Soul Catcher | Soul Catcher

[Amilir]

Let's say I wanted to make a really powerful death card, but in order to balance it, I made it cost a ridiculous amount of quanta.

There's your flaw.  Really high quanta cards are increasingly hard to balance well.  Mostly because the require large portions of decks to be built around them.  For example:  Fire lance.  Its perfect build is debateably OP, it works in a few other builds that are almost strictly inferior, and it's never touched outside of that.

Back on topic:  I don't really see the problem.  One of the greatest charms of elements is that zanz is not afraid to break the box, to throw out something that changes future possibilities, and later fix it as he needs to.  This isn't going to break anything that wouldn't be broken already.  Death has more useful power out of things dying already.  This is the bonus that death needed I think.  The ability to duo with an element that can actually kill stuff well.

[Malduk]

This is the bonus that death needed I think.  The ability to duo with an element that can actually kill stuff well.

Death already benefits in duo with element that can actually kill stuff by getting reliable/fast CC and growing walls. In all honesty, death would benefit more with sacrifice type of card that helps the element itself trigger death effects when needed, then by gaining additional quanta while needing off- element cards for combo to work well.
I mean, its death. Virus is the only half reliable card in the element that can trigger effects on demand, and its usability is... well, Zanz can as well pull out data of its usability. It makes perfect sense to me for death to be able to sacrifice own creatures for "greater good" (but no, fire gets to have that  ).
Going off topic here a bit, but yeah... I'm not really impressed with Soul Catcher.

[BluePriest]

This is the bonus that death needed I think.  The ability to duo with an element that can actually kill stuff well.

Death already benefits in duo with element that can actually kill stuff by getting reliable/fast CC and growing walls. In all honesty, death would benefit more with sacrifice type of card that helps the element itself trigger death effects when needed, then by gaining additional quanta while needing off- element cards for combo to work well.
I mean, its death. Virus is the only half reliable card in the element that can trigger effects on demand, and its usability is... well, Zanz can as well pull out data of its usability. It makes perfect sense to me for death to be able to sacrifice own creatures for "greater good" (but no, fire gets to have that  ).
Going off topic here a bit, but yeah... I'm not really impressed with Soul Catcher.

Retro-Virus is a good card. It received a significant buff when it became poisonous (although it is still underused) and poison is one of the most under-appreciated CC in the game. If you have a good stall like death has, then being able to poison your opponent almost as good as a RoF, and I would almost argue that its better considering how cheap it is.

Immolation may be a fire card as well, but its not like only fire decks can use it. It IS 0 cost... Death could easily use it.
I like the caaard a lot. Im hoping we see more ways to get quanta when more cards are released. 
*Gate to another Dimension*
6 Every time an immortal creature is played, gain back 1/3 of its quanta lol

[Malduk]

Retro-Virus is a good card. It received a significant buff when it became poisonous (although it is still underused) and poison is one of the most under-appreciated CC in the game. If you have a good stall like death has, then being able to poison your opponent almost as good as a RoF, and I would almost argue that its better considering how cheap it is.

Immolation may be a fire card as well, but its not like only fire decks can use it. It IS 0 cost... Death could easily use it.

Do you even play this game?

Virus and Retrovirus are NOT poisonous, and as CC, poison is NOT underappreciated at all.  People that play this game are not stupid. They abuse power cards to maximum effect. There IS a reason why Virus is not played.
Carapace applies plague every turn on almost all attackers, and yet it needs serious healing to back it up so you dont die in the process. And it requires one card slot as opposed to Virus/Retro, or Plague. Incarnate is easy mode for ALL FG farmers because he wastes card slots of Retros. Every turn he draws a Retro, you get one turn to set up your board. Even RoL/Hope beats it with ease, while on paper Retro > RoLs.
Saying that Retro is as good as RoF  or better is just... I'll skip that comment.

And yeah, Immolation is a free card. Did you ever use it? You know it gives you FIRE quanta? You dont use it if you're not playing FIRE deck.

[zse]

...
Incarnate is easy mode for ALL FG farmers because he wastes card slots of Retros. Every turn he draws a Retro, you get one turn to set up your board. Even RoL/Hope beats it with ease, while on paper Retro > RoLs.
...

Only reason why Incarnate is so easy for RoL/Hope is that it eventually fills its board with useless Skeletons and you know that yourself. Retrovirus being bad card, which it isn't, has nothing to do with it.

On paper and game/trainer:
Retro > RoL
Fractal + Retro > Fractal + RoL
Fractal + Retro + Bone Wall < Fractal + RoL + Hope
Fractal + Retro + Bone Wall + Soul Catcher^*= Fractal + RoL + Hope
^*: as it is now in trainer, giving 2|3

[Malduk]

...
Incarnate is easy mode for ALL FG farmers because he wastes card slots of Retros. Every turn he draws a Retro, you get one turn to set up your board. Even RoL/Hope beats it with ease, while on paper Retro > RoLs.
...

Only reason why Incarnate is so easy for RoL/Hope is that it eventually fills its board with useless Skeletons and you know that yourself. Retrovirus being bad card, which it isn't, has nothing to do with it.

Thats not really the only reason, but yes its a part of the reason. Retros actually "help" filling board with skellies. But eventually doesnt bother most FG grinders, as after you get your setup down, you should be able to win. Fact is, Incarnate is slow as hell to get his damage down, and that is the reason why most often than not, you'll be able to draw your setup. Its not only RoL/Hope, its control rainbow decks or doll decks too.

Having all creatures poisoned is a lovely effect. But it comes with a HUGE price: card slot, turn to wait, and damage received until poison actually kills its target.

Fractal Retros with current Soul Catcher works. But thats due to Fractal that allows you to both nullify card slot price, trigger tons of death effects, and gain enough quanta to follow by fractal dragon.

Value of Virus/Retrovirus as a card itself is easily seen in usage of those cards in PvP events.

[BluePriest]

Ill try to make my point very simple. You have 3 cards on the field. Bone Wall, Graveyard, and Soulcatcher. If I play a virus, then it doesnt matter if you decide to destroy it. Ill still benifit. 2/3 2 extra blocked attacks, and a skeleton to boot. If you dont destroy it, then I poison all your creatures + I get all the effects mentioned before. You better have a lot of CC for a virus themed deck.Otherwise allyourcreaturesarebelongtous.

[Glitch]

I'd like to apologize.  After more testing, it isn't /quite/ as broken as I thought.

I wouldn't mind if it had a quanta cost, but I'm grateful cards are getting added.

[Ifailgood]

I don't see what death can do with so much quanta being generated.

Maybe a "bolt" spell will be powerful in death.

[rohlfo]

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned (awful lot to read through!) and indeed if this is the right place, however:

was thinking of a card for life where you gain a life for each creature killed, compost heap kinda thing lol. Perhaps it leads the gate open for a few more functions for 'something happens each time a creature dies' scenario? probs not, was just a thought.

[Acsabi44]

Now I made quite a few decks which can abuse this and generate huge amounts of quanta fast.

... problem is, what do you do with all that quanta?


Conclusion: With the current cardbase, this is a tier#2 fun card... Sure, you can build a nice deck with this, the new kitty, bonewall, graveyard and such. Or fractal sparks then pump out a few bonedrags.
...But why would you do that, when you can run ImmoGolem instead?

[badivan1]

Now I made quite a few decks which can abuse this and generate huge amounts of quanta fast.

... problem is, what do you do with all that quanta?


Conclusion: With the current cardbase, this is a tier#2 fun card... Sure, you can build a nice deck with this, the new kitty, bonewall, graveyard and such. Or fractal sparks then pump out a few bonedrags.
...But why would you do that, when you can run ImmoGolem instead?

On top of that, Soul Catcher does nothing but itself.  You have to commit a lot of cards just to make it work.