Dimensional Shield | Phase Shield

[icybraker]

Global Moderator Comment

modified to use the card tag instead of the img tag

[Kamietsu]

Mostly every single rainbow deck is next to useless without these. I hope a nerf isn't in the works for it. I'd really have to rethink my strategy hardcore then.

[Avenger]

Bone walls are usually work better, depending on opponent creature count.

[Kamietsu]

Bone walls are usually work better, depending on opponent creature count.

3 opponent creatures is I say when you should use this instead of a bonewall. 3 creatures attacking for three turns is 9, eliminating bone wall. 2 creatures only make it to 6.

[Cambadillac]

I think this is the best shield in the game because:

-It does the best job of preventing damage
-because it last only 3 turns, it is OK to add more than 2 (i have 5 in my pvp deck, thats 15 turns of no damage) in a deck which means there is a higher chance to get one early.  Other shields are bad to have more than a few of because once you have it on, the duplicates in the deck are pretty much a waste of a card slot (unless it gets defraged or so but still).
-It is a predictable shield- unlike dusk and some others with a random effect, i dont like relying on randomness.
-if it is stolen, you wont be completely crippled because it will no last them long.

best shield period.

[icybraker]

Very arguable.

-"it does the best job of preventing damage." very arguable. With 1 protected Fire Buckler, one can completely shut down a deck based around Lava Golems. However, even if you continually chain Phase Shields (or even protect them), you'll probably run out of time and get killed. The same may apply for Gravity Shields; who cares if the opponent is chaining Abyss Crawlers if not one of them can hit you? Additionally, a bucketful of Quantum Towers and a Dim Shield can deflect damage for a very, very long time. Bonewall can often prevent damage just as well as Phase Shield can, even better in many cases. Plus, Bonewall can be synergized with many other cards and strategies, while Phase Shield is just there to buy you time and stop damage. i'm not saying it's not useful; it just doesn't have as much synergy.

-your second example is valid; it's one of the reasons Phase Shield is awesome.

-Dusk shield and Fog Shield are not good shields. They're weak.

-Your third example is also valid. But the Bonewall is even better - deflags only take off 1 layer, and so do Steals.

All in all, a very nice, reliable shield that can be a game-changer. However, many other alternatives exist with varied functions that are also very useful. This and Bonewall are surely 2 of the top shields in the game.

[Cambadillac]

icybreaker.

I know about bonewalls, steals and defrags.  About being defraged etc, yes bonewall has the upper hand.

Bonewalls require ammunition, if you want to think of it that way, which mean that a deck must include creature control (basically creature damage) to be useful.  I use to run bonewalls in my FG farmer.  Post 1.17, it was lacking in the protection department because it relied on FStorm timing and oty placement.  That led to many losses and made FGs very hard.  Since then i completely removed bonewalls (believe it or not) and added 4 EXTREMELY useful Phase shields.  Now my FG farmer is very, very successful. I also took out all the sundials.

In my 30 card pvp deck (flying titans for the curious)  I stall with 5 phase shield (what ever the upped one is called).  5 of those is 15 turns of safeness.
7 cards are drawn on turn 1, that leaves 23 cards left (basically 23 turns)
23 minus 15 = 8 (asumming one of the PS is not in the last 8 cards)
i have rarely made it to 8 cards left.  I either win or lose by then.  The win or lose point is usually around when 15-12 cards are left.  that means that most of the time i play, there is a phase shield protecting me (most of the time .

There are many uses for both bonewall and PS.  i like both and understand your points. 

[icybraker]

"Bonewalls require ammunition, if you want to think of it that way..." true. This can be both an advantage and a disadvantage, of course. You nicely point out the disadvantages of it requiring additional cards to use, which is quite true. Of course, if there is only 1 really powerful creature on the field, popping in a Bonewall can still be useful. If i have a spare bonewall in my hand, I usually use it to spare myself 2-3 turns of attack in the earlygame, because shielding 7 hits is still pretty impressive even if it isn't "fueled" by ammunition.

The main reason I only have 1 Phase Shield in my FG farmer is because I also have 2 Quintessences. I guess the Phase Shield is going to be used more now, after the Dial nerf, but with the introduction of Quintessence I've had to sacrifice it in order to balance. I have 2 Bonewalls, 1 Fire Buckler (mostly for Divine Glory), and 1 Phase Shield as my primary shields. I'm also considering Permafrost, but I already have a Ulitharid in the water slot, am considering an Octopus, and want to keep my deck small.

[Cambadillac]

yeah, now that shields affect immortals i am considering adding a permafrost too- just to slow down divine and eldnis with immortal spirits.

[icybraker]

good choice. Once I get enough money i'll compare the efficiency of Ulitharid, Octopus, and Permafrost in terms of primary water card for Rainbow decks.

[Lanidrak]

I've long since doubted the use of a Ulitharid in a FG farming deck... Otyugh can already remove an opponents creature from play (it's abilities included). The only nominal use for an Ulitharid is to stop growing creatures or alternatively, if you use Improved Mutate/Mutate to deal with growing creatures, and in the off chance that the creature mutates into something with an ability like 'Steal' or 'Destroy' then Ulitharid comes into use.

As for getting back on topic and the debate between Bone-Wall and Phase-Shield.. They are both, equally the best shields in the game - in terms of avoiding damage. The true strength comes from when a Rainbow Deck uses both of them (as almost every FG deck does). I save my Bone-Walls for late-game, ideally when I have a quintessence'd Otyugh in play and 2 Fire Storms in my hand. My record has been 62 Charges on my Bone-Wall. Fire Storm'd Morte twice and then he Plagued my Skeleton Force a couple times .

But the Phase Shield, as pointed out, is like a 3 turn sundial with no card-drawing-ability. Absolutely crucial for stalling and letting your opponent/AI draw out his creatures before you strike!

[ddviper001]

one of the best shields in the game up with bonewall procrastination permafrost and dusk