8th Trials - Challenger's Entrance

[Zawadx]

TIME TO ENTER THE TRIALS
HAS RUN OUT



Please make sure you've read the Rules very carefully. Also, here are the Phase 1 Rules.

To join these Trials, post in this thread a single post containing the following information:

Spoiler for Requirements:

-Evidence of Score Requirement
-Evidence of Established Account Requirement

Spoiler for Phase 1:

Spoiler for Task 1:

-Name of Task
-Evidence of completion

Spoiler for Task 2:

-Name of Task
-Evidence of completion

Spoiler for Task 3:

-Name of Task
-Evidence of completion

Spoiler for War Bonus:

-Evidence of participation last war for the same element you are challenging (or defending as a Master)
-If you were a General, evidence of your General-ship

Spoiler for Loyalty Bonus:

-Tell us how many times you have participated in Trials for this element before
-Give us evidence of your participation in each of those trials

Remember, the Requirements to Challenge are:

• 30,000+ score in Elements
• 200+ forums posts
• Joined the forums no less than 3 months ago (at the time the clock above expires)
  

Note: In the event more there are more than four applicants for one element, priority will be given first to players with the higher Phase 1 scores and second to a combination of score/post count.

Challengers:

• Fippe94
• RootRanger

Master rob77dp of is defending.

[Fippe94]

Spoiler for Requirements:

Post count: Come on, just look to the left... >_>

Spoiler for Phase 1:

Spoiler for Task 1:

Being a War Reporter

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So, I am going to talk about Bonebolt, used several times by team Death during the last War

Spoiler for some links:

http://elementscommunity.org/forum/round-5-250/(death-gen)-rob77dp-3-0-s2xat5no-(time-sld)/
http://elementscommunity.org/forum/round-6/(time-lt-)-s2xat5no-3-1-(death-sld)-xyan/
http://elementscommunity.org/forum/round-7/(death-sld)-xyan-(sub-rob77dp-game-5)-3-2-annele-(fire-sld)/

Bone Wall with CC is a commonly used decks for several teams used in many variants, such as with Fire Bolts, Pandemonium and as here, Lightning.

The core of the combo is of course Bone Wall, one of the strongest shields in the game when used right, and it is enhanced by Lightning which both lower the amount of enemy creatures and increases the Bone Wall count.
Poison + Arsenic provides steady damage which very few cards (read: Purify) can remove. Together with the stalling capabilities of the Bone Wall this makes it very powerful.
And finally, a little extra 2-card-combo, unique to the Lightning variant of the CC-Bone Wall decks,  that makes it possible to work as a stall breaker: Fractal+Bone Dragon. There is only a single copy of each card, so you cannot expect to play this combo in most games, but since poison only has limited damage against healing stalls, this could work as a good stall breaker or finisher against some decks that Bonebolt might not otherwise have beaten.

Spoiler for Task 2:

Starting Your Own Little War

Pokémon Championship

Special Rules:
- Your deck must contain exactly 6 different creatures. Only 1 copy of each creature.
- Your deck cannot contain any Permanents except Pillars and Pendulums.
- No Mass CC cards.
- No more than 4 cards that can damage a creature.
- Shards are banned.
- Parallel Universe, Fractal, Mitosis, Firefly Queen, Boneyard, Pharaoh, Deja Vu, Mutation, Fallen Elf and Mind Gate are banned.

Spoiler for My deck:

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52i 52o 52o 52o 52o 52o 52o 52j 52t 52h 61o 61o 61o 61o 63a 63a 63a 63a 63a 63a 63a 61q 61q 61q 61q 621 621 621 625 61s 8pk

Aside from using good creatures from both elements, it takes advantage of both aether with the CC cards, and Death with creating extra damage from poison.

Spoiler for Task 3:

Building War Golems

Mortux

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710 710 710 710 710 710 710 710 710 710 710 710 710 710 710 710 710 716 716 716 716 716 716 716 716 712 712 719 719 719 719 719 71a 71a 714 714 714 714 717 717 717 717 71c 7k3 7k3 7k3 7k3 7k3 7k6 7k6 7k6 7k6 7k6 7k4 7k4 7k4 7k4 7kc 7kc 7k2 8pq

Strategy: Use Luciferin and Skeletons to build up a Hope shield. Plague and Graveyards to get more Skeletons and to grow Vultures. Rest shoud be abvious enough (as if this wasn't >_>)

Lore:
Once, Mortux was a normal Death Elemental. But he had seen all those fancy Hope shields, and imagined the power of an immortal infinite defense. So he started walking the world to get what he needed. First he needed a Skeleton army. He thought that Graveyards simply weren't enough, so he made a devious plan to sneak into the High Council and rewrite the very rules of creation in the same way Paradox had once done.
Said and done, and Mortux kept traveling, now with a bigger Skeleton army than anyone had ever thought was possible. He gathered Vultures from the Plains of Alagor, collected plague viruses from the disease-ridden city of Belmor, and built Sanctuaries with stone from Eeger Mountain.
Eventually he had all he needed, except the last and most important ingredient for his ultimate deck: Hope. I mean, it wasn't like you could just buy these infinite and immortal shields. Or so Mortux thought, until he looked inside a local Bazaar and found a couple for sale.

And now, with the ultimate deck in his possession, Mortux could finally join the other False Gods and prey upon the weak that tried to challenge them.

Spoiler for War Bonus:

War match last war: http://elementscommunity.org/forum/round-1-246/(fire-sld)-avusxiv-3-1-fippe94-(death-sld)/

Spoiler for Loyalty Bonus:

Last Trials: http://elementscommunity.org/forum/trial-of-death/7th-trials-sign-ups-49616/msg1076840/#msg1076840

[rob77dp]

Total Bonuses:  3 + 1 = 4 BONUS points, per below...

Spoiler for War Bonus, +3 as General of Death finishing in the 4th-6th level:

LINK for War Bonus 'proof'

Spoiler for "proof" of General-ship, just to remove any doubts:

This is shown as spoiler since the thread is still among private War 7 sub-section...

* War Bonus *
Trialists who participated in the previous War for the same element they are now challenging will receive extra points based on how successful they were.  This bonus is increased if the participant was the General of that element, per the table below.  War bonus points for Challengers will only come into effect if they make it to the final battle.

Please include if the War Bonus applies to you when you sign up.  If you do not claim your War Bonus during Phase 1, it will not be awarded to you.

Rank in War	General	Soldier
1st in War	7	5
2nd or 3rd	5	3
4th-6th	3	2
7th-12th	2	1

Spoiler for Loyalty Bonus, +1 as Challenger for Death in 7th Trials:

Sign-up Post in 7th Trials for Death  (What a n00b it was that made that post! )
Elemental Loyalty

If you have participated in trials before, and you trial for an element you have trialed for before, for every trial you provide proof of participation for in your registration post, you can gain 1 point (maximum of 4). These points will not be added until the Final Battle. I will not look for proof of participation for you, and if it is not linked in your post you will not receive credit for it (yes, even if you are a master and retaining if you do not post proof you will not receive the point).

Proof of Participation may be at least one of the following for each Trial of an element you have participated in: Phase 1 submissions, Phase 2 battle reports, Phase 3 polling topics, and final battle reports.

Post this in your Registration Post.

Edit 1: Added "BONUS" to point total in opening lines.  Defending Masters receive 6 points in Phase 1 and bonus points are added on top?  Perhaps I misunderstand this part, however I have relabeled the points here to reflect proper title of BONUS points.

Edit 2: Added 'proof' of General-ship for Death last War.

[rob77dp]

*bump bump*

To alert TrO's (as requested) to edits to my official post in this topic.

(double-post... forgiven?!)

[Zawadx]

Well we'd already found the proof by ourselves, but thanks anyways.

And also congrats on the colored name

[Submachine]

Rob, would you like this color for your name? It's a bit more lighter.

[rob77dp]

Rob, would you like this color for your name? It's a bit more lighter.

Such discussion is in the works, Sub.  :-D  However, your mention is worth reading as it means not just myself noticing the current "purple" is a bit 'off'.

EDIT:  I have been ninja'd... the color is now more appropriate!

[RootRanger]

"The cycle of life and death continues. We will live, they will die." - Nasus, the Curator of the Sands

Spoiler for Requirements:

Spoiler for Phase 1:

Spoiler for Task 1:

Building War Golems
King of Cats

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6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6u5 6u5 6u8 6u8 6u8 6u8 6ua 6ua 6ua 6ua 6ua 6ua 714 714 714 714 714 714 719 719 719 719 71b 71b 8pk

Lore
The King of Cats comes from an old English fairytale of the same name. The mysterious King of Cats disguises itself as a regular house cat, patiently waiting for the perfect time to attack an unsuspecting victim. The King of Cats is a master of disguise and a connoisseur or murder. He commands an army of cats who can kill without a second thought. Watch out, because wherever you go, the King of Cats may be waiting.

Strategy
The King of Cats is designed to take on some of the top False God slaying decks, such as Limitless Speed and RoL/Hope, by using traditionally uncommon card choices. The core of the deck is the Condors, whose attack can reach outrageous levels in a mere matter of turns. While a few Condors can easily be shut down in PvP, the double draw of a False God deck makes them an insurmountable threat. Of course, the King of Cats also has a few Cats by his side. The Cats are a quick, cheap way to power up the Condors, who can grow past the mere 24 damage that can be blocked by an upgraded Hope. When the Cats and Condors are not enough, the Plagues are sure to come in handy. They're quite an important card for shutting down RoL/Hope, since a single Plague can wipe out every single Ray of Light on the entire field (that is, unless you have a few Rays of Light of your own, but the King of Cats has no need for such weak creatures).

Then, there's Butterfly Effect, which provides PC that can be used every turn. While usually a weak choice in PvP, Butterfly Effect destroys Dimensional Shields - a card commonly used against False Gods. The King of Cats personally prefers the more resilient choice of Bone Wall. It shuts down Pulverizers with ease and only gets stronger as the Cats feed the Condors. Lastly, to finish this deck of chaos and death, are the Discords. It's the randomness that completes the King of Cats, because you never know what he's going to do next. You see your Hope right there, with 8 Rays of Light powering up its stats? It's only a matter of time until a Plague strikes. And the Dimensional Shield that's protecting you from ruthless, powerful Condors? It means nothing against a Cat with the ability to destroy. Defeated only by mystical health sacrifices and esoteric voodoo magic, the King of Cats is a formidable force in the world of Elements.

Spoiler for Task 2:

Being a War Reporter

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Now, let's take a look at a classic staple of Team Death: Bone Bolt. First, let's analyze the Bone Walls. There's no doubt that they're one of the strongest shields in the game. A single Bone Wall typically blocks 7 attacks, which is highly efficient for just one card. Think about it - how often does a single creature attack 7 times? It's not something that usually happens. More often than not, Bone Wall gives you a card advantage - it's more efficient than the creatures whose damage it blocks. By itself, Bone Wall is a good card. With Lightning, it's a great card.

It's clear that Lightning is an amazing card. It can kill the majority of creatures in the game for a fraction of the cost. A Purple Dragon may cost 10 quanta, but a Lightning can kill it for only 2. That's incredibly efficient, and it's even better when combined with Bone Wall. As well all know, Bone Wall adds another 2 stacks when a creature is killed. A single Bone Wall can become 7, 9, or even 11 stacks. A card that's already fairly efficient becomes incredible.

Usually, a Bone Bolt uses Arsenic as its weapon of choice. In a defensive deck, it's quite useful to have a reliable source of damage that can't be touched by creature control. What's especially great about using Arsenic in a Bone Bolt is that the damage adds up. While Bone Wall and Lightning stall out the game, Arsenic racks up more and more damage each turn. The longer the game goes on, the more powerful Arsenic becomes.

Of course, Arsenic can hardly win the game by itself, so there are usually around 6 additional damage cards. Poison is a good choice against decks with a lot of creature control. By dealing damage only with Poison and Arsenic, their creature control cards are made ineffective. The downside to this strategy, however, is that your damage is shut down by purify and healing. An alternative is to use Fractal, combined with a Bone Dragon or Grey Nymph. While this combo takes a long time to pull off, it can potentially deal more damage. A Fractal+Dragon Bone Bolt can beat decks with Purify, Sanctuary, or Miracle - cards that would stop a Poison Bone Bolt dead in its tracks. The downside to Fractal+Dragon is that it provides no damage until the late game, potentially allowing a rush to break through your defenses. Overall, Poison and Fractal+Dragon are both good options, but the best choice depends on the opponent's deck.

Bone Bolt is a deck that has proven itself time and time again. It has been around for years, and it will certainly continue to be a solid force in the war metagame. Shown below are just a few of its many past victories.

War 4, War 5, War 6, and War 7.
 

Spoiler for Task 3:

Entering The War Forge
Clan of Hyenas

NAME: Clan of Hyenas ELEMENT: Death COST: 8 TYPE: Spell TEXT: Consume all remaining death quanta to summon up to 9 Hyenas.	NAME: Cackle of Hyenas ELEMENT: Death COST: 9 TYPE: Spell TEXT: Consume all remaining death quanta to summon up to 9 Hyenas.

ART: Free Stock Photos.biz - Hyena and Canyon IDEA: RootRanger NOTES: Clan of Hyenas consumes all of your death quanta to summon as many Hyenas as you have the quanta for, given that each Hyena costs 8 death quanta. If you have less than 16 death quanta when you play this spell, it will summon only 1 Hyena. If you have anywhere from 16 to 23 death quanta, it will summon 2 Hyenas. If you have anywhere from 24 to 31 death quanta, it will summon 3 Hyenas. This pattern continues so that the maximum number of Hyenas you can summon from this spell is 9, if you have 72 quanta or more. The upgraded version, Cackle of Hyenas, works very similarly. You need 18 death quanta in order to summon 2 Elite Hyenas, 27 death quanta in order to summon 3 Elite Hyenas, etc.

NAME: Hyena ELEMENT: Death COST: 8 TYPE: Creature ATK|HP: 5|1 TEXT: Ignore shield effects if the opponent is poisoned.	NAME: Elite Hyena ELEMENT: Death COST: 9 TYPE: Creature ATK|HP: 6|1 TEXT: Ignore shield effects if the opponent is poisoned.

ART: Free Stock Photos.biz - Hyena IDEA: RootRanger

Clan of Hyenas is the card that completes Death. It clearly fits very well thematically. The Hyena is an animal that attacks prey that is weak and dying, or even already dead. Thus, it makes sense that a Hyena would be most successful attacking an enemy afflicted by poison. Hyenas also like to travel in packs, which explains how multiple Hyenas can be summoned at once. But most importantly, Clan of Hyenas is a solution to Death's major strategic weaknesses. Let me explain the mechanics and capabilities that Death lacks, and then I'll show you how Clan of Hyenas takes care of that problem.

Most of the Elements have something I call a quanta sink - a card that is very powerful when the player has a large amount of quanta. Let's look at the quanta sinks of some of the other Elements. Fire Bolt, Ice Bolt, and Drain Life all deal significantly more damage when the player has more quanta. Fractal, Mitosis, and Pharaoh can all generate a large number of creatures if there's enough quanta for them. Stone Skin and Dissipation shield become more powerful stall cards as the player gains more quanta. But does Death have any sort of card that can deal massive damage, create a ton of creatures, or stall off entire decks? No. Not yet.

Death also needs a better way to get around Dimensional Shield. The only card Death has for that is Poison, but that's a mere 2 damage per turn. Against a stall deck with both Dimensional Shields and Sanctuaries/Purifies, Mono Death will have a very difficult time winning. Even though Dimensional Shield is just one of the many cards in Elements, it is one of the most powerful. It can shut down entire decks that are not specifically prepared for it. The best Death can do is a little Poison damage, but it's hardly enough to counter Dimensional Shield.

For practically every other strategy conceivable - Death has an answer. Decks that use a couple Dragons as their main source of damage can be shut down by Bone Wall. Decks that Fractal smaller creatures, such as Minor Phoenixes, can be taken out by Plague or Skull Shield. Decks centered around creature control can be taken down by Poison and Arsenic. Healing decks such as Stonacle (Miracle + Stone Skin) and Ramp decks such as Flying Titans can be swiftly dealt with by a Death Rush. Of all the unupgraded vanilla creatures, Mummy offers the most damage for only 4 quanta. Among the upgraded vanilla creatures, Flesh Recluse offers the most damage for only 3 quanta. Death can rush, it can stall, and it can deal damage without using creatures. Not very many Elements can boast such impressive traits. All that Death needs is a late-game quanta sink that can counter Dimensional Shield. I believe that Clan of Hyenas fits perfectly.

Since Clan of Hyenas uses mechanic that's unlike anything ever seen before, it's a little difficult to make a balanced deck with it. However, it seems fairly apparent that it's probably stronger in more defensive decks that have more time to build up quanta. It also needs Poison, of course. So here's a Hyena Dials that could be used by the General. The two relics are intended to be replaced with Cackle of Hyena.

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4t9 4t9 52g 52g 52g 52g 52g 52g 52g 52g 52g 52g 52g 52g 52o 52o 52o 52o 52o 52o 52q 52r 52r 71a 7q9 7q9 7q9 7q9 7q9 7q9 8pq