[Official] Enchant Artifact | Protect Artifact

[RavingRabbid]

Really. WHY should this cost random quanta?

[midg3333]

changing this to a random quanta cost would pretty much just be a nerf to permanent destruction, which i don't like the idea of. Permanents are already powerful enough as it is. Thing is, earth don't really have that many permanents to protect. Sure, the shield is pretty good...but it can be countered by almost any type of deck by just adding some dragons or something. The weapon is a duo card anyway, so any duo that uses earth has access to PA too. Pillars can be protected...but earth is the element with the pillar destruction anyway. In general, I would say earth is one of the elements that has the least need for permanent protection, which is what balances this card. If PA was time or aether, maybe water or fire even, it would probably be OP or at least closer to it than it is ATM, but it's not. It's an earth card and i don't believe it needs a nerf.

[genraenera]

The most expensive price associated with playing a card is not its quanta cost, its the fact that it takes 1/30-60 cards from your deck.  For you to consistently draw a PA quickly, you need 2-3 of them and that is a HUGE cost for any deck other than a 60 card stall-deckout.  There's a reason few people put these into their CCYB variants, adding an extra card is a massive cost to your deck.

[Tompej]

In elements there are a lot of very cheap ways to make permanents go away, so if destroying a permanent is cheap, then protecting one should be too.

What makes this card seem unfair at times, is that most players have no way whatsoever to protect their permanents, whereas it's really easy for an earth player.

Basically I think we need more ways to protect permanents, not a nerf for the one way that actually is in the game

I agree. +1.

[QuantumT]

I just have a hard time thinking that a card that sees so little use needs a nerf.

[Higurashi]

Aye, as I said before, it always takes a card space. Now, if we got a permanent or creature that could do this every turn, like Anubis does Quint every turn, -that- card would probably deserve a nerf.

[Xrbeta]

Its not really strong but its not weak either just annoying like when someone uses this on a shield like permafrost or fire buckler.

[Captain Scibra]

Idea 1: permanent must be in play for one turn before it can be applied.
Idea 2 (my choice): create a resistance counter (like bonewall).  Endowments and steals are not successful but remove one counter.
Idea 3: have it last only so many turns.

similar with quint, the problem I can say is that if it is applied to the right permanent it can cause havoc.  i use one as an asset to my Heavy Metal (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,15792.msg216015.html) deck, and it helps at tearing up the other players permanents, would be nice if I had a bit more of a challenge 

[ZephyrPhantom]

The card is actually fine, and it's pretty vital to just about any deck with important permanents that aren't Hope, Morning Star, or Jade Shield.  Does it really need a nerf? It doesn't seem that way.

[Captain Scibra]

Actually here's a suggestion: In conjunction with Quintessence with creatures, freezing a weapon via frozen Voodoo Doll or the extension of of the freezing ability of Ice Bolt | Ice Lance, what if that made the it vulnerable for the duration of the freezing?  It's a small window, but it's not that big, nor is it very easy to plan for, unless of course the ability to freeze the weapon-in-hand is extended to Ice Shield | Permafrost Shield.  On the note of Quintessence, when you are frozen you are by all logical means solid and therefore targetable.  By all means every card/effect should have some sort of counter.  Freezing sounds like a logical option for these considerably OP cards.

[BluePriest]

This card is actually getting a nerf. The only 2 things I usually see this protecting are
1)A weapon
2)A pillars/towers/pendulums/ect

Now, no 1 is no longer safe, even with this card.

[zse]

This card is actually getting a nerf. The only 2 things I usually see this protecting are
1)A weapon
2)A pillars/towers/pendulums/ect

Now, no 1 is no longer safe, even with this card.

Yep.
1) Frozen weapon + Shockwave = No weapon.
2) Pillars/Towers/Pendulums -> generate quanta
quanta + Black Hole/Gravity Nymph/swarm of Pests = No quanta.

Those 2^ are pretty situational strategies, but nevertheless there are/will be ways to play around this card. And that is a really good thing. Nerfing EA|PA effect more seems unnecessary at the moment, but the card cost could maybe be a bit higher.