So I got into a small debate with a few players in the chat room today about how there "is no balance" as far as card strength goes in Elements. The arguments presented were that there are cards that are not strong enough on their own merit to be worth playing, like Dragonfly or Heal. While it is very true that these cards do hold some value, there are clearly better alternatives than either of these cards, no matter what deck you build.
My argument is that there isn't really an issue of balance among these cards, but rather there isn't a format of play that lends itself to the use of weaker cards.
My favorite playing formats when I used to play MtG were sealed deck and booster drafts. These were called "limited" formats, because your card pool was limited to what you were given or what you drafted. You had to make the best deck possible out of what you had. In this format, some cards were far more playable than they might have been in Type 2, Block, or any other Constructed format. Underpowered cards and overpriced cards found their way into many limited decks because the pace of play was slower and high-powered cards were less frequent.
I know that Elements is not Magic: the Gathering, and I know that there are still many issues with the game that need to be addressed. But I believe that after a few more cards come out and the PvP system gets a little better, this would be a very good idea to flesh out. I think players of all ages and skill level would enjoy a level playing field and it would provide a new avenue of strategy for more advanced players.
What do you think?
