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Topics - iNano78

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Rules Discussion / Vampiric, damage vs life, and other similar effects

« on: May 19, 2016, 01:16:43 PM »

Last night my spouse stole my phone, so I didn't have a copy of the Codex or FAQ accessible... so I made a ruling based on how the game works in general: that is, that damage gets dealt to a creature, then you check to see if damage on that creature exceeds its life, and if so, it is destroyed and removed from play (or the mage loses, in the special case where the creature is a mage). In general, it would seem that the amount of damage on a creature can briefly exceed the life total of the creature before those values are compared and {destroyed/not destroyed} status of the creature gets updated.

So when asked how much damage a Vampiric creature recovers when dealing "overkill" damage (e.g. 4 damage dealt to a creature that only has 2 "hit points" = life minus damage remaining), I ruled that the Vampiric creature heals 2 damage, since 4 damage was dealt despite the creature only having enough life to survive the first 2 points of damage. And I was wrong, according to the Codex. But why is that? How does the Vampiric trait know how many "hit points" a creature has remaining (e.g. life - damage value)? Doesn't an attack simply deal damage, then "life - damage = hit points" gets calculated afterwards to see if the creature is destroyed yet? Or does damage get dealt "one at a time" and a creature never gets the opportunity to have more damage assigned than life?

P.S. The same should hypothetically apply to Drain Life and other effects that care about how much damage gets dealt.

General Discussion / Academy Priestess available for pre-order

« on: May 18, 2016, 10:18:08 AM »

Not sure if anybody has noticed this yet,* but it is now possible to pre-order the Academy Priestess expansion from the Arcane Wonders online store:
https://store.arcanewonders.com/product.php?productid=17716

* The main reason you may not be aware that it's available for pre-order is that it isn't listed in the "Games" nor "Accessories" sections, nor is it advertised on the store's home page - nor anywhere else that I can find. It seems to be a super-secret URL.

So, how do I know about it, you ask?!?!

Spellbook Design and Construction / Multiplayer Domination: Druid

« on: May 06, 2016, 03:40:45 PM »

[spellbook]
[spellbookheader]
[spellbookname]Fierce Control[/spellbookname]
[mage]Wychwood Druid[/mage]
[/spellbookheader]
[spells]
[spellclass]Attack[/spellclass]
[mwcard=DNA01]1 x Acid Ball[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1a08]1 x Geyser[/mwcard]
[mwcard=FWA03]1 x Hail of Stones[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX1CKA01]1 x Surging Wave[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Conjuration[/spellclass]
[mwcard=MWBG1J01]1 x Altar of the Iron Guard[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNW01]4 x Bloodspine Wall[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNJ02]1 x Corrosive Orchid[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNJ03]1 x Etherian Lifetree[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNJ06]3 x Nightshade Lotus[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1j22]4 x Tanglevine[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNJ12]1 x Vine Tree[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1w04]2 x Wall of Thorns[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Creature[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1c07]1 x Cervere, The Forest Shadow[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNC10]2 x Raptor Vine[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNC21]4 x Thornlasher[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1c37]4 x Thunderift Falcon[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNC20]3 x Vine Snapper[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Enchantment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=DNE01]1 x Barkskin[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e01]2 x Bear Strength[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE04]1 x Brace Yourself[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e05]1 x Cheetah Speed[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e20]1 x Harmonize[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE06]1 x Lion Savagery[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e36]1 x Rhino Hide[/mwcard]
[mwcard=]2x Panther Stealth[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE07]1 x Rust[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWBG1E04]2 x V'Tar Force Sentry[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Equipment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=MWSTX1CKQ06]1 x Eagleclaw Boots[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q19]1 x Mage Wand[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Incantation[/spellclass]
[mwcard=DNI02]2 x Burst of Thorns[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFI06]2 x Defend[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i06]2 x Dispel[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i12]3 x Force Push[/mwcard]
[mwcard=FWI04]1 x Force Wave[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i07]1 x Dissolve[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i23]2 x Rouse the Beast[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i24]1 x Seeking Dispel[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i26]1 x Sleep[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i28]2 x Teleport[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWBG1I02]1 x V'Tarrian Healing Song[/mwcard]
[/spells]
[cost]Total cost: 120 pts[/cost]
[/spellbook]

I usually start with Vine Tree + Harmonize, then drop a Vine Snapper on the nearest Sslak and start pounding. Thornlashers can't tap orbs, but they're great at snatching creatures away from orbs you control, especially if you can pull the creature through a Bloodspine Wall. Otherwise, you can't go wrong with Tanglevine.

If you don't like including the Thunderrift Falcons, you could either trade them for [mwcard=MW1C36] Tarok, the Skyhunter[/mwcard] (for anti-Falcon tech) or some [mwcard=MW1I15] Knockdown[/mwcard]s (and follow up with Tanglevine), or just rely on your Thornlasher's for anti-aerial artillery and invest in Rajah or similar.

* This is part of a series of spell books designed for Free-for-all Multiplayer Domination. The main discussion can be found here. *

Spellbook Design and Construction / Multiplayer Domination: Skeleton Necromancer

« on: May 06, 2016, 03:28:02 PM »

[spellbook]
[spellbookheader]
[spellbookname]Skulls & Bones[/spellbookname]
[mage]Darkfenne Necromancer[/mage]
[/spellbookheader]
[spells]
[spellclass]Attack[/spellclass]
[mwcard=FWA02]1 x Force Hammer[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWBG1A05]1 x V'Tarrian Energy Wave[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Conjuration[/spellclass]
[mwcard=MWBG1J01]1 x Altar of the Iron Guard[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNJ01]1 x Altar of Skulls[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNJ04]1 x Graveyard[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1j11]1 x Idol of Pestilence[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1j18]2 x Poison Gas Cloud[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1j22]2 x Tanglevine[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNW02]4 x Wall of Bones[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Creature[/spellclass]
[mwcard=DNC01]1 x Acolyte of the Bog Queen[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1c08]2 x Darkfenne Bat[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNC02]2 x Deathfang[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1c23]1 x Malacoda[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNC07]1 x Mort[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNC13]1 x Skeletal Archer[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNC15]6 x Skeletal Minion[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1c32]2 x Skeletal Sentry[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Enchantment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1e20]1 x Harmonize[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e22]1 x Hellfire Trap[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e27]1 x Marked for Death[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWBG1E02]2 x Plagued[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE07]1 x Rust[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Equipment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=DNQ02]1 x Death Ring[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q05]1 x Demonhide Armor[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q07]1 x Elemental Cloak[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Incantation[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1i02]1 x Battle Fury[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i06]1 x Dispel[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX1CKI01]1 x Drain Soul[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i10]2 x Evade[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i12]1 x Force Push[/mwcard]
[mwcard=FWI04]1 x Force Wave[/mwcard]
[mwcard=FWI05]1 x Mass Sleep[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNI03]1 x Reassemble[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i24]1 x Seeking Dispel[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i28]2 x Teleport[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNI05]1 x Unholy Resurgence[/mwcard]
[mwcard=FWI10]1 x Whirling Strike[/mwcard]
[/spells]
[cost]Total cost: 120 pts[/cost]
[/spellbook]

Usually start with Graveyard + Harmonize in a zone with an orb. Then I try to deploy a Skeleton every round, and I either go with a ring and Altar of the Iron Guard (AotIG), or I go with an Acolyte, then the Altar of Skulls on round 3 in the Acolyte's zone. I haven't used the bats yet, but they're there for matches where I don't get an Idol or Altar going but need flyers to get past walls. Rust is great for dropping the armor of an Usslak. I used to run Meditation Amulet but found that my mage often punches orbs and doesn't have time to meditate anyway.

* This is part of a series of spell books designed for Free-for-all Multiplayer Domination. The main discussion can be found here. *

Domination / Let's talk Multiplayer Domination

« on: May 06, 2016, 03:20:26 PM »

I feel like I might be in a minority here, but I love me some Domination, especially multiplayer Domination. When our Mage Wars group first got going, we dreaded odd numbers as that meant somebody was sitting out while others played their 1-on-1 Arena matches. Upon Domination's release at Gen Con 2015, that all changed! I've got about a dozen plays of Domination under my belt now (mostly 3-way free-for-all, plus some 2-on-2 team play). I'm currently 14W-22L-3D after 39 three-way free-for-all Domination matches that I've reported on BGG. Here is what I've noticed so far:

Multiplayer strategy

Like many non-cooperative multiplayer games (like war games, 4X games, etc), a player can benefit relative to others by avoiding conflict while others battle each other for supremacy. For instance, if player A attacks player B, then player C indirectly benefits, since it doesn't cost player C any resources to benefit from player B's demise, and player A spends significant resources engaging player B. Thus, if player B gets off to a strong start, and player A "takes one for the team" to knock B down a notch, player C will likely go on to win win (unless player A has enough left in the tank to challenge player C as well).
Likewise, and especially in a 4-player free-for-all, kingmaker scenarios often come into play. If player A challenges player B (leader) while C and D do their own thing, then once player B is no longer a threat, player A will generally be too exhausted (e.g. deprived of resources) to compete for first and will likely join forces with the weaker of C/D, and the weaker of C/D will often prevail with A becoming the effective "kingmaker." Thus, a valid Domination strategy often involves "doing your own thing (V'tar) while putting in a minimal effort to hold back the perceived leaders" and/or "trying to sustain second (of 3) or third (of 4) place and then stealing the win from the leader at the last possible moment, when it's too late for the other non-leader(s) to ignore the perceived leader."

With that in mind, let's look at cards and abilities that become far more powerful/important in Domination than they were in Arena.

Part I: The Obvious

A spawn point and a good number of cheap creatures is a must. If you plan to win by V'tar, you need to hit some orbs. And after hitting them, you'll need to defend those orbs, too.
If legal in your play group, Galaxxus is an auto-include: first to get an orb + Galaxxus out will generally win with rare (but possible) exception. For our group, we've found that banning Galaxxus has improved our games. We have less runaway leader issues, games are less predictable (more back-and-forth; more closer matches with come-from-behind wins), and removing Galaxxus opens up more spell book building options. Banning Galaxxus is a win-win!
Guarding is crucial. Altar of the Iron Guard is almost as much of an auto-include as Galaxxus (where legal); thus...
Fast/Elusive/Flying creatures are clutch. In fact, these groups deserve their own bullet points:
Elusive is probably the most important trait of all in Domination, since it allows you to "orb-steal" - not to mention makes your creatures immune to Hinder (aside from Vine markers). Mongoose Agility and Panther Stealth look like good choices, and might be in many cases, but they can easily be Dispeled; creatures with inherent Elusiveness are much better (e.g. Terraki, Cervere, Rajah, Slaknir), as answers aren't as abundant (e.g. they might require a Tanglevine or attack spells to neutralize).
Next up is Flying, since getting around the board unhindered is important, as is getting past walls and Vine markers.
If you can do one of those and add Fast, you're in good shape. Thus, Thunderrift Falcon is almost certainly the best level 1 creature in the format. Along with Cervere and Terraki (and even Tarok to counter enemy fliers), you can see that the Beastmaster is a pretty good choice for your first Domination book. We'll come back to that later.

Part II: Perhaps slightly less Obvious (at first)

Action economy is really what wins in Domination. Sure, that means you want lots of creatures. And while getting off to a strong start by building a large army of minor creatures might be fine (and scoring the first orb + dropping Galaxxus might auto-win), it might also put a big juicy target on your chest. Whereas finding a way to get extra actions out of your creatures, like trading your mage's quickcast for an extra attack (via Battle Fury) or a full action for two full actions (via Whirling Strike) might allow you to make a late comeback for the V'tar win, especially if your target creature can double-tap an orb, or poke a guard, then an orb, then another orb, to steal away several orbs in one round.
Action economy can also be interupted; e.g. by teleporting away the (potential) target of Whirling Strike / Battle Fury, or by dropping a zone attack spell that causes Daze and/or Stun on several enemy creatures (see Hail of Stones).
Board control can also win games. A perfectly timed Tanglevine can pin a mage far from the action on a crucial turn. Putting up a wall can just as easily win or lose you the game ("Be careful where you build your walls!"). Force Wave and Repulse are better bang for your buck than Force Push, since you're often dealing with hordes of enemy creatures. And you can never go wrong with putting 4x Teleport in your spell book, even in the presence of Astral Anchor.
You should always have at least one back-up plan; e.g. killing the V'tar leader after he's already taken a few Zone Attacks and/or been pushed through a Wall of Thorns a couple times. Mages don't tend to pack a lot of armor in Domination books because most of the time it's a waste of points that could be better spent elsewhere.
Similarly, you should pack at least a little armor, like an Elemental Cloak or Barkskin or a Hauberk, just in case your opponents turn unfriendly towards you.
Non-V'tar threats can be just as good as getting an orb. For instance, my most successful matches have involved not only competing for orbs but also dropping a threat that must be dealt with. For example, a Necromancer dropping an Altar of Skulls + Acolyte means serious business if everybody else's strategies revolve around small creatures that aren't immune to poison. Goblins and Falcons and Foxes will suffer the same fate if the Altar activates. Thus, all the non-Necromancers tend to drop whatever their doing to deal with the Altar, meaning the orbs are relatively uncontested for the Necromancer's horde to scoop up. Other threats can have a similar effect.
"Legendary" means "There can be only one!" This rarely comes up in Arena play (outside mirror matches), but in Domination, there are several cards that prevent the opponent from doing the same. If a Druid sees a Beastmaster, she might want to cast her Cervere early to deny the Beastmaster a chance. And any mage can viably drop Altar of the Iron Guard, both to benefit from it and to prevent others from doing likewise.

Mage considerations:
(My play group's record for 3-way Domination for each mage, Win-Loss-Draw, in parentheses... which I'll try to keep up to date. Keep in mind that, all else being equal, an average mage/player would expect to win 33% of his/her 3-way matches)

Beastmaster
- Straywood: (7-12-2)
- Johktari: (0-0-0)

Either Beastmaster can work in principle, but Straywood can pump out Falcons and Foxes faster than anybody else.
Has the best selection of Fast/Elusive/Flying creatures, and is in-school for enchantments that make more creature Fast/Elusive/Flying.
Has one of the best spawn points.
Can get in the action him/herself.
Packleader's Cowl is worth playing, especially if somebody else beats you to AotIG.
Ant and Bee SWARMS!!! Can't be deployed from Lair, nor can be quick-casted, but "wow these cards are bonkers" in Domination.

Druid
- Wychwood (4-7-1)

Can beat a Beastmaster to casting the legendary Cervere.
Has some great creatures for the format in Vine Snappers, who have a nasty full-action bite that can take out Sslaks quickly, and the fact they're unmoveable (but not Anchored) means they make pretty awesome guards (although only their weaker quick-attack gets to counterstrike).
Alas, she'll need a lot of Teleports to make sure she can get her rooted creatures where she needs them.
Has the strongest board control, through vine markers, walls, Tangle/Stranglevine, Thornlasher, even her Stuck weapon.
Due to treebond's lifelink and Barkskin, she's one of the tougher mages to kill if she gets a V'tar lead.
Hindering vines and a selection of walls can make life difficult for the opponents' premium creatures.
Ant and Bee SWARMS!!!

Necromancer
- Skeletal: (5-7-1)
- Zombie: (0-1-0)

Zombies are crap (except perhaps the Brute as a guard or the Plagued Zombie as a Rot distributor), but Skeletons are OK for their cost.
Has the best spawnpoint for multiplayer Domination in Graveyard, as it gets extra mana nearly every round past round 2.
Has lots of asymmetric zone and arena effects, like Idol of Pestilence, Altar of Skulls, Deathlock, Poison Gas Cloud, Malacoda, Plagued, etc, that make it difficult for minor living creatures to compete.
Probably gets the most use out of some of the terrain and non-card objects in Domination, like the "sacrificial altar" that gives you half-mana plus a V'tar for sacrificing a creature. You can do this with Plagues Zombie and/or your Eternal Servant and quickly ramp up your V'tar, allowing you to keep up with another mage who has an orb advantage, or allowing you to pull away into the lead.
Wall of Bones is one of the best walls and in-school for the Necromancer.

Warlord
- Bloodwave: (4-12-2)
- Anvil Throne: (3-0-0)

Bloodwave in particular can command an army of cheap Goblins, who might actually earn Vet tokens in this format. Meanwhile, Anvil Throne can make his army Fast, which is particularly effective with Elusive Goblins.
Good conjurations and a little extra set-up time allow the Warlord to come from behind better than most other mages.
He has a crazy good selection of cheap walls. Not only can a Warlord pack a pile of Earth and Stone Walls, but Wall of Pikes can strategically prevent a passage- or LoS-blocking wall from being placed (e.g. in front of your Akiro's Hammer).
MANY good Domination cards are in-school for the Warlord, including Hail of Stones, Altar of the Iron Guard, Slaknir, Guard Dog, Akiro's Hammer (a must if Galaxxus is legal), Galaxxus itself, Battle Fury, Whirling Strike, Evade... - even Flank Attack can be good in this format. Not sure if I've seen Akiro's Battle Cry yet, though. As powerful as giving all your guys Fast might be, it's hard for a Warlord to come up with 14 mana!
Even Spiked Pit, Mangler Caltrops and Earthquake become useful in Domination.

Wizard
- Air Wizard: (4-6-0)

This one's interesting. The Wizard has few good cheap creatures for the format. Blue Gremlin is probably his best bet, but it's a Pest and isn't as cheap as the competition's minor creatures. At a glance, the Wizard seems like a poor choice.
He could try an unorthodox "buddy" or "strong few" strategy, for instance with a Hydra wiping out Sslak's and a Gargoyle guarding his orb(s). But I don't see how a "few creature" strategy could compete with a Druid, Beastmaster, Warlord and/or Necromancer.
However, he has a good spawnpoint (as good as a Lair), and Wizard's Tower seems good in any format (although has a target painted on it, which will drop quickly if focused on by the other mages)... but more importantly ...
He has lots of threats that say "must deal with me or else!"... which means he might be able to keep the opposing mages sufficiently distracted that they can't compete for orbs. For instance, Wizard's Tower, Mordok's Obelisk and Mana Siphon each mess with typical Domination strategies. And Teleport Trap supported by V'tar Sentry could provide protection that other mages can't justify spending sbp's on.
Many Domination-specific cards in the expansion are Arcane or Air: the V'torrak Gate is like an Arcane Garrison Post, Windstorm and Sandstorm are nifty alternatives to Force Push (especially if you're sporting a Gale Force Ring and Akiro's Favor), and the V'tarrian Energy Wave hits multiple zones like an Earthquake. And the Academy set includes even more Air spells that have Sweeping and/or cause Stagger, which can turn Guards into Pests.
Air/Lightning and Earth spells tend to cause Daze and/or Stun, which can prevent a creature from hitting an orb, denying your opponent actions! This could be clutch in a format that cares so much about action economy.
Or, the Wizard could go for a completley unorthodox strategy of trying to kill the other mages simultaneously through DoT and preventing V'tar wins using V'tar Suppression. Not sure it can work outside 1-on-1, but if any mage can do it, the Wizard probably can (or perhaps the Necromancer, being immune to poison and all).

Priest(ess)
- Asyra Priestess: (0-1-0)
- Malakai Priest: (2-2-1)

The Priestess of Westlock currently sucks in Domination, but hopefully Academy will change that by providing new minor creatures and enhancements for them.
Even then, her abilities revolve around protecting herself (through life gain) and her creatures (through condition removal) - which are far too situational and generally not aligned with what it takes to win a multiplayer Domination match. On the bright side, she doesn't have to worry as much about opposing mages ganging up on her to kill her.
The Malakai Priest is somewhat less sucky. His "Holy Avenger" might actually be useful in this format, as another creature could attack a Sslak first to intentionally absorb its counterstrike, suffering some damage and enabling the Avenger to hit harder. Then the Priest has many ways to heal the damaged creature... or it might be a Unicorn and heal itself!
Similarly, the Priest's "Fire" ability could be useful for adding direct damage to his arsenal - something the Priestess currently lacks. Thus, if I had to choose a holy mage for Domination, I'd choose the Priest over the Priestess and would try to make optimal use of his Avenger and Fire.
Paladin vs Siren gives the Priest many strong creatures and conjurations that look good in this format, including new temples and Metatron. Crusader Griffin is also amazing!

Warlock
- Arraxian Crown: (0-3-0)
- Adramelech: (0-11-0)

Also sucks, but it's my personal goal to win a 3-way Domination match with a Warlock sporting Pentagram (e.g. worst spawn point) and Gate to Hell (e.g. worst Garrison Post), fueled by Ring of Fire and Firestorm, with lots of teleporting imps who give the (very popular) nature mages a tough time.

Forcemaster
- Selenia (4-4-0)
Pre-Academy Forcemaster:

I wouldn't even try it. Sure, you could try to mess with opponents by Pushing creatures around, through/behind/into walls, etc, but I don't think you could do more than prolong the inevitable and/or play kingmaker.
*edit* Nobody was prepared when a Forcemaster showed up and used two V'tar Force Sentries, a Force-Push-spore with Mind's Eye support (mainly for Teleporting), an Invisible Stalker, and a Mind Control'd Adramelech to coast to a V'tar win.It proves it can be done, and currently gives our Forcemaster a flawless 1-0-0 record!

Post-Academy Forcemaster:

Academy Forcemaster and Lost Grimoire v1 have flipped this mage around completely. Being able to quick-cast a Guarding creature wherever your Mind's Eye might be is unprecedented. So are Invisible gremlins that can steal orbs at will. With these new tools, she's a force to be reckoned with.

Siren
- (3-7-0)

Lots of area control - like her call ability, love/hate markers, snatch/grapple effects, hindering terrain, etc - make the Siren a strong contender in Domination.
Will report back after more experience with this mage.

Paladin
- (0-1-0)

Strong creatures including good guards, and mass buffs like his aura abilities, could be solid in Domination. Just not sure he can out-action a swarm mage.
Will report back after more experience with this mage.

How about you? What strategies and tactics have worked for you in multiplayer Domination? What's your favourite mage and why? Feel free to post some of your most epic moments, like that time when two Firestorms rained down on a Skeleton horde and wiped it out in a single round!! Or that time you deployed Slaknir, then used your Over-Extended Goblins to steal all the orbs in the final round!

League / Tournament Play / [Ottawa, Canada] Mage Wars organized play - Now in Westboro!

« on: April 11, 2016, 11:22:53 AM »

Mage Wars Wednesdays in Westboro

Bring your favourite 120-point spell book and join us for our organized play night on Wednesdays at the Royal Canadian Legion branch 480 (391 Richmond Rd). Enter through the left-most entrance and head upstairs.

For more information, join our Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/663160520460635/

We're have completed playing through OP Kit 6, "Menace of Ruination" and are now just getting together for "casual-yet-organized" Mage Wars.

See latest post (below) for details.

Prizes include alt-art promo cards. Points are awarded for match wins (below) and story achievements.

Date and Time:
- see schedule
- registration: 5:45 pm
- first match: 6:00 pm
- usually play 2 matches
(venue closes at 10:00pm)

Cost:
- $2.50
(to cover the cost of the venue)

We're also considering the occasional weekend tournament if there is sufficient interest.

Scoring:
- Match Win   4 pts
- Modified Win   3 pts
- Draw       1 pt
- Match Loss    0 pts

Match Win: Opponent mage is dealt lethal damage within time limit, or V'tar goal achieved in Domination.

Modified Win: In the event that no player has attained a Match Win when time is called, the player with the most Life remaining after Damage (i.e. Life – Damage) is awarded the Modified Win. If there is no clear Modified Win, both players will receive a Draw. A Modified Win might also be given to a second-place Mage who achieves the V'tar goal in Domination (but doesn't have the highest V'tar score when the match ends).

Draw: If a Modified Win is awarded, the player with the lower Life remaining after Damage is awarded a Draw.

Events / [Ottawa, Canada] Special Mage Wars demo at the Westboro Legion - Wednesday March

« on: March 28, 2016, 10:02:20 AM »

Come join us on Wednesday March 30 for a special gaming opportunity, demo and meet-up of the Ottawa/Gatineau Mage Wars Group.

This Wednesday's event will be held at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 480 at 391 Richmond Rd (across from MEC), upstairs through the west entrance - e.g. the former home of the Ottawa Gaming Group (OGG).

We'll have the original Mage Wars Arena set up, the recent Battlegrounds: Domination format available for experienced players, and the new streamlined Mage Wars Academy available to demo.

Cost - $2.50 per player (goes to the Legion)
Time - 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm
Food - The Legion offers food at a great price downstairs. Beverages are available at the bar upstairs (near our gaming tables).
** NO HATS. Hats are not to be worn in the Legion out of respect for the fallen.

Come try Mage Wars for the first time and we'll teach you the game. Or, if you feel you've proven yourself in the arena before, bring your own customized spell book and take on a new opponent - if you dare!

For more information about our regularly scheduled Mage Wars Mondays at Wizard's Tower, join our Facebook page.

See you in the Arena!

General Discussion / Academy spell book builder and card list

« on: February 19, 2016, 05:28:14 AM »

Since the official spell book builder is either being updated at a snail's pace or is frozen in time, someone has taken it upon himself to write an XML spell book builder for Academy. So far there is at least a list of all the spells in Academy with school and mana and spell point costs (but no card text so far) - which hadn't been officially published yet to my knowledge (outside spoiler videos). Check out his development log here:
https://boardgamegeek.com/blogger/6753/tobias

Rules Discussion / Order of stuff happening during upkeep

« on: February 09, 2016, 08:52:58 AM »

Had a pretty crazy Domination match last night. Tried to use a Necromancer to kill everybody rather than going for V'tar - unsuccessfully, but it was fun! Is the following legal?

Upkeep phase begins:
- [mwcard=MW1J11]Idol of Pestilence[/mwcard] deals 1 poison damage to all living creatures.
- a [mwcard=MW1C04]Bitterwood Fox[/mwcard] dies from this poison damage.
- 1 mana token (equal to the Fox's level) gets placed on my [mwcard=DNJ04]Graveyard[/mwcard].
- 1 skull token gets placed on my [mwcard=DNJ01]Altar of Skulls[/mwcard] ("whenever an enemy corporeal creature dies...")
- this is the 8th skull token... so Altar of Skulls now becomes active, and 2 poison damage is dealt to all living creatures.
- several other creatures die. No mana gets placed on Graveyard since it's "the first time each round." More skulls get placed on Altar of Skulls, but they don't matter since nothing happens beyond 8 and there are currently no effects can remove skulls, for instance.

Is that fine? Or did Altar miss its opportunity to deal poison damage because that window had passed (e.g. the same window when Idol triggered)?

Similarly, if in a future round, the 2 damage from Altar of Skulls is sufficient to kill several creatures simultaneously, can I choose which one (e.g. the highest level) when placing mana on my Graveyard? Or does the player with Initiative get to decide the order in which creatures die?

Strategy and Tactics / [Domination] Ichthellid Necro?

« on: February 03, 2016, 09:39:14 AM »

Brainstorming a Necromancer for Domination. Zombies are too slow and generally aren't good guards, especially with their Bloodthirsty trait. Skeletons are OK and couple well with various "soldier" bonuses, but I can't help but wonder "why not just play Warlord and get all those 'soldier' bonuses for cheaper (not to mention cheaper [mwcard=MWBG1J05] Galaxxus[/mwcard], [mwcard=MWBG1J01] Altar of the Iron Guard[/mwcard], [mwcard=MWBG1J02] Gravikor[/mwcard], etc)?" And undead creatures in general are harder to buff, since most creature-buffing enchantments require a living target.

Proposed idea:
Enter the [mwcard=DNC05]Ichthellid[/mwcard]. These guys are generally a challenge to get value out of in Arena mode. But what about using Ichthellids to go after Sslak's? They have built-in Piercing +1, which is perfect for quickly killing a (normal) [mwcard=MWBG1C05]Sslak, Orb Guardian[/mwcard]. Use them to infect a Sslak, use your Plaguemaster ability to deal direct damage to the Sslak, maybe finish it off with an attack spell if necessary, then when you kill the Sslak you get a fresh Ichthellid, and you can even [mwcard=DNI01]Animate Dead[/mwcard] or [mwcard=DNE02] Rise Again[/mwcard] the Sslak to give you a discount guard for your orb. Get an Altar of the Iron Guard out early to make sure your Sslaks (and Ichthellids) show up ready for action. Rinse, repeat... slowly building a small army of Ichthellids (or at least maintaining their number). You can even make an Ichthellid your "Eternal Servant" to make sure you don't run low (and to give it Piercing +2 in case you have to take down an [mwcard=MWBG1C06] Usslak, Greater Orb Guardian[/mwcard]). You can throw [mwcard=MWBG1E02] Plagued[/mwcard] on an Ichthellid (or a zombified Sslak) if you need to deal with swarms of cheap and/or hard-to-hit creatures - basically turn them into mini-Malacodas. And Icthellids have built-in Climbing, so walls aren't an issue (although Tanglevine might be).

A downside to the strategy is that a "zombie Sslak" gets Bloodthirsty +0, which means they can't guard once damaged living enemy creatures are in their zone - unless you cast [mwcard=MWSTX2FFI06] Defend[/mwcard] on them (?)... so maybe they're not worth reanimating. Besides, I don't intend to include [mwcard=DNI06] Zombie Frenzy[/mwcard] or anything else to buff them.

Thoughts? Anybody try this?

Alternative Play / Public request to Sailor Vulcan

« on: December 21, 2015, 03:16:41 PM »

Hello good sir,

I notice you like to post alternative play modes for Mage Wars. While this is certainly a welcome and valuable contribution to the community, it seems most of your suggestions are two-player modes that compromise between Academy and Arena - or in some way modify Academy or Arena. For me, the official two-player, team and multiplayer free-for-all modes presented in Arena, Academy and Domination are sufficiently satisfactory that I'm not really interested in committing time and energy to learn unofficial game play modes for the same player counts - not to mention having to get other players on-board to try them out.

That said, I've noticed a desire on BGG, etc, for solo and/or cooperative Mage Wars game play. I was wondering if you've considered any solo or co-op game modes. Or even "one vs many". My guess is that an "Archmage" Battlegrounds expansion might cover a "one vs many" game play mode, and there are hints regarding a dungeon crawler but I haven't read/heard anything suggesting whether or not this would require a dungeon master (and thus be another "one vs many" format). But in the meantime, these sorts of game play modes seem like untapped directions for unofficial alternative play.

A cursory search of the forums only lead me to this 2+ year old variant:
http://forum.arcanewonders.com/index.php?topic=12983.msg22186#msg22186
It looks neat... but I'm sure you could do better.

Just a suggestion. Happy holidays!

Spellbook Design and Construction / Domination Druid

« on: October 01, 2015, 09:19:09 AM »

This is a control Druid I'm working on for Domination based on my Arena druid. Uses some cards from Academy, so doesn't fully load up in the builder (yet). SBP count may not be correct... I'll fix it as I go.

[spellbook]
[spellbookheader]
[spellbookname]Domination Druid[/spellbookname]
[mage]Wychwood Druid[/mage]
[/spellbookheader]
[spells]
[spellclass]Attack[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1a08]2 x Geyser[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX1CKA01]2 x Surging Wave[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Conjuration[/spellclass]
[mwcard=DNW01]2 x Bloodspine Wall[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNJ02]1 x Corrosive Orchid[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWBG1J05]1 x Galaxxus[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNJ06]2 x Nightshade Lotus[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1j08]1 x Hand of Bim-Shalla[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1j13]2 x Mana Flower[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNJ10]2 x Stranglevine[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1j22]2 x Tanglevine[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNJ12]1 x Vine Tree[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1w04]2 x Wall of Thorns[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Creature[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1c07]1 x Cervere, The Forest Shadow[/mwcard]
[mwcard=]1 x Rajah, Jungle's Talon[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNC10]2 x Raptor Vine[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNC21]4 x Thornlasher[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1c37]3 x Thunderift Falcon[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNC20]3 x Vine Snapper[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Enchantment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=DNE01]1 x Barkskin[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e01]2 x Bear Strength[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE04]1 x Brace Yourself[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e05]1 x Cheetah Speed[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e20]1 x Harmonize[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFE06]2 x Lion Savagery[/mwcard]
[mwcard=]2 x Panther Stealth[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e36]1 x Rhino Hide[/mwcard]
[mwcard=]1 x Tangleroot[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e38]1 x Teleport Trap[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWBG1E04]2 x V'Tar Force Sentry[/mwcard]
[mwcard=]1 x Wolf Fury[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Equipment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=DNQ04]1 x Druid's Leaf Ring[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX1CKQ06]1 x Eagleclaw Boots[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q09]1 x Enchanter's Ring[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q19]1 x Mage Wand[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Incantation[/spellclass]
[mwcard=DNI02]2 x Burst of Thorns[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX2FFI06]2 x Defend[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i06]2 x Dispel[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i07]1 x Dissolve[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i12]3 x Force Push[/mwcard]
[mwcard=FWI04]1 x Force Wave[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i23]2 x Rouse the Beast[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNI04]1 x Renewing Rain[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MW1I24]1 x Seeking Dispel[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i28]1 x Teleport[/mwcard]
[/spells]
[cost]Total cost: 120 pts[/cost]
[/spellbook]

The idea is to plant Thornlashers in zones adjacent to orbs to draw enemy creatures away, while planting Vine Snappers in zones with orbs to Devour the Sslaks, then start guarding. Falcons are basically there to tag orbs (and Panther Stealth helps with that). Ditto for Cervere and/or Rajah, although they can also help deal with enemy creatures. Elusiveness is not to be underestimated in Domination!! Force Push/Wave, Nightshade Lotus, Teleport Trap, Tangle/Stranglevines, V'tar Force Sentry, Surging Wave, etc, help with positional control. Oh, and Tangleroot is a nasty "curse" to be played when an opponent thinks she can finish off a Sslak and tag an orb (similar to [mwcard=MWSTX2FFE05] Fumble[/mwcard] but 1 sbp and a "plant" = cheap with Leaf Ring).

I considered [mwcard=MW1C13] Fellella, Pixie Familiar[/mwcard] for action efficiency, but she's so mana expensive that it delays the opening - and thus scoring that all-important first orb - by at least a round. If you have ideas for how to get her out early enough to be useful, please let me know. And I used to run [mwcard=MW1J11] Idol of Pestilence[/mwcard] (and could add [mwcard=MWBG1E02] Plagued[/mwcard]) since it can really ruin a Beastmaster or Warlord swarm (not to mention any remaining Sslaks) while having little to no effect on my plant creatures/conjurations, but now that I'm running my own Thunderrift Falcons (among other creatures that lack Regenerate), I decided to drop it.

Thoughts?

Mages / Arcanum Beastmaster?

« on: September 03, 2015, 11:47:04 AM »

Thinking about two-handed weapons, and weapons with more than one attack on them, got me to thinking about the Johktari Beastmaster's issue with her Ranged +1 ability. Until Kajarah (in Mage Wars Academy), the Johktari Beastmaster has been without a Ranged weapon that (a) covers her range-0 blind spot, (b) allows her to both move and attack in the same round, and (c) is one-handed (since Teleport / Force Push type effects help her get around (b), but due to (c) she can't equip a Mage Wand to make move + shooting more efficient). Oh, and (d) weapons that are strictly ranged don't benefit from her own "Wounded Prey" ability.

Behold [mwcard=MW1Q31]Staff of the Arcanum[/mwcard] (SoA). It isn't perfect, but (a & b & d) it has a quick-action melee attack that covers range 0 and works with "Wounded Prey," and (c) it is one-handed. The ranged attack is limited to 1-1, but that isn't so bad if she can have a Wand of Force Push or Teleport in the other hand; besides, Kajarah only covers range 0-1 and doesn't benefit from "Wounded Prey." And she'll be rolling 4 dice with either attack (before Hawkeye or Bear Strength or "Wounded Prey" or whatever) - same as Kajarah (which has a 3 dice ranged attack if an "animal" damaged the target, plus Ranged +1 mage ability = 4 dice, with range 0-1 ... but obviously no Mana Drain or Ethereal, although it costs a lot less to cast and include in your book).

Also, unlike [mwcard=MWSTX1CKQ02]Hunting Bow[/mwcard], SoA costs 8 to cast (same as [mwcard=MW1Q13]Ivarium Longbow[/mwcard]) so only requires 1 round of channeling to cast - which is pretty huge for a 9-channeling mage. And as a 9-channeling mage, the fact it does Mana Drain - with either its melee or ranged attack - means you can bring the opposing mage down to your level (or lower, if he/she also has base channeling of 9). As for book building, SoA costs the Beastmaster 4 sbp (same as Ivarium Longbow) compared to 3 for Hunting Bow... so not breaking the bank or anything.

Has anybody tried Staff of the Arcanum on a Johktari Beastmaster? If so, did you go all-out mana denial with her (e.g. include some of [mwcard=MW1C24]Mana Leech[/mwcard] / Mana Worm, [mwcard=MW1J14]Mana Siphon[/mwcard], [mwcard=MW1E15]Essence Drain[/mwcard], [mwcard=MW1J21]Suppression Orb[/mwcard], [mwcard=MW1J16]Mordok's Obelisk[/mwcard])? Could be something interesting to try out - and certainly non-standard / possibly unexpected. Too bad there aren't any "animal" creatures that have obvious synergy with the Mana Drain theme while benefiting from the J-Beastmaster's "Wounded Prey" ability (or similarly, too bad Mana Leeches can't be summoned by a Lair). Or an Enchantment that grants a creature "Mana Drain."

Oh wait...

General Discussion / NPE - Could it defeat the purpose of Academy?

« on: August 25, 2015, 11:41:35 AM »

A rant on the topic of NPE...

I'm a play tester for another popular tabletop game. One of the things we're aware of when designing/testing/revising new game effects is whether or not that effect, on its own or in combination with other effects, might be "unfun" for one player and lead to NPE.

One effect type that can cause NPE in a game like Mage Wars is preventing a player's pieces (creatures or conjurations or whatever) from doing anything useful for one or many rounds. For example, my spouse willingly played Mage Wars (Arena) with me for a few matches and overall enjoyed it... until one time I cast [mwcard=FWI05]Mass Sleep[/mwcard] on her swarm of 4 or 5 animal creatures, essentially wasting all the actions and mana she'd put into amassing her army, and then I went on to beat down her defenseless and toothless Beastmaster with my Forcemaster. After that match, she swore never to play Mage Wars again.

She has since commented that, now knowing such a thing is possible, she might build her deck differently and/or play around that situation... but that assumes she's willing to play again at all, which she isn't sure about. I've seen new players have similar reactions to many other games, where the player experiences an NPE situation in a first or second play and decides the likelihood of unenjoyable games isn't worth the investment (time and effort). These players would rather play a different game where all the players have an enjoyable experience far more often than not. Why waste your life playing games that might result in a completely unenjoyable experience?

Another related effect type that can cause NPE is resource denial. In MtG for example, "land destruction" has been mostly removed from the game (or heavily limited) since it was introduced long ago. The reason land destruction isn't really a thing anymore is that, by destroying all your opponents lands (especially early in a match), it is possible to prevent them from ever having enough resources to play any meaningful cards, reducing them to simply drawing a card they can't play (or that won't have much effect) each turn while you slowly beat them down with your 2/2 morphed creature or whatever. Using land destruction strategies might also cause them to flip the table...

(And don't get me started about the now-banned Erayo/Arcane Laboratory hard-lock Commander deck... the most frustrating one-on-one MtG experienceS I've ever encountered, as my regular tournament opponent would prevent me from ever casting a spell, then had to draw through ~40 more cards, on average, to find his one win condition... partly because I refused to concede as I figured he might "mill" himself if he didn't actually have a win condition in his deck. Btw, his win-con was a single morphed 2/2 creature...)

Mage Wars avoids complete resource denial by having a built-in Channeling for each mage. However, there are still several effects that reduce your opponent's resources, and we've noticed that even in Academy, resource denial is both present and, at least for Wizards, an encouraged strategy. It was a strong theme of the Arcane school in the first edition of Mage Wars (Arena) (see [mwcard=MW1J14]Mana Siphon[/mwcard], [mwcard=MW1C24]Mana Leech[/mwcard], [mwcard=MW1E15]Essence Drain[/mwcard], [mwcard=MW1J16]Mordok's Obelisk[/mwcard], [mwcard=MW1Q32]Suppression Cloak[/mwcard], [mwcard=MW1Q31]Staff of the Arcanum[/mwcard]) and to our surprise, there are several cards in the first Academy set (aimed at new players to get them hooked on Mage Wars) that involve "Mana Drain" or "Mana Transfer" effects (although they spell it out in words rather than using these keywords); e.g. Mana Worm = baby Mana Leech, the Wizard's weapon has a Mana Drain effect when attacking non-mage creatures, Wizard's armor turns 1 point of Mana Drain into Mana Transfer each round, and there's a Minor Essence Drain that is a cheaper/weaker Essence Drain that can only target Minor creatures. These effects have the potential to give a new player (e.g. whoever is playing the more straightforward Beastmaster) a sour taste in her mouth right from the start. In my opinion, the last thing you want is for a first-time player to have a NPE during her first play of an introductory game...

On top of this, Academy has a few effects that prevent creatures from doing anything. While there isn't any Sleep in Academy (yet), there is the new effect Stagger, which effectively Incapacitates Minor creatures until the end of their next activation. If this effect showed up on one or two cards in the Academy starter box, it might not be a problem... but MANY spells (e.g. MOST attack spells, nearly HALF the creatures) deal out the Stagger condition. While it goes away at the end of the creature's next activation, this can be critical considering that most matches only last 5-7 rounds. In my last match, I was able to Stagger every one of my Beastmaster opponent's Minor creatures so they were never able to attack or Guard, then swing in with my Wizard's (much more powerful) creatures. I took a total of 5 damage in the match (from a lucky attack by the opposing mage); it wasn't even remotely close. Sure, there's often a die roll needed to Stagger a creature, but there are so many effects that can do it (creatures, attack spells and Enchantments) that it's bound to happen eventually, and can happen routinely. Guarding seems really important in Academy, but given that the Wizard can use his Quick Cast to Shrink any un-Stagger'ed creature (and cause that creature to become a Pest), it's very easy for the Wizard to waste any creature's Guard token on demand. And if that isn't enough, it's also possible to "banish" any Minor creature using the extremely efficient Exile Enchantment... which can waste several of the Beastmaster's actions and mana spent buffing up his Minor creature "buddy" (if going that route rather than a swarm). I Exiled my opponent's [Weasel] a Thousand Bites who had 2 or 3 Enchantments on him... and if he wasn't a very calm fellow, I think he might have flipped the table right then and there. And that's playing the "introductory" game of Mage Wars Academy using the recommended spell books.

Why doesn't the Beastmaster avoid Minor Essence Drain, Exile, etc, by casting Major creatures? Because he only channels 7 by default, meaning all Major creatures are going to require saving mana for 2+ turns. And that's assuming he actually channels 7... i.e. assuming the Wizard isn't effectively bringing his Channeling down to 6 or 5 via Mana Drain effects. With a few Mana Worms out, the Beastmaster feels obligated to spend all his mana every turn... which means he's going to be limited to creatures that cost 6 or under (since he probably needs to spend 1 mana on his built-in [mwcard=MW1I23]Rouse the Beast[/mwcard] ability). If that isn't bad enough, most of his creatures cost 4 or 8 to cast, so he has to work hard to spend all his mana in one turn (probably on a cheap creature plus maybe an Enchantment or cheap equipment), and can't summon a larger creature without saving mana - and thus losing mana to Mana Drain effects.

In summary, from the few matches I've played so far, I've found that the Wizard is often channeling 8 or 9 (from his Amulet plus the Mana Transfer ability of his armor) while the Beastmaster is effectively channeling 6 - or spending all his mana to avoid losing mana to Mana Drain (which is harder than it sounds due to spell costs, especially creatures). This means the Beastmaster is limited to mostly level 1 creatures, while the Wizard is often able to get out one or two much more powerful creatures. In fact, in all my matches, the Wizard ends up with more creatures in play than the Beastmaster, and almost all of those creature have more powerful attacks and abilities. And each player I've introduced Academy to has complained about NPE due to mana denial or inability to use the creatures they've summoned (thanks to Stagger or Exile) - strong enough NPE that they're unlikely to play Academy again and/or can assure me that their gaming and/or life partners would not be interested in playing Academy (which was one of the reasons they were interested in Academy in the first place) because there are too many "unfun" things going on.

I realize there are things I could do to avoid NPE when teaching Academy to new players - e.g. don't use spells or strategies with NPE-inducing effects like resource denial and Stagger. In fact, I could always play the (relatively vanilla) Beastmaster and encourage my opponent to use the best Wizard strategies (e.g. use Mana Drain/Transfer and Stagger/Shrink all my Minor creatures/Guards) so they aren't the victims of NPE. But this shouldn't be an issue, because in my opinion, good game design should avoid putting NPE-inducing effects in a core set for an introductory game designed to hook people on the grander Mage Wars universe.

Note to Arcane Wonders design team: If you want people to like Academy enough to play it again, don't include resource denial as a primary strategy of one of the only two mages available upon release - especially not in the recommended starter spell book - and don't include a condition (let alone invent a new condition specifically for this set) that prevents creatures from functioning when one of the two mages is supposed to be all about summoning creatures. Hopefully this isn't "too little too late."

Custom Cards / Wall of Holy Light

« on: August 20, 2015, 02:26:38 PM »

Somebody else can develop this, but I just had an idea of a wall with a variable passage attack that would depend on whether you're a friendly living (or perhaps more specifically, Holy school) creature or an enemy (or perhaps non-Holy) creature - sort of like Extinguish on some water-school attack spells, which can heal water-immune plants, etc. The attack would deal X dice worth of light damage to enemy/non-Holy creatures, as is typical for walls with passage attack, but would instead heal the amount rolled on X dice for friendly/Holy creatures who pass through it.

Probably needs to be based on Holy/non-Holy because walls generally don't have a memory of who cast them (e.g. no control marker, etc).

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