Please Nullify my fears

[Fentum]

I have played perhaps 100 games so far. First few I took two nullifies as a matter of course, but just rarely / never used them. I found them to be detrimental to tempo, and I generally run aggressive builds.

I find it works better for me to 'take it on the chin' and come back fighting, rather than set up a nullify.

Am I mad? A tactical genius? Or what?

[ringkichard]

Taking it on the chin is totally an option.

That said, Nullify is good for the following:
1. Winning Teleport wars. If your opponent has to cast two spells to teleport you, you're in a much better place to teleport him first. This applies most when that Teleport is likely to determine the outcome of the game, as in Golem Pit, Teleport Priestess, or similar builds.

2. Tempo compression. Actions in the moment of crisis are more valuable than actions before or after. If you can arrange for your opponent to trigger a nullify during the "Big Push" it costs him an action at a critical moment, when it probably cost you an action that you were going to waste anyway.

3. Mana advantage. Nullify costs 4. There is no limit to the mana cost of the spell it can counter. Stopping a 16 cost Drain Soul for 4 mana is a major blow to your opponent, and likely to give you the game, all other things being equal.

It's not a Counterspell like in Magic the Gathering, it's a Force Spike.

[Fentum]

It's not a Counterspell like in Magic the Gathering, it's a Force Spike.

That is an excellent summary, thanks. The mana benefit vs e.g. Drain Soul is interesting.

What do you mean by that bit of the answer, quoted above? I am a wargamer not a Magic player...

[Aylin]

It's not a Counterspell like in Magic the Gathering, it's a Force Spike.

That is an excellent summary, thanks. The mana benefit vs e.g. Drain Soul is interesting.

What do you mean by that bit of the answer, quoted above? I am a wargamer not a Magic player...

Counterspell - 2 blue mana to counter target spell
Force Spike - 1 blue mana to counter target spell unless the opponent pays 1 mana of any colour

[ringkichard]

Hmm, alright, it's like this: In magic there are control decks. These work by saying "nope" to everything you try to accomplish, gradually building resources along the way, and then finally clubbing you with an enormous threat that you don't have the resources to fight. The signature spell in these decks for a long time was Counterspell, which cheeply and completely countered everything.

Force Spike, on the other hand, was different. It countered spells only if the opponent spent all his or her resources. You could use it to slow down someone by holding it in reserve, preventing them from using every last bit of mana, our you could punish them if they tried to make a big play, but otherwise the control player had to be more selective, and wouldn't be able to say no to everything.

Mage Wars doesn't let you always say no, so you've got to be more clever, is what I meant.

[Fentum]

so you've got to be more clever, is what I meant.

I am, so that's good.