my first spellbook (druid)

[csaman]

Be gentle.  this is my first spell book ever.    I like the idea of the druid spreading vines and casting rooted creatures and having them reach out for their attacks (and also through a wall too!)  any advice will be most appreciated....I own the new core set plus CofK and DvN (obviously  )  thanks. 

[spellbook]
[spellbookheader]
[spellbookname]druid build[/spellbookname]
[mage]Druid[/mage]
[/spellbookheader]
[spells]
[spellclass]Attack[/spellclass]
[mwcard=DNA01]2 x  Acid Ball[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1a08]2 x  Geyser[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1a09]2 x  Jet Stream[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX1CKA01]3 x  Surging Wave[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Conjuration[/spellclass]
[mwcard=DNW01]4 x  Bloodspine Wall[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNJ12]1 x  Vine Tree[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1j22]3 x  Tanglevine[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1j13]2 x  Mana Flower[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNJ10]3 x  Stranglevine[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Creature[/spellclass]
[mwcard=DNC20]3 x  Vine Snapper[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNC18]1 x  Togorah, Forest Sentinel[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNC06]1 x  Kralathor, The Devourer[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNC21]3 x  Thornlasher[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNC10]2 x  Raptor Vine[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX1CKC03]1 x  Galador, Protector of Straywood[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Enchantment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=DNE01]1 x  Barkskin[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e03]1 x  Bull Endurance[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e20]2 x  Harmonize[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e34]2 x  Reverse Attack[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e01]3 x  Bear Strength[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e29]2 x  Nullify[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e02]2 x  Block[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Equipment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1q23]1 x  Regrowth Belt[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNQ04]1 x  Druid's Leaf Ring[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q22]1 x  Moonglow Amulet[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q02]1 x  Bearskin[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Incantation[/spellclass]
[mwcard=mw1i12]2 x  Force Push[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNI02]4 x  Burst of Thorns[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i23]2 x  Rouse the Beast[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNI04]2 x  Renewing Rain[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i28]3 x  Teleport[/mwcard]
[/spells]
[cost]Total cost: 120 pts[/cost]
[/spellbook]

[Puddnhead]

I'm just going with what I've gleaned from the elder mages on this forum.  I'll start from the top.

Attacks:
1) Acid Ball is a good pick, well done.
2) You probably don't need 5 water attacks.  They are great against [mwcard=MW1J04]Battle Forge[/mwcard] and for putting out fires. 2-3 should suffice.

Conjurations:
1) Looks like you're going for a lot of channeling.  Make sure you don't over-emphasize economy. (I do it all the time and it bites me)
2) Bloodspine wall is a good combination with Thornlasher, learn your positioning well.
3) You may want to consider swapping a couple of stranglevines for tanglevines.  Tanglevine is cheap and effective; stranglevine is very expensive to keep on a target.
4) All of your conjurations will get more use if you boost them with [mwcard=DNJ03]Etherian Lifetree[/mwcard].  Up to you if you want to include it.

Creatures:
Many people on these forums like to run creature light books.  By way of example, the winning book in the OCTGN tournament had 2 creatures in it.  The Druid in the tournament had 11, so you're on par there.  I haven't fully grasped that yet, but you do have a lot of big cost heavy dudes in here.  I'm certain you don't get them all out every game, but that they are more of a toolbox for you.  If you need to make space, I'd look at dropping one of the big boys.

Enchantments:
You are a little bit all over the place here.  I don't know what you usually come up against.  It would be good to know what your intended targets are for these enchantments.
1) [mwcard=MW1E36]Rhino Hide[/mwcard] stacks with your armor and your barkskin.
2) Bull's Endurance is regarded as a highly situational card (again, I'd like to know what you plan to cast it on.
3) Are you planning to Bear's Strength your Vine Snappers?
4) I don't think you'll ever need two Harmonize.  It's a dangerous investment; Harmonize paints a really big "Kill me NOW!" sign on whatever you enchant with it.

Equipment:
1) A wise man once said that the more you have of a certain type of card the less likely it will be destroyed.  Only 4 equipment means that you will probably lose most of it during a match.  If you don't plan to use a lot of equipment, I would suggest replacing Regrowth Belt with [mwcard=MW1Q09]Enchanter's Ring[/mwcard] and adding [mwcard=MW1E32]Regrowth[/mwcard] to your list of enchantments.
2) Druid's Leaf Ring is a staple in every Druid book.  Make sure you get some advantage out of it if you're going to include it.
3) Moonglow Amulet does exactly what Harmonize does.  Remember the points about economy and also remember that with your Druid's Leaf Ring you can get this effect for 4 mana (Mana Flower) instead of 6.
4) Bearskin is your basic Nature armor, but it doesn't currently protect you against something that you'll be facing regularly (There is no Frost damage in the game right now).  I would recommend finding a different armor that deflects what you most fear (Fire, Lightning or Wind).  Yes it will cost more book points, but the protection is worth it.

Incantations:
1) All solid picks for your book, well done. There are a few staples missing, however...
2) You need to run at least 2 [mwcard=MW1I06]Dispel[/mwcard] for horrible nasty warlocky enchantments like [mwcard=MW1E31]Poisoned Blood[/mwcard] and [mwcard=MWSTX2FFE03]Arcane Corruption[/mwcard].
3) At least 2 [mwcard=MW1I07]Dissolve[/mwcard] (as a Druid you can have two for each one that another mage could have so I would say you should run more).
4) If you plan to abuse the Bloodspine Walls, you may want to include another Force Push or two.

A couple more notes:
1) [mwcard=FWA04]Hurl Boulder[/mwcard] is the "finisher" of choice around here.  Might be worth checking out (you'll need Forcemaster vs. Warlord for this one)
2) [mwcard=FWA02]Force Hammer[/mwcard] is also very good against conjurations.  This one also requires Forcemaster vs. Warlord.
3) If you don't want to fall victim to your own walls you may want to consider [mwcard=MWSTX1CKQ06]Eagleclaw Boots[/mwcard].

All in all you've done a solid job for a first book!  Well done!  I hope that some of the insights you find here catapult you forward in your knowledge and skills.

[Intangible0]

Welcome to the forums!

Druid is a very ambitious mage for your first attempt, so good on you!

Right now I'm pretty busy so I can't put a lengthy (and well-made like Puddnhead) post in. However, I will give these words of advice:

Play against as many books and mages as you possibly can! Try not to settle against one build over and over again. After every match take a long look at your good plays and bad ones, decide what you did wrong and right and more importantly when. Many mistakes can be traced back to the build of the book.

Stick with one mage you love for a little bit, play it, adjust it, fix it, tear it down and start over. Once you understand that mage very well and how to counter all the common strategies out there then you've already learned 80% of what it takes to build a good book.

I wish you luck and hope we get to talk MW some time 

[JasonBourneZombie]

By no means an expert on druids, but I can lend my two cents.

Puddnhead is right, you need some equipment and enchantment destroyers in your book. How much depends on a number of factors, but going with none is a gamble. It is worth noting that the druid has the Corrosive Orchid to rely on for equipment and armor. With the use of vine markers, it makes for a long range, nearly unstoppable dissolve if you aren't in range already (I think forcefield can still negate it).

You don't have a whole lot in the way of armor, so I'm assuming you aren't building up the Druid to close with the other mage and fight. I am not sure how effective you can make that number of blocks and reverse attacks at a distance.

If you found yourself cutting out cards that you feel you needed in making the spellbook, dropping the harmonize that I think(?) you have in there for yourself and replacing it with a flower would help. Same may be true of the moonglow amulet, but you are starting to fill up your side of the field at that point. The third teleport may be unnecessary in some cases, and the geyser/jet streams may be taking up spell points you could use elsewhere.

You may find experimentation helps you find weaknesses faster. Unused cards scream out to be replaced in most games, and you find yourself wishing you could trade them for what you particularly need at that moment. Pretty much what Intangible0 said while I was writing this.

[Laddinfance]

Welcome to the forums Csaman!

Druid is a mage that I play quite often. (List basically goes Druid > Warlord (either) > Forcemaster > Wizard (just for hydras > Beastmaster). One of the things I really love about the Druid is how flexible she can be with a small set of cards. So, the advice I'm going to give you is to help you make better use of your spellpoints. Now keep in mind that my "normal" druid is a bit of an odd build, so I won't be pushing you towards that.

Attacks
Acid Ball is always a great choice. The Druid has a fantastic advantage over the Beastmaster in that she has access to 3 fantastic attack spells, arguably some of the best in the game. That said, the only reason to include Geyser is that you need to hit flying creatures with a Water spell. Personally, I've also found that I generally have enough things to deal with flying creatures that I don't need to worry about it. When playing the Druid never forget that a guarding creature loses flying, and a restrained creature cannot fly. I've taken out so many Guardian Angels with tanglevines it's not even funny.
But for the sake of attacks, I would probably focus on Acid Ball and Surging Wave. Acid ball is a great set up, and Surging Wave will almost always have the potential for two attacks (don't forget about "wall bashing"). That said you could remove 2 Geyser and 2 Jet Stream, gaining 6 spellpoints. If you want to spend a couple of those on attack spells that's not a problem, but I wouldn't go overboard.

Conjurations
I see you're going for the Bloodspine Wall combo. That's a strong play, but keep in mind that many, many creatures don't "bleed". However, all Mages bleed at this point so that's still very strong. Tanglevine is probably the best conjuration a Druid has outside of it's bound tree. I love stranglevine, but you really need to draw your opponent's teleports out before you play it. Otherwise they just "jump" out of it, and you gain little. Tanglevines cost less mana and fewer spellpoints, and they can draw out your opponent's teleports. So, I would cut a Stranglevine, and gain a 4th Tanglevine. That way you're up a spellpoint. If you want you could go down to a single Stranglevine, but that's up to you.
Lastly, since you're playing around with lots of forced movement, I would strongly consider Corrosive Orchid. It doesn't take a creature's action and it has a chance to corrode. On top of that it can destroy equipment, and cannot be nullified.

Creatures
So this is the fun part. The Druid has what may be my favorite non-legendary creature, Raptor Vine. I see you have two of them in there. Fantastic. Really I feel your creature selection is very solid and should serve you well, especially in this strategy. My only concern is Togorah and Galador. You really only need one of them, and you'll honestly only be able to cast one of them a game. Lose the other and gain some spellpoints (5 or 6).

Enchantments
One thing I have found to be abundantly true while playing the Druid, Rhino Hide (or other armor buffs) are supremely important. Your creatures are fantastic on everything except mobility and armor. If you want them to live to use their regen, they need armor.
You don't need more than one Harmonize. If your opponent removes it from your vine tree, then you still came out ahead, don't waste time trying to put it back on.
Personally, I'm not a fan of reverse attack, but your miliage may vary.
I would swap the blocks out for Brace Yourself. It's a single spellpoint, and free to reveal. That Armor +4 can really help your plants even if it's only for a round.
Lastly, I would include a Poisoned Blood. You want your Bloodspine Walls to bleed your opponent, so you'll want to prevent him from healing as healing will remove your hard earned bleeds.

Equipment
In an ironic twist I often play lots of equipment on my Druid. I would always suggest Enchanter's Ring as nature enchantments are very strong. Also, Vinewhip Staff is amazing. It has reach, so your druid can attack pesky flyers. Also it's ability to turn vines into "stuck" is very very powerful. I generally also have Leather Gloves and Leather Boots as they're only a single spellpoint because of novice. Druid's lifebond combos well with armor as it effectively gives her "regen 2" that stacks with regen.

Incantations
Dispel and Dissolve are very important for a druid. Dissolve is only a single spellpoint for you, so take advantage of that. Also, there are some very nasty pieces of equipment that will ruin your day, Lash of Hellfire for one. Personally I don't use Burst of Thorns often. When I do, I use a mage wand, because reusing incantations is great, and then it gives me an incantation attack spell. Considering you're going for Bloodspine Walls, the extra chance for bleed is a good combo.

Well I hope this was somewhat helpful for you. Good luck in the Arena!

[iNano78]

Why, hello sir!

Agreed with above that you usually don't need quite so many attack spells, but in this case they might be justified.

Harmonize and Moonglow are probably overkill. You already have 2x Mana Flowers, Vine Tree and your treebond ability, so you should be good for channeling. More than 1-2 Stranglevines are probably excessive, too. And Regrowth Belt (or Regrowth enchantment) aren't needed if you use Barkskin (e.g. Regenerate 2 doesn't stack). So drop that stuff and get a few Dispel/Dissolve/Seeking Dispel, and maybe another Force Push, and you should be good. In fact, it will then be almost identical to the Druid I ran a few weeks ago.

Oh, one other thing. It isn't terribly thematic, but a lot of players prefer [mwcard=MWSTX1CKC06]Guardian Angel[/mwcard] to Togorah due to mana cost (at same spell book cost to a Druid). It also comes in handy because Druid lacks fliers (although Jetstream works and your Staff is OK in a pinch). [mwcard=MW1C36]Tarok, the Skyhunter[/mwcard] can also be useful for this reason. Oh, and you'll need Eagleclaw Boots, especially if you face a Forcemaster...

[Laddinfance]

If you do want to go "attack spell" heavy, then make sure you add Hawkeye. It will really let you maximize that effort.

[iNano78]

Incantations
Dispel and Dissolve are very important for a druid. Dissolve is only a single spellpoint for you, so take advantage of that. Also, there are some very nasty pieces of equipment that will ruin your day, Lash of Hellfire for one. Personally I don't use Burst of Thorns often. When I do, I use a mage wand, because reusing incantations is great, and then it gives me an incantation attack spell. Considering you're going for Bloodspine Walls, the extra chance for bleed is a good combo.

By the way, regarding incantations, I tend to use a Mage Wand for Force Push unless I think I'll need more virtual copies of Dispel/Dissolve than are in my spell book.  Then I have up to 5 Burst of Thorns in my book to cast the old-fashioned way.  Burst is only 1 sbp, while Force Pushes each cost 2.  But you can't rely on just 1 Force Push on a Wand, as you lose it if/when the Wand gets Dissolved.

In my last match using the Druid, I killed Louis's Warlock by pinning him down with Thornlashers and/or Tanglevines and hitting him over and over with Burst of Thorns.  It was a beautiful thing!   

[csaman]

Thanks for all the suggestions,  I will certainly tweak it over the weekend and let everyone know how it went when I use it next week.  Also out of curiosity:  what is a banana token and how does one go about getting it 

[csaman]

Edit: banana sticker.

[sdougla2]

Banana stickers got handed out mostly by Shad0w for doing a good job of answering rules questions. Shad0w hasn't been on the forums in a few months though, so I haven't seen a lot of banana stickers getting handed out lately.

[Laddinfance]

Guess I'll have to start watching for "banana sticker" opportunities. 

[Boocheck]

Its very hard to actually get one. I think that there are 3 mages on these forums which suffer insomnia or are artificial inteligence or whole two shifts of NSA agents interested in MW acting as one person, because while one is typing his answer, those three already post they answers

[klaymen]

Boocheck, that sounds like a plausible conspiracy theory.
*runs away to prepare his tinfoil hat*

[csaman]

This is the final build for tomorrow's match.....object is to cast vine snapper and thornlasher in stategic places on the map with a bloodspine wall. i can't wait to reach an opponent through the wall and into the spot of a vine snapper.  also treebond with vine tree and use vine staff to cast vine markers and tanglevine opponent then hit 'em with burst of thorns.  spell builder on line says 119 points but the app counts me at 120...i'll have to double check the numbers.  I might attach force push to a wand.

[spellbook]
[spellbookheader]
[spellbookname]Druid Update[/spellbookname]
[mage]Druid[/mage]
[/spellbookheader]
[spells]
[spellclass]Attack[/spellclass]
[mwcard=DNA01]4 x  Acid Ball[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX1CKA01]3 x  Surging Wave[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Conjuration[/spellclass]
[mwcard=DNW01]3 x  Bloodspine Wall[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNJ02]2 x  Corrosive Orchid[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNJ03]1 x  Etherian Lifetree[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1j13]2 x  Mana Flower[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNJ10]2 x  Stranglevine[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1j22]4 x  Tanglevine[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNJ12]1 x  Vine Tree[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Creature[/spellclass]
[mwcard=DNC06]1 x  Kralathor, The Devourer[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNC10]2 x  Raptor Vine[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1c34]1 x  Steelclaw Grizzly[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNC21]4 x  Thornlasher[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNC20]4 x  Vine Snapper[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Enchantment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=DNE01]1 x  Barkskin[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e01]3 x  Bear Strength[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e02]2 x  Block[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e29]2 x  Nullify[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e31]2 x  Poisoned Blood[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e34]2 x  Reverse Attack[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1e36]3 x  Rhino Hide[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Equipment[/spellclass]
[mwcard=DNQ04]1 x  Druid's Leaf Ring[/mwcard]
[mwcard=MWSTX1CKQ06]1 x  Eagleclaw Boots[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q07]1 x  Elemental Cloak[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1q09]1 x  Enchanter's Ring[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNQ08]1 x  Vinewhip Staff[/mwcard]
[spellclass]Incantation[/spellclass]
[mwcard=DNI02]6 x  Burst of Thorns[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i06]2 x  Dispel[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i12]4 x  Force Push[/mwcard]
[mwcard=DNI04]2 x  Renewing Rain[/mwcard]
[mwcard=mw1i23]2 x  Rouse the Beast[/mwcard]
[/spells]
[cost]Total cost: 119 pts[/cost]
[/spellbook]