Critical Mass | Critical Mass

[Hermis0]

There are differences between this shield and CC units such as Maxwell's Demon.

This affects all units, not one per turn.
This affects immortal units that cannot be normally touched.
This is presumably instant (unless you specify that it impacts units only when they attack).
This requires no further quanta input.
This cannot be Lobotomized.
At this point in the game, dropping 1 quanta of Earth can immortalize it forever, with no chance to eliminate it.

I'm waivering on what I think of it.  Reminds me a lot of Weight, which we know is not overpowered.  Weight may actually be the stronger shield overall.

[ninjamaster1991]

You can use this with  to damage the opponent's creatures, and lowering the monsters' damage capacity.  actually makes an amazing combo with this.

[Hermis0]

You mean it brutalizes fire decks.

That's what's got me so interested.  It's like the reverse of Weight -- only units with big HPs need apply.

[johannhowitzer]

cometbah: THANK you for such a detailed analysis!  I appreciate the legwork.

Hermis0:

It's possible the Notes section isn't clear enough, but yes, the effect happens when a creature strikes the shield.  This means it happens on your opponent's turn, giving him an opportunity to destroy the shield before it does anything, and buying him one more turn of full creature damage - for every new creature he plays.  cometbah noted this - Ablaze creatures will actually maintain an attack value 1 or 2 higher than their max HP, since they are raising it every turn before the creature strikes the shield.  It also means new Ruby Dragons will get one shot of 15 attack before being affected.

Some important points to add to yours, Hermis0:
1. Momentum is still respected.
2. Affected creatures are never destroyed unless they would have been otherwise (like Sparks) - their abilities are preserved, and their HP unaffected.
3. Elite Phase Dragons fare about as well as against a Permafrost Shield, doing 6 damage instead of 8, but with no chance to freeze.  Elite Immortals do even better.
4. Against Fire decks, it depends what creatures are in play.  Many Fire creatures would be wrecked even worse by a Fire Buckler, given their low HP... Phoenix and Dragons being the exception, depending how long the game lasts.  Ash Eaters, Fire Spirits, Lava Golems... all fare better against Critical Mass.  Flown Fahrenheits do not actually get an attack-stat boost from their ability, meaning it will still stack damage.

[ninjamaster1991]

You mean it brutalizes fire decks.
That's what's got me so interested.  It's like the reverse of Weight -- only units with big HPs need apply.

No, use this with fire to brutalize any deck but  or  .

[johannhowitzer]

"Brutalizing" really depends on what creatures your opponent is using, beyond just the element.  cometbah gave a very nice breakdown of all affected creatures on the previous page; I'll list each element as a whole here, just for clarity's sake:

  - Unupped Pegasus -1, Morning Glory -4 when flown, Crusader may lose attack after Endow, Blessing unaffected
  - Black Dragon -5, Obsidian Dragon -6, Bloodsucker -2, Vampire -1, Gargoyle -2 (unless Stoneformed), upped Gargoyle -4 (unless Stoneformed), Vampire Dagger -2 when flown, Eclipse's effect sometimes reduced to +1|+1
  - Emerald Dragon -4, Jade Dragon -3, Giant Frog -2
  - Bone Dragon -5, Ivory Dragon -6, Flesh Recluse -3, Mummy -2, Elite Mummy -2, Eclipse's effect sometimes reduced to +1|+1

  - Ash Eater -1, Brimstone Eater -1, Crimson Dragon -9, Ruby Dragon -13, Fire Spirit limited to 4|2, Fire Spectre limited to 5|3, Lava Golem -4 but allowed to grow, Lava Destroyer -6 but allowed to grow, Phoenix -6 until Rebirth, Minor Phoenix -3 until Rebirth
  - Ice Dragon -3, Arctic Dragon -8, Toadfish -2, Steam Machine limited to 11|6, upped Steam Machine limited to 20|15
  - Damselfly -1, Elite Wyrm -2, Azure Dragon -3, Sky Dragon -6, Firefly -1, Elite Firefly -2, Blue Nymph -1, Air Nymph -4, Sky Blitz unaffected
  - Shrieker -5 (-1 if already burrowed), Elite Shriker -6 (-1 if already burrowed)

  - Graviton Fire Eater limited to 7|5, Graviton Firemaster limited to 8|6, Acceleration and Overdrive hit a ceiling and act like poison, lobotomized Elite Charger -2, lobotomized Chimera may lose attack
  - Maxwell's Demon -1, Purple Dragon -5, Amethyst Dragon -5, Fallen Elf -1, Discord -1 when flown, upped Discord -3 when flown, Purple Nymph -2, upped Purple Nymph -1, Chaos Power and mutants may be affected, own creatures cannot be Paradoxed
  - Fate Egg progeny may be affected, Devonian Dragon -5, Silurian Dragon -9, first Scarab -1, first Elite Scarab -2, second Elite Scarab -1, Ghost of the Past -3, upped Ghost of the Past -5
  - Spark and Ball Lightning unaffected unless buffed, Parallel/Mindgate creatures may be affected, Immortal -1, Elite Immortal -1, Phase Dragon -2, Elite Phase Dragon -4, Phase Spider -2, Phase Recluse -5, Lobotomizer -1 when flown, Electrocutor -1 when flown, Turquoise Nymph -3, Aether Nymph -4

Looking at the above, the main thing affected is dragons, with the exception of Light, Earth, and Gravity - in fact, these three elements mostly shrug this shield off.

The elements most strongly affected are Fire, Air, and Entropy.

Ablaze and Steam abilities reach a cap, Growth does not.

Most non-dragons lose only a handful of attack, a permanent effect similar to damage-reducing shields.

[OldTrees]

Most non-dragons lose only a handful of attack, a permanent effect similar to damage-reducing shields.

Except the permanent nature of the decrease means it stacks with DR from another shield.

[johannhowitzer]

Yes, though that requires a duo to execute, as well as switching out shields - a cumbersome tactic, and tricky to time correctly.  Your opponent will also likely keep any new creatures in his hand if you have this shield out, unless they're immune, he has Momentum, or he decides the attack drop is worth it in the long run.

It is still a possible strategy, so if someone can propose a combo that will wreck too many deck concepts at once, I may revise this.

[ninjamaster1991]

I mean a  / deck with this;  damages creatures, so this card reduces their attack. mono- is useful, with Overdrive+this. I said it kills any except  and because they buff/heal creatures respectively.

[johannhowitzer]

As the notes say, an attacking creature's attack stat is limited by its maximum HP, not its current HP.  Damaging it will have no effect.

[ninjamaster1991]

oohh.I did not know that. Sorry.

[Essence]

Small note: the correct in-game term is "Full" HP vs. "Current" HP.