss Field, your own Pulverizer, ect.) being protected from enemy PC. Unless you plan to use PA'd Phase Shields or know your opponent will bring EQ, it's generally best not to take more than 3 copies (4 in a 40-card deck) because, obviously, they do not stack and every one you draw after the crucial one will likely not make a difference.

by Terroking

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4vc 4vc 4vc 4vc 4vc 4vc 4vc 4vc 4vc 4vc 4vc 4vc 4vg 4vg 4vg 4vg 4vn 4vn 4vn 4vn 592 592 592 592 595 595 595 595 595 595 5aa 5aa 5aa 5aa 5aa 5aa 5aa 5aa 5aa 5aa 8pj

The focal point of this deck is to AM or BB your opponent's dangerous creatures, all the while stocking up on , and then when you need it most, playing PA+Diss Field to nullify your opponent's damage entirely, and then press spacebar repeatedly until deckout occurs.

Since I was very impressed with the answers I received from my question, I have decided to make a new one to help me decide.
What, in your opinion, does earth have that other elements do not that makes it better?  What doesn't earth have that other elements do have?

Earth is the only element that has it's own max-hp increase (SoD does not belong to an element, although soon it will half-belong to Light) which allows it to defeat enemy OHKO or burst/Fire Bolt decks. SS is also the only healing card that increases with quanta acquired, so it takes skill to use properly. Earth also has the best rushing creature in the game with Graboid, and a very sturdy attacker in Steel Golem, neither of which other elements can match or the low cost. Earth's main weakness is it's lack of legitimate killing CC (Warden can be used for this but it's awkward and complicated, not simple like Fire Lance or Lightning. It's PC is in a similar state, with EQ not being useful on anything but Pillars/Pends, and Pulverizer requiring a specific duo, it's hard to get PC or hard CC when you need it. Because of this, Earth's main weaknesses are powerful shields (Dim, Diss, Wings) that nullify it's damage and creatures that do the same (Artctic Octopi, Otyugh).

[kirchj33]

Since I was very impressed with the answers I received from my question, I have decided to make a new one to help me decide.
What, in your opinion, does earth have that other elements do not that makes it better?  What doesn't earth have that other elements do have?

These are kind of silly questions, but I will answer them anyways.  I feel most experienced players can determine the answers to these questions quite easily.  Its how these differences are utilized as counters that helps set earth apart.

Earth, along with fire, may be the most flexible stall/rush element there is.  You never know what's gonna get ya!  Uber high HP in most creatures makes for a huge edge in battling CC as well.

Earth is EXTREMELY flexible, but has a couple of serious shortcomings that it needs to be careful of.  First, it has instant PC (like most elements).  In order to run a pulvy, there will always be a one turn delay, and will always require gravity.  As awesome as pulvy is, it also has some serious faults.  Most of earth's damage is non-airborne, meaning earth must bring a workaround for wings if they are to prepare properly, or take a chance of being completely shutdown.    It lacks PC that kills, although a long delayed stall is pretty awesome.  Lastly, earth's damage is all physical and a work around needs to be constructed for instant damage.  This can make shields very difficult to handle at times.

[ZephyrPhantom]

An odd time for a speech, you may think, but the tremors of an Earthquake strike repeatedly and with force to be reckoned with. My acheivements should speak for themselves - I'm a Card Designer, a Competition Organizer, a War #3 veteran, and an author of one of the largest storylines (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,20059.0.html) in the game (and growing). Although my luck has failed me at times, I've a pretty strong deckbuilder and PvPer, as shown by matches in the Beginner's League and War.

So, why do I value Earth? It's an Element that got me running within the whole world of elements that this forum has to offer - the Shrieker Rush was one of the first usable decks I made, and I refined it to grind T50 to a pretty darn good degree. Earth represents strength and fortitude - and the general aspect of strengthening yourself and the wide synergies are something I admire

As for being a Master, I'm good at organizing things and resolving disputes, as shown by some competitions. I'm always up for something new, and I'm looking forward possibly learning new things as a Master of , as well as by leading a War Team.

So thanks for your time, and consider your votes carefully before and after you post that next question.

[Mithcairion]

Since I was very impressed with the answers I received from my question, I have decided to make a new one to help me decide.
What, in your opinion, does earth have that other elements do not that makes it better? 

Well, first and foremost, it has Earthquake.  Obviously, Trident/Poseidon can have the same effect, but not without .  While some would argue that Devourers (with Fractal) or Discord is more powerful, neither have the ability to destroy quanta sources like Earthquake.  Also, Earth has the very best non-creature removing CC in the entire game.  While Earth's CC is a little more costly (2:earth) than the comparable Freeze (1:water), it keeps a creature immobilized for literally twice the length of time, thus freeing up card space in your deck.  Also, Earth has an extreme amount of versatility that is simply not found in many other elements, and especially not within monos.  People will point to Fire and claim that it can stall (and it can, even within a technical mono), but Earth literally needs no outside quanta or "Other" cards to do either effectively (and yes, obviously running a mark for Graboids helps, but even without that, you can still rush well, so ).

What doesn't earth have that other elements do have?

There are really only two things that Earth "lacks", but as balanced and powerful as Earth is, I wouldn't call them 'needs', per se.  First among them is an instant form of PC.  While we do have Pulverizer, it cannot work without and has a built-in delay as do all permanents/creatures.  The other thing that Earth lacks is a form of killing CC.  Again, I don't necessarily think that this is a bad thing, as what Earth does have is still quite good and balanced, but I could see something like this coming along down the pike as all the elements get more fleshed out.  The only other thing that Earth lacks are flying creatures other than our dragon.  While thematically, this makes loads of sense, it does allow us to be countered quite easily with Wings (unless properly planned for, of course).

[EvaRia]

Earth is, quite simply, an element that has nearly everything.

Solid control.
Extreme stalling capabilities.
Very powerful creatures.
A powerful form of denial.

But as we know, the vaults are limited. Especially with the other elements to cater to, your vault can only hold so much.

What areas in Earth would you prefer to focus on, and why?

[Terroking]

Earth is, quite simply, an element that has nearly everything.

Solid control.
Extreme stalling capabilities.
Very powerful creatures.
A powerful form of denial.

But as we know, the vaults are limited. Especially with the other elements to cater to, your vault can only hold so much.

What areas in Earth would you prefer to focus on, and why?

In War it is important to keep your Vault full of various tactics, stall, CC, denial, rush, so that you are not too predictable and your opponents cannot use a "one deck beats all" strategy against you. Earth's damage is all creature based, so it is important to stock up on Dragons, Golems, Graboids, and a few Antlions. BBs, EQ, Shields, Wardens, and SS are all great utility cards that you need, too. Due to the nature of most of Earth's cards it's easily countered by a few key shields, so getting decks with PC and alternative win conditions (Namely, Poison and The Immortal). All in all you are forced into taking more rush or rush-type decks than anything else because of how Earth's mechanics work, but that's why it's all the more important to include such a wide variety of decks.

[kirchj33]

Earth is, quite simply, an element that has nearly everything.

Solid control.
Extreme stalling capabilities.
Very powerful creatures.
A powerful form of denial.

But as we know, the vaults are limited. Especially with the other elements to cater to, your vault can only hold so much.

What areas in Earth would you prefer to focus on, and why?

I believe Earth should begin by planning to be around at the end of war and working backwards.  Meaning, the vault should first be build with skeletons of decks that will perform well vs. the fire's and entropy's etc. of the world and begin to plan against other opponents from there.  I believe planning for alternate win conditions, as Terro mentioned, will be need to be a higher priority than it has been in the past.  Earth stalls extremely efficiently, and I believe these stalls should be used as a surprise and a threat which forces opponents into certain uncomfortable decisions.  I believe the master should enter war's planning stages, already with several decks in mind for battling each element, and then merge those possibilities into one flexible vault.

[Mithcairion]

Earth is, quite simply, an element that has nearly everything.

Solid control.
Extreme stalling capabilities.
Very powerful creatures.
A powerful form of denial.

But as we know, the vaults are limited. Especially with the other elements to cater to, your vault can only hold so much.

What areas in Earth would you prefer to focus on, and why?

In a word, strength.  I want strong decks in my vault all throughout the War.  To this end, however, there are many different routes.  There is the route that only elements like Entropy and Fire can (at this point) truly take advantage of, which is the ability to utilize whatever cheap cards come their way through the course of War.  Being that Earth is not one of these elements, I want decks available in my vault that are (1) not easily countered by other teams, (2) if teams do try to counter them, they are then punished when they are wrong, (3) decks that have at least some flexibility, and (4) punish teams for taking known counters.  Having decks and cards that cater to these ends available to you early on in the event allows you to adjust to the ebb and flow of War.  This allows you to still have effective decks available to you even if you get off to a slow start and put incredible pressure on other teams should you excel in the early goings.

One caveat to all this.  We know War will continue to be revamped.  Upon seeing the next incarnation of War, my thoughts may be adjusted somewhat, so I would ask for understanding should I not back up what I say here when the chips are down.

[Mithcairion]

This question is for everyone, but most especially kirch.  Real life happens for everyone, and I know that you just got engaged (Congratulations again!).  However, planning a wedding takes a good deal of time and energy.  Should you become Master, would you have the time for War?  We have all seen what happens when a Master decides/is forced to leave mid-War.  This question can obviously be applied to anyone, minus the engagement part.

[ZephyrPhantom]

Earth is, quite simply, an element that has nearly everything.

Solid control.
Extreme stalling capabilities.
Very powerful creatures.
A powerful form of denial.

But as we know, the vaults are limited. Especially with the other elements to cater to, your vault can only hold so much.

What areas in Earth would you prefer to focus on, and why?

Currently, I believe it would be wisest to focus on a few key decks that would be able to fulfill different roles at the late game in war, when teams are likely to run low on cards as a general strategy. These decks should be prioritized, but it's important to see that the cards used for these decks can be "shifted" over to other decks, to keep deckbuilding flexible and avoid suicide situations.

For strategy specific to Earth, as the others have stated, Earth relies often direct damage from creatures. It's CC is somewhat weaker than other elements (putting creatures in a delayed state, rather than wiping them off the board). Earth also has some various stall cards (Earthquake, Vanadium Warden, and Stone Skin) that can be exploited much better in a duo.  So I would focus on decks that take advantage of Earth's strengths (rushes for damage and stalls for denial power), but I would also focus on decks that cover for Earth's weaker areas (usually involves using other Elements and alternative win conditions as Terroking mentioned - for example Earth alone isn't very good with dealing with a mass poison or Fractal deck - healing from areas like and could be added in to counter this and make the deck's focus decking the opponent out.)

This question is for everyone, but most especially kirch.  Real life happens for everyone, and I know that you just got engaged (Congratulations again!).  However, planning a wedding takes a good deal of time and energy.  Should you become Master, would you have the time for War?  We have all seen what happens when a Master decides/is forced to leave mid-War.  This question can obviously be applied to anyone, minus the engagement part.

If it's for everyone, fair game I suppose.
Would I have the time for War if something like this happened? Maybe. Real life is something that is difficult to predict, so there will be different factors to work around when different things happen (some things you cannot work around at all, and that's when you have to leave.)

However, as a wise person once said, "Finish what you start." f I had no choice but to leave the forums, I'd try to at least stay in contact with the team and keep an eye on how everything's going.

[kirchj33]

This question is for everyone, but most especially kirch.  Real life happens for everyone, and I know that you just got engaged (Congratulations again!).  However, planning a wedding takes a good deal of time and energy.  Should you become Master, would you have the time for War?  We have all seen what happens when a Master decides/is forced to leave mid-War.  This question can obviously be applied to anyone, minus the engagement part.

Not a problem at all.  I've been engaged for over a month now and won't get married until next September (over a year from now).  I don't plan on going anywhere and she is handling most of the planning.  I've recently become MORE involved with elements, if anything, and I love ETG!

[Onizuka]

Kirch is engaged to Elements