[VOTING] [Tiebreaker] FG Competition : Renaissance

[ZephyrPhantom]

Voting : FG Competition : Renaissance

Original Idea by Zblader |  Art from Kamietsu, Fallower and eyerouge, heavily modified by Zblader

Today will be the foundation of something significant.
The opinions of many judge you today.



Create a False God competition with the theme : Renaissance

Tiebreaker Polls Up!

When voting, be sure to consider the following :
1. How well does this False God fit the given theme?
2. Is this False God a good contribution to the game?
(If you want to play against a False God, copy it's code to Elements Trainer using the Import button and FG mode.

Best of luck to all participants.

Spoiler for 6:

Paranoia

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7go 7go 7go 7go 7gp 7gp 7gv 7gv 7gv 808 808 808 808 808 808 808 808 808 808 808 808 808 80i 80i 80i 80i 80k 80k 80k 80k 80k 80k 80l 80l 80l 80l 80l 80l 81q 81q 8pp

Blanks are Psions.

Oh, the thought of a creature capable of hurting you through your mind. Slowly tearing through your soul while disabling you. And look, it swims, too!

On the coasts of the land of the elementals, the atmosphere suddenly changed. No rain, no tidal waves, but the elementals have a heavy feeling around the area. So heavy it drives some insane. So heavy some of them die. It's as if someone - or something - was feeding on their sanity. But instead of running away, they are drawn even closer to the sea. More and more elementals go near. Some even jump to the water, never to be seen again. Who has the ability to do this? Are you willing to face it? This is not someone you should fight with strength alone, for it can toy with your mind. Drawing the very roots of your fear and heightening it to the point of silencing even the bravest of heroes. Shooting bolts of lightning mysteriously invisible from afar - or maybe visible only to those who have been driven insane. Are the bolts real, or are these only contained in the minds of those driven insane by this creature? Is your mind strong enough to face him? Be careful - none of those who survived him can even talk with sense. Some of them can't even talk. Am I even making sense? Are you really reading something, or are you stuck in the illusions of this creature?

Hey hey it's Ulitharid! A large one. 
See, Psions give a new air in the game. It gives a slight buff to poor Reflective Shield and (those life shields ). It would be nice if I included Shards of Wisdom and Immortals, but Immateriality is a part that Lionheart already "owns", so no quints for him. And if there are no quints, he can only cast it on immortals. *pokes Elidnis*. This would also make it too Aether-ish. More love for wadurr! Silence is a relatively new card. (Meh. What am I walking about? It's older than me at elements.) No FG uses it, and I thought it would be good if it will be used now. I think it would be ideal if all common upgraded cards could be farmed off from FG's, for metagame reasons that would be a little too huge and off-topic.

Spoiler for 9:

Luce

by Shrink

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7jo 7jo 7jo 7jo 7jo 7jp 7jp 7jp 7jp 7jp 7jp 7jq 7jq 7jq 7js 7js 7js 7js 7js 7js 7ju 7ju 7ju 7ju 7ju 7ju 7k2 7k2 7k4 7k4 7kc 7kc 7tg 7tg 7tg 7tg 7tg 7tg 7ti 7ti 8pt

Spoiler for a story:

The Renaissance, known as a time when light spilled out of darkness, brought forth a change in its era. Darkness shrouded the community, but light slowly begin to gain forces and strength behind it. From the heavens came angels while their leaders, their queens, their nymphs watched over. Out from the shroud they came holding darkness in its grasp, using it against its own purpose. Choked with the lights and holiness of the heavens, fierce dragons flew from the sky. Their power was so ever great and impressive. Darkness looked up to see what they helped create. As these massive creatures flew down, they prepared to land, only to finally crush darkness into the ground. Pushed down so hard for so long, it was a miracle what light had done. With surprising forces and strength, light proved itself as an ever greater power.

Spoiler for an explanation:

This deck stands as a war between light and darkness on only one side of the battlefield. The concept in itself is unique in the way that it is as if two battles are going on at the same time. Despite the fact that dolls are not hit by the AI's own Holy Lights [which needs to be changed soon], the deck proves itself a controller of darkness as stated in the story. The angels are the attacking power while light quanta accumulates behind the cloak(s). To make sure the quanta is building without taking too much damage, Hope gives protection with great power from the nymphs, RoLs, and Dolls. If the extra quanta is needed to survive, the miracle ensues

If dolls were used as I wish they were, the archangels could work off the holy flashes with them to create a more powerful deck, but the thematic idea of light choking out darkness still remains. The Renaissance's true meaning, rebirth, is so clearly defined through this deck in the idea that light is overcoming past times when darkness was the greater presence.

Spoiler for 15:

Selene

by TheonlyrealBeef

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778 778 77i 7ai 7aj 7am 7am 7ap 7ap 7ap 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t9 7ta 7tb 7tf 7tf 7tf 7tf 7tf 7tf 8pn

Spoiler for background story (302):

Gargoyles are plain statues during sunlight, creatures during the night. Carved from stone by an unknown sculptor these statues have been animated to roam the moonlit skies. Dangerous, resilient and powerful they serve their creator without question.

Untold spells have brought a whole new level of life to some Gargoyles, allowing them to multiply out of thin air. Once innocent statues from parapets throughout long forgotten ruins, now animated with renewed purpose, strength and will. Though even these Gargoyles are limited by the sun.

Together with the fall of night, Selene roams through the elemental realm, awakening the long slumbering Gargoyles in its wake. No longer are they restrained by their innate weakness to sunlight. Darting through the skies, liberated and euphoric they pledge their allegiance with Selene. In return for their loyal service they are granted eternal freedom of movement, turning into stone only as they see fit.

Selene appreciates the creatures of the night, whereas most creatures are inactive or dormant others move only during the night. Since her presence is always accompanied by nightfall Selene has only been able to interact with night creatures, to whom she is a beacon of hope. For all wishing for an eternal night, she is like a dream come true...
Although she wishes to one day see the sun, she has learned to embrace her identity and appreciate those around her. Such mutual appreciation forms a bond beneficial to both, a symbiotic cooperation: the creatures of the night protecting Selene whilst her presence grants eternal Darkness.

Any endangerment of Selene would be bad news for the Gargoyles, they will defend their freedom of movement at all costs. Do not anger her or there will be nowhere to run or hide, wherever you go the moon shall follow, along with a swarm of Gargoyles...

Spoiler for 26:

Architon

by Tiko

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7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dm 7dm 7dm 7f2 7f2 7f2 7gk 7gk 7gk 7gq 7gq 7gq 7h0 7h0 7h0 7h2 7h2 7h2 7h2 7h2 7h2 7ms 7ms 7ms 7n6 7n6 7n6 7oe 7oe 7oe 8pp

"...One third of this instrument contains a large quantity of charcoal fire. When the water is well heated, a screw at the top of the vessel which contains the water must be made quite tight. On closing the screw above, all the water will escape below, will descend into the heated portion of the instrument, and be immediately converted into a vapour so abundant and powerful, that it is wonderful to see its fury and hear the noise it produces."


/Leonardo Da Vinci/

***

The old man was worried. He was standing before the shore and his eyes were resting on the shadows that grew bigger every moment on the horizon. The shadows which will soon try to take his home, again. 'They are not the first and they won't be the last', he knew. But his eyes were not searching for a flag to identify, nor for the nightmares they might bring; he was looking somewhere far beyond - somewhere, where no human eyes can see. He was searching for hope, a way to end this pointless war..

 ..and for a moment, something met his gaze.

It was like a sweet voice in the back of his mind. Words unlike he ever heard before, sounds that turned into images the moment they reached him; and for that moment, he thought he found the hope he was looking for.

But It knew it wasn't the time yet.

Somewhere else on this world and in time, another shared his mind, but held a different spirit inside. This man had never experienced war before - his curiosity was heated more by his awe for Nature. He was only searching for the earthly wonders that were meant for humankind, and the secrets yet unfolded in his age. He was a slave of beauty and ingenuity. And the sight he beheld, pleased him also.

He was close, but It knew that the time still has to come.

Hundreds of men tried to reach out for It since, and while their goals seemingly varied, they all were looking for the very same thing; Power. But little they knew about the worlds and planes that are way above the mind of humans, the very forces of the elements entangled in their own War of Balance since the Beginning.

Man have always attempted to understand and recreate these visions. They are curious like that.

And now, It is tired of their mockery.

Spoiler for Round 1 Submissions, Part 1:

Spoiler for 1:

~Eden~

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6s6 6s6 6s6 6s6 6s6 7am 7am 7an 7an 7an 7an 7an 7an 7dm 7dm 7dm 7ds 7ds 7ds 7mt 7mt 7mt 7mt 7mt 7mt 7n3 7n3 7n3 7n3 7n3 7n3 8pn

Eden represents another look at the old religions and traditions. While focusing on Greco-Roman antiquity, the Renaissance also allowed a newer look at the bibblical traditions as well.. The very synergy of life, air, and freedom bound together evoke a sense of paradise, and allude to the very garden that Adam and Eve were banished from. The feral bonds represent the never ending life that constantly regenerates itself in the garden of paradise. The ancient FFQ has been brought back, reborn and buffed, better than ever. SoFre represents a completely new innovation from the world of 1.31 to bolster the forces of the FFQ and damselflies even further. Eden is all about the circle of life and creation and rebirth. From the damselflies comes air, which brings FFQs, which then create Fireflies that provide fire. Phoenixes and explosions complete the idea of destruction...and rebirth

This FG's deck focuses on an initial rush of Epi'd Damselflies to create massive quanta as well as dealing plenty of damage to whoever is caught in the fury of the wings. If the battle drags on, Firefly queens will be summoned, and call forth the powers o their fireflies. Fireflies provide the fire quanta necessary to bring the destruction of explosions and phoenixes. All the while, the shards provide a counter to any shields as well as providing protection to Eden's creatures.

Since this FG is a mostly quantasmall deck, a good counter would be denial and control. Killing off the damselflies before any shards hit the field, or even a fire shield or skull shield will provide good protection. Discord, devourer, and black hole are also good choices to keep Eden pinned down because of the low quanta generation. Additionally, having plenty of permanent control as well and destroying the shards will leave whoever is fighting Eden in a good position.

Spoiler for 2:

Da Vinci

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744 744 744 744 744 744 744 744 744 744 744 744 744 744 744 744 744 746 746 746 746 746 746 748 748 748 74c 74h 74h 74h 74h 7gn 7gn 7gn 7gn 7gn 7gn 7gp 7gp 8pp

Da Vinci always knew he was different. He was a genius. He created magnificent designs of fantastic contraptions used for war with his innovations. Catapults, trebuchets, tanks, dragons, all magnificent things brought to life by the mind of a genius. Able to use such mundane yet innovative methods such as lobbing frozen missiles at the opponent for massive damage. Da Vinci represents a key aspect of the renaissance, the humanist idea that humans have the unlimited potential to put their intelligence into use to solve problems, which is what is exactly done here. The Armagios are quite humanlike, and even the dragons are tamed and new. The human potential is made even more clearer by the fact that trebuchets are human creations, showing the might and potential of a 30hp frozen creature coming towards you.

This deck focuses on getting out the trebuchets, placing out armagios or dragons, and then freezing them and lobbing them at the opponent for massive damage. Permafrost shields are also included to act as CC. With the trebuchets, not even shields can stop the powerful missiles coming towards the player.

Because this deck relies on the trebuchets, removing them via PC will lead to an extremely easy match. Massive healing may also be a way to victory, as the trebuchets do damage in bursts, not a continuous stream. If one can survive the initial onslaught, and get their footing, the battle can be easily won. The AI, without any trebuchets, is left helpless and weak, with only unbuffed slow, fat, creatures on the board. Another bad thing about the deck is that the AI can sometimes be quite idiotic with the freezes and trebuchets, but overall, it delivers powerful blows to anyone who comes unprepared.

This deck represents change and renewal, since trebuchet is a card that was buffed many times in recent patches, such as damage increases, and the freeze bonus. Dragons are used because the gravity dragon got new art.

Spoiler for 3:

BLACK VOID

Spoiler for Deck (2x it for FG use):

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I ran and I ran, I tried healing but to no avail, my cuts were deep my eyes burned red, my blood poured out of my veins, slowly but surely I was dying, I could not move quick enough, for he was all always there, every turn I made, every alley I ran through, his glowing crimson bloodthirsty eyes were there.
I ran, but I couldn´t outrun him... He leapt in the air and soared. I swear I could see wings sprouting to his sides. His morbid form turned into that of a bird, or at the time, what seemed as close to me as a bird, a horrible reaper bird.
In the dusk, I tried slashing but my hits failed, and then I grew weary, the gnashing sound of the beasts beak scraping against itself, that stoney noise, his growls filled the cold air, and that´s when it hit me, I was going to die.
My legs stopped, paralyzed in fear of what might come next, I tried to make them move, but stubbornly they were rooted to the ground, I could hear my heart beat racing inside my chest, I could feel the hot blood running through my veins and out of my unhealable wounds, the droplets hitting that icy cold rock on which I stood, a beast stood in front of me, and wanted that hot blood.
Two malignant eyes staring at me, as I collapsed, that was my last memory.
-Tale of a fallen warrior.

Spoiler for How it relates to the theme:

Renaissance had the burden of lots of myths, while I wrote the story, I thought I was living a short life of the average noble, danger at every turn, a knife willing to stab you in the back for some gain to himself... Meh, I also related the shards as a new idea, a new ideawave... Who knows, will it advance, or will the history, and the blackness consume it... 

Spoiler for Analysis on deck.:

Anyways, on to the deck, as you can see Void here is based around permanents and sucking the quanta out of his enemy, while his main damage dealer is not in fact direct, but it is based around Shard of Void, cutting the opponents health lower and lower, without it being able to heal... As you can see this deck looks pretty mean... And it kinda is, only thing real counter I can see, other than massive PC, is just plain outspeeding it and beating his face in before he can, fragile creatures with a lot of attack can roam free as Void lacks any CC, as long as you can play em out fast enough, for those pests not to get in your way.
-Instosis is possible to win with, as long as the Pests dont get in the way, and he doesnt play too many shards too early.
-Mitosis RoL hope, (Or normal RoL Hope.) can work (tested by Justaburd, I appreciate the help.)

Spoiler for 4:

Atlas

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Intro

Spoiler for ---:

The Story of Rain
Little 6-year old Tommy was walking along the sidewalk, humming "Poker Face" while licking his strawberry ice cream. As he looked up into the sky, he noticed that it was getting darker by the second. Suddenly, a massive amount of rain began falling from the sky, drenching Tommy and 'causing the ice cream to slip from his hands. Frightened, Tommy ran as fast as he could back home; running into the arms of his worried mother. The rain eventually ended.

The Story of Raining Spaghetti and Meatballs
Little 6-year old Tommy was walking along the sidewalk, humming "Poker Face" while licking his strawberry ice cream. As he looked up into the sky, he noticed that it was getting darker by the second. Suddenly, a massive meatball begun to cover the face of the sun. People all around the streets were looking up, wondering how a meatball could possibly be floating in the sky. Without warning, the meatball exploded into millions of spaghetti, meatballs, cheeseburgers, and all sort of noms. All these Americans and Cave Trolls begun to make their way towards these falling pieces of food, not caring that the food came from the sky. Tommy got distracted by a squirrel and ignore the chaost admist him. We're not sure what happened afterwards, but Tommy said the squirrel didn't want any of his ice cream.

The Story of Raining Cats and Dogs
Little 6-year old Tommy was walking along the sidewalk, humming "Poker Face" while licking his strawberry ice cream. As he looked up into the sky, he noticed that it was getting darker by the second. Suddenly, he heard a faint "meow". Squealing with excitement, Tommy noticed a plethora of Cats and Dogs falling from the sky, all miraculously landing on their feet as if they simply fell few inches. Out of houses all around town, Imgurians and Redditors began to snap pictures for karmawhoring. Picking out the cutest kitten he could find Tommy put it in his arms and fed it ice cream. Too absorbed with his new found kitten friend, Tommy could not provide details to finish this story either.

The Story of Raining Titans and Armagios
Little 6-year old Tommy was walking along the sidewalk, humming "Poker Face" while licking his strawberry ice cream. As he looked up into the sky, he noticed that it was getting darker by the second. Suddenly, splat. Tommy died.

Explanation of Name + Relation to Theme

Spoiler for ---:

The two elements that compose this deck are clearly  and  . Now, back in the days of Greek Mythology and whatnot, the concept of gravity had not been discovered and/or realized. The Greeks had a god named Atlas , whom they believed held up the Earth. Now if Atlas actually existed, he'd probably be a little bored by now, holding up the Earth for so many years. To have some fun, I imagine he would do some trolling. What better way to troll then to throw giant hammer things (Titans) and massive robot gundam things (Armagio). In fact, this would destroy parts of the Earth, making it lighter and easier to carry. Atlas 1 - Earth 0.

Renaissance had one major theme throughout its era, and that was change. This deck's main theme is gravity; and we've gone from not realizing gravity exists to realizing it does. Minor change, I know, it's only the force that keeps us from floating around like the Energizer Bunny in space.

The second change in this deck is statistical change of the creatures in this deck. More detail in "Deck Strategy", written again in storyish kind of format.

Deck Strategy

Spoiler for ---:

AI plays a Titan? Ha, it hurts a little, but it's no big deal. And anyways, they only have one weapon slot! What else do they have? Armagios? Useless. A few hits from your Shreikers will take them out. Wait, wait, how does he have 4 Titans now? Okay this is starting to hurt. Dim Shields... not helping. Its okay at least those Armagio's still aren't doing sh- 100 DEFENSE? Okay this is not looking good. Let's hope the AI is stupid and doesn't play anymore Titans. Pfft, what a noob, it's setting up little catapult things. What are they supposed to- AHHH ITS LAUNCHING THINGS AT ME. /dies

Spoiler for 5:

Tiamat

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The goddess of sea, the protector of ocean. With raging fury she attacks, sending unaware elementals to their watery grave. With breath as cold as zero K, she freeze those surviving her tidal wave, opt for an icy death instead.

Long has she been forsaken, since her power became mere toy. Dethroned from her lair, replaced by another water God of the North. She waited patiently, bidding for more power. Now she returned, and she wants revenge. Revenge against those who dare mock her power. So no one dare say that her weapon of choice, Poseidon, is just a giant fork toy.

Engulfing everything in her wave is her signature move. Chilling the rest to their bone is her policy. The dragons are her sword, and the octopi are her shield.

Tiamat is her name, fighter is her role. Queen shall she be, returning to her former glory.

This God plays by putting down animated Poseidons, stalling its opponent and slowly crumbling the opponent's pillar. She supports this by using Shard of Patience, slowly growing the Poseidons. If there's creature surviving the initial assault, the Permafrost Shield and Arctic Octopi will take care of them, condensing opposing creature into a solid ice block. It wins by either using grown Poseidons and Octopi, or by the Dragons in late game.

The same strategy against Seism can be used against this God too. Protect your pillars and you're in the right track. Of course, there will be opposing Octopi as the next defense line, but they fall to just a single Rain of Fire when not under Shard of Patience. Alternately, Quintessence can also be used to protect your creature, though it couldn't do much against her Permafrost Shield, especially protected.

Counter

Instosis is a good counter to this God.

Unupgraded and rareless, mono Aether with EA is your best choice. Try to Enchant your pillars early, put down the creatures whenever available. Stall with Dimensional Shield when needed. Some of your creatures will be frozen by the Permafrost Shield, but they will be otherwise safe from the Octopi.

Spoiler for 7:

Caravaggio

by RavingRabbid

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Spoiler for something that should look like a story:

After slaying that elemental, my whole life changed. Other elementals started fearing me, a painter. What I got in exchange for giving them art was hate. I escaped, and I managed to avoid the execution. They bloat themselves thinking I am nothing more than an ant under their boots.
This will change. I will come back again, and this time I won't just accidentaly kill someone during a fight, instead I'm going to paint spectacular scenes. They shall beg me for mercy, for I shall use the red of their blood. Light and darkness won't just make contrast, they will contrast them. Fear the new age of art, the new age of elemental dueling. I AM

Caravaggio - The Cursed Painter

Spoiler for Basic explanation:

The story was very loosely based on Caravaggio's story. Why Gravity? Because I wanted so. Graviton Mercenaries, Hope, Luciferin, Light Nymph and Darkness Dragon aren't in any fg's deck. Caravaggio was both a very late "Reinassance" painter (well, probably more Baroque than Reinassance).
The deck basically revolves around getting down luciferined creatures and hope. I didn't want this deck to win just on the mid-creature, and I thought Mercenaries could do the job well enough. And I think it's time for them to appear in FG decks. The dagger is the card he used to kill the elemental. 
The main point, tho, is having fun. Every time you face this god, you will get a different challenge. Also, Yay. Dragons. Who doesn't love dragons, who doesn't?

Deckwise, this was intended for bothering somehow instosis, and some other decks. This gets probably destroyed by one of those old TimeBows, but most likely will be able to handle the good old Rol Hope. Liquid Antimatter just enjoys some feasting, even if Dagger/Light Nymph healing might get in the way. This should not an autowin, nor an autolose.

Reinassance here can be both the age where the real Caravaggio lived, both the new age of art FG Caravaggio wants.
 

Spoiler for 8:

Thanatos

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710 710 710 711 711 711 711 714 714 714 715 715 715 719 719 719 719 71c 71c 71c 71c 71c 71c 71f 71f 71f 71f 72i 72i 72i 8pk

Story

Spoiler for Hidden:

He looked down upon the city he loved. Everywhere he saw death. It was the result of a plague unlike even he had seen before. He leaped from the temple roof, landing squarely on a building just across the street. What had happened? How could Athens, the strongest city of the empire have been struck like this? From the gloom below he heard a sudden cry. A cry of desperation, one praying for mercy. He tuned his senses, listening to the conversation happening below.
"Be strong, Korinna. Please do not suffer."
The speaker turned her head to the heavens in prayer.
"O merciful angel. Please take her. She has suffered enough."
Thanatos snorted from up on the roof. He was no angel. He stepped off of the building, gliding towards the ground. Invisible to mortal eyes, he hovered above the dying girl. He watched as her spirit exited her body. It looked around, confused, but when it saw him it seemed to understand.
"I'm here for you," Thanatos said. "Follow me."
She did, and they entered Hades together. Thanatos was just doing his job.

Explanation

Spoiler for Hidden:

Thanatos is the Greek god of death. One of Hades' lieutenants, he is tasked with taking people when their time has come and delivering them to be judged for Elysium, the Fields of Asphodel or Eternal Punishment. I chose him for this entry because to me death represents a great change. To the Greeks death was not the end but rather the beginning of another life. People achieving Elysium could be reborn into another life.  Also, this deck makes use of the Aflatoxin buff by not needing as many towers to support the twelve in the deck. The  image of Thanatos that I used is reminiscent of the Grim Reaper, one of the modern equivalents of Thanatos.

Spoiler for 10:

Athena

by swishy

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77e 77e 77e 77e 77e 77e 77m 77m 77m 77m 77m 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dl 7dm 7dm 7dm 7dn 7dp 7dp 7dp 7dp 7dr 7dr 7du 7du 7du 7du 7du 7du 7jv 7jv 7jv 7jv 8pq

The city was destroyed. Battered and pulverised by the ravages of war, the damage was clear and easy to see. Pillars lay reduced to piles of rubble, and entire buildings were gone, reduced to piles of smouldering ash, their exploded remains smoking gently in the early-evening twilight. Somewhere, amidst the fire and the fury, deep down under the wreckage and the rubble, something was stirring.

Some small pockets of life remained in the city. The crusaders however, the knights that had tried so hard to valiantly defend this place were long gone, their code of honour forbidding retreat. The wardens of the town guard were less brave, those that survived the initial onslaught fled to the mines to seek refuge with the gnomes. However, they knew this hiding place was only temporary. All the while, the spirit was awaking. As the spirit drifted into consciousness, fragments of memories popped into her mind one by one. A few people, a face here and there, and a city. Then she remembered a promise she made long, long ago...

The gnomes and the townsfolk had heard stories about the enemy. As they sat around a bonfire for warmth, an inferno made from the remains of their city, they silently remembered the tales. There were prisoners who had come back missing all their limbs, some who had been partially skinned alive, and some who looked uninjured, but did not speak a word. There were so many more who did not come back. The townsfolk knew what was happening, and there was little they could do to avoid it. Some took the easy route out. They jumped into the fire, immolating themselves to avoid a fate worse than death. Their screams were silent but the agony was apparent as their lives were snuffed out.

The spirit was fully awake now. She knew now what had to be done. The next thing she remembered was her power.

Wielding a fiery sword forged from the heavens, she took command of the townsfolk underground. With her spirit and her blessings coursing through their veins, they left their subterranean graveyard to face the enemy. Calling next upon the ascended souls of the deceased she lead a charge of untouchable angels to purge the city of this unwanted presence. And purge it did. The invading army fled, terrified by the unstoppable angelic force.

The city was safe now. The spirit had kept her promise. But what should she do now? She had an unstoppable army at her command; should she use it for good, and usher in a new renaissance of enlightenment and progress, or should she sieze the absolute power that was there for the taking? As she pondered her decision, she remembered one more thing.

Her name. Athena.

Spoiler for Details:

The immolation rush has been around for a long time, but has made no appearance in the false gods, as of yet. So, combining this archetype with an unusual strategy, I used my favourite criminally underused card, Wardens, in combination with blessings and ragepots. Though this may make for a slightly slower deck (at least by FG standards) the extra control and damage makes for an unstoppable mid/late-game force.

Thematically, Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom, inspiration, just warfare, strength and courage. Who better to lead an army of invincible angels?

Spoiler for 11:

Last Judge

by SpikeSpiegel

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7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dm 7dm 7dm 7do 7du 7du 7du 7du 7du 7du 7jp 7jp 7jp 7jp 7jp 7jp 7ju 7ju 7ju 7ju 7k1 7k4 7k4 8pq

The italian Renaissance master Michelangelo is proud to present: THE LAST JUDGMENT



One of the main theme of Renaissance is the repudiation of the decorative elements and return to the simplicity. But to speak of a work fully renaissance, the presence of this only element it's not enough, because the Renaissance was above all a new way of thinking and portray the world. The Last Judgement marked the end of an era and constituted a watershed in the history of art and thought: to the strong and confident man and humanism of the early Renaissance, that Michelangelo himself had excited in the time of the Nudes, he replaces a vision chaotic and distressed investing the damned as the blessed, the total lack of certainty that reflects the drift and the insecurities of the new age.

This deck is inspired by Michelangelo's masterpiece in which the angels announced the end of time. Only those who will prove their value will be allowed into the kingdom of heaven, the others will be damned and banished to hell for eternity...

Taking as starting point the return to simplicity, I've tried to create a deck that was both simple and solid. The 'new' is the Seraph, and the "rediscovery of roots" is given by the light cards. I've tried to avoid a permanent control abuse, that would make this deck unplayable, limiting to 3 (x2) the number of Explosions and after several tests I decided to add just one creature control card.
Seraph skill grants excellent protection against CC, permanents used (except for the towers) are immaterial making useless the use of PC while Hope adds a more than decent defense.

The result is a deck fast, solid and fun to face. The classic anti-FG decks may have little chance against Last Judge, but it's not just that one of the objectives of the Renaissance? The search for new solutions and new visions of the world?

Spoiler for 12:

Tesla

by moomoose

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6s5 6s5 6s5 6s5 7q5 7q5 7qb 7qb 7qb 7ri 7ri 7ri 7ri 7ri 808 808 808 808 808 808 808 808 80a 80a 80a 80a 80a 80c 80c 80c 80c 80d 80d 80d 80e 80l 80l 80l 80l 80l 8pu

*the ???'s are Psions.

Rather than writing a glitzy narrative RP story I'll just give the cliff notes version.  Tesla is based on the real life person Nikola Tesla, who has been romanticized as a tragic figure in the electronic revolution, who's works were allegedly sabotaged through propaganda and other means by Thomas Edison.  The general idea in the RP back story sense is something similar happened here, where Tesla was a brilliant elemental but was hindered by an inferior, but more political, competitor.  After his visions failed to receive acceptance over his competitor in the general public, Tesla sought to prove his source of power was superior, but was again sabotaged by the competitor, this time the destruction of his technology turned Tesla into a being of electricity and warped his mind.  The false god Tesla seeks vengeance over the elementals who had rejected him. /end RP.

So the deck has a strong electricity/lightning theme, the Immortals combined with the Shards of Wisdom produce lightning attacks, while the Psions have the lightning attacks as a base.  Lightning spells need no explanation.  The time element cards are supposed to be symbolic that he was not appreciated in his time, being a tragic figure, and practically speaking it speeds up the deck with the hour glasses, as well as with the precognitions, with pendulums powering their use as to not slow down the bulk of the deck in the process.

Two of the cards included in the deck were inspired by Psion http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,28117.0.html (Psion and Shard of Wisdom), which I had come up with as part of the 13th element project (Mind) http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,25093.0.html .  I bring this up not to gloat, but rather as a means of full disclosure of why I built the deck the way I did. 

Spoiler for 14:

Typhoon

by Justaburd

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7gk 7gk 7gk 7gk 7gm 7gm 7go 7gp 7gq 7gq 7gr 7gr 7gt 7gt 7gt 7gt 7h1 7h1 7i6 7i6 7i6 7i6 7q5 7q5 7q5 7q8 7ri 7ri 7ri 7ri 7ri 7ri 7ri 7ri 8pp

Spoiler for background story (315):

Soft clouds float airily upon the horizon, a gentle sea breeze drifting upon the air. There were many birds and creatures shuffling about their business on this day. The ocean was calm today. A wonderous place, the ocean was. Like today, it could be beautiful and serene, coaxing one to leave their worries behind. Other days, it would be a potpourri of chaos, waves tempest tossed and biting winds chilling your very bone. It could, with little warning, retreat suddenly, then come crashing back upon you with the full force of a tsunami.

Typhoon is the story of the ocean, a false god who shows little sign of great power when he has just started. However, given time, his power becomes unstoppable...

He used to look upon his domain benevolently, guiding it subtly with his powers over the waters, leaving the rest to the quiet work of time. But that was then, and this is now. Times had changed greatly since those days. Now, all he could see were greedy elementals hoarding their electrum, fighting over the smallest and most insignificant things, polluting what was once pristine and sacred, and boasting of their powers as if they were gods. It was the latter that truly enraged him. Noone was stronger, after all. He wouldn't allow such sacrilege!

His retribution would start slow, but it would surely end swift, purifying the world in the way only he knows how: through flooding and freezing what should not exist. And that meant all the elementals defiling his domain, to be treated like weeds, swept ashore at high tide and hung out to dry in the bitter sun. He would change things for the better!

While restoring balance was usually the work of Nature, there was no harm in hastening Nature along, after all. Everything would go back to the way it once was, this time hopefully for eternity.

Spoiler for 16:

Wayward - The Prodigal Explorer

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6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6s3 6s3 6s3 6s3 6s3 6s3 6s4 6s4 6s4 6s4 6s4 6s4 6s5 6s5 6s5 6s5 6s5 6s5 6s6 6s6 6s6 6s6 6s6 6s6 77c 77i 77i 8pm

Spoiler for Story:

It was in his blood. Raised in a restricted and closed-minded society, Wayward was born with a stronger sense of wanderlust than most. Wayward could not stand the limited knowledge the clustrophobic classroom had to offer him, thus he would venture out beyond the city to experience the thrills of discovering thing that were alien to him; he defined such an act as the ultimate Freedom. Sometimes, he would even sneak out of his home past his curfew to explore, for an increased dose of excitement by defying common expectations. By the time he was of legal age to dissociate himself from his over-protective parents, the city and its surroundings were no longer unfamiliar to Wayward; he could trek to the gates of neighbouring cities and back without any tools of navigation, which was a feat not mastered by many merchants and explorers alike. Once he had learned of opportunities of exploration beyond the city, the Prodigal Explorer immediately gave in to his wanderlust and decided to Brave the lands of the  and obtain the Wisdom and knowledge it has to offer. Throughtout Wardward's journies, he had made discoveries that led to untold realizations by scholars. The discoveries of Wayward and its effects undoubtably reached the ears of Zanzarino, the God of the heavens and earth. Pleased with the way the Prodigal Explorer brought Elemental-kind a giant leap of progress forward, the great Zanzarino made Wayward a Demigod, a being with untold power in the land of Elements. Wielding the precious Artifacts uncovered in his journies, Wayward now uses them to aid him in his explorations he continue to make. It is in his blood.

Word count: 303

Spoiler for Strategy:

The AI likes to play Shard of Integrity when its hand consists of multiple Shards. It will, however, play a few Shards of Bravery to hasten through its deck if it does not have 4 random quanta and has 3 (which is very lucky when it draws a single QT, then plays a SoBe). It will create a Shard Golem with one of the following skills that can be activated with  quanta: Burrow, Guard, Lobotomize, Stone Form, Petrify, Queen, Sniper, Dive, Unstable Gas. With 2 or more Shards of Wisdom in its hand when the AI assembles the Golem, the Golem will have Immortality as a passive ability, which allows further drawn Shards of Wisdom to be played on it to deal Spell Damage and have an attack boost. With 1 or more Shards of Freedom in its hand when the AI assembles the Golem, the Golem will have Airborne as a passive ability, allowing further drawn Shards of Freedom to give the Golem a chance to critically strike for 50% more damage, and bypass shields if it does not already have Immortality and a Shard of Wisdom used on it. Protect Artifact is in the deck to give the AI a chance to protect its Shards of Freedom, as well as a lone Diamond Shield to reduce incoming damage as well as use up excess  quanta. Shards of Bravery gives the best attack attribute to the Golem out of all the Shards, and it's also there to speed up the AI's draw rate.

The deck is inspired by my "The Ultimate".

Spoiler for Hidden:

If anyone got my reference to another game, make sure to include this submission as one of your votes!

[ZephyrPhantom]

Spoiler for Round 1 Submissions, Part 2:

Spoiler for 17:

Impresa

by Hyroen

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7jp 7jp 7jp 7jp 7jp 7jp 7k2 7k4 7kc 7kc 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q8 7qe 7qe 7qe 7qe 7qe 7qe 7t9 7t9 7t9 7th 7th 7th 7th 8pt

~Novum Deorum

The renaissance was in many ways a ray of light for society. Through time, people moved away from the nightmares of the educational system and ghosts of a political past. A new appreciation for art emerged as beautiful paintings, such as the Mona Lisa surfaced and significant advances in science, religion and self-awareness were made. It is widely seen as a bridge from the Middle Ages to Modern Era, a true miracle and will for an eternity take the title of one of the most significant periods in history.

The impresa is a late medieval and Renaissance art form. It is often a device, emblem or motto and its use emerged in Italy during the Renaissance. Impresa as a False God name functions as an emblem of the Renaissance as it tries to incorporate the transition from the darkness of the past to the bright path of the future through time.
Its function as an enemy is primarily to be a Instosis deterrent, which it is quite capable of. Not to mention that it can quite readily cripple the classic RoL/Hope of not too long ago. Uniting the 3 elements, Impresa locks down the hand quickly with Ghosts of the Past, heals fast with Nightmares and Light Nymphs, and if need be Miracle and can pull off a strong Hope defense. With Steals and Eternity to finish off the remaining worries, Impresa attempts to truly teach you something new, to enlighten and to give you a taste of the Renaissance.

While Impresa may not represent too many changes related to 1.30 (or 1.31) she represents the historical importance of the revolutionary changes that came with the Renaissance, and much like the Renaissance changed the way we would view life, Ghost of the Past and Nightmare significantly impacted how we would view Time. As of yet, no False God presents this type of combination, however in light of recent changes and rebirths, the gradual inclusion of recent cards is warranted, and so Impresa was born.

Spoiler for 18:

GALEN

Code: (Deck import code) [Select]

710 710 710 710 710 710 710 710 712 712 712 712 719 719 719 719 719 719 71b 71b 71b 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dm 7dm 7dm 7dr 7dr 7dr 7dr 7dr 7du 7du 7du 7du 7du 7k2 7k2 7k2 8pq
NOTE: My story is meerly based on what happened during the Black Death. It is in no way historically acurate.

The Black Death was one of Europe’s all time lows. A deadly virus, carried from sewer rats, spread rapidly through the people like fire. This disastrous plague was causing people to die by the thousands. Their bodies were piled high, like a great big wall, someplace near the town.
Europe was at a loose end; people’s family and friends were dropping like flies, and there was nothing they could do to stop it. For all they knew, they could be next. A great panic grew out of the uncertainty, and from people’s panic grew rage. Many people were accused and put to death. However, this monstrosity did nothing to stop the plague; it merely increased people’s anger. There were many fights because of this, which only caused more havoc and destruction.
Eventually they called in the help of the famed physician, Hippokrates, who declared that it was God’s wrath that caused people to die so. The people’ sins made God mad, so He sent bad winds that caused all this death. Hippokrates had many solutions, involving self flagellation and hourly visits to the church. The many days spent with people carrying the virus eventually caught up to him though, and Hippokrates too, died of the plague.
He was soon succeeded by the young Galen. Galen was wiser than his predecessor, and stayed well away from his clients. He made his fortune by selling supposed ‘magical’ potions that he claimed would rid the disease from the sick. Even though these would almost never work, people still poured into his shop hoping his claims were stronger than the dead’s loved ones. Very occasionally – about once per every million people – a miracle would occur and Galen’s potions would cure. This was enough for people to keep believing in him.

Many years later, when the Black Death had finally burned itself out, Galen prevailed. He lives still, surviving off the dependability of the human race’s misery and gullibility.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
Words: 324
How it relates: The Black Death occured during the 14th century, about the time of the Renaissance.

Cards:
- Plauge and retrovirus = the disease
- Bonewall = the piles of dead bodies
- Explosion = the destruction caused by the fights
- Rage Elixer = the anger and frustration the Black Death caused
- Seraph = God's Wrath
- Miracle = the odd miracle would occur, and someone would survive

Spoiler for 19:

Angel of fire

Spoiler for Deck, 2x for FG use.:

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7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dm 7dm 7dm 7do 7do 7do 7dp 7dp 7dp 7dp 7dp 7ds 7ds 7ds 7du 7du 7du 7du 7du 7du 7jp 7jp 7jp 7jp 7jp 7k6 7k6 7k6 7k6 7k6 8pq

The burning oil lamp flickered as I worked, my eyes grew tired, I had worked through the whole night, to give a new breath of life to my masterpiece, a work of true art, a work that even those great, whom I idolized as a young lad, on the streets of Sicily, those masterminds: Leonardo, a skilled artist, with a techique careful and precise, and a mind outside that of the common man, thinking to the future, with his war designs uncomparable to any other. Michelangelo, both an amazing painter and a sculptor, his work had always touched my soul, when I stared at his work I couldnt not resist, I saw the light, I was transported to the land of the gods.
I continued to work on my masterpiece, even when the sun had risen again, and the charcoal in my hands faded with use, its blackness, now mere gray. The tools in my hands now shadows of what they used to be, I looked for sanctuary in my work, and its warm embrace on my retinas comforted me.
An explosion of emotion overcame me, I teared up. That storm was imprinted on every inch of my work. Every layer and layer of canvas, bore my print.
-Tales of the unknown artist.

Spoiler for Breakdown of the deck:

Pretty simple, straightforward deck, Seraph´s are played by the cremation of the Ray of Light,  (Light quanta generated not only from Mark, but also from Cremations and Rays.), Giving the Seraph an almost godly look to him, making him invulnerable to targeting, as he brings down the pain. A couple Sanctuary, not only to be less overpowered by those pesky quanta denial decks, but to give him some much needed healing and a bit of balance, along with the PC and CC to control the opponent as you beat him down.
Very large weakness to Fire Shield and Carapace and mass CC.

Spoiler for Relationship to the Rennaissance:

The great Seraph was in my eyes, a look into something more than the average man could see, a divine concept, could all men truly be equal?
Phoenix are there to represent the fall of one society, and the rebuilding of another on top of the first.
Both together, create an almost god cleansing the world by turning it to ash, a sentiment I decided to represent with this Fg.

Spoiler for 20:

Maverick

by swishy

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6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6tt 6tt 6u8 6u8 6ua 6ua 6ua 6ua 6ua 714 714 714 717 717 717 717 71b 71b 71b 71f 71f 71f 71f 71f 7q4 7q4 7q4 7q4 7q4 7q4 7q8 7q8 8ps

I hadn't meant to kill him, but there wasn't much else I could do. When the experiment went awry, and the dark being powering my immortality device possessed the poor man's mind, I had a choice. I could either kill my test subject or let him wreck the machine that he was stuck inside, the machine that had been my endeavour for the past 15 years. The decision was easy, and he would have probably died anyway. Besides, he volunteered to be the first to test my contraption, and he knew the risks involved, so I'm not exactly a madman, or a psychotic killer. It's a pity the legal system doesn't see it that way. No, a madman would have killed the witnesses, or at least tried to stop them fleeing the scene. Still, I had to learn from my mistakes, for that's how progress is made, and I didn't have much time to do it. I knew the authorities were coming, and I had little chance of hiding from them. I knew I would have to use the immortality machine to save myself, but there wasn't enough time to restart the experiment. I made a few modifications, cut out some unneccessary parts, and managed to fit the most vital, functional parts into a coffin-shaped box. With the contraption hidden from view, even when the box was open, my preparations were complete.

When they knocked on my door, I went without any trouble. I pleaded guilty, not that the opposite would have made any difference, and had but one last request, that I be buried in the coffin I made. To my relief, this was honoured. Then, they killed me. They took me out to the gallows in the centre of town, and hung me until I stopped twitching. I remember the last thing I saw, it was a bright purple cat, darting through the crowd of brown and beige, but oddly enough, no-one seemed to notice. At the time, I thought I had hallucinated it, some strange vision on the boundary between life and death. I then just hoped the timer was going to work.

I don't remember much of the time in-between. A vague sense of nothingness, but not even empty space, just a void, pure and unbroken. Then, I heard the comforting sound of my machine, whirring and clattering, bringing me back to life! Light, darkness, feelings, sensations, life, life,  the power! THE POWER! The machine merged with my body and my body merged with the machine, feeding me, feeding me, until I had no need for either vessel, neither the useless hunk of meat or the piece of now pulverised scrap metal. I was strong! I was powerful! And as I rose from under the ground, others rose with me, bringing with them not the rancid stench of rotting flesh but the effervescent perfume of life incarnate! Immortality may have been beyond my reach, but resurrection was definitely within my grasp! In the moonlit graveyard, I surveyed the men and the creatures I had summoned, and I saw that they were all looking at me. They were looking up to me. That was when I had realised what I had become. I was floating in the cool night air, a transcendent being composed purely of spirit, a god, if you may. Then I realised that these men and beasts were under my command. They would follow me anywhere. I was their king.

So, I come to you with an idea, the idea that life and death are not so different, not so black and white. This marks the dawn of a new age, a renaissance if you may, where dying is unnecessary, and those that have passed can return. All the while I will be there, the transcended maverick, guiding, ruling, showing the way to the new world. Will it be heaven or hell? Well, it's an experiment, so that remains to be seen, but either way it'll be exciting!

Also, I found a pet cat. I think I'm calling him Erwin.

Spoiler for 21:

Sanctira

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6rm 6rm 6rm 6rm 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dm 7dm 7dr 7dr 7dr 7dr 7du 7du 7du 7du 7du 7du 7e4 7f2 7f2 7f2 7f2 7f2 7f2 7f2 7f2 7f2 7ju 7ju 7ju 7ju 7ju 7ju 7jv 7jv 7k1 7k2 7k2 7k2 8pq

~ Renaissance - The change has cometh ~

Zanzarino looked upon all that he had made with satisfaction. It had been many years since the idea first spawned in his mind. Slowly he formed the creatures, erected the structures, and penned the scrolls. In time, many came to appreciate all that he had created. As people gathered together, they decided to start a community to in honor of Zanzarino and his dream.

They thought to themselves, who would lead this community. No one could decide who was best suited for this weighty responsibilty. Zanzarino asked all those who felt worthy of this assignment to gather and he would choose their leader. Many stepped up, feeling they deserved the great honor. Others came to observe this important event out of respect.

The time had come for Zanzarino to make his decision. He looked at all those that had gathered... and one-by-one he walked past them. He came to the last one and was about to select their leader, when something caught his eye. A small girl, trembling in the corner. "There!", he spoke with conviction. "There is your leader. Bring her to me. This girl, though scared, can understand the pain and the work that is involved in leading a community."

For many, many years this girl worked hard in her assignment. The community thrived as several new additions were added. People were happy. The future looked bright. As life is, though, all good things must come to an end. The weight of her assignment took a toll on her health. She tried her best to hide it, but the damage had been done.

..December 23, 2011, a little before 7 in the evening..
...she was still working when she passed...

The community was in shambles. For so many years they had relied on her for guidance. Several had worked closely with her in the Council, and from that, 3 were chosen who had the skills necessary to lead the community. It was a new age for all. The future once again looked bright. In honor of the girl, Zanzarino made a new creation that embodied her passion: the Seraph.

Let us not forget the past, but always look to the future!

Spoiler for Why the name and the Shards???:

The name is taken from a variation of the Latin words sancti, meaning holy, and ira, meaning rage.

Now you ask why the Shards??? Renaissance.... CHANGE... with the addition of Shard of Focus to Akebono and Osiris, Zanzarino has said IT IS OKAY to put Shards in a FG deck. If you don't vote for this deck because it has Shards, be careful that you don't get left behind.

Spoiler for 22:

Innovation

by mesaprotector

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7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dg 7dm 7dm 7dm 7dm 7dp 7dp 7dp 7dp 7du 7du 7du 7du 7du 7du 7gq 7gq 7h2 7h2 7h2 7h2 7h2 7h2 7jp 7jp 7jp 7jp 7jp 8pp

One of the most striking features of the Renaissance was the beginning of a transition from religion... to science. From the fiery Explosions of divine retribution to the Machines of modern-day life. People like Da Vinci and Gutenberg began to innovate. Whether or not this was a good change, it undoubtedly was a dramatic one. (No FGs have Steamies so far, so this would be an innovation in-game as well.) And yet - the Renaissance was the ideal time for both rationality and intuition to work together, and this deck has quite a bit of synergy.

In gameplay, the FG cremates RoLs to frequently play a Seraph on turn 1. If this quick initial wave of damage is survived, out come the slower but surer Steam Machines of doom. With 4 Purifies and 8 Explosions, Innovation should stand a better-than-even chance against almost all the FG grinders out there. Your best shot is probably RoL-Hope, and even then you need to be deadly quick before the steamies break through your shield.

That being said, countering this guy isn't as difficult as it appears. He has no CC, so a few Mind Flayers combined with some cheap CC (for the Seraphs), healing, and damage should get the job done. Just like in the real Renaissance - the only way to stop the inventors is to brainwash them.

bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork bork

Spoiler for 23:

Technophage

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710 710 710 710 710 710 712 712 712 712 712 712 714 714 714 714 71a 71a 71b 71b 808 808 808 808 808 808 808 808 808 809 809 809 809 80b 80b 80b 80i 80i 80i 80i 8pk

Spoiler for Technophage:

"Spreading the Disease"

That was all it knew and that was all it existed for.  They mindlessly ate at flesh and data alike, but this trail of destruction was not without purpose.

As the mortals entered this Digital Age, rich with coming-of-age technology that replaced any and all means of human contact, they ceased exposing themselves to the terrors of the False Gods, content with sating their hunger and lust in front of their computer screens.  Their only actual human contact was limited to that they had occasionally with their neighbors they stayed in close proximity to.  But this style of living of seclusion was not at all bad.  It kept them safe and secure.

While the other deities tried unsuccessfully to terrorize those below, detesting this spread of technology that caused their living playthings to not leave the comfort and safety of their homes to enter their dominion of terror, there was one who found the situation fitting for his arrival.

Technophage, Master of Microbes and Terabytes.

Rather than trying to compete with the siren call of the technology, Technophage decided to use this to his own advantage and set about coding his upcoming doomsday.

It started with a blip.  A corrupt file here, a slight sneeze there.  Maybe the occasional desynchronization with the server.  Slight hindrances, they were, and it was with these that the other False Gods taunted Technophage.

But that was only the beginning.

Eventually these actions grew exponentially.  No longer was it a file that took a megabyte or so, but entire databases that consumed several dozen terabytes of space.  No longer was it the isolated case of the cold, but mass breakouts as the closed-in populace found themselves victims to many a plague.  And one after the other, they began to crash.  Mortals and technology alike.

The mortals tried to fend themselves, but found it to be too late.  While Technophage had slowly whittled away at their computers and their health, he had built himself a impervious fortress, borne of the decaying corpses of his victims.

He had arrived and he was to be feared.

Spoiler for Reasoning:

Sure the Renaissance refers to the time in Europe when romantic arts burst into the scene, but it's not limited to that.

What about a modern renaissance?  A DIGITAL renaissance?

Enter Technophage.  The nightmare of system admins everywhere.

Or, at least, soon to be.

Spoiler for 24:

Machiavelli

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6s6 6s6 6s6 6s6 7ap 7ap 7ap 7ap 7bu 7bu 7bu 7bu 7bu 7bu 7bu 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t9 7t9 7ta 7ta 7td 7td 7td 7td 7td 7ti 7ti 7ti 7ti 7ti 8pt

Explanation (word count = 362)

Spoiler for Hidden:

Out of those dark times, those dark ages, came the renaissance. A birth of knowledge and learning the world had not seen in over a thousand years. And into this new world came Machiavelli. A diplomat, philosopher, civil servant… and master of dark power.
To Machiavelli, it was better to be feared than be loved. To use all means, fair or foul, to take power from your enemies and use it for yourself. To accrue power to such an extent that you are untouchable.
This deck is based on Machiavelli, a renaissance age author who wrote the book “The Prince”. This book was sold as a guide for politicians and rulers and gave rules for how to govern and gain power. What made it so interesting was its sheer pragmatism in ruling. The book is filled with bits of advice like - it is better to be feared than to be loved and if you are going to take power using evil means, its better to do all those acts at the beginning of your reign so that you can rebuild your reputation with the people.
The book and its emphasis on separating you public morals from your private ones made such an impression that it inspired the term Machiavellianism (which means the employment of cunning and duplicity in statecraft or in general conduct) and was banned by the Catholic Church.
This deck tries to take that sense of stealing power from your enemies secretly through the use of the darkness cards. (vampires steal your health under the cover of darkness provided by cloaks with boosts from eclipse and steal). At the same time I wanted to give the deck the feel of an unstoppable growth in power that can’t be seen until it is too late. The mitosis and the shards of freedom provide that feeling as the vampires are soon multiplying out of control and each one is doing 9 points of unstoppable vampiric damage due to the shards of freedom.
All in all I think it is a nice deck that can be specifically countered with the use of a pulverizer (or other reusable PC) and some good shields.

Spoiler for 25:

Rinascita

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6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6u6 6u6 71b 74a 77c 7an 7dk 7dn 7dn 7go 7go 7k6 7ms 7ms 7ms 7ms 7ms 7ms 7n3 7n3 7n3 7n3 7n3 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q0 7q0 7qc 7qc 7qc 7qc 7tc 7tc 80d 8pn

Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Origin

"Renaissance" means "rebirth" in French, and what cards got buffed in 1.31? Answer: the cards that create life. Elite Queens and Pharaohs are featured prominently in this deck, which is essentially a duo with just a touch of rainbowness. I present Rinascita... whose name also means "rebirth", but in the language at the heart of the Renaissance - Italian.

You might also notice that all three types of bolt are used in this deck, for a total of 10 bolts - the renaissance was a very sudden effect, coming as it did "like a bolt from the blue". The deck also uses three different shields, showing a degree of flexibility and thought, as well as Fallen Druids, representing the Renaissance's intellectual aspect. (They also create life themselves, of a sort.)

Finally, all 12 elements are united in the deck, demonstrating the harmony of cooperation.

Strategy

Rinascita typically gets a couple of spawners out by turn 3 or 4 and begins ramping up damage, with Elite Fireflies and Elite Scarabs sometimes joined by a Fahrenheit. A fair amount of cheap CC gives creature-based decks a hard time, while damage can also be blocked or healed.

To be honest, most current FG grinders won't have a problem with Rinascita, as she has no PC and little healing. Instosis might occasionally struggle, as the FG's bolts find their only target in your HP, but she'll be an easy win for SoSa decks. Since my other submission was nightmarishly difficult for almost all FG grinding decks, I made Rinascita to be easier but more thematically fitting. Besides, aren't FGs hard enough already? 

Spoiler for 27:

Ergo Decipiatur

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6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6s1 6s1 6s1 6s1 6u4 6u4 6u4 6u4 6u4 6u4 6ve 6ve 6ve 6ve 6ve 6ve 7jp 7jp 7jp 7jp 7jp 7jp 80b 80b 80b 80b 80b 80b 8pu

Theme
Renaissance
(lowercase) a renewal of life, vigor, interest, etc.; rebirth;
revival: a moral renaissance.

This character is one who wishes to bring about a magical renaissance
by giving the powers of Divine Creation to mortals. She battles
Elementals to find the Worthy amongst the deluded.

Mechanics
The deck is based on Chaos and Change with a constantly evolving army
of impossible monsters. The idea is that she will play the zero cost Rays of Light, mutate them, and then be able to Twin Universe the resulting creatures for doubly-new random creatures. The Entopy Pendulums in conjunction with the Aether mark is designed to cover the Mutations and Twin Universes. The Shards of Serendipity are there to throw a bit more random out (as she doesn't view herself as particularly malign, in fact she feels what she's doing is even a rather noble calling, despite the collateral damage, the Shards do not break thematics). And the Quantum Towers are to cover the cost of any creature ability that should happen to show up, and anything the shards give.

Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur, a Latin phrase, means "The world
wants to be deceived, so let it be deceived."

The Story
       She has never been as she appeared. Even in the days of the long gone
flesh She was the spirit of deceit given form. Child of ten thousand
possible births – never telling the same tale twice – She made her way
as a False Oracle spreading vain hopes and lies couched in incense and
mystery. It would take the last vestiges of a True God to raise a base
prevaricator to an undeserved Godhood and unleash Bedlam on a world
taxed enough by the uncanny.

       Deep in the long-ago She proclaimed herself a Voice of the Gods and a
Speaker of Hidden Truths while keeping a step and a town ahead of any
who might dispute her. There was a fair old fortune to be made in
those days from the desperation of the crook-backed and put-upon – so
long as one was as fleet of foot as they were quick of tongue.  By
this She lived from season to season with winters in the lap of luxury
and summers on the road, nothing so important as the moment and the
pleasure or profit it could bring.

       There was then a True God, or what was left after the worshipers had
turned to other stranger beliefs, and it would have its last act,
before passing on to the fields beyond the Known, be the
transformation, indeed the redemption of this Great Deceiver. The
Light of Truth would burn away her sinful nature and She would stand
revealed in Guileless Radiance.

       The True God met her then in the market of a Mighty City and turned
over impossible coin to have its fortunes told. She, the fabulist,
knew there was more to the individual who had come seeking her craft,
but just as surely could not pass up a test of her skills. Upon taking
the hand of the stranger She found herself now standing above a field
filled with statues. No wind blew here and the sky was an endless
featureless grey.

       The Stranger gave Her some moments to take in the endlessness and the
stillness before them then in a voice much like Morning said “You see
before you the Gardens of the Iniquitous Tongue. Those who were
counterfeit in life, who were not true to themselves. Here they can be
nothing but what they are.”

       At this She went amongst the Damned and with hammer and pry-bar
removed from the bag slung across her chest - and showing no sign of
hesitation - carved into the chest of the first “Bob”. The Statue
disappeared.

       After 'Hamish', 'Rudmilla', and 'Cyril' the True God took Her hands
before She could strike another blow and demanded to know what She was
doing.

       “Introducing a falsehood. I name them wrongly and they can not
possibly stay in a land of perfect Truth.”
“Then they are destroyed!” The True God opined.

She turned her eyes then to her own arms held firmly by the True God
“Which is close enough to Freedom.”

Seeing the lesson he hoped to impart utterly abrogated the True God
then released Her and in a blink caused them to appear on a golden
beach under a gentle sun, caressed by a cooling breeze. In the
distance  shimmering figures soared on iridescent wings and cavorted
amongst the waves.

       “These are the ingenuous, the veracious, they who in life lived
honestly and now enjoy a lightness of being unburdened by sin or
craft.”

       She watched them for a time, the pure, immaculate beings in their
endless leisure, “And what have they built?” She asked.

       The True God at first perhaps did not entirely understand the
question, but in time answered, “They have no need to build, or make
anything; they have no need for toil of any sort, this is their
reward.”

       “They have become pretty things in a cage for you and your sort to
watch as you chuckle about how you have scared them into living
according to your arbitrary rules.” In this place of sentiment made
tangible the rage bled from Her in waves strong enough to set the
wheeling, cavorting souls on nervous edge. “Without deceit and
destruction there is no creation, and to keep this prospect to your
pompous selves you invent rules for mere mortals to bind and strangle
themselves with; Heavens and Hells to punish or keep complacent souls
that could make their own worlds without your bindings.”

       By the end she was shouting, her voice risen to a volume that caused
the perfect beach to tremble and the shimmering beings in the distance
to flee for whatever unknown shores lay across the now turbulent sea.
The True God then raised his hand and She stood defiant awaiting a
blow that could not only end her existence, but unravel it to her
conception. Instead the True God slashed its hand through the open air
and split the very fabric of the world causing a rent though which a
riot of colours She could hear and lights She could taste flowed.

       “This is the stuff of Creation!” The True God bellowed, the edges of
Heaven unraveling about him. “If mortals could abide the wilds between
worlds, it would be theirs to inherit, but you are soft, even your
immortal souls are fragile things and would be torn apart.”

       In Her eyes then, in Her old thief's heart She felt something.
Something stirred.  There was a longing growing under her ribs and
behind Her eyes brought on by exposure to that font of protean turmoil
pulsing through the gash in the firmament.

       The sound was a sigh, but the words became something tangible in that
rarefied air. “You only wish we were so weak.”

       The True God almost smirked at the thought of a mortal so deluded,
until She sprinted headlong past the God and through the break in the
sky. He stood there speechless, this inconceivable thing throwing his
cosmic consciousness into tumult, but still aware enough to be
surprised when the indescribable creature lunged from the rift and bit
the True God in half.

       The Lady on the monster's back chuckled to herself as her beast
consumed the remains of the God then turned them both about and pulled
the edges of Heaven closed behind them. Oh, the capacity of the mortal
imagination given the right resources!

Spoiler for 28:

Lucifer: the Fallen Angel

Spoiler for Hidden:

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7ju 7ju 7ju 7k5 7k5 7k5 7k6 7k6 7k6 7k6 7k6 7k6 7kc 7kc 7la 7la 7la 7la 7la 7la 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t5 7t5 7t5 7t5 7t5 7t6 7t6 7t6 7t6 7t6 7t6 7t8 7t8 7t9 7t9 7t9 7ta 7ta 7tb 7tb 7tc 7tc 7tc 7tc 7tc 7tc 7ti 7ti 7to 7to 8pt

The Magus hobbled down the hall, his bones weary and aching from the cold. The stone beneath his feet hard unforgiving, his cork-wood sandals offering little comfort. He made his way through the estate of the governor to his little apothecary. His potions and alchemic medicines were of great use the land-baron's family. He had served here nigh twenty years, hoped the ancient rites would keep him alive another twenty, but each winter was worse than the last and he wondered if he would make it through the next. Long calloused fingers with nails grown long and brittle reached into the folds of his cloak for the key he needed. Opening the door to his chambers he had quite the start, there was a young man with the finest features before him.

The Magus gasped and staggered back but the young man laughed, 'its alright do come in'
The Magus straightened himself the best he could and croaked out a wary 'who art thou?'

The man beckoned and ignored the question, his manner drawing the poor Elementalist in. He began to speak as the Magus looked around to see if anything was stolen.

'You have gotten old, what if I said you could be young again? You have worked so hard here, never appreciated, never respected," He was not "even the guards and sons of the governor laugh at you behind your back," this was true " the cook spits in your food, "he didn't know that" the young ladies wrinkle their noses at you when you pass by. "How he longed for the touch of a woman" What if you could be young and beautiful again? Full of vigor and vim? Would you do one small favor for me if I could make you younger every year for the next fifty?"

The Magus satisfied that everything was in place asked what it was he must do? The youth replied he wanted nothing but for a certain woman in the palace to be poisoned, she had failed to live up to her bargain and he wanted her dead. The governor has had you concoct such things before, for visiting dignitaries, for enemies of state and the troublesome tax collectors of the crown, how could this be any different?

The Magus pondered this and asked, 'how can I be sure you will live up to your bargain?' To which the man replied, 'we shall draw up a contract old man, and sign it in blood.'


On the Deck

Its pretty straight forward, pests and towers make Darkness to bring dragons and most things into play. Black nymphs provide soft creature control, Light nymphs make dragon produce light. Lots of daggers for the Crusaders, Sanctuaries provide healing. Drain Lifes fr CC and Player damage. Its a Fallen Angel, with lots of high damage creatures and Abilities.

If you submission was not included in the final polls, it is likely because of the following:

1) Your FG did not follow one of the rules.
2) Your FG description did not have more than 300 words.

If you have any questions or if you think your FG was excluded by accident, feel free to PM me. Happy voting and best of luck.

EDIT : Entry #13 has been removed for plagiarism.

[majofa]

Now, I know there are a few Seraph decks to choose from, but take a quick look at #21. Seraphs and Archangels together just seems very fitting. It's fast and painful. Basically, what i'm saying is, consider throwing one of your votes its way. Best of luck to everyone!

[Ge0metry v1.2]

Now, I know there are a few Seraph decks to choose from, but take a quick look at #21. Seraphs and Archangels together just seems very fitting. It's fast and painful. Basically, what i'm saying is, consider throwing one of your votes its way. Best of luck to everyone!

I like your story.

[Absol]

I highly suspect number #13 to be copypasting the background story from the Wikipedia article about werewolf, as can be seen here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf

And of course, i was right.
Cunning_Wish, you should be ashamed.

[Ge0metry v1.2]

I highly suspect number #13 to be copypasting the background story from the Wikipedia article about werewolf, as can be seen here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf

And of course, i was right.
Cunning_Wish, you should be ashamed.

Yikes.

[McSod]

Ouch. The story is s'posed to be the fun part.

[Gemini]

Ummm... Yeah its my first competition and Id love if people actually read all entries, and of course take into consideration not just how good the story is but the Fg itself, Is it likely to be implemented, would it be too easy? Does it have any real weaknesses? Etc.
Well gl to all the people participating.

[ZephyrPhantom]

Entry number #13  has been disqualified on the grounds of plagiarism for failing to cite its original source of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf.

As a consequence, Cunning_Wish is now banned from Forum Games and Competitions for the next three months. Repeat offenses under this period may result in a permanent ban from the Competition and Forum Games section.

All votes on Entry #13 will not count towards the final results of this competition and Entry #13 will be removed from the voting options for this poll.

[Annele]

Entry number #13  has been disqualified on the grounds of plagiarism for failing to cite its original source of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf.

As a consequence, Cunning_Wish is now banned from Forum Games and Competitions for the next three months. Repeat offenses under this period may result in a permanent ban from the Competition and Forum Games section.

All votes on Entry #13 will not count towards the final results of this competition and Entry #13 will be removed from the voting options for this poll.

*Whistles*. I forgot how strict this forum is.

Good luck to all decks! 

[majofa]

Entry number #13  has been disqualified on the grounds of plagiarism for failing to cite its original source of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf.

As a consequence, Cunning_Wish is now banned from Forum Games and Competitions for the next three months. Repeat offenses under this period may result in a permanent ban from the Competition and Forum Games section.

All votes on Entry #13 will not count towards the final results of this competition and Entry #13 will be removed from the voting options for this poll.

*Whistles*. I forgot how strict this forum is.

Good luck to all decks! 

In all reality, 3 months isn't that long. He'll likely only miss 1-2 competitions.

[RavingRabbid]

The most interesting to me were number #7 and number #17.