Ask the Idea Guru

[OldTrees]

your thoughts on http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,35691.0.html

Forever is a weapon which can be returned to the deck to damage a target creature.

Currently
Antideckout costs 3 + 1 card per turn with an initial cost of 5 (after subtracting the value of the attack and cost of the weapon slot)
Forever
3 + 1 + 1 card per turn

Currently
Lightning costs 2 |1 + 1 card
Forever
3 + 1 + 1 card

Upgraded Forever vs upgraded Lightning
Theoretically Antideckout + Lightning per turn would cost
3 + 1 + 2 cards per turn with an initial cost of 5 (after subtracting the value of the attack and cost of the weapon slot)
Forever
3 + 1 + 1 card per turn

I think the reusable CC and Antideckout is a bit cheap. Though I am not very sure of my estimate. This implementation of Eternity + Owl's Eye is hard to judge.

[agentflare]

*talks about the card Forever* see the pun I made there?

The problem with this analysis is that:
1. You need 2 Forevers to prevent deckout.
2. It's useless as CC before the deckout point since you don't draw anything else (unless you have Hourglasses, which adds to the quanta and card cost)

[ZephyrPhantom]

What are your thoughts on Mythic Blade (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,35642.0.html)?

[OldTrees]

@agentflare
Nice pun. Good points.
EmeraldTiger would be wise to take those points and my uncertainty into consideration.

What are your thoughts on Mythic Blade (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,35642.0.html)?

Sidenotes:
1) Venom is an active skill despite not being an activated skill. There is a very short list of passive skills. As you know passive skill does not merely mean "does not require activation" it means "not vulnerable to lobotomy".
IIRC: Airborne, Devourer, Poisonous, Mummy, Undead, Mutant, Scarab, Ranged and the one I missed.
Quanta Production of Pillars is unknown and might be active. (We don't have a Lobotomize permanent effect yet)

2) Immaterial and Momentum are similar in that each has both a (mostly ceremonial) skill and a status effect.

Main comments:
1 card negating all Active abilities of creature and Permanents is a bit much.
Shields with 2 abilities would be hardest hit assuming Pillars use a passive ability rather than a non activated active ability. (I forget if DR or Freeze is the active ability of Ice Shield)

The magnitude of the ability as it stands is too powerful to balance in EtG. It needs to be reduced in scale either in type of ability negated, valid targets for negation and/or in duration.

[ZephyrPhantom]

The magnitude of the ability as it stands is too powerful to balance in EtG. It needs to be reduced in scale either in type of ability negated, valid targets for negation and/or in duration.

Would reducing the affected field to either creatures or Permanents be an appropriate nerf?

[OldTrees]

The magnitude of the ability as it stands is too powerful to balance in EtG. It needs to be reduced in scale either in type of ability negated, valid targets for negation and/or in duration.

Would reducing the affected field to either creatures or Permanents be an appropriate nerf?

For a low attack, high cost weapon: Possibly
Otherwise: No

[eaglgenes101]

Can you analyze Sponge | Sponge and Coral| Coral ? (Too lazy to link them when the linking fell off.)

[OldTrees]

Can you analyze Sponge | Sponge and Coral| Coral ? (Too lazy to link them when the linking fell off.)

http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,35652.msg479880#msg479880
Sponge has primary uses.
1) Quanta Accelerant.
After the 1 turn delay (same as pillars) it produces 5 |6 or the quanta gain can be delayed to gain +2 |3 per turn.
Even with the delay, 1 time use and CC vulnerablity I feel the upgraded per turn gain is certainly too strong. 3|5 hp with +2|+2 hp per turn sounds more fair.
2) Liquid Shadow, Acceleration, Gravity Pull, Rage.
These are harder to analyse but it seems roughly balanced with Voodoo Doll. Playtesting would double check.
Finally the submerged value would also need playtesting. I think +3 would be sufficient but perhaps +4.

http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,35676.msg479744#msg479744
Coral
Hide is a one target skill that costs 1 to reduce target creature's attack by half.
Sponge seems like an improved version of the passive ability.
Probably not that useful to EtG compared to alternatives like Sponge.

[Pineapple]

How do you incorporate the "flexibility" variable into cost mechanics?

[OldTrees]

How do you incorporate the "flexibility" variable into cost mechanics?

With difficulty and guess work related to risky cards.

Blessing: 3 |2 +1 card for +3|+3
Chaos Power: X|1 + 1 card for +1-5|+1-5
Same average result. 1 less cost (3 cost units rather than 4).
Chaos Power is less valuable because it is less reliable.

The more reliable or more flexible a card the less likely it is to be a dead card in your hand. Thus it deserves to pay the decreased cost in the form of an increased casting cost.

I would assume between a +0 - +2 casting cost modifier for increased flexibility relative to the standard. If the flexibility increase was great enough to deserve a +3 then it might be too flexible for EtG. The reverse applies for decreased flexibility though decreased flexibility deserving -2 would be too situational for EtG.

[Daguerreo]

What abou Magpie (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,35704.msg480200#msg480200) ?

[OldTrees]

Hello Guru!

Please could you help us to build mechanics in:
Magpie (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,35365.0.html)

Magpie:
Both the stealing effects (from deck or from hand) would add  something to the game.
Stealing from the hand is twice the net card advantage (2x  the value of Hasten)
Stealing from the deck is a Milling win condition

What abou Magpie (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,35704.msg480200#msg480200) ?

Magpie steals a card from the opponent's deck. This gives you 1 card and reduces your opponent's deck size by 1.
You have 2 versions:
Duo activated ability
    The card can be used the same turn
    1 card per turn per magpie
Duo venom ability that requires an attack buff
    The card must wait a turn
    Can prevent you from drawing next turn (widens the deckout gap between the two decks)
    Can be used up to twice per turn per magpie
    2 card combo