4th Trials - Phase 3 - Community Vote

[jippy99]

What does entropy mean to you, and how does this meaning relate to some of entropy's cards?

[Bootsza]

How important is community (both keeping existing players and attracting new ones) to you?  How much influence do you think Masters have in effecting community and how do you think you could contribute if you were to be Master?

[Jen-i]

Q: what element would you consider to work with entropy the best ?

That depends - entropy is completely lacking in non-creature damage sources and has some of the best mass CC in the game in pandemonium - that combination makes a natural partner of - Death thrives on the fuel that CC creates. At a less competitive level Maxwell's Demon, Schrodinger's Cat, Chaos Seed, Fallen Elf & Mutation are all potential causes of CC - again supporting the connection.

However entropy also has a solid connection thru its denial cards to both and - Discord EQ and Discord Devourer decks can be crippling against many opponents, in the case of nova also supports the use of Graboids - and while nova Grabby decks are overused it's because of their general effectiveness that this is the case. With Darkness you see a natural connection again with lycans - which can easily be partnered with CP and Liquid Shadow to make a fast damage and healing creature.

In truth the use of nova opens up to partner with any and every element - you see this quite often in organized PvP play - that's why nova gets banned so often from tournies. Outside of nova I'd say the strongest 2 connections are and . While the BH combo with Discord is often played it is really the only solid connection between the two elements and while Fallen Elf/Druid uses quanta that doesn't form the basis for a deeper connection (although mutation decks sure are fun when they work).

What does entropy mean to you, and how does this meaning relate to some of entropy's cards?

Entropy is the element of chaos - that means both random and transformative; Entropy is about sudden unexpected change. You see this in almost every card in entropy's collection.

Fallen Elf/Druid & Mutation	The transformation is explicitly seen in the creation of mutants from otherwise standard cards
Lycan/Werewolf	The transformation is implied in the creature itself; man becomes wolf
Abomination/ Microabomination	The transformation is not seen in the individual cards - but in the surprising transformation that takes place with the upgraded form
Dissipation Shield/Field	The shield transforms your quanta production into hit points
Antimatter/ Purple Nymph	These cards transform a threat into a help; a dangerous enemy creature becomes an ally
Butterfly Effect	The spells transforms a creature - giving it one of the most dangerous mutant abilities in the game
Nova/Supernova	Nova creates quanta from nothing and SN converts 2 into 2 of everything - in addition these cards transform entropy itself, allowing for many more options that most mono or duo decks could ever consider
Maxwell's Demon	Like antimatter this card transforms a creatures great strength into a weakness - while antimatter uses that weakness to your benefit Maxwell's Demon uses it to the destruction of itself
Chaos Seed/ Power, Pandemonium, Discord, Fallen Elf/Druid, Mutation	Each of these cards exhibits both the random nature and transformative power of entropy
Schrodinger's Cat	While the card is explicitly neither random nor transformative the scientific principle for which its named fits nicely into entropy's theme
Purple Dragon	Other than the purple colour there is no connection to - that's too bad, I wish it had a little piece of flavour. Perhaps giving one of your creatures at random a small stat bonus - or generating random quanta when it enters play

How important is community (both keeping existing players and attracting new ones) to you?  How much influence do you think Masters have in effecting community and how do you think you could contribute if you were to be Master?

Numbers are nice Bootza - but I'd rather have quality over quantity any day of the week. The best option of course is how to get both - how do you attract lots of quality players, not just in PvP skill but also good, contributing members to join this community. In large part we have only some small control over Elements itself which is the primary draw for people to the community - however I can't tell you how many times I've heard player say, I came for the game, I stayed for the community. I think this is completely true - how do I contribute to the community, I can't tell you I do it through posting on the forums, but I can certainly say I do it in chat. I am consistently welcoming new players to chat, attempting to smooth any ruffled feathers when a new member bumps into one of our local porcupines, and helping them get acclimated to both the game, PvP, farming and the forums. I've made an effort the last month - and will continue to try to improve on it to welcome new members in the new members threads.

[MatrimKK]

@jippy
To me the heart of is chaos, in its most extreme form.  To truly harness it's powers fully you must use order to control the chaos. 
Many of the cards are chaotic at heart, but by focusing on a certain aspects you therefore intensify their power.  A good example of this as Jen mentioned, is the use of discord with earthquake and devourer.  You can see by our first match summary how devourer made discord much more potent, for serveral turns Jen was 1 quanta short of playing a card.  While discord usually stalls for a short time, this was lengthened.  Pandemonium while very effective and random, can be also more focused in a duo (since the firebolt effect has the best increase in damge over the other bolts.)  Mutations when coupled with reverse time not only eliminate the card your opponent cast and slows their draw, but if they don't have quanta for this particular creature, will be a permanent dead card.  I hope this begins to illustrate what I stated above  

@Jen spot on observation on Purple dragon, I didn't use this card even once is phase 2.  Also curse you for answering first

@Bootsza
It's just like Jen said, "...I can't tell you how many times I've heard player say, I came for the game, I stayed for the community."  I couldn't have said it better myself.  Yes the game is great, but as I point out without community events like Leagues and Weekly Tournaments truly are what make this game fun for me.  Not just that but they challenged me to learn and adapt faster.  Keeping a growing, healthy community is very important to a games growth and development.  This is exactly what Elements has, I wouldn't have entered trials if I didn't value the community.  Likewise I always try and be helpful to newer players, whether just chatting or commenting in deck help. 
Masters have a profound effect, they are role models to the community, and as so need to act the part.  Not just by being helpful or being good at their respective element.  They have a duty to be patient kind and honorable with firm sense of character. 
I'm very glad you posed this question Bootsza

[RavingRabbid]

A gigantic lawnmower removes Nova, Antimatter and Discord from the game. What would you do to Entropy, without reintroducing these 3 cards?

[Jen-i]

Are you asking for me to design new cards as replacements or to come up with new strategy

[RavingRabbid]

Are you asking for me to design new cards as replacements or to come up with new strategy

Design 3 new cards to keep entropy competitive without having access to Nova, Discord and Antimatter.

[Zeru]

“Fill in the blank (anything in parenthesis can be added or removed): Entropy, while random, is (not) RNG-based for me because… __________.

Of course it is. You lie

Q: did you ever consider that Nova gives an unfair advantage to entropy in war? and why? Do you think that Nova and Supernova are balanced cards? and why?

1) Nova gives two advantages in war. It allows to build rainbows from scrap cards and Entropy can build better rainbows than other teams. Advantage 1 is usable by all teams and +12 starting Nova (assuming we even want that many rainbows) is not a big deal. If advantage 2 is unfair than I would like to remind you that  Underworld can build even better rainbows.

2) They are not. Nova used to deal 5 dmg to the user, I think it was a fair price for the extra speed it provides.

Entropy, the element of chaos, owns the card Nova.
Why does that make sense?
Explain.

Imagine you have 2 . You then cast a Supernova. Suddenly your quanta pool consists of all 12 elements, thus increasing your chaos.

Zeru, it's just you and me now as the longest reigning master. It seems like you have lost your drive and are going through the motions as Xinef did last trials. Am i incorrect? Either way i have great respect for your skills and your bluntness (although it does rub people the wrong way) and although i wanted to vote against you last trials i just couldn't because i truly believed you were the best candidate after your responses.

I basically just want to know if your heart is in this because if it is I can't vote against you.

I am always ready to crush you at War.

@Zeru - Do you want to be Master? Or do you just like the challenge of winning with so many less upped cards?

Both, but I utterly disliked all of the tasks given this time.

Q: If a tree claps with one hand in a forest, and no one is around to hear it, is the kitteh in the box dead, alive, both, or neither?

The cat is underused because it's a weak key card. You need to draw it for your strategy but the effect is barely worth it. By the time you have a Cat and Bone Wall, somebody else is close to Pest Fractal.

What is your favourite deck, and why?

4xBall Lighting + Fractal + Sky Blitz + Chimera.

Because 100/0 creature with momentum is fun.

what element would you consider to work with entropy the best ?

Time.

What does entropy mean to you, and how does this meaning relate to some of entropy's cards?

I answered this question so many times, yet I think that my answer will remain the same.
Entropy is the element of creativity, innovation, change. It is reflected in the struggles of Fallen Druids to create the best creature, it is reflected in Supernova, that literally creates new quanta. Entropy Elemental is cunning and open for all other elements. Antimatter, Maxwell's Demon and Discord are dangerous not because of pure power, but because they force your opponent to adapt.

How important is community (both keeping existing players and attracting new ones) to you?  How much influence do you think Masters have in effecting community and how do you think you could contribute if you were to be Master?

I am usually attracting players from other sites, by helping them with their decks and announcing to old players that a new patch worth seeing has appeared.

A gigantic lawnmower removes Nova, Antimatter and Discord from the game. What would you do to Entropy, without reintroducing these 3 cards?

Rainbows lose their speed, Entropy has no way to fight against better creatures, superior CC and no weapon of it's own. Mono Entropy get unusable in pvp. You are left with specific strategies, like Pandemonium + Poison + Bonewall or an old-school rainbow around Fallen Druid. What would I do for Entropy? Buff it's ability to harm opponent. Entropy would sadly lose it's uniqueness and became more generic. Antimatter and Discord are frustrating for the opponent as any card that messes up opponent's strategy.

Design 3 new cards to keep entropy competitive without having access to Nova, Discord and Antimatter.

I refuse to design cards. It's not a good idea to ask me for this. Really

[Jocko]

Q1 - If you had to fight against someone that could use any card, from any element, upped or unupped, and you are allowed only to use mono entropy (unupped or upped), what would you bring?

Q2 - What atributes would you consider the most important when selecting team members for war?

[Jen-i]

Design 3 new cards to keep entropy competitive without having access to Nova, Discord and Antimatter.

Alchemy Set - A combo breaker
Anti-matter is an exceptional card despite its high cost - it works as both CC and as healing. I needed to choose one place to focus my attention, Entropy has lots of other CC available to it, but no other form of healing, and I liked the feel of Anti-matter - a card that serves two purposes. I'm opening up a new form of denial with the card and still maintaining the ability to heal. It may feel like the cost is too cheap when you get multiples in play, however the healing will distrupt your deck quiet quickly.

     

Arbitrary Payment - And thus dies rainbow: Deal with it!
Nova serves so many purposes in decks - I decided to let the rainbow nature of nova die - I would assume the pusher great lawnmower in the sky aimed his machine in its direction because of it. The two problems that now present themselves are: a) the ability to pay for mutant abilities (I will assume for now that QT and SoR can handle those duties) b) the acceleration that nova provides a deck. I decided to focus this card on acceleration.

     

Amnesia - The new face of denial
Discord is the one form of quanta denial available to entropy - losing it removes an entire deck type. This weapon allows a similar feel with an entirely new mechanic. It retains synergy with Black Hole, Earthquake and Devourer, as well as opening synergy with Rewind, and GotP+Nightmare.

   

Q1 - If you had to fight against someone that could use any card, from any element, upped or unupped, and you are allowed only to use mono entropy (unupped or upped), what would you bring?

Q2 - What atributes would you consider the most important when selecting team members for war?

A1 - Really simply a mutation deck - life marked nova powered and hope to get some lucky mutants. At least if I know my opponent is competent - it is too simple to counter most other decks - its really hard to know what you're getting with a mutation deck.

by Jen-i

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4vj 4vj 4vj 4vj 4vj 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6ts 6tu 6tu 6tu 6u1 6u1 6u1 6u1 6u1 6u2 6u2 6u2 6u4 6u4 6u4 6u4 6u4 6u6 6u6 6u6 6u8 8pj

A2 - Activity - Activity - Activity - Personable - Activity - Deck Building Skill - Activity - Organized - Googledocs Skillz - Activity - PvP Skillz - Activity - Activity

And I probably underrated activity and overrated personality and deck building skill

[n00b]

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3. Like-ish

Gimmie a sec to find Seal of Approval

[MatrimKK]

@Raving
A difficult task set, I will do my best


My first goal was to find a weapon to replace discord.  I also chose to incorporate a soft CC into this with the loss of antimatter. 
Unupped, most of entropy's creatures can take a hit and keep going so I didn't see this as a huge draw back or boon, but rather as a bit limiting. 
Upped, while removing your creatures from being targeted I increase the activation cost, but increased the weapons damage. 


Next I had to replace entropy's alchemy card.  Here I wanted to give abominations a bit more to do than just rush. 
Unupped would function much like mutation en mass but on only a specific creature(s.)
Upped would function like improved mutation enmass but would include micro Abomination as well. 


Originally I had wanted to move away from nova's capabilities, but I have had this card idea for awhile (I'm saving this idea for a series.)
Unupped, mostly for providing quanta for creature abilities, but I suppose some bad men would use it for rainbows like nova was.  Hopefully with a card disadvantage it offers enough change. 
Upped, I feel this will strengthen mono's or duo's but not rainbows, and still be versatile in certain archetypes.  While still being a burst of quanta I've hope that the card disadvantage will warrant such a powerful effect. 

@Jocko
Q1 - When in doubt come on strong

by MatrimKK

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Q2 - I have to admit where I could come up short, and that is war experience.  My first move would be to recruit some of team 's veterans from previous wars.  They have placed well and I'd be an idiot to overlook what has worked for us in the past.  After that the biggest quality I'd be looking for is activity, if someone is willing to put forth the effort, I believe anything can be accomplished.