Elements 1.29

[OldTrees]

The idea of SoSa is you play it while you have quite a bit of hp still so that you are not taking damage any more.  Don't think of it as a card that is meant to heal you back up when you are low on hp, that is completely wrong.  It is used at high hp, and you take damage, and if your opponent doesn't heal you up for that amount of damage, then you played it at a bad time, oh well, if you get back to 100%, play another one after that.  It's basically 2 turns of complete invulnerability without your opponent being able to cancel the effect.

The 11|9 threshold was calculated on this basis. (+ some healing to recoup the card used).

[bucky1andonly]

11/9 threshold?  I don't know what this means.  If you are talking about total dmg per turn, then that doesn't even matter.  You don't wait until your opponent gets out a big creature.  If your opponent has out enough damage to give you back enough hp to play another shard after the first one runs out, then that is all you need.  Either your opponent continues to discard their creatures, or play them and heal you up faster.

But unless a person can get out the 3 turn win deck (red dragons), you're not going below 40 hp within 3 turns.  Even lava destroyers will only get you down to 50 something hp in the 2nd turn.  But if you're not playing against either of these decks, you usually have at least 2-3 free turns without getting close to 40 hp, and 32 hp will give you usually 3-4 free turns, and again, don't wait to play the shard, play it early, itll buy you time to get out a good combo.

[Essence]

If your opponent has out enough damage to give you back enough hp to play another shard after the first one runs out, then that is all you need.

True, and that's awesome for the metagame. It means that rushes that just throw out huge damage are wicked punished by SoSa, while midline decks that field up to 19 damage (15 upped) while controlling your attackers are perfectly able to handle SoSa. That's exactly the kind of metagame shift Elements needs.  In fact, most of the current shards (SoSe excepted) are leaning towards that slower, mid-line playing style, and I love it.

[OldTrees]

11/9 threshold?  I don't know what this means.  If you are talking about total dmg per turn, then that doesn't even matter.  You don't wait until your opponent gets out a big creature.  If your opponent has out enough damage to give you back enough hp to play another shard after the first one runs out, then that is all you need.  Either your opponent continues to discard their creatures, or play them and heal you up faster.

If the opponent is doing less than 10|8 total damage per turn then playing SoS speeds up your demise. (you are taking 40|32 damage from SoS)
If the opponent is doing exactly 10|8 total damage per turn then playing SoS has no effect.
If the opponent is doing more than 10|8 total damage per turn (minimum 11|9) then SoS is worth playing.

[bucky1andonly]

It's worth playing even if they are only doing 5 damage.  If they are only doing 5 damage, it is still 2 turns that you won't have to worry about them playing any more creatures (if they are smart), which means they might have to discard.  2 turns to draw another SoSa as well, so if you can stack it, you will live for 4 turns.  Also if you get 2 in your opening hand, you could start off by playing both right away, that means you now have 4 turns you won't be taking any damage, but your opponent might be inclined to not play any creatures allowing you to set something up.


-edit-
Having a sanctuary in play and playing an SoSa, you lose all your quanta except death still.  Shouldn't you keep all your quanta?  Maybe just something overlooked.

[OldTrees]

It's worth playing even if they are only doing 5 damage.  If they are only doing 5 damage, it is still 2 turns that you won't have to worry about them playing any more creatures (if they are smart), which means they might have to discard.  2 turns to draw another SoSa as well, so if you can stack it, you will live for 4 turns.  Also if you get 2 in your opening hand, you could start off by playing both right away, that means you now have 4 turns you won't be taking any damage, but your opponent might be inclined to not play any creatures allowing you to set something up.

Risky play. You lose an average of 15|11hp per turn (10|6 more than without SoS) in that first example just to delay them playing creatures. (they would probably play creatures rather than discard) It may occasionally be worth that but rarely. Having them play their creatures and then use SoS sounds like the better move IMO.

[moomoose]

"Having a sanctuary in play and playing an SoSa, you lose all your quanta except death still.  Shouldn't you keep all your quanta?  Maybe just something overlooked."

sanct only works on your opponents turn

[bucky1andonly]

Oh ya, keep forgetting that.

[SnoWeb]

About SoP and Dune Scorpion: If someone uses dunes a lot, I'm that one. I tried it in every possible way. I always thought people who do not play with it overestimate it's strength because they do not know how to react to the yellow icon. I also believe dune deserved to have the possibility to be played in mono. It was just a difficult challenge to allow this possibility without making the creature too strong. I think the challenge has been carried off with brio. The greatest strength of dune is that one hit is enough. You play your dune with it's buff and stall. The drawback of having it delayed is huge. It means that the opponent has one opportunity to kill it or play a shield before it hits. I say: "brilliant". The combo SoP-Dune opens the opportunities of playing dune in different decks (water-time, mono-time, death-time rainbow or even fire-time why not) but with a lower benefit that if you play it in the classical (time-gravity, time-light or time-entropy). It couldn't be better. It is clearly a buff to dune. I really think it is a deserved buff. IMO, it will not make it OP. However, now be careful you cannot be sure your opponent does not have one in reserve (scary scary). I might be wrong and maybe someone fill find a unstoppable deck using the SoP-Dune combo. Personally I really doubt it. Anyway I'll test and watch it closely believe me. If it gets out of control I'll open the nerf thread myself.

About the cap at 75: It does not serve the purpose I thought the cap should serve. It does not affect the OP properties of Fire bolt/lance and Fahrenheit. I believe in this form the cap is completely useless. I think that if you want to use said cards at full strength you should be compelled to restrained decks. That is why I proposed the cap at 40 + bonus for you mark. A +40 bonus brings the cap to 80. It gives you the same destruction (or healing for SS) power that the present plain 75 cap. However, it restrain the scope of decks you might use it with.

About SoR: I think SoR needs a buff on it non-time use. Now it is underused and It will stay this way if nothing is done against that.

SoSa: Looks balanced now. I am still a bit afraid of it but it might just be because I don't know the mechanic well enough yet. Let see how it affects the game.

[hendrydext]

Dimensional Shield + Protect Artifact give more advantages:
- playable
- no quanta loses.
- synergy with healing.
- 3 turn life saver (1 turn more than SoSac)

Then, why we should use SoSac anymore??
Maybe I am wrong. Please someone tell me a deck that really get the most benefit of SoSac..

About SoR: I think SoR needs a buff on it non-time use. Now it is underused and It will stay this way if nothing is done against that.

I think SoR is strong enough to use on non-time creature such as: mitosis creature and creature that use many quanta (such as nymph) or maybe creature that use quanta that there is not in main quanta.. So, SoR is quite strong card depend on the strategy.

[moomoose]

yeah, i havent been able to hit the cap of 75, its pretty much irrelevant.  i guess it depends on what zanz is after as far as which is the better cap.

[the dictator]

Dimensional Shield + Protect Artifact give more advantages:
- playable
- no quanta loses.
- synergy with healing.
- 3 turn life saver (1 turn more than SoSac)

Then, why we should use SoSac anymore??
Maybe I am wrong. Please someone tell me a deck that really get the most benefit of SoSac..
(..)

Well, basically all decks that don't use aether and earth