Phase 3 - Community Vote

[RavingRabbid]

Phase 3 - Community Vote

Phase ends when above poll expires.

It's time to vote for your favorite Master candidate!  Every community member has one vote. You can change your vote at any time as long as there is still time on the clock.

Vote based on who you think would make the best Master of that element. Do not vote based on who is the best player or who you know personally. Try to pick someone who you think would help the community the most.  Feel free to ask the candidates difficult questions to help you make your decision.

For reference, here are the 6th Trials Standings (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,43965.0.html) and Phase 1 Submission (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,43688.0.html) threads.

[Shantu]

Questions shall be answered here as soon as possible. If I seem slow, I apologise: I like to take my time.

Who am I?
I am Shantu, a long-time player and a devotee of Death from Hungary. I am Tiko's 18 years old brother and I started studying programming in university this year. My first real encounter with Death was in War#2 where I was chosen by MrBlonde to be in his team. There I learned the ropes quickly and played a big part in how Team Death had performed. This is where I had developed my special love and devotion towards my element. It is something that will never change.
Since then I have played in several Wars, many PvP events and even more tournies. PvP is where I find my enjoyment in this game.

Why do I wish to be a Master?
I have contemplated long about this. In past Trials, I did not feel prepared for the responsibility of mastership and there was no point in overtaking a master as good as Blonde had been in his days of glory. Now the seat is empty and must be filled. It is clear that I will have big shoes to fill should I win the final battle but I am confident in my abilities.

Spoiler for Laxa:

Do you consider sosac OP? Why or why not?

Death has one of the fastest unupped and upped monorushes in the game, and has great stall potential with a plethora of duos and bonewall.  Build a deck that uses 2/3 death cards, and is a breaker.

Shard of Sacrifice is obviously very powerful. Overpowered? I'm not sure. It can cripple many decks but only if the opponent plays without paying attention. By itself, it is incredibly hard to use and may find yourself below the 41 hp treshold before you can use the shard to its full effect. With ways to increase your max hp however - mostly Shard of Divinity - it quickly becomes something to fear.
All in all, it is a very powerful card that is hard to get rid of. Purify can somewhat keep it in check, but I'd rather have soft counters (and don't get me started on my hatred for that card). So yes, I'd say it is somewhat overpowered. It can be played around but counters are few and it has a very powerful effect. Once your creatures are down there's no stopping the SoSa chain.

As for the deck:

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52g 52g 52g 52g 52h 52h 52h 542 542 542 542 542 542 542 542 542 542 542 542 542 5i4 5i4 5i5 5i5 5i5 5ig 5ig 5ig 5ig 5jm 5jm 71a 71a 8pp

Two upgrades because the deck you linked had two as well. It's only fair, isn't it?

Spoiler for Rutarete:

To all - Which card in Death's arsenal do you think represents Death more than the others?

Poison. It does not seem much - a cigarette, some drinks or some other drugs - but it all adds up and brings closer the inevitable. A slow but sure death from which there is no escape.

Spoiler for Absol:

To all:
Compare Deathstalker with the two other scorpions. Is it balanced, UP, or OP?
Then make a deck utilizing it to farm Plat. (or at least Silver)

It is balanced compared to the other scorpions. It needs a buff card like Dune Scorpion but has a weaker venom, so it is cheaper. But because it requires a buff it is cheaper but has a stronger venom than the Forest Scorpion.
Compared to other creatures, I think all scorpions are a bit on the underpowered side. Or at least they are harder to use than normal creatures, and this is doubly true for Deathstalker. More often than not it is not worth it to incorporate another element in your deck so that you can use stalkers. You are a lot better off with just using common creatures because they deal more damage faster. They are fine the way they are though. Not the most used creatures or the most powerful, but they allow you to employ different strategies.
With that said, Deathstalker is my favorite scorpion: it is very cheap and can stack poison damage very quickly.

And finally, here's your deck:

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6rm 6rm 6rm 6rm 6rm 6rt 6rt 6rt 6rt 6rt 6rt 710 710 710 710 71a 71a 71e 71e 71e 71e 71e 72i 72i 72i 7jv 7jv 7jv 7jv 7jv 8pq

Yes, unoriginal, I know. But what did you expect, asking us to farm Platinum with stalkers?

Spoiler for Artha:

To all candidates: Create and effective yet original  / duo.

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4sk 4sk 4sk 4sk 4sk 4sk 52g 52g 52g 52g 52g 52g 52l 52t 52t 52t 52t 52t 534 534 542 542 542 542 5c5 5c5 5c9 5c9 5c9 5c9 8pn

Probably not very original as it's just a mitosis duo, but it works quite well. You can spam mummies if you want speed or can use nymphs if you want resilience. Nymphs also have a powerful control ability though getting them out quickly can be problematic.

Now I understand the previous deck wasn't very original; the next one is maybe slightly better.

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4sk 4sk 4sk 4t7 4t7 4t7 4t7 4t7 4t7 52g 52g 52g 52l 52l 52l 52l 52p 52p 52p 52p 52p 52p 534 534 534 542 542 542 542 542 542 542 542 5c2 5c2 5c2 5c2 5c2 5c2 5c5 5c5 8pn

If you wanted to, you could even merge the two, stalling with healing cards and overpowering the opponent with mitonymphs... like this:

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4sk 4sk 4sk 4sk 4t7 4t7 4t7 4t7 4t7 4t7 52g 52g 52g 52g 52l 52l 52l 52l 52p 52p 52p 52p 52p 534 534 534 542 542 542 542 542 542 5c2 5c2 5c2 5c2 5c5 5c5 5c9 5c9 5c9 8pn

Now I believe this falls under original and can still be considered effective. I kinda like it.

Spoiler for mrpaper:

What do you think is the strongest point about death cards besides the fact they can put many poison counters on opponents?

I wish I could say the death effects, but it's the speed. Death can rush like few others can, both upgraded and unupgraded. With two great mid-attackers and a good dragon a death rush is hard to stop. Death also has a proper nymph since the nymph buff which provides us a resilient attacker, something Death lacked for so long. And let's not forget Poison, which provides a cheap way to avoid shields.
Another strong point is the two very powerful shields available: Bonewall and Skull Shield. They serve different purposes but both can stop the enemy with the right support.

Spoiler for furballdn:

What is death's role? Fast rusher? Big staller?

Vultures are flying bags of fluff. Make a deck with 5 of them and it can not be an OTK.

Plague! Make a deck with at least 5 plagues. It's an UU card that should see more usage.

Bonewall or Bone Shield? Which is better? Why?

I do not believe that Death - or any element for that matter - has a role. I find it narrow-minded when people say something like "Death can't have healing because it's Life's and Light's domain" or "Card drawing belongs to Time" or even worse "Random stuff? Entropy!".
So Death has no particular role. There are certain themes though: profit from death, the undead and poison.
I realize though that you aren't talking about thematic role but a mechanic role. In that regard, I believe Death is better at rushing than stalling. Even then I wouldn't call it a role because it can do both well.
It is common knowledge that mono death rush is among the fastest mono rushes in the game. You can also easily splash stuff into it making it quite versatile. With stalling, it's a bit harder. I generally differentiate two kinds of Death stalls: Bonewall-stalls and Deckout stalls. The former uses Bonewalls with some form of creature control to prolong the game while the poison kills the opponent. The other group contains the immortal-like decks, that use healing and some form of control to survive while the opponent decks out. Damage can also be used here, but it is usually hard to fit into the deck due to space limitations.
So to summarize, Death cards lend more to rushing than to other strategies.

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6u9 6u9 6ua 6ua 6ua 6ua 6ua 710 710 710 710 710 710 714 714 714 714 714 71a 71a 71b 71b 71b 71b 72i 72i 72i 72i 72i 72i 8pj

I know this may probably not considered to be the most original deck ever made with vultures, but you must admit that possibilities are quite limited. Vultures cannot be used with many cards, and even with those cards they are subpar. Because I don't like relying on my opponent to provide me with death effects two possibilities remain for me: ball lightnings or cats. While fractal balls may build up damage faster I like the stability of this deck. I must also admit that Entropy is closer to my heart than Aether. Bonewalls keep you safe while your damage gradually builds up. Pandemoniums can provide a little damage boost and can help you keep your bonewall up.

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Honestly, I'm a lazy person and I don't like working twice for no reason. (Despite that this is the 3rd time I'm typing up my answer to you because of the dreaded back button.) So if you don't mind I'm just going to put here the deck I built for ARTHANASIOS from above which fits the 5 plagues requirement perfectly.

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Bonewall vs Skull Shield
Can't say one is better than the other. They have different uses and purposes; they are actually quite contrasting.
Unlike most shields, Bonewall is better against a few but big hitters. Because of the ability to completely block many attacks it is understandably quite expensive. On the contrary, Skull Buckler is better against swarms of smaller creatures both because more damage is blocked and they usually die faster to it. Skull shield is very cheap for its effect - some people even argue it is too cheap - so it can be put into almost any deck. It requires no planning around or anything like that which is another difference compared to Bonewall. If you want to use Bonewall to its full effect, you will need to dedicate your deck to it. You will need to trigger death effects to maintain it. You can use it without support cards but then you shouldn't count on it lasting for more than a turn or two. Another important note is the fact that Bonewall is very resistant to permanent control, unlike Skull Shield which can simply be stolen and may turn all your creatures into pathetic skeletons.
I believe that is all. Neither is better than the other, just different. But in their difference they complete eachother well: when going against Death you will need to prepare against both.

Personally I love Skull Shield more than it's more expensive brother since the buff it received. I just find the turn-to-skeleton effect ingenius and the fact that it's so different to Bonewall great. A bit luck-based, but you can always increase your odds with some control.

Spoiler for nensuru:

Bonewall needs a nerf? How would you change this card?

Is death the best mono in etg at the moment?

Bonewall needing a nerf? Hell, no. If anything, I would love to see the unupped version receive a -1 cost buff, but I understand that it's never going to happen because it is not needed. The card is fine the way it is, I wouldn't change it in any way.

And no, mono death isn't the best, it's just very fast. It is too easy to break with the right cards (see game 3). I'd argue mono fire is still the best; it has permanent control, an abundance of great creature control, strong creatures and a weapon that can reach a very high damage. Death has only two of these. I'm not saying mono death is bad or anything like that. I'm just saying that there are other elements that have a more diverse mono. And diversity is the key to success.

Spoiler for Ascabi44:

Same question for evey candidate:

What deck archetype do you see as the biggest "problem deck" for death in war?

Decks with lots of control and healing/purify, shutting down both creature- and poison-based damage. Shields are also very painful. Of course there are ways around these but most Death decks use creatures and/or poison to get rid of the opponent. This is what I have experienced in both wars I spent with Death.

Spoiler for deuce22:

Would all phase 3 participants (except for aether trials participants) please post a gif that represents one of your opponents or what you will do to your opponent in the final battle.

Spoiler for Rutarete round 2:

Must ask more questions!

Pie or pizza?
How would you make a card idea about fish bones? Would it benefit death?
Skelly monkey?
Currently all the skeletons except bone dragon are all the same. What new creature card would you make that is a new skeleton? Does death have too many skellies now?

Stuffed cabbage. if I really have to choose from those two, I'd say Pizza. With a lot of mushrooms and cheese and meat on top.

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It would obviously have something to do with Water. However, I do not think Elements needs a card about fish bones or that fish bones could be turned into a proper card for the game. I also do not have a talent for making a card idea out of everything that pops into my mind so - with all these in mind - I'm going to skip this one.  Same goes for "Skelly monkey".

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Now for the only real question:
I wouldn't mind seeing some kind of a Skeleton Lord creature with mild stats that buffs every Skeleton in play. Such a creature could maybe increase the use of Boneyard and could provide an alternative strategy that can actually work, even if it is not the most powerful.

Spoiler for bogtro:

(1a)
To all participants (answer in your respective threads please): Choose the element that has least synergy with the element of your Trial, and explain why
(1b)
Now make an effective unupped duo-deck with your element and the element from 1a.

I believe Life to be that element because Life doesn't have anything that could benefit Death much. Death has strong creatures already. Death has better shields and Earth and Light provide better healing for a stall. Mitosis and Adrenaline are what I consider Life's power cards, but Fractal is usually better than Mitosis, and Death has no creatures that would greatly benefit from Adrenaline, like Minor Vampire does. Flesh Spider and Deathstalker are valid candidates, but the former is nothing special while the latter is not so easy to execute, and even then, not worth the effort.

As for a deck, I will ctrl+c ctrl+v  here too the deck I made for Artha.

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4sk 4sk 4sk 4sk 4t7 4t7 4t7 4t7 4t7 4t7 52g 52g 52g 52g 52l 52l 52l 52l 52p 52p 52p 52p 52p 534 534 534 542 542 542 542 542 542 5c2 5c2 5c2 5c2 5c5 5c5 5c9 5c9 5c9 8pn

Spoiler for Oldtrees:

Define your element completely while being as concise as possible. (You cannot define your element as itself.)
So: clarity -> completeness -> conciseness.

I do not think elements can be defined; all of them hold a great more deal than something that you could just define. But let's try anyway:

Death is the bane of all life. Death is the end of it all: slow or fast, it does not matter. Death is the warm embrace that awaits you when your time is up. Death is the great unknown from which there is no escape.
In Elements, Death is the element which profits from the deaths of creatures but has a hard time killing them by itself.

Spoiler for summerz88:

To all:
Alfatoxin and grey nymph in my opinion have some flaws, other nymphs are almost a deck in a card, and allow you to add to the nymph rather than requiring the deck to be built around the nymph, express your thoughts on the subject, and or try to change my mind.  Any demonstrations with decks would be appreciated.

You seem to ignore the fact that Grey Nymph has become one of the strongest nymphs since the nymph buff and a reasonably good hitter on its own. Before it, Grey Nymph was very limited in use; now it has a far wider use. We could say it has become a stronger - though more expensive - Toadfish. Since the buff Death Nymph does not need to be built around: you can include it in many Death decks, either for its ability or for its damage. In stalls, it can provide you with vital CC. You could even include it in a Death rush if you are afraid of creature control. Because, if you take a look at Death's creatures, Grey Nymph is the only one with high hp - which is essential against CC.

Aflatoxin is a different matter. The most recent buff it received was well-deserved, but probably far from enough. I'd go as far as to say that it is a novelty card. The only competetively alright place it has is in Death stalls. Even then, Nymph is usually better because she can repeatedly infect opposing creatures.
For an example deck, I will once again copy here the deck I've made for Artha, because I lack the time currently to make anything else and there is little point when I have already made one for Trials.

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4sk 4sk 4sk 4sk 4t7 4t7 4t7 4t7 4t7 4t7 52g 52g 52g 52g 52l 52l 52l 52l 52p 52p 52p 52p 52p 534 534 534 542 542 542 542 542 542 5c2 5c2 5c2 5c2 5c5 5c5 5c9 5c9 5c9 8pn

[MyNameIsJoey]

Hello everybody

I am ji412jo, contestant in death trials.

Why would you vote for me?

I now have been playing for quite a while, have done a few wars, know what I'm doing PvP wise. I will admit that I have had days where i was more active than now in the community, but thing is, I now live in a room for university, in which i get the university's wifi. And the Uni's wifi blocks IRC, so i cannot access chat while I am in my room. Though, whenever I am at my mother's, or whenever i am currently in university in of the labs, this is no problem. I have done a few card ideas, one of them being in armory, and participated to a few forum games, mostly Fanatics and Heretics, you know, that uber-awesome game by kuroaitou. But most of all, you should vote for me because i am a dedicated person, which puts all efforts into what he does, that is always there for someone in need.

Why the death element?

ok now, most of you all know that my favorite element is darkness. But death has been my 2nd favorite now and i have wanted to try their trials for a while. I have played with MrBlonde a lot, and i owe a lot of my elements knowledge to him, he was , imo, a big part of this community and his leaving saddens me. i want to make sure that death mastery falls into good hands and that we can see death reign again.

Any question about anything ( or almost ) feel free to ask

[Laxadarap]

Do you consider sosac OP? Why or why not?

Death has one of the fastest unupped and upped monorushes in the game, and has great stall potential with a plethora of duos and bonewall.  Build a deck that uses 2/3 death cards, and is a breaker. 

[MyNameIsJoey]

I do not consider sosac OP, because it can be beaten by human intelligence.

And what do you mean by a breaker?

[Laxadarap]

I do not consider sosac OP, because it can be beaten by human intelligence.

And what do you mean by a breaker?

Breaker=Stallbreaker.  Something that could say go vs. the immortal: http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,39505.0.html

Just something that can get to an insane amount of damage.

[MyNameIsJoey]

I do not consider sosac OP, because it can be beaten by human intelligence.

And what do you mean by a breaker?

Breaker=Stallbreaker.  Something that could say go vs. the immortal: http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,39505.0.html

Just something that can get to an insane amount of damage.

I did not tweak it nor check QI, but something like that ( general idea )

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52k 52k 52k 52v 52v 52v 52v 542 542 542 542 542 61o 61o 61o 61o 622 622 622 622 710 712 712 712 712 712 712 71b 71b 72i 8pu

Fractal retroviruses helps both for vulture, stalling with bonewalls, quanta with soul catchers and stalling by killing your enemy. In the end, fractal retro , fractal vulture, kill all retro -> many mega vultures.
insane damage

[Rutarete]

To all - Which card in Death's arsenal do you think represents Death more than the others?

[Absol]

To all:
Compare Deathstalker with the two other scorpions. Is it balanced, UP, or OP?
Then make a deck utilizing it to farm Plat. (or at least Silver)

[MyNameIsJoey]

To all - Which card in Death's arsenal do you think represents Death more than the others?

Without saying i particularly like the card, I think that Plague represents death best. Affecting all your enemy creatures, who know they're gonna die in a near future.

[ARTHANASIOS]

To all candidates: Create and effective yet original  / duo.

[MyNameIsJoey]

To all:
Compare Deathstalker with the two other scorpions. Is it balanced, UP, or OP?
Then make a deck utilizing it to farm Plat. (or at least Silver)

It is balanced, because compared to say life, it does twice the damage but needs a buff. Thing is, death is already very nice with darkness, who happens to have nightfall, which miraculously happens to buff the deathstalker. So double the poison for a card that already would fit well in a deck, i wont say no.

I will admit i almost never farm , whether it be arena or AI3 / FGs , but I'll come up with this : ( untweaked, not QI'd )

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4sk 4st 52g 52g 52g 52g 52g 52g 52g 52u 52u 52u 52u 52u 52u 5uq 5uq 5uq 710 713 713 713 713 713 7t6 7t6 7t6 7t6 7t6 7t6 8pt

nightfall instead of eclipse for the decresed cost, and unupped death cards instead of upped cause i havent upped them yet.