Black Scorpion/ Obsidian Scorpion

[Nevzara]

A buff to the Shard of the Void without actually buffing the card, plus something needs to synergise with SoV right?

Damage dealt by this creature reduces your opponent's HP by that much.

[Higurashi]

SoV certainly needs help, but the obvious problem of Fractal remains. As with discarding, these are irreversible effects because there's no repeatable way of achieving their opposite effect. This leaves proactive measures as the only countermeasure for a deck that isn't fast, and card game history has shown that proactive measures alone have never been enough to make control decks consistent.

The problem is heavily compounded by the fact that Steal is in element with SoV and, I assume, this creature, which removes most shields as a proactive countermeasure. This essentially leaves Enchant Artifact as the only counter for non-Momentum Scorps and that is, in turn, countered by buffed ones (which isn't hard to fit into a trio). To further complicate the matter, Eclipse adds 2 attack to every single Scorp, which most shields can't block. On the flip side it's terrible against a rush. Extremely polarizing effects like these have never shown to be healthy for a game.

Dune Scorpion was exactly Titanium Scorpion while in beta (0 attack), but it was completely revamped because testing showed it was far too strong vs control (and quite alright vs aggro too) since we have no graveyard and Elements doesn't keep track of past events. I do think Black Scorp could be balanced if it wasn't Death or Darkness and started with 0 attack, however, since there's no buff-on-a-stick card.

[ARTHANASIOS]

Damage dealt by this creature reduces your opponent's HP by that much.

I think I can see the problem here. What if Black Scorpion dealt normal damage instead and reduced your opponent's HP a fixed amount of 1 hp (or 2 hps if adrenalined)?

[asdw152]

http://imgur.com/a/R418Q Pooled together some unupped cards form Oetg involving the void effect. It can be done, and certain decks counter it. For example, my mono entropy with diss shield and mono aether with dims, but this can be overpowered with the right support cards, like momentum.

[Nevzara]

Damage dealt by this creature reduces your opponent's HP by that much.

I think I can see the problem here. What if Black Scorpion dealt normal damage instead and reduced your opponent's HP a fixed amount of 1 hp (or 2 hps if adrenalined)?

Because in my version they don't deal damage so they can never kill a player only ever reduce their HP to 1. I think that's what balances it for me.

[serprex]

It wouldn't be too powerful. Most sov decks are running dials, this would make sov rushier but one would lose the dials. At that point it has to become more of a mono. Then sovrush is vulnerable to both CC & PC

[Nevzara]

I had a thought.

When this creature attacks reduce your opponents HP's by the number of pillars you've played this turn. This creature deals no damage.

Because you'd want to save up playing pillars it'd make factual far less effective but it'd still be devastating if played properly.

Or more simply.

  reduce your opponents HP's by the number of Obsidian pillars you own decided by five.

[Manuel]

When this creature attacks reduce your opponents HP's by the number of pillars you've played this turn.

ok but, what is the health and the cost of the card? just an example, there is a huge difference if this ability is used on a 1 cost card or on a 6 cost card.

everytime u write a random idea and someone try to balance it, u totally change your initial idea, it's an infinite loop of ideas and fix that will never end

This creature deals no damage

this make no sense: every creatures is programmed to attack at the end of the turn, except for delayed or frozen creatures: like in the other thread, this is a bad attempt to "nerf" your card because someone say is maybe too strong; the attack should be simply 0: it doesn't change nothing, the max hp reduction is from the ability, not from the atk of the card

Because in my version they don't deal damage so they can never kill a player only ever reduce their HP to 1. I think that's what balances it for me.

not in a element where u have probably the best weapon in the game and drain life, able to bypass most shields: so u want to play these two cards in any case, because they are more reliable to deal the finish blow than a 1 or 2 atk creature: vamp stiletto with is 4 damage can bypass jade shield, dealing 2 damages, drain life can bypass things like dim shield or bone wall; 90% of pvp sov decks play both cards.

[Nevzara]

This is the preforge right? The place to spitball ideas and see if something can be made to work before proposing it as an actual card?

I was under the impression 0 attack cards didn't actually attack, I mean they don't get poisoned by the green shield (emerald shield?, thorn shield?) So the  ability wouldn't trigger.

So should I move it out of darkness? Is that what you're saying?

[Aves]

You're in the right place, yup yup. Don't feel discouraged if you get criticism; it means people are interested!

0 attack cards do attack, but if they deal 0 damage then it is not considered a 'successful attack.'



Scorpion applies damage only on a successful attack, while Pest's draining ability happens regardless of how much damage it does.

Thematically, darkness is the best place for this. However, as Higs said, you'll need to balance this so that buffs like eclipse, adrenaline or fractal(the death of many a card idea) don't make it overpowered. Especially the eclipse, as for one card you buff all of your scorpions at the same time.

[Nevzara]

That's great to know, so definitely 0 attack. What if it had a rule saying this creatures attack can never be anything but 0?

[Aves]

If we discount the creature's attack, then it just becomes another SoV, except weaker and more easily spammable (slower to start, scales up faster). One of the problems with balancing around SoV is that SoV is rarely used and widely considered UP or close to it.