[Official] Abomination | Micro Abomination

[Helston]

First of all, let me declare I've got a bit of a vested interest in the Abomination, if you'll look to the image on the left of this post.

Now to the important content:
As a card, Abomination isn't unbalanced. It sees some use as a mid-range attacker, and is useful to the decks that have it. However, of the mid-range attackers it is undoubtedly one of the weakest and unused ones, despite the benefits of having a very healthy 5HP. It definitely isn't in need of an overhaul, but a small buff would be very welcome.

I'll go through the ideas in the order they're introduced.

• Aflatoxin passive/skill/poison. While malignant cells can in theory deal a whole lot of damage, a field full of 1/1 creatures isn't very intimidating no matter which way you cut it. Although it is designed to allow for mutation fodder, this would be a rather slow process and unwieldy process when photons could be used instead. What's more, unupgraded mutation has the 50% chance to turn the creature into an Abomination, at which point you're back at square one.
  As far as semivanilla abilities go, it seems far too specific to be considered a good buff. It requires a very specific type of deck to be useful, which is simply a buff of the deck rather than the card itself.
• Mutant passive. I really like this idea. It has in-element synergies with Mutation and unupgraded Pandemonium (on rare occasions), off-element synergies with aether, and gives an 85% chance to have a mutation skill if you double-mutate something, the other 15% being death.
  

  I hope everyone remember the effect of Mutation:
  

  Mutate the target creature into an Abomination, unless it dies... Or turn into something weird.

  Abomination chance: 50%
  Mutant chance: 40%
  Die chance: 10%
  
  If you decide to make an Abomination into an innate mutant (thus giving it random skill), then chance to get skill = 90%.
  Among them are Devour, Paradox, Growth, Steal, Destroy, Endow, and many useful skills, and costs . Which makes it mono.
  
  OP or not? Decide yourself.
  

  The 50% abomination chance would have to give a 5/5 Abomination as though it had been played from your hand. Definitely my favourite suggestion so far.
• -1 Casting cost. This would also work well, and make Abominations much more viable and attractive for all decks using Entropy quanta. It would probably raise its from a weak mid-range attacker to a good mid-range attacker, without the need to buff Mutation. I like it.
• Random attack/HP. There are a few problems with this one, and I don't believe this should be implemented. It would be an unneeded complication to a simple card.
  First of all, and most importantly, this isn't actually a buff. On average the abominations will remain at 5/5 and nothing will change. Occasionally a match will be won because they're slightly more durable or can deal more damage, and occasionally a match will be lost because they're slightly less durable or deal less damage.
  
  Secondly, while it slightly increases the attack of the Micro Abomination and somewhat decreases the HP, this is actually a nerf. Micro Abomination is one of the better cards to be targeted with Butterfly Effect because it is both on-element and has a relatively high HP. If the HP is reduced, or more importantly the attack increased to three or more, even occasionally, some of that synergy will be lost which is definitely a downside.
  
  Finally, as OldTrees mentioned, "entropy" is not synonymous with "random". Some of entropy's effects are somewhat random, but it alone does not define the element. Simply making something random does not mean it fits into entropy any more or less than it otherwise would, which can be seen by the fact that two thirds of entropy's standalone cards (excluding pillars, nymph and mark) are in no way random. Having a 5|5 creature isn't any less entropy-like than water having a 3|3 is water-like, fire having a 2|1 is fire-like or so on.

[TheAccuso]

if you really want a creature to compense mutation process, it can be like "THIS CREATURE HAVE A 40% TO CREATE 1 COPY OF ITSELF"(naturally the copy'll be a vanilla monster.

[OldTrees]

@Alchemist

Good analysis. I do not share your bleak outlook about the upcoming shard influenced meta. Healthy mono rushes are the primary balancing factor against the anti stall cards that are being added. Abomination's (unupped) niche is in that category but it is inefficient. Making it efficient would let it contribute to stabilizing the effects of the anti stall shards.

[Drake_XIV]

For the Mutant idea, since it's part of the creature, I'd drop the chances of dying and turning back into an Abomination and make the creation of a mutant 100%.  Then again, this is still all talk...  And no poll to actually weigh opinions...

[Alchemist]

I added the poll now, and you might see that idea of malignant cell passive (my "sick" idea) is not an option to vote. Honestly, I liked some of your ideas even more. You will see only 4 options, I've intentionally left one blank place, since there's one thing that still needs mentioning. 3rd buff I was thinking of posting at poll would be N|N idea posted by Arum. But if we drop Malignant Cell idea, and leave Abomination only with 4-6 random, we haven't actually buffed him - as Helston also mentioned - btw, thanks for good analysis and clear arguments. It keeps him 5|5 average. So buff No#3 could be either random Atk|Hp in range 4-7 (open for discussion), or - some OTHER new idea. I choose not to post any buff idea without good discussion and enough approval. So for now, I will still leave one place open.

[ARTHANASIOS]

I think Abomination is fine as it is. 5 for a 5/5 vanilla creature, not good but not bad either. Abominations were never meant to be played as cards out of mono- decks; they are meant to be created via Mutation, so their stats/cost are fine by me.

[Alchemist]

I think Abomination is fine as it is. 5 for a 5/5 vanilla creature, not good but not bad either. Abominations were never meant to be played as cards out of mono- decks; they are meant to be created via Mutation, so their stats/cost are fine by me.

Why would someone mono entropy if there are much better mono decks like darkness and fire?  And where is the purpose of Abomination in game than? Reason for idea to buff it didn't came from it's "unbalancedness" rather from it being useless. If you read other posts and discussions you will see that nobody disagrees that it "looks" like a good card, but besides looking at it, nobody actually plays it anymore.

[ARTHANASIOS]

I think Abomination is fine as it is. 5 for a 5/5 vanilla creature, not good but not bad either. Abominations were never meant to be played as cards out of mono- decks; they are meant to be created via Mutation, so their stats/cost are fine by me.

Why would someone mono entropy if there are much better mono decks like darkness and fire?  And where is the purpose of Abomination in game than? Reason for idea to buff it didn't came from it's "unbalancedness" rather from it being useless. If you read other posts and discussions you will see that nobody disagrees that it "looks" like a good card, but besides looking at it, nobody actually plays it anymore.

 Sometimes you create and play with the deck mostly because it is fun rather than because it is powerful. Entropy is fun, no one denies this. If we consider playing only powerful decks, then better upgrade our shards and weapons and every other card we need to farm Gold/Platinum/FalseGods and screw the rest deck/cards. This card is not as bad as many people claim it is, they just have forgotten when they were noobies playing versus PvP1, level 2 AI and level 3 AI. Back then, cards like this were useful, because you hadn't the cash. Some cards are for early gameplay (like dagger) some others for later gameplay (upped shards). Play with Skeletons, Blue Crawlers, Daggers or Abominations for the fun of it in PvP1 or wherever...
 By the way, mono-entropy isn't so bad. It makes much easier to play cards like Purple Dragons and Antimmater, it makes unupped Dissipation Shield more durable and you may add a few to play Fallen Elves/Druids or whatever. And as I said before, Abominations were meant to be created with Mutation rather than putting them into your deck.

[Drake_XIV]

Keep the stat and malignant cell ideas separate then.  Add both options to the poll.

[furballdn]

Unupped should get -1 cost? No. It's a 5|5 creature (very decent stats) for 5 cost. 1 cost per attack along with pretty beefy defense.

[OldTrees]

Unupped should get -1 cost? No. It's a 5|5 creature (very decent stats) for 5 cost. 1 cost per attack along with pretty beefy defense.

I does not have a 5 cost. It has a 5quanta+1card cost. At low casting costs we have cards that have (attack = quanta cost + 1) at high casting costs we have (attack = quanta cost).

Consider Mummy: 5|3 + a weak passive for 4quanta + 1 card.

[Drake_XIV]

But Abomination has the additional 2 HP on Mummy's 3.  That's where the cost is going to...