Ash Armor | Brimstone Armor

[Drake_XIV]

NAME: Ash Armor ELEMENT: Fire COST: 2 TYPE: Spell ATK|HP: TEXT: Negate the next effect that affects target creature and temporarily give it +0 | +4.	NAME: Brimstone Armor ELEMENT: Fire COST: 2 TYPE: Spell ATK|HP: TEXT: Negate the next effect that affects target creature and temporarily give it +2 | +0.

ART: Elements the Game IDEA: Drake_XIV NOTES: Today will be highly energetic. Just don't drop your guard. Stat boosts leaves when it loses the negation. Negates effects that require targeting. Negates AoE spells. SERIES:

[OdinVanguard]

So its only tough while no one is looking... Seems a little shadowy to me... speaking of which, it would make a fun combo with cloak.

I think the stat buff could be a little more powerful though, since it will get removed as soon as this card is targeted.

[Drake_XIV]

Well, I didn't want it to overshadow Plate Armor and I wanted to keep it cheap.

[OdinVanguard]

I see... One thing to consider though,

The stat buff will wear off immediately when targeted. So giving an HP bonus doesn't make much sense.
The reason is that HP is mainly to protect a creature from CC by making it take more to kill... However, since that same protection will be afforded already by the negation effect, it is mostly redundant.

The only places this wouldn't be the case is for sustaining a creature with 0 hp ... e.g. like spark or phase scavanger.

That seems a little bit too situational though, since there are relatively few cards like that.

What if the unupped gave +1 attack while the upped gave +2?

[Drake_XIV]

That's why it's the unupped.  It isn't intended to be used like that.

[Pineapple]

That's why it's the unupped.  It isn't intended to be used like that.

The +1 HP doesn't seem really flavorful as the unupped counterpart to +1 ATK. Furthermore, the thematic connection between this "Armor" (+HP) card and Fire, an aggressive element with more destruction/rebirth than preservation, is really shaky. The only thing that you have going for you is that you can to throw the word "Ash/Brimstone" in front of "Armor" and have the name still make sense. Balance-wise, I question the need for Fire to have a pseudo-quint, and as OdinVanguard already pointed out, its mechanic leads to an unnecessary synergy with spark/psalvager.

tl;dr why fire?

[Drake_XIV]

The minor health gain was intended to be unflavorful and just gave reasoning, in my head, to give it the stat boost when upgrading so that the cost wouldn't change when upgrading.

I personally feel this only slightly leans towards , but it already has Plate Armor and I do not wish for it to overlap for that.  Aside from that, I could really choose any element otherwise.

I chose because outside of , which already has Quint, there are too many glass cannons in that would undoubtedly like the temporary protection and seems to me to fit my idea of it being cheap with short-term effects.

As for Spark/Salvager. I don't see any real issue with that.

[OdinVanguard]

The minor health gain was intended to be unflavorful and just gave reasoning, in my head, to give it the stat boost when upgrading so that the cost wouldn't change when upgrading.

I personally feel this only slightly leans towards , but it already has Plate Armor and I do not wish for it to overlap for that.  Aside from that, I could really choose any element otherwise.

I chose because outside of , which already has Quint, there are too many glass cannons in that would undoubtedly like the temporary protection and seems to me to fit my idea of it being cheap with short-term effects.

As for Spark/Salvager. I don't see any real issue with that.

Just thought I'ld throw some other options out there.

This could also fit under the element well I think. It would make a nice parallel since it builds off the synergy between light and fire used by Seraph and has a very similar feel to the mechanic.

Another element that might work nicely is ... Maybe something like Vapor armor / Cloud armor.
Air, as an element, is given to evasion like tactics. This could also prove useful as a means of protecting your fragile creatures before detonating an unstable gas.
Further, air currently lacks a means of providing bonus stats.
It provides a similar, yet clearly distinct alternative from using SoFr to protect creatures from harm.

Then of course there is always ... since just about anything seems to fit there.

Personally I think it would be a very fun addition to air myself.

[Drake_XIV]

Another reason I'm hesitant on changing it from as this is all part of an exercise to expand in-game 'groupings.'

[Pineapple]

Sure, that would be good and all except for the following two problems:

1. It's extremely powerful in Fire, especially because of "there are too many glass cannons ... that would undoubtedly like the extra protection." It's like giving shield protection to Aether.
2. Mechanic aside, there isn't even a strong thematic connection. What is it about Ash, Brimstone, or any fiery material for that matter that makes it so that cards cannot be targeted by spells and abilities and gain HP or ATK but never both?

[Drake_XIV]

Technically, Phase Salvager offers Aether's shield protection.

Thematically, I see it more as:

Ash: The creature is coated in a thin layer of ash the would be shook loose when the creature is targeted.  The loose ash could further compact to a point and offer light protection [+1 HP] if it wasn't enough to shake it loose but, instead, make it compress in a stronger layer around the target [Fire Shield, Acceleration]

Brimstone: The creature is coated in a thin layer of smoldering brimstone that would break apart when the creature is targeted.  The jagged rock would deal damage equal to the additional armor it would gain [+0 HP] and the heated stone would contribute to the creature's offense [+1 ATT].

And I don't see it as too strong.  AoE and targeting spells/abilities would knock it right off.  The targeted creature can't be healed by normal means nor can the owner use Fractal/PU on it without some sort of set up, which I see more in .

[OdinVanguard]

Technically, Phase Salvager offers Aether's shield protection.

Thematically, I see it more as:

Ash: The creature is coated in a thin layer of ash the would be shook loose when the creature is targeted.  The loose ash could further compact to a point and offer light protection [+1 HP] if it wasn't enough to shake it loose but, instead, make it compress in a stronger layer around the target [Fire Shield, Acceleration]

Brimstone: The creature is coated in a thin layer of smoldering brimstone that would break apart when the creature is targeted.  The jagged rock would deal damage equal to the additional armor it would gain [+0 HP] and the heated stone would contribute to the creature's offense [+1 ATT].

And I don't see it as too strong.  AoE and targeting spells/abilities would knock it right off.  The targeted creature can't be healed by normal means nor can the owner use Fractal/PU on it without some sort of set up, which I see more in .

Well if you are set on building up groupings, you could go with air by starting a Fog grouping... e.g. Fog Armor | Improved Fog armor. To build off of the fog shield group...
That might actually make for a cool card in and of itself... *ponders possibilities*