Malebolgia | Malebolgia

[OldTrees]

The upped one's ability cost should remain  .

Upgrades vary between -1 and -2 cost reduction.
The spawn is a -1
The spawner works out to be a -1

It is fine at  and would be underpar at  .

Spoiler for calculations.
Balanced Cost unupped = 2 (attack, Fire gets 1 free attack per 9 cost) +0 (0<HP<6) +7 (Spawn a creature of value 5) -2 (skill activation cost of 4) = 7
Balanced Cost upped = 2 (attack, Fire gets 1 free attack per 9 cost) +0 (0<HP<6) +7 (Spawn a creature of value 5) -1 (skill activation cost of 2-3) -1 (upgrade)= 7

[QuantumT]

Firefly Queen, which is the closest analog to this card, get's no reduction in price when it's upgraded. It's entire boost comes from the fact that it makes better fireflies.

The cost also needs to reflect the difficulty in removing it. Once it's started making hellspawn, killing it becomes very difficult.

[OldTrees]

Firefly Queen makes better Fireflys for the same cost.
Malebolgia makes equal Hellspawn for a lower cost. (Unless rewound the hellspawn's upgrade is not significant when spawned)

But yes the aggro ability needs to be discussed and analysed

Spoiler for calculations Malebolgia and FFQ.
Balanced Cost unupped Malebolgia = 2 (attack, Fire gets 1 free attack per 9 cost) +0 (0<HP<6) +7 (Spawn a creature of value 5) -2 (skill activation cost of 4) = 7
Balanced Cost upped Malebolgia = 2 (attack, Fire gets 1 free attack per 9 cost) +0 (0<HP<6) +7 (Spawn a creature of value 5) -1 (skill activation cost of 2-3) -1 (upgrade)= 7
Balanced Cost Firefly Queen = 3 (attack) +1 (5<HP<8] +5 (Spawn a creature of value 3) -1 (Duo) -1 (skill activation cost of 2-3) = 7
Balanced Cost Elite Firefly Queen = 3 (attack) +1 (5<HP<8] +6 (Spawn a creature of value 4) -1 (Duo) -1 (skill activation cost of 2-3) -1 (upgrade) = 7

[QuantumT]

I'm also incredibly weary of something that allows me to generate creatures with 6 attack power at all. Part of what makes FFQ balanced is that even after it hits the board, it takes a while to generate enough FFs to do significant damage.

This generates enough damage to kill in 6 turns. A FFQ takes 8, and it's generally easier to remove.

[OldTrees]

Well Fire is suppose to be more damage focused than Air.

The questions are "How hard is it to remove Malebolgia?", "How much of a cost increase would this be worth?" and finally "Where should the cost increases be implemented?"

[QuantumT]

Well Fire is suppose to be more damage focused than Air.

But it's not supposed to be focused on creature generation.

The questions are "How hard is it to remove Malebolgia?", "How much of a cost increase would this be worth?" and finally "Where should the cost increases be implemented?"

It's reasonably difficult to remove at the beginning, requiring Shockwave, Rage Potion, Lightning, or boosted bolts, and it only gets harder after that, where I first have to hit through other creatures before I can even begin to damage the Malebolgia.

Where the cost should be implemented and how much it should cost are basically decided by which direction you want it's vulnerability to be. Do you want it to potentially be a big useless drain of quanta that's easier to get the wall going for, or do you want it to be harder to get the wall going but potentially have a lower loss?

[OldTrees]

You missed the question on how much.

[QuantumT]

You missed the question on how much.

Well Fire is suppose to be more damage focused than Air.

But it's not supposed to be focused on creature generation.

The questions are "How hard is it to remove Malebolgia?", "How much of a cost increase would this be worth?" and finally "Where should the cost increases be implemented?"

It's reasonably difficult to remove at the beginning, requiring Shockwave, Rage Potion, Lightning, or boosted bolts, and it only gets harder after that, where I first have to hit through other creatures before I can even begin to damage the Malebolgia.

Where the cost should be implemented and how much it should cost are basically decided by which direction you want it's vulnerability to be. Do you want it to potentially be a big useless drain of quanta that's easier to get the wall going for, or do you want it to be harder to get the wall going but potentially have a lower loss?

[OldTrees]

Maybe I should be more clear.

I have experience on the design theory of cards and can use formulas to compare the new card to old cards to create a baseline.

You have much more experience playing the game and thus you are the expert (between the two of us) on how much value the new drawing aggro ability is.

[AnonymousRevival]

If it truly is a Fire-based creature generating card, perhaps it could be fun for the Hellspawn to be sacrificed to do whatever extra ability... for the right increase in cost, of course.

But the cards in the real game have to be like  :veryhot_post: :veryhot_post: :veryhot_post: :veryhot_post:.

[joebob777]

i dont know about this, seems way op to me. so if i put a plague while hellspawn and maelbolgia on the field, then hellspawn take 2 damage/turn instead of 1, would it be the same thing with fire shield, i'm just not sure about this

[Captain Scibra]

i dont know about this, seems way op to me. so if i put a plague while hellspawn and maelbolgia on the field, then hellspawn take 2 damage/turn instead of 1, would it be the same thing with fire shield, i'm just not sure about this

Malebolgia can be hit through Hellspawns.  Hellspawns can only block direct damage, so damage by shields and nondamage effects can be used on Malebolgia, even effects like paradox or mutation.  Also, poison as a technicality can be considered an indirect form of damage.  So toadfish and parasites can also kill him.  basically the only thing that Malebolgia can't be touched by with Hellspawns present are fire/ice bolts, lightning, thunderstorm, gravity pull (effect is applied, but creatures damage Hellspawns before they reach Malebolgia), and rain of fire (though rain of fire can break through the unupgraded mass of Hellspawns, how it works it will kill a Hellspawn since Malebolgia will be attacked first because rain of fire attacks them in an orderly fashion).