4th Trials - Phase 3 - Community Vote

[Terroking]

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?”

I believe that the new Warden card is vastly underrated by the community. It is extremely cheap, stacks, and works very well in conjunction with BB to make sure nothing on your opponent's field gets the chance to move. Another way the Warden is versatile is because it is repeatable, unlike BB, so in an example where you have a Warden and your opponent has an Archangel out. If you had a BB, you would be forced to either take the damage from Archangel and save it for the Golden Dragon that you Precog'd your opponent had (Which is risky, considering he doesn't even have to play it until you waste BB). However, with a Warden, you can continuously stall the largest enemy threat. The buffs you can properly utilize for Wardens are CPs (One of the better ones, though it is of course random), Momentum (Fairly strong, but you are forced to give up using it on your creatures if you use it this way), and Blessing (Similar to Momentum, but this is more overlooked due to the fact that Miracle and Sanctuary are better ways to use in an Earth duo. Rage Potion+Vanadium Warden does work, but it produced a frail creature that still cannot damage airbornes, so the damage is generally better used on your hitters.
TL;DR: Iridium Warden is a very good card, but, very similar to Silence, most of the community doesn't consider them worth it.

According to stats in the "Which Element Is Your Favourite?" topic, earth is the least popular element.
Why do you think so?
Explain.

Earth when seen from the outside is bland. All of it's attackers are vanilla (Graboids turn into something that, although it has Burrow, is more or less vanilla anyway). EQ is strong but simple and not very hard to counter, so it's risky to take them on when your opponent could be playing anything. Pulvy is powerful, but only usable in a duo. BB is very good CC, but it's just a 6 turn stall. Diamond has no interesting ability, it merely reduces damage. In short, Earth lacks a very interesting mechanic like Fractal or Mutation, and most of it's gameplay is binary and often frustrating to play against. In addition, generally people see Graboid and EQ get overused and then fail to see the other side of Earth, the incredible stalling, healing, and blowing-stuff-up parts that make it the great element it is.

What is your favourite deck, and why?

by Terroking

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This deck is unupped because I have yet to use it's upgraded form (Everything but CL has been tainted by this "No upgrades" nonsense), though I imagine it would run much smoother upgraded, due to all the reduced costs.

I love this deck because of how satisfying and powerful the combo is when correctly pulled off. It is very difficult for most opponents to deal with 20-40 damage and healing per turn that they can't even CC (Unless they bring both PC and CC, in which case, Fire, you suck) until it will be far too late for them. Without some form of healing, PC+CC (/AoE), or PA'd Dimshields or some such nonsense, they will generally lose.
For those of you who did not know, Liquid Shadow is my favorite card, in case someone wants to ask.

Last trials, my question was about Cavemen.
Now, it is about evolution, like Graboids.

Graboid is vastly considered one of the most powerful cards in game (In doubt, Graboids are always fine), because they evolve.

Evolve an old deck into something fresh.

by Terroking

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Is this the ever-popular Grabbix? (Admittedly, the un-modded one, but that's no going to matter, since it shall not be a Grabbix much longer)

by Terroking

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Fractal Steam Machines! Why is this deck in here, you may ask? Comic relief!

by Terroking

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I have removed the Graboids for... What is this, CC in a rush deck? Impossible. However, while BBs and GPs may be used as great CC whenever in need, their primary use is to be played on the Voodoo Doll, taking the FG farmer that used to work like magic and making it a rush/domin deck capable of so much.
I thank you all for not forcing any "Why Earth? How would you improve it?" or similar questions on me/us, it does get very, very boring typing up 200+ word answers to the same exact questions for the 4th time.

[ZephyrPhantom]

What is your favourite deck, and why?

My favorite deck is probably the first one I posted on the forums, Parallel Froggyverse (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php?topic=19213.0). While not necessarily built for ultimate grinding or the best results in PvP, I find it a deck that's fun to play, especially when upgraded, and a nice alternative to usual Frogtal found around the forums.

[jippy99]

Earth is versatile and can make effective duos with quite a few elements.  Explain why earth is so versatile and name your favorite earth duo (duo must be at least 50% earth).

[MatrimKK]

"Why Earth? How would you improve it?"  Please answer in at least 500 words.

joking    lets move away from wardens and grabboids for a moment...

Protect artifact while obviously beneficial, can be considered a dead card against some decks.  What situations do you feel warrant the use of this card in pvp?  How many copies would you include in your deck?  Please answer in at least 500 words. 

*disclaimer: pictures are worth a thousand words*

[TimerClock14]

A difficult vote as ever....

I will ask a few questions too, not really directly related, but I vote for masters that I think are qualified, not just in love with the element.

-How often do you tl;dr on posts?
-Do you keep up with changes to the element in the Cards forum and In Development forum?

Now for an actual related question:

Antlion or Graboid?

[Mithcairion]

What is your favourite deck, and why?

Well, I have to say that the deck I made for Phase 1, Task 1 of these Trials has become a favorite of mine.  It punishes the opponent for doing pretty much anything, all while constantly applying pressure with hard hitting, fast creatures.  I'm a huge fan of playing this against the mono-Fire decks in the Arena, as Rewinding their creatures after I've EQ'd their pillars is very satisfying.  All in all, my favorite Earth deck.

by Mithcairion

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This is a deck I designed for PvP1 use in BL for 1/2011 and met with a little success.  I found that the CC that this deck afforded me let me stay alive long enough to use possibly my most favorite combo.  I would sit there, picking off my opponent's creatures with Rage Potions and Lightnings, all while buffing - usually one, but maybe two -  Steam Machines.  Just as my opponent is getting ready to get rid of it, or heal out of danger, Rage Potion, Deflag on a shield (usually Dimensional or Fog), and a Parallel Universe or two.  Seeing your army going from one Steam Machine that is 12/6 go to 22/1 and get replicated a few times while your opponent is going, "Wha...wha...WHAT HAPPENED?!" is just so fun.  While my tastes do change, this has consistently stayed one of my favorite decks, even if it isn't the "best" deck out there.

by Mithcairion

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Last trials, my question was about Cavemen.
Now, it is about evolution, like Graboids.

Graboid is vastly considered one of the most powerful cards in game (In doubt, Graboids are always fine), because they evolve.

Evolve an old deck into something fresh.

I started with the good old Antabow as my "old deck".  While this deck is tremendously effective, it is rather a one-trick pony.  Play stuff fast, hit hard, dominate.  Lather, rinse, repeat.  You've managed to get yourself a few hundred electrum or so on the side while increasing your card base, but you feel bored.  You decide to scrap your deck (without selling your rares) for something that is versatile, yet still punishing.  You sell off your non-rare Antabow cards (never sell your rares!) for a grand total of 620 and use another 438 that you have lying around to create the Whole World. 

This seemingly simplistic deck actually takes a decent deal of strategy and reading of your opponent to play.  The one strategy that you will try to employ almost no matter what is to Fractal your Gnome Riders ASAP, as this will generate the earth quanta for you for the rest of the deck.  This deck has several stalling elements built into it, including the Stone Skins, Dimensional Shields, and Wardens.  Once the Gnome Riders have been Fractal-ed, you should have plenty of quanta to use an effective Stone Skin as needed, and Fractaling Wardens becomes an effective way to lock down your opponent's field of creatures.  Need some damage?  Look no further than your Golems, if you need it quickly, or your Shriekers if you need to bust a stall.

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by Mithcairion

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[ZephyrPhantom]

Earth is versatile and can make effective duos with quite a few elements.  Explain why earth is so versatile and name your favorite earth duo (duo must be at least 50% earth).

Earth is versatile mainly because it can interact with a wide range of cards from other elements and it's cards cover many niches within the game.


Graboid - Rush. It's cheap cost usually means you'll find at least 1 in most rainbows.
Enchant Artifact - The only Anti-PC in the game.
Earthquake - Denial
Pulverizer - Denial/PC
Warden - Duo Promoting/Long-term CC
Basilisk Blood - Instant CC
Stone Skin - Long-term heal, stall.
Gnome Rider - Alternate quantum producer.
Titanium Shield - Has the highest set (no RNG-involved) DR in the game upgraded. Great for a stall.
Steel Golem/Stone Dragon - Midhitter and Large hitter, respectively.
Shrieker - Usually seen from Graboids, but alone they make good large hitters.
Antlion - Quick rush fodder - slightly beefier than Gnomes (It's hard to find a role for them in most decks since other Earth cards usually fit better)
And that's just the immediate mono possiblities. Stone Skin increases Max HP, so it's often a common card in a / stall that you can heal tons of damage with Stone Skin + Miracle or Sanctuary. Pulverizer already has a synergy with - so Plate Armor (w/Otyugh), Basilisk Blood (w/Armagio or Catapult), and Warden (w/Momentum). Gnome Riders + Immolation make great quantum generation for a Lava Rush. And that's just 3 out of 12 elements.

My Favorite Earth duo is The Laughing Stones (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,29353.0.html) - witty, but it can pack a punch after the first Mitosis is played, and it helped me get through Phase 1 of the trials.

Protect artifact while obviously beneficial, can be considered a dead card against some decks.  What situations do you feel warrant the use of this card in pvp?  How many copies would you include in your deck?  Please answer in at least 500 words. 

Situations - Whenever you're playing a deck that revolves on some important permanents (e.g. Permafrost Shield, Sanctuary, Pulverizer), it's a good idea to include 1-2 PA's as an 'insurance', as it's highly likely players have placed some PC in their decks.  PA can also be used on pillar/pendulum stacks to prevent Earthquake from destroying them, which can be important against a denial deck. As an unorthodox use, if your opponent is using a Nymph's Tears deck, you can PA their pillars to prevent any Nymphs from appearing.

The usual amount of PA's I would include in a deck are 1 or 2 under normal circumstances (given I don't know anything about an opponent or am not playing under special rules). They're usually a type of card known as 'Meta', which means they're meant to be there to counter a certain group or type of card (In this case, PC). If your opponent uses something like a Life rush, then that PA is a dead draw. 

Note : I know this isn't a 500-word answer, but the question is rather simple and I feel additional words would only complicate my response. (Kirch, you should probably take down all those derps. )

-How often do you tl;dr on posts?

I usually tl;dr if I'm running short on time or if it's a large post in the humor section. Usually when I'm majorly involved in the thread I read as many responses as I can.

-Do you keep up with changes to the element in the Cards forum and In Development forum?

I take note of all card changes and new cards. Even if the change is minor, it has a chance to affect how I play.

Antlion or Graboid?

Both. One is squishy and cute, while the other packs a powerful punch.

[kirchj33]

Earth is versatile and can make effective duos with quite a few elements.  Explain why earth is so versatile and name your favorite earth duo (duo must be at least 50% earth).

The obvious choice here is / so I wanted to think outside of the box a little.  A better choice would be something to counter what others will use to counter ghosts & graboids.  This would be a deck a master could use in war.

by kirchj33

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So now you're flying over wings with big/relatively quanta efficient damage.  A couple of steals should suffice vs. phase shields when tossing in the shutdown of devs.  EQ's are a neat effect with devs, although in truth, BB might be a better choice to counter any nasty recluse + wings decks.  Other splash card choice for darkness was nightfall, as this is almost a must when rockin' 12 darkness critters.  Nightfall > Vamp Stiletto here and turned to earth's own SS for some additional healing.

"Why Earth? How would you improve it?"  Please answer in at least 500 words.

joking    lets move away from wardens and grabboids for a moment...

Protect artifact while obviously beneficial, can be considered a dead card against some decks.  What situations do you feel warrant the use of this card in pvp?  How many copies would you include in your deck?  Please answer in at least 500 words. 

*disclaimer: pictures are worth a thousand words*

Derp derp derp derp derp, derp derp derp.  Derp derp derp derp, derp derp! Derp? Derpadee derp derple derp derpa derp.  Derp derp, derp doderp derpaderpaderp derp derp.
I really try to avoid PAs at all costs because they really are a dead card in a lot of instances.  In Phase II earth trials, splitting land in creative ways was a much more effective strategy for countering EQ than packing PAs.  That being said, I think the optimal number of PAs is 2, 1 is just too hit or miss and you might as well not bring any at all.  With two, you have the choice of protecting land vs. EQ or both a weapon and a shield slot and a decent chance to draw one in the early game.  That being said, packing 3 absolutely won me a game vs. Zblader in Phase II of trials, but I added a 3rd as a counter, on a suspicion that he was up to no good.

Derp derp derp derp derp derp derp, derp derp derp derp.  Derpa derpee derp durp dorp.  Derpaflerpa nerp derp.  Derp derp derp derp derp.  Derp derp derp derp derp!  Derp derp derp derp, derp derp derp. Derp? Derp derp derp derp derp.  Derp derp derp derp derp!  Derp derp derp derp, derp derp derp. Derp? Derp derp derp derp derp.  Derp derp derp derp derp!  Derp derp derp derp, derp derp derp. Derp? Derp derp derp derp derp.  Derp derp derp derp derp!  Derp derp derp derp, derp derp derp. Derp? Derp derp derp derp derp.  Derp derp derp derp derp!  Derp derp derp derp, derp derp derp. Derp? Derp derp derp derp derp.  Derp derp derp derp derp!  Derp derp derp derp, derp derp derp. Derp? Derp derp derp derp derp.  Derp derp derp derp derp!  Derp derp derp derp, derp derp derp. Derp? Derp derp derp derp derp.  Derp derp derp derp derp!  Derp derp derp derp, derp derp derp. Derp? Derp derp derp derp derp.  Derp derp derp derp derp!  Derp derp derp derp, derp derp derp. Derp? Derp derp derp derp derp.  Derp derp derp derp derp!  Derp derp derp derp, derp derp derp. Derp? Derp derp derp derp derp.  Derp derp derp derp derp!  Derp derp derp derp, derp derp derp. Derp? Derp derp derp derp derp.  Derp derp derp derp derp!  Derp derp derp derp, derp derp derp. Derp? Derp derp derp derp derp.  Derp derp derp derp derp!  Derp derp derp derp, derp derp derp. Derp? Derp derp derp derp derp.  Derp derp derp derp derp!  Derp derp derp derp, derp derp derp. Derp? Derp derp derp derp derp.  Derp derp derp derp derp!  Derp derp derp derp, derp derp derp. Derp? Derp derp derp derp derp.  Derp derp derp derp derp!  Derp derp derp derp, derp derp derp. Derp? Derp derp derp derp derp.  Derp derp derp derp derp!  Derp derp derp derp, derp derp derp. Derp? Derp derp derp derp derp.  Derp derp derp derp derp!  Derp derp derp derp, derp derp derp. Derp?
-508 words


-Now 1508 words!

-How often do you tl;dr on posts?

See above, I just did.  Generally, I try to limit comments to things that are either important to get my point across or humorous but everyone is susceptible to the occasional tl;dr.

If you mean tl;dr on others' posts (as Zblader interpreted it):

I constantly refresh the unread posts & scan for titles which interest me, then I scan the info and decide if it is worth my time to read.  If there is a response to a thread I found worthwhile to post on myself, I read 99% of the responses.

-Do you keep up with changes to the element in the Cards forum and In Development forum?

Ask an honest question and I will give you an honest answer.  No!  It may kill all of you card creator buffs to hear that, but I find that generally, zanz doesn't put many of these cards in the game considering the massive number that are developed.  I think he holds a great interest in keeping the game balanced.  I start to perk up when things make it into the trainer though.  Also, I am very artistically challenged, particularly in the sense of a computer, so I tend to let my creativity pour out in deckbuilding.

Antlion or Graboid?

Graboid duh!  Its one of the top 2 or 3 creatures in that game if not, the best and its a real force to be reckoned with.  Wait?  Is this a trick question?  Antlion!  No wait... you love time so you must be looking for graboid as the answer!  I just want everyone to be happy!

[Mithcairion]

Earth is versatile and can make effective duos with quite a few elements.  Explain why earth is so versatile and name your favorite earth duo (duo must be at least 50% earth).

by Mithcairion

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The point of this deck is to utilize the Adrenaline sweet-spot of 8 atk (8 + 6 + 3 = 17) while still being able to protect your creatures whenever possible.  Shrieker's burrowing ability gives them not only the ability to protect themselves, but also to protect the Adrenaline that you put on them.  This gives you the ability to avoid RT, any and all non-shield CC, as well as effectively breaking through Bone Walls.  Obviously, ideally you would Adrenaline your Shrieker the turn after you bring it into play so it can be burrowed immediately, but one does what one must.  This deck is also slightly overloaded with pillars in order to (1) churn out Shriekers as quickly as possible and (2) be able to re-cast them quickly in case of a RT.  The Druidic Staffs provide for a little healing, as this deck hits very hard and doesn't need a ton to help it along.

A difficult vote as ever....

I will ask a few questions too, not really directly related, but I vote for masters that I think are qualified, not just in love with the element.

-How often do you tl;dr on posts?

To be perfectly honest, it depends on what I'm reading.  If it is something I have a passing interest in, I am much more likely to tl;dr than if it is something that I really enjoy.  For example, I may wander occasionally into the Religion/Philosophy threads and will tl;dr if I come across something that is looking like it's not worth it, but I have read through every single post of the War:  Feedback thread.  So once again, it depends.

-Do you keep up with changes to the element in the Cards forum and In Development forum?

I will admit, prior to Trials, my answer was "no".  I would look once in a while, but do nothing more than peruse the section.  This last time for the Crucible, however, I had a much greater interest in what ideas were coming through and even voted for the ones I thought would not only be fun to play with, but also balanced and beneficial to the game.  As far as the cards In Development, I have and will always take a great interest in those, regardless of element.

Now for an actual related question:

Antlion or Graboid?

I'm gonna go with neither.  Graboid forces you to either play a duo with Time or a rainbow of some sort, and Antlion simply doesn't hit hard enough and isn't CC resistant enough to warrant taking up a card slot in the deck.  Instead, I go with Golem.  Even unupped, it has a good cost-to-attack ratio (1:1) and is immune to any non-Bolt damage dealing CC.  While it may be the "middle child" of Earth and not a given option, it remains my answer.

"Why Earth? How would you improve it?"  Please answer in at least 500 words.

joking    lets move away from wardens and grabboids for a moment...

Protect artifact while obviously beneficial, can be considered a dead card against some decks.  What situations do you feel warrant the use of this card in pvp?  How many copies would you include in your deck?  Please answer in at least 500 words. 

*disclaimer: pictures are worth a thousand words*

First of all, you jackass    Five hundred words, really?   At any rate, Enchant Artifact is a card that is obviously very situational, but is incredibly powerful when used correctly.  Within the PvP scenario, many decks use at least some sort of PC, so the inclusion of Enchant Artifact can obviously be a good idea.  Now, this comes with a few caveats.  First is the question of just how valuable is what you're trying to protect?  If you're trying to protect a Fog Shield from a Deflagration in the scenario of Antabow vs. Antabow, then the Enchant Artifact becomes a dead card simply due to the facts that (1) the player has another Fog Shield in their deck and (2) the Deflag-ing player has Momentums available to them, negating the Fog Shield anyhow.  So in this case, yes, Enchant Artifact becomes a dead card.  Where Enchant Artifact shines in the PvP scene is when playing a stall type of deck and it becomes imperative to keep something, usually a shield, at all costs.  Where it also shines is in the metagame.  For example, all you need to do is look at the Phase 2 of the Earth Trials to see just how important Enchant Artifact can be in a PvP deck, especially in a scenario where Earthquakes are prevalent.  However, unless deckbuilding is restricted, it simply does not make sense to include Enchant Artifact often in a deck as it uses up valuable card space.  Where Enchant Artifact DOES make a lot of sense is when you're grinding against FGs, though, especially when using CCYB.  The inclusion of this one card can mean the difference between success and failure against several FGs, most notably Jezebel.

The "How many copies would you include in your deck" actually depends on several factors.  The first is obviously what you expect your opponent to play.  If you expect them to play a deck where PC or Earthquake will be a driving force, then it becomes much more important that you get your Enchant Artifact(s) out early.  Another reason to want one early is in order to prevent opponents (like Jezebel) from capitalizing on a strategy that they may have in place for themselves.  The other two factors are somewhat related:  Deck size and the number of permanents in your deck.  While it would obviously be nice to protect everything of yours, duels are a miniature war of sorts, and attrition will happen.  The trick is to determine what is vital for your deck to function and what is not.  If you have a 30 card deck, and there is really only one permanent that is vital to your deck (say, pillars, and you expect your opponent to be using Earthquakes), then two will be fine.  However, as the number of vital permanents and size of the deck increases, so too should the number of Enchant Artifacts that you include in your deck.  Obviously, this can create a bit of a problem if you find your hand loaded up with Enchant Artifacts and nothing to protect, so really the best method for finding this balance is in testing against decks that you expect to see. (Word Count:  527)

TL;DR version:  Matrim is a jackass 

[jippy99]

Since I was very impressed with the answers I received from my question, I have decided to make a new one to help me decide.
What, in your opinion, does earth have that other elements do not that makes it better?  What doesn't earth have that other elements do have?

[ZephyrPhantom]

What, in your opinion, does earth have that other elements do not that makes it better? 

Earth is the element of Fortitude. As such it's cards focus on toughening and building up defenses and quantum. Most Earth creatures start out with high HP. Earth's CC and Healing - Basilisk Blood and Plate Armor, respectively, both perform their normal roles but also increase a creature's max HP - which can be in other ways with cards like Catapult and Gravity Shield. Stone Skin "toughens" an elemental from death, and Gemfinders help build up quantum to support other cards. If their High HP isn't enough, many Earth creatures will burrow and make themselves untargetable - but unlike Immortals, they can switch it on and off. To combat enemies trying to destroy their permanents, they have Protect Artifact. Vanadium Wardens deny the enemies strength, while fortifying your own defenses.

Alternatively, Earth is the element of strength. Cards like Graboid/Shrieker and Steel Golem have a solid cost to damage ratio, which can be used in decks such as Grabbow and Shrieker Rush. Pulverizer channels Earth's strength using the sheer power of in order to destroy permanents. Earth's shield, Titanium Shield is a card that combines both of these values - it toughens the elemental by reducing more damage than any shield in the game upgraded, and is concerned about being able to block enemies strength (Direct DR), rather than taking chances (Fog Shield, Dusk Mantle, Skull Buckler.)

What doesn't earth have that other elements do have?

Earth's cards cover many areas (PC, Healing, Quantum generation, Rushing, etc...), but from I can see, Earth elementals lack:

- A source of continuous regeneration, or an immediate heal card. Sure, you may be able to heal yourself a ton with Stone Skin and 100 , but what's going to make use of the extra Max HP after you've taken more hits. This is where cards like Sanctuary, Miracle Shard of Gratitude, and Emphatic Bond come in - with healing, Earth's defense aspect can be bolstered further, wheras Earth itself can only toughen it's defense. It's like repairing your old engine before you give it some new mods. (Regeneration/healing is possessed by  , , , and  )
- A source of "randomness". While earth is a solid element, it does posses change (Graboids evolve to Shriekers is an example), but it seems to relies little on chance-based properties that help other elements. (Chance is possessed by , , , and )
- The ability to directly damage creatures - the closest in-element example is Warden, but it can only delay and needs a buff from another element. (        all possess cards that can damage creatures.)
- The ability to buff attack - some elements can increase the damage done by their own creatures through other cards - however, this is necessary for metagame balance as Earth has a card that relies on buffing attack (Warden), similar to other elements like (Dune Scorpion). (          are elements that can buff attack with other cards.)
- Of course, each element possesses their own unique concepts (water's fluidity, darkness's manipulation, Aether's dimensional powers), so their powers and abilities also contain something Earth personally doesn't have, while Earth has it's own focuses (see answer to first question).

[Kakerlake]

ohai, looks like its time for answering stuff again!

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?”

I don't think the problem is that a buff from another element is required.
The main problem is probably one simple thing: Wardens can't kill your opponent, buffing them won't help much either since the damage will be stopped when the ability is used. Also, they have one more problem: When you are low on quanta, having a warden is nice, BUT it will eat up your quanta and you are unable to play other stuff. If you have plenty Quanta, why bother with wardens? StoneSkin works even against non creature threads.
Yet another problem is the Question: BB or Warden? BB is a cheap 6 turn stall and can even be used offensive with Catapult or Voodoo. Warden can change its targets, but costs a lot more with a one turn delay to use.
I hardly have ever used the warden due to those reasons, but adding them in a deck like The Immortal might be worth a shot.

According to stats in the "Which Element Is Your Favourite?" topic, earth is the least popular element.
Why do you think so?
Explain.

I dunno. Folks are probably stupid :p
Also, in the topic I found, Light was the least popular element and Water ties with Earth the 2nd leas favored element.

Evolve an old deck into something fresh.

Define "old". Also define "fresh".
How about this:
The Iridium Immortal

by Kakerlake

Hover over cards for details, click for permalink

Deck import code : [Select]

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What is your favourite deck, and why?

My favorite deck is clearly "PC - Why bother?"
Most fun deck ev0r!
Yes, I've written it correctly ^^
Basically it's 15 Aether Tower, 6x Mindgate, 6x Phase Shield, 12x QT, 4x Hourglass and fill it up to 60 with whatever you like for stalling.

Earth is versatile and can make effective duos with quite a few elements.  Explain why earth is so versatile and name your favorite earth duo (duo must be at least 50% earth).

I really like "The Immortal", the "Quaking Grabowinder" and some Gravity duos (sometimes with FW's).
The combo of the Immortal: SS + Miracle is almost too effective, beating it down takes quite some effort... or take eternity.
EQ+RT is another insane combo. Quanta denial, CC and drawlock all in two cards, the perfect deck for any troll.
And there's the always fun combo of Gravity / Earth. You can do so many fun things with that. BB with Catapult / Gravity Shield / Pull. Pulverizer by itself. Warden + Momentum... meh. Oty + Armor. And why not even Armagio + BB / Auburn Nymph (AI 3 likes that)

Protect artifact while obviously beneficial, can be considered a dead card against some decks.  What situations do you feel warrant the use of this card in pvp?  How many copies would you include in your deck?  Please answer in at least 500 words. 

*disclaimer: pictures are worth a thousand words*

If you like your stuff, protect it. Sneaky cats are everywhere! It sux really hard, if you get countered by your own Eternity!
I wouldn't put in more protects than you have stuff to protect. Usually 2 or a maximum or 3 PA's are plenty. But it is also possible to go for stuff like 6 x PA + 6x Dim Shield, it always depends on who you are facing and what you are expecting.
1071 Words

A difficult vote as ever....
aye, I agree with you
I will ask a few questions too, not really directly related, but I vote for masters that I think are qualified, not just in love with the element.
But I likez! y u no likes mah likesing?
-How often do you tl;dr on posts?
probably too often.
-Do you keep up with changes to the element in the Cards forum and In Development forum?
currently: no. I'm studying and don't have that much time to spare anymore.
Now for an actual related question:
Antlion or Graboid?
Steel Golem FTW!

tl/dr