Emerald Stone | Emerald Gem

[Ajit]

NAME: Emerald Stone ELEMENT: Life COST: 3 TYPE: Creature ATK|HP: 0|2 TEXT: Generates per turn. : Overgrown Spawn one Emerald Stone.	NAME: Emerald Gem ELEMENT: Life COST: 3 TYPE: Creature ATK|HP: 0|4 TEXT: Generates per turn. : Overgrown Spawn one Emerald Gem.

ART: Jacob Philpott (Ajit), original photo by Rob Lavinsky (http://www.irocks.com/) allowed to use IDEA: Ajit NOTES: Changes: - Changed passive skill from "successful attacks reduce opponent's maximum HP" to "generates   turn" - Changed ability from " spawn one pillar matching your mark" to " : spawn one emerald stone" - Changed ability from " : spawn one emerald stone" to " : Vines Destroy target permanent.  Vines doubles in cost with each use." SERIES: Gem Series (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,16740.0.html)

[GG]

Reducing opponent's max HP doesn't fit theme at all. How about increasing your max HP or just your HP instead?

[Ajit]

When I created it I was envisioning a leech seed type effect, or like the vines in a number of movies (like Harry Potter) that grab and constrict you and absorb your energy.

Here's kind of what I mean about the whole suck you up thing;


Anyways, I know I'm doing unconventional things with the elements, but I'm trying to break the norm.  I mean Life already has several ways of healing themselves, why do they need yet another?

I might be off, but I'm just trying to add some variety.  Let me know what you think.

[OldTrees]

Variety is good if it doesn't stray from what the elements mean.

This looks like another intriguing Quanta Generator. However I see three problems
1) It is unfocused. It is trying to be quanta acceleration and win condition at the same time. This reduces what you can do with the card before it gets to expensive.
2) It spawns a non living Pillar.
3) Reduction of max HP is not what I envision Life the element of Growth to do. (You might have as good of a rational as you did with fire though)


My suggestion
Generate
  : Spawn Emerald Stone|Emerald Gem

Yes. I know this makes the value of the spawn hard to calculate. This would be a new spawnself skill that would need more complicated theoretical valuation. So it would be beneficial to the standard.
So the vines(Gem) feeds of energy and multiplies.

[Ajit]

Oh nice I like that idea, might change it to that, and replacing the current passive skill with "Generate per turn" would resolve that idea.

On the other hand OldTrees, Life does already have the Rustler as an effective generator, and I fear creating another alternative to generation in the Life element would result in either Rustler or Emerald being unused, because people will figure out which one is more efficient.

[OldTrees]

I think that each element will have room for an unique constant generator and growing generator. Rustler is the constant x2, Emerald Gem could be the growing N^2 one.
However it is uncertain if the card banks are big enough yet for 2 special generators per element.

[EmeraldTiger]

what would be good for me is some day have a deck with "Emerald" as part of the name of every card. I hope this does well.

[Ajit]

OK thanks for your help OldTrees, I changed it and added you to the card idea/makers

@EmeraldTiger haha wouldn't that be great for you thanks for the comment.

[EmeraldTiger]

ok this now gets my vote!!!

[Ajit]

haha OK cool, I'm glad you like it

[Glitch]

If you want quanta producing creatures, use FFQ and rustler.

By the time this starts ramping, it's already taken up a large chunk of your creature slots, and there's nothing to use the quanta for anyway.

After playing four of these they /finally/ start paying for themselves.  Meanwhile, you could be using the 12-15 quanta to play a dragon or something, and start doing damage.

[Ajit]

You're absolutely right, I neglected to actually look at what Life needs, and instead just ran with the first idea I came up with.  I think I'm going to redo the ability on this one.  The question is to what exactly.  I'll be thinking on it.