Etherian Lifetree and Corrode: changing the meta-game?

[DarthDadaD20]

. So sincere apologies if this post comes off as slightly too aggressive in its rebuttal. I am simply trying to apply logic and avoid a mistake being made to a game I love.

Hey, no apologies necessary- You make very good points that are well thought out, drawing logical conclusions and even using examples giving evidence to back it up!
 And you were not aggressive in the slightest. (Trust me-When cards are getting discussed, things can get very "touchy" and thats Ok.)

I will say that the things that you have talked about in that post were definitely discussed, discussed thoroughly and tested rigorously, and you have every right to have your opinion, and its a good one!

What I was trying to say was- After playing with this card for 12-24 hours every week, for months, with lots of people- I have yet to feel that this card had "cheated me" in any way or was just to powerful.

And Jacksmack- you make some very good points- And that is the case alot of the time- just not every time 

[DeckBuilder]

Oh I didn't realise you were part of Arcane Wonders! (gulp) In which case I have one question, Dada, please.

I note you made Etherian Lifetree Unique not Legendary to ensure a Druid can always Treebond with it (some match-ups may end up with 2 copies in play double-pumping living weenies on both sides).

If testing has shown Altar of the Iron Guard is not as OP as I feared (I'm very happy to be wrong here, after all it boosts my first love mage), why make it Legendary when Unique would be fairer?

Example: my build relies on Altar (to summon Interceptors guarding ranged, fast cast Bobcat guards or protect spawn point). Why should I be denied playing it for me just because he won initiative so First QC it? I start at a big disadvantage just for losing a coin toss? Ragequit!

If not at least Unique, multiple guard markers could stack (FAQ clarification: remove 1 only per counterstrike, all removed when activated). Although interesting, I assume this is not the intention. I don't see why you have a 4 cost Legendary strategy piece when Unique is fairer.

If it were exactly the same except Unique, it has numerous beneficial effects:
(a) make Spawnpoints better
(b) make Swarm and Zonal Control better (when currently Few Big dominates)
(c) make Warlord slightly better (in school and benefits from both above uses)

My major issue with the promo card was what I wrote in bold capitals in my original post on it in this thread: LEGENDARY ?!?

(Great game, btw! I am converting my local Magic/FFG friends to embrace this intuitive fun game that is so much deeper than it first looks.)

[Doma0997]

Just a side remark before i head off to work, alter of the iron guard and the beastmaster swarm are both pseudo countered by zone attacks.

[DarthDadaD20]

Oh I didn't realise you were part of Arcane Wonders! (gulp) In which case I have one question, Dada, please.

Well, I am a playtester- So I just get to do all the fun stuff! (They really do make you feel like a part of the Mage Wars family though-and they extend that to the players as well, we are all a team and a family!.)

I note you made Etherian Lifetree Unique not Legendary to ensure a Druid can always Treebond with it (some match-ups may end up with 2 copies in play double-pumping living weenies on both sides).

It needs to be Unique for Druid Vs. Druid mirror matches like you have stated here(and not legendary). I think a part of it being Unique is also so you cant stack multiple trees for overwhelming bonuses.

If testing has shown Altar of the Iron Guard is not as OP as I feared (I'm very happy to be wrong here, after all it boosts my first love mage), why make it Legendary when Unique would be fairer?

I would say it opens up a different set of play options, makes it feel special, and forces you to fight for it, and fight to keep it.

Example: my build relies on Altar (to summon Interceptors guarding ranged, fast cast Bobcat guards or protect spawn point). Why should I be denied playing it for me just because he won initiative so First QC it? I start at a big disadvantage just for losing a coin toss? Ragequit!

There are a few ways around this sort of situation- with the easiest being to destroy your opponents and cast your own afterwords. If a legendary card is a main facet of your build, and someone else has casted it- you should be doing everything in you power to destroy it (Or take it..) and cast one of your own. Again, it opens up interesting play options.
And your opponents casting a legendary card that you both share can be as much as a disadvantage as an advantage in many situations (Especially if they cast it early and are not prepared to use it/ lose it)

If not at least Unique, multiple guard markers may stack, (FAQ clarification: only 1 removed per counterstrike, all removed when activated). Although interesting, I assume this is not the intention. I don't see why you have a 4 cost Legendary strategy piece when Unique is fairer.

It gives them a guard marker when a creature come into play and at a time when they are inactive- once they activate that guard marker will be gone. It serves a purpose both thematically and tactically this way. And many, many options are created,tested, and only one can be finalized- its a hard balance to find how a card should work perfectly in the game, while still keeping the integrity of the card that you have created.

If it were exactly the same except Unique, it has numerous beneficial effects:
(a) make Spawnpoints better
(b) make Swarm and Zonal Control better (where currently Few Big dominates)
(c) boost Warlord slightly better (in school and benefits from both above uses)

Those are great points and good ideas. There are good reasons for this card to be unique as there are good reasons for this card to be legendary. I think a part of it is- It is meant to represent territory and control. It is very much a Warlord card- and the Warlord dose NOT share territory! Another reason is it is meant to be a legendary artifact- flavor will play an important role in some of the mechanics of the cards.

My major issue with it was what I wrote in bold in my original post on this in this thread: LEGENDARY ?

(Great game, btw! I am slowly converting my local Magic/FFG friends to embrace this intuitive great fun game.)
 
Thats great to hear! I can't take any credit for all of the hard work from everyone at AW, but I am working hard to make the game be the best that it can be! This game has become a huge aspect of my life, in many ways, I care very deeply for this game, and I know for a lot of us, its the game we have been waiting for our entire lives!

I hope to have been some help- or at least offered a new perspective on things. We are all in this together, and we should (And do) all work together to make this not only the game that we want to play- but make it the BEST game out there!

[Shad0w]

Ok all let us break each OT discussion into its own thread.

[DarthDadaD20]

I might start to refer to Shad0w as the conductor! Poor guy has to keep everything on track!

(No I won't- I wouldn't dream of  referring to you as anything but Shad0w.....sir.....Sir Shad0w......Please don't hit me with the hammer!)

[Shad0w]

I might start to refer to Shad0w as the conductor! Poor guy has to keep everything on track!

(No I won't- I wouldn't dream of  referring to you as anything but Shad0w.....sir.....Sir Shad0w......Please don't hit me with the hammer!)

Darth go and teach you apprentice class and stop bothing the headmaster. 

[Sailor Vulcan]

If the warlord never shares territory, how would he fare in 2 on 2 games? It's one thing to say that the Warlord strongly dislikes sharing territory but will do it anyways if necessary, and it's another to say that he will NEVER share territory. And let's not forget that none of the mages actually have legal ownership of the arena itself, they just fight in it. So technically the Warlord does not own any territory in the arena.

I could imagine a really awesome thing would be a team of a warlord and a druid for a sort of labyrinth strategy. They're  not teaming up out of friendship, but out of mutual interests and a mutual enemy. As soon as the enemy is defeated and they get all that they need from each other, they will turn on one another. Either that or they merely go their separate ways, hoping that they never cross paths again.

I'm not convinced that having Altar of the Iron Guard be Legendary is the superior choice here. Then again, perhaps I am biased by the fact that I'm used to the keyword "legendary" only being used for really powerful things--things that would almost certainly cost more than 4 mana.

[DarthDadaD20]

How about that tree? and Corrode........

Take some acid damage and ya start to think that you can bond with trees and stuff.....yeah!

[Wiz-Pig]

Sorry to belabor the point made by Imaginator and Deckbuilder. But is there a rational for why you guys choose to make the card Legendary?

[Shad0w]

Sorry to belabor the point made by Imaginator and Deckbuilder. But is there a rational for why you guys choose to make the card Legendary?

Take it up in a new thread.