The Metagame: a multi-purpose community project

[The_Mormegil]

Added a small paragraph about Shard of Sacrifice! Please share your opinion!

[Bleys295]

Another problem with our wealth of creature control is the diminutiveness of buff cards.  Buff cards by their very nature are a two card combo and they can be dealt with at a fraction of the cost

This.

One of the largest problems that I am seeing with card selection currently is a lack of proper buff and debuffs. Currently only  and have true any creature "buffs", being cards that actually increase attack. We have the alchemic spells that grant abilities and positive attributes in most cases, but the remaining elements    do not have access to these. This is an issue I would like to see addressed, in hope that changes in it would cause a distinctly more varied metagame.

[The_Mormegil]

Another problem with our wealth of creature control is the diminutiveness of buff cards.  Buff cards by their very nature are a two card combo and they can be dealt with at a fraction of the cost

This.

One of the largest problems that I am seeing with card selection currently is a lack of proper buff and debuffs. Currently only  and have true any creature "buffs", being cards that actually increase attack. We have the alchemic spells that grant abilities and positive attributes in most cases, but the remaining elements    do not have access to these. This is an issue I would like to see addressed, in hope that changes in it would cause a distinctly more varied metagame.

How do you plan on changing this? If you add buffs, then you put even more emphasis on CC cards, as plastiqe noted, because a two cards combo can be killed by a single card (thus gaining card advantage). Also, each buff should be strong enough to warrant its cost and its own weaknesses, otherwise it will only be played on creatures benefitting from buffs (Dive, Scorpions...), but if you want the buffs to be worth their price, they need to be strong buffs. Finally, you need to come up with different enough themes for each buff card that they are worth of a new card. Additionally, putting even more emphasis on creatures strengthens the power of certain stall types (e.g. Firestall, Shard of Sacrifice).

[dragonsdemesne]

I've never even considered the lack of buff cards in most elements, because I rarely use such cards.  There is Shard of Patience for anyone, though that's not very strong.  Darkness has Eclipse, which I would count as a (global) buff at least in Darkness.

One possible idea for a new type of buff card would be permanents that grant permanent boosts like = target creature gets +1/+0 or  = target creature gets +0/+2, or maybe an entropy one with  = one random creature gets +1/+1 (upped: one random creature you control).

Something like a weak creature that had 'when this creature comes into play, another target creature gets +3/+3' could also be a new idea, and help avoid the problem of card disadvantage.  (it would also have fun synergy with eternity)

(don't take any of the numbers seriously, it's about the ideas rather than balancing)

[OldTrees]

Lack of buff cards is not a problem. It is an opportunity though.

[Bleys295]

How do you plan on changing this?



 If you add buffs, then you put even more emphasis on CC cards, as plastiqe noted, because a two cards combo can be killed by a single card (thus gaining card advantage). Also, each buff should be strong enough to warrant its cost and its own weaknesses, otherwise it will only be played on creatures benefitting from buffs (Dive, Scorpions...), but if you want the buffs to be worth their price, they need to be strong buffs. Finally, you need to come up with different enough themes for each buff card that they are worth of a new card. Additionally, putting even more emphasis on creatures strengthens the power of certain stall types (e.g. Firestall, Shard of Sacrifice).

I would like to see more cards added over time that fall into the category, but that is more a community decision.

creative buffs could help get around stalls if appropriately used for  example, a buff that caused creature(s) to attack max hp instead of health, combined with a sturdy creature,  would have the possibility of breaking a stall.

[The_Mormegil]

Added Plastiqe's take on fixing the metagame's issues, complete with all card and rules changes!

EDIT: Also changed my version a bit because of the new patch.

[The_Mormegil]

Be sure to check out the newest project on card balancing, if you haven't already! (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,35065.new.html#new)

[ralouf]

 After winning with a super non-creative speedbow vs a fun vampbow deck :

calindu221 [»] ralouf1: I should stop using creative decks

Sadly that's exactly my thought too, specially in the upped metagame.. Speedbow are just too strong and doesn't really have any good counter.. Nerfing SN is maybe a solution but it'll also nerf all the creative rainbow deck.
I think that we need more powerfull cards, which can't be used in a speedbow in order to balance this..

[OldTrees]

I think that we need more powerfull cards, which can't be used in a speedbow in order to balance this..

Cards that require a few to several SN to cast would be difficult to use in a speedbow. This is an interesting proposal.

[ralouf]

Yes for me there is a critical point where a card isn't playable in a speedbow, for me it's around 7 quanta. 6 quanta cards are played in Sn bow (archangel, TU..) I never saw a 7 quanta cards in a classic SNbow (with QT). So I think that making very powerfull card who costs 7 can allow player to play something else than a rainbow and be competitive.

also the bad part is the fact that it's way too easy to play SN + mass creature + discord and black hole.. which destroy every deck

[OldTrees]

Another solution would be to introduce more things that take advantage of the limited(finite + a few Quantum Towers) quanta supply speedbows have.