mana prism

[nitrodavid]

mana prism
2 arcane and cost 12 man a to spawn.
when an enchantment or spell the other mage controlls causes you to loose mana you place it on the prism and you get back max 2 per turn.

am I missing something special about this card because it seams to be one of the worst cards in the game. I will compare it to other cards. when you consider for 2 nature/arcane and 10 mana you can have a 2 channel. even the inefficient mage cast double harmonize is better value.

I don't even see you able to charge up the prism unless you are vsing the wizard and if you are not schooled in arcane you have cheaper ways to gain back 2 mana.

the only feature this spell has is the ability to stop mana transfer but since there is only 1 spell (which is epic).

has anybody seen this spell used usefully in a battle (preferable in battle not against wizard)

[sIKE]

It shuts down Mana denial decks very quickly. It is very specific for use in my opinion. But when you need it, is nice to it is a very nice card to drop in to the Arena.

[nitrodavid]

how is 2 mana refund from prism any better then +2 channel (which you can get for cheaper and faster).
unless there are more mana transfer cards coming soon (or a finite channel spell like mana lock)


mathematically if all the conditions are right
-you are vs a wizard,
-you are also a wizard.
-he is running a mana denial deck,
-you cast prism just before hr starts draining your mana,
-drains at you enough so there is always 2 mana in prism

only then is 2 mana refund as (not more) efficient any 2 of harmonize, moon glow or mana crystal (both options cost 12 mana in total and give you 2 mana per turn).

I would like to know how this card worked in play testing to warrant it making the final cut

[Wiz-Pig]

Nitro: Mana Prism only costs 7 mana to spawn. It's use is limited but effective in those limited circumstances and potentially cost effective. Also mana can accrue on the prism in excess of what you are able to glean from it each round, so if you get hit for 4 mana drain in one turn you can gain it back from the prism over the course of two rounds.

[nitrodavid]

I see that it cost 7 mana I must have red the mana for mana siphon (12). at 7 mana it is actually more cost efficient given all the conditions I posted in my last post.

but I would like to see some "finite channel" cards that would make this worthy of a silver bullet card

[jacksmack]

Dont forget that the incantation mana drain gets severely gimped vs mana prism.

16 mana (IIRC) to roll 8 dice. the amount rolled gets transfered.
This spell rolls an average of 8 mana drained. which makes this spell break even for the caster. (he end up paying 8 net, but opponent loses 8 as well. (this is average))
With mana prism the wizard end up paying 16 without any refunds (ever), and opponent lose average of 8.
And thats 8 mana that gets returned eventually.

Also note that if you happen to get rid of the mana drainers (mana siphon, upkeep enchantment, mana leeches, supression orb etc etc) while keeping your prism up, then you will eventually empty your prism from mana resulting in a total of 0 mana lost where as the enemy controller spend tons of mana trying to control your mana.

I can see this prism fit well into decks that have a great weakness vs mana denial wizards.

[nitrodavid]

i mentioned in my first post that mana prism is a good card against mana drain (a single epic card), from memory it is the only "mana transfer" spell in the game currently. the prism is good value against any mana transfer spell because it would effectively make those spells 1/2 as efficient for the other mage.

Also note that if you happen to get rid of the mana drainers (mana siphon, upkeep enchantment, mana leeches, supression orb etc etc) while keeping your prism up, then you will eventually empty your prism from mana resulting in a total of 0 mana lost where as the enemy controller spend tons of mana trying to control your mana.

while you have mana in your siphon you will be as equivalent to 2 channel a turn, only while you have mana in the prism. once you are out of mana in the prism having 2 channel from other spells would be the better choice

[jacksmack]

i mentioned in my first post that mana prism is a good card against mana drain (a single epic card), from memory it is the only "mana transfer" spell in the game currently. the prism is good value against any mana transfer spell because it would effectively make those spells 1/2 as efficient for the other mage.

Also note that if you happen to get rid of the mana drainers (mana siphon, upkeep enchantment, mana leeches, supression orb etc etc) while keeping your prism up, then you will eventually empty your prism from mana resulting in a total of 0 mana lost where as the enemy controller spend tons of mana trying to control your mana.

while you have mana in your siphon you will be as equivalent to 2 channel a turn, only while you have mana in the prism. once you are out of mana in the prism having 2 channel from other spells would be the better choice

That is correct. However the game would in many circumstances be over by then. "just 20 mana" in prism takes 10 rounds to get back and you would most likely never play it in first or second round.

remember to take into the equation that casting 2 x mana flower requires 2 actions and 2 zones where as mana prism is 1 zone and 1 action.

[nitrodavid]

its also fair to say that any mana transfer cards will be an insta add to a mana suppression deck in the future.

btw could you harmonize your mana prizm for more efficient mana regen?

[sIKE]

Since the Mana Prism does not have "Channeling Attribute" (purple star shaped graphic on the right center of the card), Harmonize would not be able to target the Mana Prism.

[nitrodavid]

harmonize can target any "object". just most objects have no benefit to the mage because he can't absorb the mana from it. giving the prism channel would mean placing mana on it every upkeep and then transferring it to (max 2) to the mage. show me any rule that is broken.

if you already have the prism in play it is more cost effective because harmonize has mage bind +2.

[sIKE]

Harmonize can only target an object that has the Channeling attribute. This object gains Channeling +1.

Since Mana Prism does not have the Channeling attribute, it can not gain the Channeling +1.

[Wiz-Pig]

Lawyered!

[nitrodavid]

ask and you shall receive. I accept your proof 

[lettucemode]

Got a question related to the Mana Prism wording, sorry for bumping this old thread but I figured it was better to keep things in one place.

Mana Prism says (from memory): "if an spell or effect controlled by an opponent would cause you to lose mana, instead place that mana on Mana Prism".

Seems to me like one possible interpretation of that sentence is that if I'm hit with a Mana Drain 1 with Mana Prism out, I would not lose 1 mana AND Mana Prism would gain 1 mana. Because instead of losing the mana from my supply, I am placing some on the Mana Prism.

Is this correct? Or do I still lose the mana, it just goes on the Prism instead of into the void?