I'm working on a mage who will build up a lethal stranglevine. Though I could see a forcemaster trying to do that, I will be making a druid.
Problems:
Where/When is the strangle:
Do I trap them in turn2 on their side, teleport trap them to my side, or wait for them to come to me?
Teleporting away:
Use of astral anchor, nullify, and jinx will keep them using teleportation, but may require 2 quick actions per turn to maintain. It could also eat up to 10 mana per turn. Further problems: they have a familiar, divine intervention, or nullify/jinx me back.
Creatures meleeing the vine:
guarding vinesnappers / quicksand / nightshade / togorah / get creatures stuck outside of zone somehow
Mage meleeing the vine:
surging wave, agony, dissolve/orchid the firelash.
ranged attacks:
they cannot target the vine, but a ring of fire or similar could damage it. minor concern.
Mana problems:
once the stranglevine is taking 5+ mana per turn, its impossible to keep up the teleport prevention.
The only ways to heal stranglevine:
tataree, lifetree(one +2), [mwcard=DNQ06] Mohktari's Branch[/mwcard](only versus burn or poison melee or zone attacks), [mwcard=DNI04] Renewing Rain[/mwcard], [mwcard=FWC04] Goblin Builder[/mwcard](which is a bit too cheesy of an option for me)
Big decisions:
Each tree:
lifetree keeps things alive
mohtari is similiar, but better for fellella and druid but ineffective on stranglevine
vinetree will get out the vinesnappers to guard and the tanglevines to bait teleports
samara+tataree is the most economical/defensive play but half of the seedling pods will have to pop outside of the anchorzone which is a problem. the ones out of zone can be lifetree, togorah, [mwcard=DNC10] Raptor Vine[/mwcard], thornlashers to pull enemy creatures out of the zone, or a wall of thorns to [mwcard=FWI04] Force Wave[/mwcard] all the non-rooted creatures through.
Use which action generators? fellella, vinetree, seedling pods
Use which mana generators/how much time spent on economy?
If using fellella+vinetree use a meditation amulet?
Try to bait out 2+ teleports before going for a lethal stranglevine? baits would mostly use tanglevine, stranglevine copies, or stuck conditions. If they have less than 2 teleports, a facedown astral anchor is all you need for teleport control.
I've looked at a rush strategy, and it seems fairly likely to fail. Further, once it does fail I will be way behind. I keep gravitating fellella and alll defense/economy until I get out a turn4 togorah to protect my tree. then the anchored zone would be under my tree. sometimes I think about added a spawnpoint tree and maybe meditation amulet
So that's it right now.