Basilisk Blood | Basilisk Blood

[jmizzle7]

[Terroking]

Earth has got some creature control now.

Though the symbol looks a bit off-centered...

[Essence]

Yes, this makes Earth a damn-good Element all around now, with fast attackers (Elite Antlion and Elite Graboid-->Elite Shrieker), tough attackers (Steel Golem and Basalt Dragon) invulnerable attackers (Burrowed stuff), permanent control (Pulverizer), creature control (Basilisk's Blood), healing (Stone Skin), the mighty Diamond Shield, quanta denial (Earthquake), and even fast quanta (Gemfinders). 

There's not a lot Earth can't do these days.  Makes the more limited elements like Life look kinda sad. 

[mike1313132003]

this card is insanely good.  so many positive, and negative operations for this one.

[Bloodshadow]

Basilisk Blood + Otyugh. Wait for 6 turns, then it's unstoppable. Or just use Adrenaline on it if you can't wait.

Or use on Armagios.

[Demagog]

Yes, this makes Earth a damn-good Element all around now, with fast attackers (Elite Antlion and Elite Graboid-->Elite Shrieker), tough attackers (Steel Golem and Basalt Dragon) invulnerable attackers (Burrowed stuff), permanent control (Pulverizer), creature control (Basilisk's Blood), healing (Stone Skin), the mighty Diamond Shield, quanta denial (Earthquake), and even fast quanta (Gemfinders). 

There's not a lot Earth can't do these days.  Makes the more limited elements like Life look kinda sad.

You forgot it's the only element that can protect permanents. So ya, I'd say it's one of the best all around elements... darkness and fire are pretty good too.

[coinich]

My question is is it better to view this as creature control with an added counterbalance buff, or as a buff with a negative stasis to balance it out?

I can't see 6 turns of an Oty doing nothing for me, for a number of reasons.  Thats 6 turns my Oty could be eating anything, as well as the fact that I'd think many games wouldn't be in a position to be tipped after the 8 or so turns it would take to get this out and running.  Plus, what does +20 do besides make you eat Armagios and Massive Dragons instantly?

I'm leaning towards using it more for its stasis-like effect.  Plus, it can turn that Shrieker into a Gravity Shield blocked creature.

[storyteller]

I think one of the better uses for this is to allow several rage potions to be played on a creature at once.
Consider, a dragon, or lavagolem or whatever, to play one of these, then drop 4 rage potions on it.
You would have a dragon with around 30 attack, ready to attack in 6 turns. Faster than a growth unit can build up, or an oty can eat.
I think many of the Alchemy cards are meant to be combined.

[YoYoBro]

No. A creature with 30 atk and such little HP is too easy to control in 6 turns.

[storyteller]

so make it immortal after that?

[Kamietsu]

Why not just wait 6 turns to play the rage potions? A high HP critter is tough to get right of unless the opponent can mutate it. When the six turns are up, play your rages, you can at least get an attack out of it then.

[Essence]

The problem at that point is the risk curve again.  Every time you play a card that buffs another card, you increase the investment you've made in that one creature not only in quanta, but more importantly in cards drawn.

You have to sit back and honestly ask yourself: Why did I play all of those rage potions when I could have played 6 more phattie creatures?

THe thing that makes Rage Potion so awesome isn't that it can create huge, fragile attackers.  It's that it's creature control that can ALSO be used to make huge, fragile attackers if you don't need it for creature control.

Much like Basilisk Blood is creature control that can ALSO be used to make one of your creatures damn near unkillable if you're willing to wait 6 turns to use it.

Combining 1 BB and 4 Rages on one creature nets you a single creature with +20 attack and no bonus to HP, which is awesome if the creature already had plenty of HP and your opponent isn't playing with Mutation/Fallen Elf, Freeze/Ice Shield/Arctic Squid, Rewind/Eternity, Parallel Universe, or, less usefully but still effective, any source of quickly building creature damage (Aflatoxin, Eagle's Eye, Fire Shield, Gravity Pull).  That's 8 of 12 elements that has an appropriate response to such a creature, by the way.

There's just too damn many eggs in that basket!