Card Design Theory [xiv1.324]

[Drake_XIV]

**STILL BEING WRITTEN**

This should probably have been compiled a long time ago, but I seem to have misplaced all of my notes.  So here it goes...

This set of Card Cost Theory is working under the assumption that all Common cards are balanced.

Part One

General Overview of Elemental Differences

What sets each element apart, obviously, are how each of them approaches the game. Each element has their own little niche and difference in gameplay. Some favor quick and aggressive play styles while others cater to the more slow and sturdy ones.

The following is just a very general take on the aspects of each element. Of course, there are outliers in each element or the nature of each may be interpreted differently. But these are just my take on them as wholes based on their common card pools.

Spoiler for General Overview:

	Randomness and manipulation. Entropy is very centered around the theme of randomness, as seen in its use of Mutation and Chaos Seed. But it isn't keen on getting rid of your creatures. Not at all. The element prefers to play with its food. Mutation, Chaos Seed, and Pandemonium just forces creatures to play Russian roulette while the use of Dissipation Shield and Antimatter taunt those unaffected, rendering whole fields of creatures potentially useless.
	While playing host to one of the best unupgraded rushes, Death's card pool is built more like a stall. Almost like an element built to wait for a slow and eventual death. Sources of poison offer a nice scaling source of damage that is harder to deal with. A consistently growing shield or, if that isn't your taste, a shield that utilizes death effects to create a slowly growing army.
	Gravity, in itself, is very forceful.
	Wreathed in flames, Fire capitalizes in burst damage and destruction. Very efficient cost-to-attack ratios and the capability of rapidly accumulating quanta to hit faces harder and faster. On the flip side, Fire plays host to a variety of control for creatures like Rage Elixir and Fire Bolt or for Permanents as seen with Deflagration. But even in the face of destruction, like a Phoenix, they find ways to be reborn and strive.
	Fluid and versatile.
	The obvious themes behind Aether are immaterial and copying. Quintessence, Immortal, and Phase Dragon exemplify the immaterial nature of creatures while Dimensional Shield does so for the player. Silence arguably does the same for the field. The use of Parallel Universe, Fractal, and Mind Gate show just how much duplication can be had. And with the addition of Psion and Shard of Wisdom, it seems that a third facet of spell damage may be expanded upon.

Effects of Elements

We know that when if comes to cards, some elements are far more efficient than others as seen above. One thing that I have found to stand out the most in this regard is card cost.


Part Two

Effects of Card Types



Part Three

Cost of Attack



Cost of Health



Cost of Ability



Part Four

Additional Card Cost



Off-Element Costs



Upgrading Costs

[Drake_XIV]

Post Reserved For Addendum

[Drake_XIV]

Post Reserved for Addendum

[Drake_XIV]

Post Reserved for FAQ

[OdinVanguard]

For  , this element (and the concept of entropy in general) is also about dispersing and spreading things out. Particularly, its about redistribution of states... be they states of energy (quanta-> discord, quanta + damage -> dissipation shield), or states of being (schrodingers cat) or power / abilities / statuses (mutation, pandemonium, chaos seed / chaos power). The randomness is one of the easiest ways to represent this in game.

There is a little overlap with the core theme of aether, but the distinction is that entropy is about dispersing things among various states or energies whereas aether is about replication across many dimensions.

For the  element, there is also the concept of rebirth (phoenix) and change in general (lava golem). One untapped theme is that fire is also a purgative force... Thus far this has been only seen in terms of its destructive nature but phoenix hints at it. The idea is that fire burns off impurities.

For the element there are a lot of themes at play. It is very much an element of opposites in harmony. The ocean and tides are also obvious given that all its creatures are aquatic. Water, like fire, can be both destructive and constructive in nature. The purification theme is very present (purify spell). However, water also takes the flip side and can inflict poison (chrysaora and toadfish / pufferfish). Being the cast as the natural antithesis to the fire element, the water element also has themes of "cold" and frost very prevelant. There is the theme that water can be destructive by overwhelming force (tsunami and flooding). There is the theme of slow but continual growth / healing as in purify, steam machine, and Shard of Patience. Perhaps most interesting, it is also themed as the core element of "Alchemy" as is evident by its alchemy spell creating nymphs from pillars of any element. This along with the myriad off element abilities makes water the most synergistic of all elements.

[serprex]

On dispersing: this is also found with the effects sometimes using the opponent's advantage against them (antimatter, maxwell) or one's weakness as a strength (Butterfly Effect)
Also unupped pande is better as one's field lacks more creatures (unlike other mass CC which only gets better based on the opponent's field)

[jarozaoz]

concept is nothing else, than manipulation of time. All mechanics is based about concept of acceleration of time (Golden Hourglass, skill of Sundial), its stopping (Sundial by itself, Procastination), and its reversing. (Eternity, Reverse Time). Concept of is based additionally on dunes, but rather on ancient civilizations. (Ancient Egypt? Pharaoh, Scarab, Anubis) is maintained in concept of past (GoTP) and the future. (Precognition).
So, why to write more? is just...
...itself.

Thats why i love . ♥

[StreptoFire]

More stuff:

Spams a lot of weak critters instead of a single strong one. Benefits from having more creatures on the field. Also tons of healing per turn.
Damage multipliers. Wyrms can double their damage, Sky Blitz doubles everyone's damage, and Shard of Freedom gives a chance to deal 50% increased damage. Because of this, Air is more focused at dealing tons of damage in a single turn rather than killing its opponent slowly.
Darkness is about taking stuff from your opponent and benefitting from it. This kind of mechanic is present on Drain Life, Steal, Devourer, Vampire Dagger and Vampire.

[Pineapple]

I think a lot of the attributes you gave Fire apply to Life. Here's my take:

Fire is for instant gratification, so it has high ATK creatures that give more bang for your buck. Also, its PC and CC aim to remove the creature/permanent swiftly, efficiently, and without room for counterplay. Constructive examples include Crimson Dragon, Immolation, Deflagration. Counterexamples include Fire Spirit, Fire Shield, Fahrenheit.

Life is the rushy element, so it has high ATK-to-cost ratios in its creatures and ways to generate more damage (and exclusive to one card, more quanta). Constructive examples include Horned Frog, Adrenaline, Rustler. Counterexamples include Heal, Emerald Shield, Thorn Carapace.

[kirbylover314]

  would be the element of protection and terrestrial beings. Stone Skin and Titanium Shield protects the player; Basilisk Blood, Burrow and Plate Armor, the creatures; Enchant Artifact, the permanents.
  has to do with mass.  makes advantage of this huge HP with cards like Gravity Pull, Catapult and Acceleration.