Personal perspective and assessment:
What does Aether embody and mean to you?
Of course, Aether embodies all the usual stuff to me as well – immortality, invincibility etc. But all those are old and boring. So I’ll skip all of that.
Aether is what lies beyond the realm of existence. It is the element of imagination. Aether is about ignoring what others term as the Laws of the Universe. Light might be the element of divinity, but Aether is the element of apotheosis. To me aether is transcending into the realm of the eternal and exploring the wildest facets of our imagination.
How do you want the element to develop? Present some card ideas (existing or rough ideas from you) that would add a lot of thematic flavour to it, or new mechanics, new directions, etc.
In my opinion, aether is mechanically complete. However, that doesn’t stop us from exploring new concepts. One thing which crops up in my mind in the concept of spell damage. Perhaps a creature which increases the damage of spells across the board would be nice (inb4 Psiontal becomes even more OP). Also, aether could do with another shield to slightly dilute the power of dims (it prolly won’t have much effect, but still). I made
Spelljammer Shield for that What will you do to gather more fans of Aether?
I’ll perform my best as the face of aether in all aspects. I believe that the list of activities a Master has is too short, and if I were a master I’d perform my best in every one of these activities. I’d also be as active as I am now, helping newbies with whatever expertise I have. I’ve helped out several newbies construct better
decks, one of the things which makes me believe I’m worthy of being Master of Aether.
What do you think is an unexploited viable part (I don't want to see any Mindgate cop-outs) of the element in general PvP and specifically in War?
But Mindgate is so awesome T-T. Really, it can be good in aether vs. aether matchups like Trials. It is also a great finisher for fat rainbows.
For War tho, I’ll have to go with Silence. Silence has a really good denial effect, and it can really dominate the game early on. Sadly silence is only average at best – it isn’t that good late game, it’s bad for card advantage and it costs a tad too much in several cases. A viable card option for some decks tho. (decks which I’d rather not disclose)
Is Aether slightly OP in War? Why?
Aether is quite OP in war, at least under current rules. The main reason behind this is that Aether has a tad too many meta-altering cards; Dims, Fractals and Psions are all extremely strong. Especially what might be termed as the ‘Dim Shield Effect’ – when facing aether, you must bring an answer to dims. True, dims have a variety of counters, but without those counters you’re pretty much doomed. Bringing 3 PC cards against a Dim deck often isn’t enough, and so you’re prompted to spend 4 cards of your deck to face dims. 4 cards generally wasted versus a perm-less deck.
Psions and Fractals are also amazing cards in aether’s arsenal, especially when combined to form Psiontal. The power and versatility of Psiontal is unmatched – this mono can be modded to contend against almost all decks in War (and countering it would involve using reflectives, occupying the shield slot). Also, Psiontal is always there for team aether as it is a mono, and so the required cards can be transmuted after a bad round.
Why did you decide to run for the Trials of Aether?
For joining Trials in general, look at my answer to TribalTrouble. For why I joined Aether specifically, look at my introduction please.
Experience:
Analyze your own abilities with the element. How did you do in Phase 2 and why? What elements gave you trouble and why?
Aether is the element I’m most at home with, and I’d say the element I’d work best with. However, I cannot boast the experience of my fellow Trialists. I’ve recounted my few exploits with aether in my introduction.
My performance in phase 2 left much to be desired. Firstly, against STANDIN I was outmatched. His mindgating was better than mine, though luck didn’t favor me either. Against Drake I was free of the threat of reflectives from the second match (a threat which I happened to take far too seriously) and I pressed my mindgating advantage to the win. Sadly two of my decks there happened to be illegal.
My third match was against DANI, which was definitely a great game. The first game I won with ease, and the second was a close win to her (I believe that some better deckbuilding on my part would’ve won me the game here :c). The third game resulted in Fractix imploding on my face, while she successfully mindgated and brought a really good deck. Then we paused for a while, and I spent a good day thinking and rethinking my strategy. My choice of Reclusetal Bonebolt was good, and I held on. For the very final deck, I expected Devtal or Grabbow from her. I had prepared two decks: an air duo with TStorm and a Dim-Fractal deck – each respective counters. However, my foolish fear of reflectives prevailed in the end, leading to a loss. I learned here that sometimes caution had to be set aside, and to always work for a surer win than a more secure one.
My final match vs. Meg was one where I really messed up. I sent in bans on a whim, and soon enough the bans turned against me. The fractal ban hurt me really bad as well. My first match went well enough, but my speedbuilt PU-Gons didn’t fare so well. For the third game I almost used an illegal deck, and in my stubbornness opted to use a bad one instead. The fourth game was one which I almost won, but some minute deckbuilding decisions cost me.
So earth gave me some trouble, thanks to Stone Skin being a really good stall card for them. There were instances where I used decks which were designed for in-element matches against off-elements, which wasn’t a good move. I also learned how minute decisions can swing the whole game in a way I hadn’t believed possible in EtG
What are the key cards of the element in competitive PvP?
Dims and Fractal. Lightnings and Psions help as well.
Dims – I intentionally refer to the plural, as you almost always want to bring the maximum amount – can be really meta-altering as described in a previous answer to you (see “Is Aether slightly OP in War? Why?”). Fractal is a card which opens up its own archetype, and a really powerful one at that. The raw card advantage provided by Fractal is unmatched. The decks allowed by Fractal are no doubt amongst Aether’s strongest, and Fractal’s versatility makes Aether a tough contender. Add in the best basic CC in the game and shield by-pass to get an element which truly is OP.
How would you adapt to a diminishing vault in War? What cards, duos and deck types would you keep?
I think I will keep a standing vault in hand of Fractals, Dims and Lightnings, since these are our best support cards. The Grabbow will also be kept, as it provides unmatched versatility at the end of War and is strong against many decks. Some the clunky dominating decks such as Devtal or RoL/Hope will probably be transmuted first, as their uses diminish in the usual War late-game. Sancstall will be good to keep here, as will the monos just in case.
Of course, the actual decision will depend hugely on the situation at hand, on the results of previous rounds and on the opponents and the meta. The above accounts for a vacuum.
Poll
