Alpha Wolf | Elite Alpha Wolf [Legacy - Armory]

[harakirinosaru]

I like the card. Simple, yet offers many deckbuilding options, and on top of that the theme fits perfectly.

What I don't like is balance. This card id ridiculously overpowered. Like Wisemage already said, this card does 7 damage with only 4 quantum which itself is powerful. But the worst part is that one card instantly creates 3 creatures.

Think about it. With 6 of these cards in your deck, and only 24 quantum, you can create an army of 18 creatures that do 42 damage. Nothing in Elements comes even close to that. This card would instantly become the ultimate creature factory card with  INSANE synergy with cards like Feral Bond.

Needs a serious nerf.

P.s. the quantum icon in the top-right corner is on the wrong side of the number

Phase Spider costs 4 for & damage - its the same card.

[Scaredgirl]

And SG, I'd love to have it out with you in the Trainer.  I really think you're seriously overestimating the value of a bunch of 2/2 skill-less creatures AND overestimating the time it takes to get 6 of a card into your hand and then into play.  Hell, Ambominations would be overpowered if you could instantly get 6 of them into play with 6 cards.  Fortunately, that's not how the game works.

You don't see the huge difference between getting 6 or getting 18 creatures? Lol, that's three times as many. AND we are talking about an element that has Feral Bond.

You could build insane mono-life decks with this card.

[Essence]

You don't see the huge difference between getting 6 or getting 18 creatures? Lol, that's three times as many. AND we are talking about an element that has Feral Bond.

You could build insane mono-life decks with this card.

Of course I see the difference.  That's the idea.   You could play Phase Spider; instead you get 3 creatures (2 more from Feral Bond) and in exchange those creatures are more fragile and easier to stop with shields.   Seriously, you're stressed about +2HP from Feral Bond versus doing 2 less damage if the opponent has a 1-point shield out and 4 less damage if the opponent has a 2-point or 3-point shield out and dying to FireShield, Spine Carapace, and Thunderstorm in one hit instead of 2.   Not to mention, as previously said, that Phase Recluse is easier to protect with Quintessence/Armor/Blessing and more effective to buff with Liquid Shadow/Momentum and the like.

[Khimera]

Perhaps it would be more balanced if it were tweaked slightly?

Alpha Wolf could be 2/2 for with the cost being reduced by 1 when upgraded.
Pack Wolf would become 1/1 for and 2/1 for when upgraded.

This keeps it simple, but balances things out slightly, reducing the overall damage but increasing the cost without hindering the synergy with Feral Bond.

I also noticed that one of the main balance issues was the fact that you can play 6 Alpha Wolves and have 18 creatures played. This in itself seems odd, so I came up with the following:

Alpha Wolf
4/2
 
When Alpha Wolf comes into play, two pack wolves are generated. For each turn that Alpha Wolf stays in play another Alpha Wolf is generated. Only one Alpha Wolf can be in play at any time.

That would reduce the swarming aspect and would fit in more with the Alpha Wolf theme, but it is perhaps too complicated and not as desirable as the original idea. I just thought I'd throw my $0.02 in and see what people think.

[Scaredgirl]

The way you changed the card is a definite step to a worse direction because now instead of it being something new, it's basically a FFQ of crack who creates 2 creatures instead of only 1, and much more powerful because you only use one type of quantum.

The "play one card, get 3 creatures" original idea you had was suggested earlier but it was for RoF's unless I'm mistaken, which makes more sense because if you have this kind of creature factory card, Life is the worst possible choice because of the huge synergy with Feral Bond.

[Khimera]

@Scaredgirl:

I think you misunderstood.

I proposed that it would be changed to the following:

Alpha Wolf
2/2

When Alpha Wolf comes into play, generate 2 Pack Wolves.

Alpha Wolf (upped)
2/2

When Alpha Wolf comes into play, generate 2 Pack Wolves (upped).

Pack Wolf
1/1


Pack Wolf (upped)
2/1


This is exactly the same concept of the original idea, but with slightly different numbers.

[Scaredgirl]

I was talking to Essence actually.

But yeah, your numbers look more balanced to me.

[Essence]

The way you changed the card is a definite step to a worse direction because now instead of it being something new, it's basically a FFQ of crack who creates 2 creatures instead of only 1, and much more powerful because you only use one type of quantum.

The "play one card, get 3 creatures" original idea you had was suggested earlier but it was for RoF's unless I'm mistaken, which makes more sense because if you have this kind of creature factory card, Life is the worst possible choice because of the huge synergy with Feral Bond.

Umm...I didn't change the card at all except to reduce Elite Pack Wolves to 2/1 with a free casting cost, so I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.  The change I made was to keep the vulnerability to Thunderstorm, basically.

And Khimera, asking Life (the element whose only two attributes are efficient creatures and healing) to pay 6 quanta for 4 points of damage spread over three creatures, isn't just underpowered, it's downright unplayable.  2 extra points of healing from Feral Bond isn't ever going to be worth doing a massive 1 point of damage through any given 1-point shield.  Ever.

[Oooh Muffin]

packwolves just became the new photons

I think the card is okay, but of course a powerful card.

[killsdazombies]

I like the current card, combine life with time and you can play a ton of wolves and with hourglass you can reverse one then use hour glass to play it and with emp bond it would be EXTREMELY awesome, and an added place for life in a non air deck.  this card has a lot of potential. i would love it for a card. the stats are good (thunderstorm and Rof would destroy this) the ability is good (4 life for a 5/4 creature spread over 3 creature) and the cost is good (creature for 4 life that can be stopped by a shield)

*ZOMBIE HUNTER*

[Essence]

...except that it's 4 life for a 6/4 creature spread over 3 creatures, right.

[PuppyChow]

I really like Essence's original version too. A deck based on these loses to any form of creature control or 2+ damage preventing shield, but this is balanced by the synergy with feral bond.

I don't see how 7 damage for 4 quantum is overpowered. And in some ways, 3 creatures are worse than 1 so that balances out the bond synergy.