9th Trials - Phase 3: Community Vote

[Zawadx]

Phase 3 - Community Vote

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 as THE representative for their element.  If you do not have any preference for who should be Master, or cannot decide between the candidates, please select the "None Worthy" option. 

To help you make the best decision possible, feel free to ask the candidates questions.  Both challengers and defending Masters ought to answer the questions in this thread to help the voters make the best possible choice.  Please put all your answers in a single post (employing spoiler tags is recommended).  Also, challengers should include in that post a link to your Phase 1 submission post.


Questions and answers may begin now that this topic is posted.
Voting will begin when the polls are up at the official start of Phase 3.
Phase 3 ends when poll expires.

[mathman101]

Prelude:
Phase 1 Tasks Here
Phase 2 Decks and Score Here


Phase 3 Questions & Answers:

Spoiler for Answers Here:

Spoiler for Life Trialist Questions:

Spoiler for ji412jo:

RootRanger, possibly next Grandmaster, totally ignores life to be an element.

How do you feel about that?
Why do you think he does?
How could you prove him wrong?

It is understandable why he might think that as Life on average has not done too terribly well in war, and is not used too terribly much in many other PvP events due to most of the other elements being stronger. But it does not mean to disregard it completely as Life can still do well as a dou or pairing with other elements.
One way to look at it is that Life may not be The superhero saving everybody, but it can be seen as the sidekick still doing more then the average joe on the street. Without Life in the game, I believe would be a large impact and could change the meta more then most people would think.
The best way to prove him wrong would be to have Life win war, but a more realistic way to start would be to show the power of Life by having Life decks win more smaller PvP events and then head for the Grand Poo-bah (War).

Spoiler for willng3:

It is by no means an unpopular opinion within the community that is weak or underpowered. I would like to see one of two answers depending on whether or not each of you agrees/disagrees with this opinion.


Option #1: If you disagree with the notion that is weak/underpowered, how do you justify your position in light of the fact that has managed to place last the most times in War, as seen here?


Option #2: If you agree with the notion that is weak/underpowered, can you defend your position by explaining to the community why this should not reflect badly on your qualifications as a Master?

I'm not entirely sure I can agree or disagree as I feel that is circumstantial to the occurrence of the event of match-up that Life is in (PvP, balancing, theoretical, or other).

Some may say that Life is weak, yes, but every element has some weakness as there is no one element that can beat everything otherwise we would not see so much variety in weekely tourneys and PvP events. Life's weakness may be more obvious then the other elements, but to say that Life is 'the weakest' is the same as to say that the sky is purple on Thursdays and green on Tuesdays(i.e. possible, but very rarely).

To contrast with that statement, I am not trying to say that Life is not weak, as it definitely has some weaknesses. However by becoming Master it would be my duty to find those weaknesses and find ways to fix them by building combos or decks that highlight the weakness with a strength, or find new suggestions which could help lessen the amount of weakness within the element, teach or explain to others why to choose Life in their next event and what other elemental weaknesses it can beat.

Spoiler for theelkspeaks:

Assuming you and all your teammates had full Basic Editions, how many upgrades would you want each War deck to have in order to maximize Life's performance?

That is hard to say, as there is no known ratio of upgraded life cards to an equal upgraded x-element cards that could produce a higher winrate then the current amount of upgraded cards. For this reason I think that the 6/9/12 amounts are plenty good for now and that the best way to improve Life war decks is activity, mindgating, and a cheerful attitude!

Spoiler for Frozengaia:

To mathman:
Dawn beat you last trials. Will you win this trials?

To dawn:
Will you elope like you did last war?

I would like to, but there is no guarantee when it comes down to luck of mindgating, RNG, and my ability to build good decks. However this time I will take extra time to build decks so that I may read the rules carefully, and if possible get some of them doouble checked by TrOs for legality before heading into the final match.

Spoiler for Helston:

Suppose the Phase 3 rules allow for one free ban of an in-element card for your opponent. Assuming that neither of you have any Green Nymphs, what do you ban and why? (Yes this question might disadvantage you in phase 3, but the game's meta is old enough it shouldn't matter)

Your war team has a round 1 match Aether. They have 12 upgrades and you have 6. What deck do you bring and why? Do not make any assumptions about who is in either team or what other elements each team is facing.

If there was 1 free in-element ban I would probably choose adrenaline, as it could help to slow down some speedier decks, and I could plan to play with more healing based decks.

For a war match vs Aether a deck that is brought would need to counter speed (fractals), and stalling (Lobos and Dim Shields), so something similar to a deck Life brought War 8 Round 1 to counter Aether should work with minor modifications.

Spoiler for Corri:

To all: Who was the greatest Master of Life? Why? What can a Life team make better next war? Pls build your dream team (5 player allowed and ALL player are allowed to choose). What element is the hardest one to play against with Life? Why?

I would say that willng3 was the greatest as he was able to hold the position of Master of Life for 3 terms. Also he held the Master position during some of the terms that new cards were being introduced and the change in the game meta was occurring. To make a better Life team, there would just have to be some better mindgates and some better deckbuilding among the team.
A dream team for me would include not just good PvP players but more players who are enthusiastic about playing PvP matches for war, and those that are willing to put in the time and effort needed to do well. Choosing players who enjoy Life based decks would also help this.
I feel that the hardest element for Life to play against is Fire, because Fire has PC and lots of lots of CC. Fire Shield > Adrenaline, Rain of Fire > most Life creatures (Rustler, Frogs, Early Spirit), and Rage Potion > the remaining creatures. Deflag > SoG, Ebonds, Druidic Staff.

Spoiler for CCCombobreaker:

Does the vault feel emptier with no thorn carapaces or no emerald shields?

Yes, Shields are very important to any war team and deck balancing becomes tricky when having to deal solely with off-element shields. Emerald Shields are great to have for potential OTK decks with UGs, Bolts, or even for Psion decks. Thorn Carapace decks are a bit trickier, but are still just as important, as they can help stop decks like RoL hope, Scarab decks, and can help slow or stop damage when stalling.

Spoiler for Every Trialist Questions:

Spoiler for willng3:

What element do you hate the most and why?

That is a hard question, as I do not 'hate' any element. I thoroughly dislike playing against fire with life due to all the potential for PC, CC both individual targeting and AoE.

Spoiler for Higurashi:

What does your element represent and mean to you outside of the gameplay? What has it done for you, and what would you do for it as a Master?

To me life represents everything around me in my everyday life. From the laughter of my coworkers and family members, to the smells of the fresh cut lawn and flowers in my yard. Life is what makes a person want to get up in the morning and go do something other then just stay in bed and sleep all day.

Life has helped me gain a better understanding of my place in the world and in society, it has helped me gain a more positive attitude to the work that I do and the amount of time I should spend with my family and friends both online and offline. As a Master I believe it is not what can I do for Life, but what does it need from me. If players (new or old) need advice on Life's strategies or tactics, I would have to share what knowledge I have of it. If Events like War or Brawl are in need of a Leader of Life, then I would lead a team for Life.

Spoiler for trashduke:

If you win Trials, will you lead your team into the upcoming war?

If not, please explain why.

If so, please describe your leadership style and how you will organize and motivate your team members.

Yes I would enjoy the opportunity to lead Life in the upcoming war. This will be my 4th war that I have participated in on team Life and I believe I can bring much knowledge and leadership to the team.

My main Leadership strategies would be something similar to those that have preceded me and similar to that of how I have helped with team Life the past 2 wars. I would find ways to mindgate and take all suggestions from each team members. Building decks would be a responsibility of everyone, and we would all work together to test and try different decks and deck strategies. Mainly as long as my team can try to be active or relatively, I think we can all do great things and have fun this war.

Spoiler for dragonsdemesne:

If your element has never won a war, why do you think that is?  (underpowered elements, bad generals/team, bad rng, etc)

If your element has won a war, what makes you think YOU can do it again?

Life has never won a war, the best it has done has been 3rd place. I feel that Life has many good things about it, but that sometimes bad luck, bad mindgating, and bad deckbuilding have payed into some of the major turning point losses that Life has had.

Spoiler for dawn to dusk:

brawl, where do you stand on it and do you think you will be able to be a brawl boss?

I think that it is good to have the Masters represent their elements in brawl, and that I would like to participate in brawl myself. I would hope that I have the leadership needed to lead a brawl team, but as this would be my first brawl I can only hope, and ask for assistance form members who have already participated in brawl.

Spoiler for Naesala:

brawl, where do you stand on it and do you think you will be able to be a brawl boss?

Good question, might I add: Do you think masters should represent their elements in Brawl?

I think that because there is some non-PvP components in trials (Phase 1), that the Masters should try and represent their elements during Brawl. If Trials was completely PvP based and had no non-PvP parts then I would say that there would be no reason for each of the Masters to represent their elements in something non-PvP based.

13/13 Questions Answered.


My apologies for the slow input of answers so close to the deadline. All answers are now completed as far as I can see. I will be asleep for the next 6-7 hours, but will try if possible to wake up early enough to double check for last minute questions before the timer ends.

[dawn to dusk]

I'm back... apparently

Spoiler for Answers:

Spoiler for willng3:

i would be inclined to say it is not UP, but has potential to be more. while it is true that life doesnt place that well in war, it has had a few good streaks (see R1 W8 and 3rd place W3). these arent enough to be considered much of a test base however...
there is also the thing that there are few who support life. last war, i tried to build my team based on who liked life as an element, as they would have a good chance of knowing the element and being able to make decks with it. however, with the bad streaks, the number of life supporters are diminishing quickly, to the extent where there are only a handful on the forums. if these numbers were to rise, im not saying that life would get 1st place (though the aspirations are high), but it would at least be able to break a losing streak, and hopefully get at least 8th or above. it should be said, that im not saying that any player is bad, but it helps a ton if all players are able to specialise with life as a element, noting its strengths and weaknesses, and has tested with different decks as to how to overcome these (or maybe thats just me)...
sorry for rambling

Spoiler for ji412jo:

1. I can understand where he is coming from, seeing the bad streak in war, but it doesnt mean i am any less defensive about it ^^
2. As i said, life hasnt had a good streak in war. the amount of hardcounters life has (wings, dims, CC, etc), may also be a part in this.
3. 1st, id see if he puts ANY life cards into his next war vault (mainly curiosity, but still viable), then i would hope to get a few wins off team fire in war, enough to notice us as a threat. but those are wishes...

Spoiler for theelkspeaks:

the 12-9-6 from last war was decent, since it allowed for the soldiers to have 6 upgrades. probably that, yeah. the 6 elements for soldiers are invaluable for life, since it gains such a benefit for its creatures. and the added upgrades only help with its rush potential. that being said, if there are too many upgrades, other elements may gain the upper hand and we dont want that now do we?

Spoiler for Frozengaia:

I hope not
i learned a lot from last war, and even though im still a war nub, i am slowly getting better :3

Spoiler for willng3 Q2:

What element do you hate the most and why?

Hate elements? lolno. i only hate cards *cough RT cough* i have favoured elements ( being top 3), but other than that they even out to the point where i dont even have a least favoured element...

Spoiler for trashduke:

If you win Trials, will you lead your team into the upcoming war?

If not, please explain why.

If so, please describe your leadership style and how you will organize and motivate your team members.

i will lead in war
my organisation of my team will be like last war where i will give priority to those who choose life as a favourite element. then life as a second favourite, then third and so on.
my leadership style is basically "haha im not a good leader so im going to be incredibly nervous when giving orders, so instead give suggestions"
my brawl team can confirm this

regarding motivation, hope gives motivation so i will try to plant seeds of hope in each of them and see where that leads me

Spoiler for dragonsdemesne:

If your element has never won a war, why do you think that is?  (underpowered elements, bad generals/team, bad rng, etc)

If your element has won a war, what makes you think YOU can do it again?

we have never won a war. why do i think that is? it has too many counters. if i become a general again, or even a soldier for life, i will try to limit these counters while still providing the strong decks that life can have

Spoiler for Helston:

for a free ban, assuming i can ban whatever i like, i would like to go maybe heal. heal is a tough card to go without considering how useful it is. most people would say something like 'horned frog' so it gets a main attacker out of the way, but life has other creatures that can replace it (cockatrice for example). there isnt a definite replacement for heal without using adrenastaves which doesnt use heal anyway.

about going against aether, i went against aether last time in round 1 (it was us with the 12 upgrades though) and pulled off the win there, maybe something similar to that. forest scorpions can be very decent vs aether and i would bring both shields in order to maximize the chance of being able to counter something

Spoiler for Corri:

the greatest master of life was me ofc (totally not lol id give it to either wizzlesnarf who got 3rd in war 3 with life or will who is 3 time master)
and for war teams, choosing whoever i wanted, id go for anyone who likes life as an element. that should be enough regarding the entire community

Spoiler for CCCombobreaker:

it does, yes. whether they are too expensive or what, they both have their merits and it is kinda empty without them.

Spoiler for Naesala:

brawl, where do you stand on it and do you think you will be able to be a brawl boss?

Good question, might I add: Do you think masters should represent their elements in Brawl?

i know i will be a boss, to answer my own question. but regarding other masters, i think they can if they want to, and i like it when they do, but as a requirement i would have to say no. some people dont participate in war but still like holding their title. if people want to spread the influence of their element, then go for it. otherwise, they shouldnt have to if they dont want to i guess. but brownie points goes to those who do like it ofc

Spoiler for Higurashi:

What does your element represent and mean to you outside of the gameplay? What has it done for you, and what would you do for it as a Master?

this question isnt fair to ask someone in life. what does life mean to me? do i like my life? so many questions that i dont fully know the answer to. i mean, it represents me still living as a generalised term. but i guess it represents waking up every day, seeing people i hold dear to me, knowing that they are healthy and that i mean something to them. although the number of said people has dropped considerably recently (for reasons), that number is still there. and as long as that number is there i will be relatively happy with my life.
for me, life has drawn me to these people, allowing me to talk to them and call them friends. whether they be here or irl. and, as impossible as it is, i would like to draw more people to life as an element. pick it up from the scraps that it currently is and give it new hope.

and there goes the ramblings of a crazy person

note: i shortened this answer considerably since it would have taken too long unfortunately. i would have gone on more about hope and stuff had i been able to

[MyNameIsJoey]

RootRanger, possibly next Grandmaster, totally ignores life to be an element.

How do you feel about that?
Why do you think he does?
How could you prove him wrong?

[willng3]

It is by no means an unpopular opinion within the community that is weak or underpowered. I would like to see one of two answers depending on whether or not each of you agrees/disagrees with this opinion.


Option #1: If you disagree with the notion that is weak/underpowered, how do you justify your position in light of the fact that has managed to place last the most times in War, as seen here?


Option #2: If you agree with the notion that is weak/underpowered, can you defend your position by explaining to the community why this should not reflect badly on your qualifications as a Master?

[theelkspeaks]

Assuming you and all your teammates had full Basic Editions, how many upgrades would you want each War deck to have in order to maximize Life's performance?

[Espithel]

To mathman:
Dawn beat you last trials. Will you win this trials?

To dawn:
Will you elope like you did last war?

[Helston]

Suppose the Phase 3 rules allow for one free ban of an in-element card for your opponent. Assuming that neither of you have any Green Nymphs, what do you ban and why? (Yes this question might disadvantage you in phase 3, but the game's meta is old enough it shouldn't matter)

Your war team has a round 1 match Aether. They have 12 upgrades and you have 6. What deck do you bring and why? Do not make any assumptions about who is in either team or what other elements each team is facing.

[Corri]

To all: Who was the greatest Master of Life? Why? What can a Life team make better next war? Pls build your dream team (5 player allowed and ALL player are allowed to choose). What element is the hardest one to play against with Life? Why?

[CCCombobreaker]

Does the vault feel emptier with no thorn carapaces or no emerald shields?

[dawn to dusk]

answered all questions up to this point in time. i will be unable to answer any further questions and i will be afk until the 17th

kthxbye

(also good luck to all trialists in phase 3. and phase 4 as well depending on how smoothly it goes)