FG Competition : Renaissance

[Drake_XIV]

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.

Words: 351+

[darkrobe]

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.

[Zarj]

Leonardo

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6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 6u3 77i 77k 77s 77s 7ai 7aj 7aj 7al 7al 7du 7du 7h2 7h2 7h2 7k2 7k6 7k6 7k6 7q5 7q5 7tf 7tf 80k 80k 80k 80k 8pj

Explanation
Leonardo da Vinci is widely known as a Renaissance Man. He was a painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal (Wikipedia). This deck represents the vast amount of areas he worked in.
Seraph represents his painting side.
Earth Nymph and Granite Skin represents his geologist side.
Gargoyle represents his sculptor side.
Sanctuary represents his architect genius.
Silence represents his musical talent.
Steam Machine represents his engineer, scientist, and mathematician side.
Improved Heal, Jade Staff, and Spine Carapace represent the botanist side of him.
Protect Artifact represents his works that have survived to the present day.
Improved Miracle represents the time and age of the Renaissance.
Electrum Hourglass represents how Leonardo effectively managed his time to master all these areas of intellect.
Supernovas and Quantum Pillars represent his vast knowledge of nearly all areas of intellect. 

 

[ZephyrPhantom]

There are 3 days left until the Submission Phase Ends!

Be sure to check your submission to make sure it fits all the rules.

[mesaprotector]

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? 

[Tiko]

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.

[McSod]

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!


Word Count: 1070

[storyteller]

Lucifer: the Fallen Angel

Spoiler for Hidden:

x2 for FG
Deck import code : [Select]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.

[XVoidWalkerX]

BLACK VOID

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

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6ru 6ru 6ru 6ru 6ru 6ru 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t4 7t5 7t5 7t5 7t6 7t6 7t6 7t6 7t6 7t6 7t8 7t8 7t9 7t9 7t9 7tb 7tb 7ti 7ti 8pt

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.)

Word count = 487

For one thing...I like the story. Second, I think he would do ok. Just making an educated guess here, but wouldn't enchanted sanct kind of beat this deck? I know the SoV would drain your health down, but it can't kill you.

[ZephyrPhantom]

And time's up!

Expect the polls in a day or two.

[ZephyrPhantom]

VOTING HAS BEGUN!

Click on the above link to vote in the polls!

[Gemini]

For one thing...I like the story. Second, I think he would do ok. Just making an educated guess here, but wouldn't enchanted sanct kind of beat this deck? I know the SoV would drain your health down, but it can't kill you.

Yes it would, most likely, but you still have those big obsidian dragons coming at you. Its not completly shut down by enchanted sanctuary, just softens the blow quite a bit.