Hope | Hope

[Sastrugi]

I like the card, but I don't like mathematical variables and equations in card text. It looks out of place, makes it harder to figure out what the card does, and is usually a sign that you're doing something too complicated. Fortunately, this one looks like an easy fix.

Old Description
Shield: physical damage reduced by N. N is the number of your light emitting creatures. Immaterial.

New Description
Shield: Reduces physical damage by 1 for each of your light emitting creatures. Immaterial.

New Description (upgraded)
Shield: Reduces physical damage by 1, plus 1 more for each of your light emitting creatures. Immaterial.

It's not an important thing, but I think it reads better this way.

[Bloodshadow]

So... Is the upgrade really worth it? I mean, it costs more, and 1 more defense isn't that much when you can easily have 10+ defense.

[Xinef]

Not always easily - you either play RoL and have high defense early, but risk creature control (a thunderstorm, and this 1 defense helps once again), or you play unupped FFQ or bigger luciferined creatures, or immortal creatures or whatever and then it takes time to build up hope, so 1 defense helps in the beginning (of course in some decks being able to play hope one turn earlier might help better)
So, basically both version have advantages depending on your strategy.

[Aygor]

i think that Hope is a great card, BUT i am sure that it is too strong, most of the decks simply cannot do anything about it.
I came up with an idea, in my opinion it's formula should be changed from "damage reduced by" which sets a limit of damage your creatures need to overcome, and that gets nearly impossible.
to "absorbs x damage for every light emitting.."
I think that 2 damages for every ligthing creature would keep it the best shield and on the same time leave a reaction spot on the long run.
Upgraded could be even 3 damage per creature.
I think that this idea should be given some consideration, becouse the shield doesn't get a true nerf, but the others get a chance.

[xdude]

i think that Hope is a great card, BUT i am sure that it is too strong, most of the decks simply cannot do anything about it.
I came up with an idea, in my opinion it's formula should be changed from "damage reduced by" which sets a limit of damage your creatures need to overcome, and that gets nearly impossible.
to "absorbs x damage for every light emitting.."
I think that 2 damages for every ligthing creature would keep it the best shield and on the same time leave a reaction spot on the long run.
Upgraded could be even 3 damage per creature.
I think that this idea should be given some consideration, becouse the shield doesn't get a true nerf, but the others get a chance.

Man, that's UP. The way it is now isn't OP. All light emmitting creatures can bew wiped out by ANY control card. And if you want to use Luciferin, you might get clogged hands. Also, if you manage to get 3 Luciferin'd dragons, you deserve to win the game.

P.S.: Thanks to Jmizzle7 for moving the thread (before I had time to)

[coinich]

Then most decks don't have any sort of permanent control?  Earth, Fire, Entropy, and Darkness all have ways of disabling or defeating permanents.

[xdude]

Then most decks don't have any sort of permanent control?  Earth, Fire, Entropy, and Darkness all have ways of disabling or defeating permanents.

Erm coinich, it's immaterial.

[Aygor]

i think that Hope is a great card, BUT i am sure that it is too strong, most of the decks simply cannot do anything about it.
I came up with an idea, in my opinion it's formula should be changed from "damage reduced by" which sets a limit of damage your creatures need to overcome, and that gets nearly impossible.
to "absorbs x damage for every light emitting.."
I think that 2 damages for every ligthing creature would keep it the best shield and on the same time leave a reaction spot on the long run.
Upgraded could be even 3 damage per creature.
I think that this idea should be given some consideration, becouse the shield doesn't get a true nerf, but the others get a chance.

Man, that's UP. The way it is now isn't OP. All light emmitting creatures can bew wiped out by ANY control card. And if you want to use Luciferin, you might get clogged hands. Also, if you manage to get 3 Luciferin'd dragons, you deserve to win the game.

P.S.: Thanks to Jmizzle7 for moving the thread (before I had time to)

not overpowered? fire storm can destroy some, thunderstorm is too weak, all the others can deal with just one creature. that shield if used properly is able to get a damage reduction of more than 12.
Since permanent control is pointless and creature control isn't enough to get rid of it but can just reduce it's effect i guess that's a bit too much of a wall.

No really, u deserve to win the game when u are good enough to overcome tha opponent, so many times i had a perfect game and lost anyway.. that's the spirit of the game, you can't say if u put a couple of dragons and that shield you deserve to win..

I say that again, 2 or 3 damages absorbed for every light emitting creature is just fine, the power it has now is much more than most of the rares have.

[Xinef]

not overpowered? fire storm can destroy some, thunderstorm is too weak, all the others can deal with just one creature. that shield if used properly is able to get a damage reduction of more than 12.
Since permanent control is pointless and creature control isn't enough to get rid of it but can just reduce it's effect i guess that's a bit too much of a wall.

No really, u deserve to win the game when u are good enough to overcome tha opponent, so many times i had a perfect game and lost anyway.. that's the spirit of the game, you can't say if u put a couple of dragons and that shield you deserve to win..

I say that again, 2 or 3 damages absorbed for every light emitting creature is just fine, the power it has now is much more than most of the rares have.

Thunderstorm is enough to kill a Ray of Light, which is probably the best creature to use with hope. If you are using unupped FFQ to generate fireflys then kill either FFQ (if you have spells/abilites that kill a single creature like gravity pull or firebolt) or deal 2 damage to fireflys (RoF, plague, fire shield, thorn carapace, two thunderstorms). Also FFQ version lacks heavy hitters, so it is easy to block with damage reducing shields.
Luciferined eclipsed skeletons might be a bit tougher, but I guess it has similar weaknesses as FFQ.
And luciferined dragons... have you ever fought an opponent with 12 luciferined dragons at once?

[miniwally]

I don't know why, but some posts suggest hope is easy to counter with creature control...

Upgraded it gives 2 protection even without any light emitting creatures! An indestructible shield with 2 protection is very good in itself, greatly reducing damage from Fire Queen, Incarnate, Ferox, Morte, burrowed shriekers, puffer fishes etc. making it great for early game, before you can play those light emitting creatures (of course if you have an early source of light, so better for rainbows than FFQ for example). Add some SoG's and sundials, and it greatly helps to survive until you can play some quinted source of light, luciferined drags, light nymph+skeletons, whatever... it seems to be equally powerful as a bone wall in late game, but better in early game.

Upgraded on its own its protects vs 1 damage not 2.

[Xinef]

You qouted a post written before it was nerfed (while it was still only available in trainer). At first it was cheaper and protected 1+N unupped, 2+N upped.

[Hobnob5000]

People who say this card is OP, it isn't really. the only natural light emitting creature is Ray of Light, and most creatures have an ability, so Luciferin isn't so powerful. Plus, if the creatures are destroyed, it is rather useless