Ask the Idea Guru

[OldTrees]

Can you check the balance of the cards currently in the Mind series?
(http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,37400.0.html )

8 is too many to judge at once.

Insight: A skill only mutation that makes the activation cost Light
Can have the ability Hatch, Freeze, Burrow, Destroy, Steal, Dive, Heal, Momentum, Paradox, Lycanthropy, Scavenger, Infection, Gravity Pull, Devour, Mutation, Growth, Ablaze, Poison, Deja Vu, Immaterial, Endow, Guard, or Mitosis.
Why Light rather than Entropy?
I guessed at dividing these skills into categories based on relative value.
2cu Hatch, Burrow, Dive, Heal, Momentum, Paradox, Scavenger, Infection, Gravity Pull
3cu Freeze, Lycanthropy, Devour, Mutation, Growth, Ablaze, Poison
4cu Destroy, Steal, Deja Vu, Immaterial, Endow, Guard, or Mitosis.
68/23 ~= 3cu ~= 2 +1card ~= 2 +1card.

Amnesia: Target card becomes invisible to opponent for a turn
Fits Darkness
Amnesia seems to be about right but it is hard to judge.

Infestation: Poison opponent and they may draw malignant cells
Infestation needs playtesting to see how powerful the effect (Adding 1|3 cells to the deck.) is or is not.
As it currently stands, the upgraded is paying +3 compared to deadly poison. That should be used to determine what the average number of dead draws per turn should be set at.
2 -> 3 poison had a cost increase. 1-> 3 would have a cost increase of ~3.5

Enthusiasm: The target creature uses its skill as many times as it can at increased cost.
The increased cost can be adjusted to balance the card. It is in a category of cards (Fractal, Skyblitz, Recursion above) that need to be tested to judge precisely.

Discipline: All creatures gain -1|+1. Removes invisibility.
Why Water?
Value of all enemy creatures getting -1 is roughly equal to regeneration of equal magnitude. Purify gives a target regeneration 2 and cures poison for 2 + 1 card. Shard of Gratitude has a similar cost (5 for 5 + Life mark + 1card ~= 2 + Life mark + 1card). It seems that Regeneration is priced close to the Regeneration gained. If there are 5 creatures affected on average, that would act like Regeneration 5 which would cost about 3 + 1 card.

[waterzx]

  Temporal Mirror | Eternal Mirror
http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,37745.0.html

I'm not sure if I have asked you before as this card is a remake of my old card.

Is there any thing that needs correction in particular ?

[OldTrees]

Temporal Mirror | Eternal Mirror
http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,37745.0.html

I'm not sure if I have asked you before as this card is a remake of my old card.

Is there any thing that needs correction in particular ?

(Both players receive| Target player receives)  copies of their last-drawn cards instead of drawing.
You have identified all the uses I can see:
Delay deckout, draw denial and break the 6 card limit (permanents and spells too)

It appears balanced even in the cases of the unending chains (If Temporal Mirror was your last draw).

[Rutarete]

Quanta Dissolution (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,35054.0.html)
Slow Time (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,37595.0.html)

Do you feel that either of these mechanics are too powerful?

[OldTrees]

Quanta Dissolution (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,35054.0.html)
Slow Time (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,37595.0.html)

Do you feel that either of these mechanics are too powerful?

Quanta Dissolution shuts down an entire stack of quanta producers. This is equivalent to destroying X² quanta. This increases quickly and might be too powerful.

Slow Time (upgraded) creates draw denial every other turn. This is a lot of card disadvantage and probably is too powerful.

[Rutarete]

Quanta Dissolution (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,35054.0.html)
Slow Time (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,37595.0.html)

Do you feel that either of these mechanics are too powerful?

Quanta Dissolution shuts down an entire stack of quanta producers. This is equivalent to destroying X² quanta. This increases quickly and might be too powerful. For it to increase you'd have to recast it.

Slow Time (upgraded) creates draw denial every other turn. This is a lot of card disadvantage and probably is too powerful. You are referring to the upgraded, right?

How can the scale of the mechanics respectively become balanced? I'm not sure how I'd change Quanta Dissolution. For Slow Time there's triggers and durations. Are either of those a bad step for Slow Time?

[OldTrees]

Quanta Dissolution (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,35054.0.html)
Slow Time (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,37595.0.html)

Do you feel that either of these mechanics are too powerful?

Quanta Dissolution shuts down an entire stack of quanta producers. This is equivalent to destroying X² quanta. This increases quickly and might be too powerful. For it to increase you'd have to recast it.

Slow Time (upgraded) creates draw denial every other turn. This is a lot of card disadvantage and probably is too powerful. You are referring to the upgraded, right?

How can the scale of the mechanics respectively become balanced? I'm not sure how I'd change Quanta Dissolution. For Slow Time there's triggers and durations. Are either of those a bad step for Slow Time?

Slow Time is already set up with a duration mechanic. I would just adjust that.
Qunata Dissolution could be changed from X² to X/Y. Have it delay a stack for X turns divided by the number of pillars in the stack.

[Rutarete]

Slow Time is already set up with a duration mechanic. I would just adjust that.

For what particular reasons?

[OldTrees]

Slow Time is already set up with a duration mechanic. I would just adjust that.

For what particular reasons?

Why use the cooldown duration? (I was not talking about a doomclock duration)
Since the people commenting on the card are already used to the ability only being used every X turns, I would use that existing balance mechanic rather than add a new one.

[EmeraldTiger]

Thoughts before I make requested change. http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,37795.0.html

[Rutarete]

Slow Time is already set up with a duration mechanic. I would just adjust that.

For what particular reasons?

Why use the cooldown duration? (I was not talking about a doomclock duration)
Since the people commenting on the card are already used to the ability only being used every X turns, I would use that existing balance mechanic rather than add a new one.

What do you mean by doomclock duration? I think I have an idea of it, but it's only a guess.

[OldTrees]

Slow Time is already set up with a duration mechanic. I would just adjust that.

For what particular reasons?

Why use the cooldown duration? (I was not talking about a doomclock duration)
Since the people commenting on the card are already used to the ability only being used every X turns, I would use that existing balance mechanic rather than add a new one.

What do you mean by doomclock duration? I think I have an idea of it, but it's only a guess.

Sundial, Cloak, Dimensional Shield, and Wings have doomclocks of 1, 3, 3 & 5.
I would suggest keeping/using the cooldown duration (usable at maximum once per X turns).

Thoughts before I make requested change. http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,37795.0.html

Having a static damage draws attention towards the core of the card.
Although you will want to think about the age counter effects. 10 activations (20 + 10 turns) for a mere -5|-5 is not desired.
It might also benefit from more simplicity.