Just a small question for Earth challengers (and the master) should they so choose to answer my class Trials Question. 
Q: “Earth’s most recent card, Iridium (Vanadium) Warden, had initially gained a lot of attention when it was being developed, but is now mostly overlooked when it comes to deck building. Do you think this is because the Warden requires another card (spell buffs) in order to work properly? Or do you think that the creature simply can’t compared to the other utility creatures found in other elements?”
A: I feel that Warden is actually a case of unexploited potential - there are other Elements that rely on buffs cards, and usually those Elements don't have buff cards available to them (
,
,
, and now
) However, Warden may also be seen inferior to it's quicker counterpart Basilisk Blood, which costs the same to deny 1 creature, but doesn't drain quantum in the long run and has no 1 turn windup either. The result is a selection between long-term versatility or immediate CC - players usually pack BB as a result since it doesn't need to be played early. In addition, the Warden is vulnerable to AoE cards like an enemy Cloak or Rain of Fire, and it cannot kill Airborne creatures unless paired with a Spider using Web, which is also another underused ability.
That being said, Warden does have it's merits. Provided that you can supply the quantum, an undisrupted Warden has the potential to keep a damage source permanently off the board, and if the target dies, it can switch to attacking another target. Some decks like The Laughing Stones (
http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,29353.0.html) focus on swarming the field with Wardens to provide a sheer amount of CC that the opponent will usually not be able to deal with, while a deck like The Lone Hero (
http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,28142.0.html) splashes in a Warden to turn it into reusable CC, which helps justify a rainbow's access to cards like Blessing or Chaos Power.
Overall, the Warden usually forces an Elemental duo for it to be truly effective - in Mono-Earth Basilisk Blood is a lot less vulnerable to denial and is overall faster.
(Blessing) ,
(Momentum) are the only two Elements that can work with this factor unupgraded - upgraded,
(Chaos Power), or
(Unupgraded Rage Potion with Upgraded Warden), making it somewhat unlikely to be used in most situations, except for a CC splash in rainbows. Most players don't use a swarm strategy with Wardens either, from what I've seen -
(Fractal) or
(Mitosis) can make an effective strategy with the Warden, provided you can get the strategy to work.
It's limitations make it hard for players to find strategies in the current metagame - it's possible that we may see new cards in the future that puts the Warden's potential more at the front of the game, but for now, Warden is slower and more situational than most CC, which makes it unlikely to be seen in a lot of decks.
According to stats in the "Which Element Is Your Favourite?" topic, earth is the least popular element.
Why do you think so?
Explain.
I found two different threads regarding this subject (and with the same title), but Earth seems to be the least popular regardless.
I feel Earth may be considered a less 'interesting' Element than others, despite the fact that it does possess a lot of power (and unnoticed flexibility). It's known for creating two rush deck archetypes that most players find unoriginal the Grabbow and the Shrieker Rush. However, the following decks usually take note of only one
card - the Grabboid. Earth isn't all about one or two cards, despite what it may seem to newer players - when you look at it's cards, it may have a more versatile arsenal than it actually appears to do so by default - for example, Pulverizer is one of the game's few PC sources by default, Basilisk Blood can synergize with various cards like Catapult and Voodoo Doll (while being a good source of CC itself), Steel Golem is an effective cost/damage creature that can work with cards like Rage Potion or Mitosis, and Stone Skin can act as a powerful late-game heal when used correctly.
On the flipside, people may find Earth less interesting as well due to it's stallpower - decks that use Stone Skin can easily negate a few turn's worth of damage, which can be pushed even further with various cards like Shard of Divinity, Sanctuary, and Miracle. Elements is known for being a 'quick' game to some - the fact that people will run stall and control decks can discourage them from playing.
Overall, people don't look beyond what Earth initially appears to be - given closer consideration, there are a ton of decks you can come up with and some can be very unique and effective.
