Imagine a world of Elements where Dim Shield, Fractal, and Psion all didn't exist.
Zanz comes to you and proposes these three cards to be added to the game, but says he only plans to implement one of the three. Which do you choose and why?
Same question, but this time Zanz tells you to pick 2 of the 3.
You may assume for the purpose of this question that in this alternate world, Shard of Wisdom is already allowed in most PVP events if it changes your answer at all.
Without Psion, Fractal or Dim Shield, Aether is at a pretty weak spot. It exists as a pure rush/domin element, using the high damage to cost ratio of its creatures alongside Lightning. tbh, Aether could still be pretty good in this state with sufficient upgrades, as Phase Recluse, Silence and Lightning will perform greatly. Unupped, aether has a strong Immortal/SoW/Lightning mono. It's strongest duos are Bonebolt and Grabbow, and probably PUGons or Quint Stuff. Due to the constraints of Aether cards, SoW reflect could be a good choice, especially in an environment like Trials.
Let's see what the impact of the suggested cards would be:
Psion: Psion would help aether rush overcome the weakness of shields. I suspect wings would be a strong counter to the standard mono-aether stuff, though it is weak to PUGons. Fog and dusk can be problematic too. Psion would also open up the new possibilities of Psion buff decks which would work on their own, though they'd be inconsistent. Psion would be a novel addition to Aether, but it wouldn't be enough to remove aether from mid-tier.
Dim Shield: Dim Shield... the most hated card in the game. This card could would make aether extremely strong against some elements, mainly
,
,
,
,
and
. However, with the exception of
and
, bonebolt was a great counter to all of these anyways, and it provided a strong damage source in poison. Dim shield will naturally centralize the meta game though, increasing the impact of PC manifold. imo it's just unhealthy for the game in its current form.
Fractal: And finally, Fractal; the gem of aether which newbies often gloss over. Fractal has the potential to make Aether a top tier element, providing it with the stall breaking power it desperately lacks. The new Rush/Break mono of Reclusetal would be hard to stop without AoE or a Wings counter. It ould also open up all the awesome fractal decks such as Fractix, Gravytal, Ghostal, RoL/Hope, Damseltal etc. It could even assist Aether's current strongest decks, Bonebolt and Grabbow, to make them even more resilient vs. Stall. However, alone Fractal wouldn't break the element, as it's strongest strength, Mono-Aether, wouldn't be as versatile without Psions and Dimensional Shields. So I'd ask for Fractal to be added, simply to improve aether and make it much more interesting.
If he asked for two, then I'd first and foremost add Fractal, and then see which card combines best with it (Mainly because Dim + Psion would be boring). Dims could make fractal decks much more stronger, as 6 dims and 3-4 fractal duos would have serious capabilities. Psion + Fractal would add a lot of versatility to the element, but it would still have the weakness to a full damage rush. imo making Aether stronger but with weaknesses is the best route, so I'd opt for adding Psion + Fractal.
Poll
