The trial

[skyironsword]

I dislike this soft counter idea, there are a lot of cards this wouldn't even help against.

Maybe allow you to pick one of these mark upgrades?

*usable once per game
**passive

Cast Heal for free.*
Airborne status is removed from all creatures.**
Airborne creatures gain +1/+1.**
Airborne creatures cannot be targeted by your opponent.**
Opponent starts with 2 poison counters.**
Draw 2 cards.*
You cannot deckout.** (You will stop drawing cards normally when you have no cards left in your deck)
Begin the game with a +2 purify counter.**
Fire Bolt deals 4 damage every 10 quanta.**
Opponent starts with 80% HP.**
Come into play cloaked.**
Heal 10 whenever your opponent discards a card.**
Deal 1-3 random damage to all creatures on the field.*
Heal 10 whenever your opponent draws an extra card.**
Your creatures ignore shields.**
Start with 120% HP.**
You can target your own immaterial creatures.**
All immaterial creatures get +1/+1.**
Target creature is now immaterial.*

[ElementalDearWatson]

I dislike this soft counter idea, there are a lot of cards this wouldn't even help against.

Maybe allow you to pick one of these mark upgrades?

I like a lot of these ideas much better than the idea as listed.  A few suggestions, though...

Cast Heal for free.*

Or how about healing 3 every turn.  So it's the equivalent of having a Shard of Gratitude if you have a mark other than .

Airborne status is removed from all creatures.**

I think that's too specific in what it would counter.  As has a lot of effects based around the health of the creatures on its side of the field, how about all your creatures gain 0/+2.  In other words, making an unupped Otyugh into an upped one.

Airborne creatures cannot be targeted by your opponent.**

Probably OP.  How about gaining 25% chance they cannot be targeted, stackable with Shard of Freedom.  In other words, have this and play 3 Shards and you'll have the 100%.

Opponent starts with 2 poison counters.**

Or, to make it stronger, every creature your opponent plays has a chance to die instantly (like a preemptive Skull Shield).

Draw 2 cards.*

Or, perhaps, creatures don't suffer from the summoning sickness.

Begin the game with a +2 purify counter.**

Or, for something a little more powerful, all creatures your opponent plays have a chance to enter the game frozen.

Heal 10 whenever your opponent draws an extra card.**
Your creatures ignore shields.**

The heal seems like a ability, and the shields seems like .  How about any creature of yours which is killed has a chance to not die, Shrodinger's Cat-style?

I really like your ideas, although I'm less keen on the idea of having one-off effects which can be triggered.  Something passive for each element would be much better, I think.

[kimham8a]

Ignoring shields is pretty OP imo. Entropy rainbows will barely even need Shard of Focus anymore (though they still will for lolz).

[jazzfan27]

My idea.

When your card is played, your opponent's library is searched and the top copy of that card is removed from the game.

This way you usually won't see more than 3 copies of your hated card.  Might see a bit more if your opp drew more than 3.

I think this is a fairly workable soft counter.  Just zaps copies out of the library.

Also, I'd love it if this worked for all shards as one card.  I get so tired of seeing shards in every deck, it gets repetitive.

[laxnut90]

I think it would be better balance wise if completing this challenge gave you 1 card of your choice (Nymph, Shard, Rare Weapon etc.)  There could even be cards introduced that can only be won from completing this challenge. 

[eaglgenes101]

Any word on it's ETA?

[Icet44]

It seems like Zanzarino has ditched Elements. Unless he has just had a very long break, I don't think we will be seeing any more updates

[TribalTrouble]

It seems like Zanzarino has ditched Elements. Unless he has just had a very long break, I don't think we will be seeing any more updates

This is only a side project for Zanzarino... and we've had things like this said before. He just isn't very talkative :p

[n00b]

It seems like Zanzarino has ditched Elements. Unless he has just had a very long break, I don't think we will be seeing any more updates

This has happened before (long periods of afkness), but I highly doubt Zanz would just leave without announcing something to us. Besides, he's still semi-active on the forums, coming on every week or so.

[artimies7]

* artimies7 sees post.

[dragonsdemesne]

Before the last update, everyone thought zanz was dead or kidnapped or something, too.  Then he suddenly appeared, bearing gifts of dry spells and salvagers, in addition to changing all the shards.  He's been gone for longer in the past.  I've been playing about 2 years now, and I've seen this happen before.  Admittedly, he was more active when I first started, though, but I don't think he's abandoned Elements yet.

And yeah... 'not talkative' is understatement of the year for zanz :p  He's like Santa Claus, bearing gifts every so often, but you never see him or get to talk to him or thank him or ask him for anything.  He just shoots down your chimney, leaves a bunch of new cards, and rides off on his reindeer dragon sleigh.

[artimies7]

He's like Santa Claus, bearing gifts every so often, but you never see him or get to talk to him or thank him or ask him for anything.  He just shoots down your chimney, leaves a bunch of new cards, and rides off on his reindeer dragon sleigh.

Lawlolawl. Reindeer dragon sleigh. Now a thing.

Nice metaphor simile too.

@everyone_else Yeah, zanz is not a talkative guy. Cut him some slack here; he's made most to all of Elements as we know it.