Battlegrounds - Elusive

[Rodge]

Hey guys,

My local group of Mage Wars devotees only numbers 3, so we're loving Battlegrounds now! Got quite a few playthroughs in and I think it all works really well with > 2 players. However, do other people find that the Elusive trait is a bit overpowered?

I took a BM deck along recently. I filled it with every elusive creature I could find (including the weasel from Academy), then added 6 Falcons, 6 Mongoose Agility and Cheetah Speed (for my non-fast elusive creatures). It worked even better than I imagined and was a very quick and easy win, since being the first to tag Orbs gives such a nice boost in early turns. If all other mages don't recognise this and gang up on you quickly, you are pretty unstoppable. And you need to use ranged attacks or spells, as the orb guardian ironically defend my creatures from the first melee attack incoming!

We've considered adding a house rule that all Orb Guardians ignore Elusive creatures when guarding an orb. This would even encourage us to use our own V'Tar points to summon our own guardians to guard our "own" orbs (something we'd never consider doing in the current setup).

Do other people find this issue, or is elusive considered balanced in Domination?

[wtcannonjr]

Elusive has added value in Battlegrounds but remember that you cannot simply ignore the Guardian and take control of an orb. The rules for attacking an orb require the Guardian to be destroyed first. So the elusive trait allows you to move around the Battlegrounds arena easier but does not make it quicker to attack and take control of an orb. You still need to destroy the Guardian first.

[Rodge]

OK - so we should actually learn to read rules properly then! 

Does that still apply if there is a player owned Sslak guarding an orb? ie - the other players would need to take that one down before they could control the orb, but the guardian owning player could still control it?

[Mystery]

you cant attack the orb as long as the guardian is alive. so what you mean with the guardian protects your creatures, you can't control the orb as long as there is a neutral guardian.

And in general i feel that other mages can get already a galaxuss out on turn 2 and having a orb meaning a hard ticker on you. I don't feel that the elusive is the main point, everyone can get that. What is good is BM quick summoning, as orbs play is all about guard and melee actions, this gives you a melee/full action for a quick action. You could still die if you don't watch out vs a forcemaster, which can still take the orb with a doublestrike in right moments etc.
flacons with elusive of course rock. but walls, gravikor are possibilities etc.,

elusive is good, but doesnt win you.

other starts: wizard move + tower tower hurl boulder guardian if dead cast a prepared something, else arcane zap, next round move in take orb get galaxuss out, (still got tower action if needed), and you setting early taxation on v'tar.

Warlock Deathfang+fireshaper ring hawkeye+fireball -deathfang taking orb, bin more risky. warlock deathfang fireball fireball deathfang take orb, do some other action. first qc galaxxus

if you have a teleport in deck you could steal the orb from an oponent doing some rush like this etc.

there is much more diversity

OK - so we should actually learn to read rules properly then! 

Does that still apply if there is a player owned Sslak guarding an orb? ie - the other players would need to take that one down before they could control the orb, but the guardian owning player could still control it?

no only for neutral sslaks

[wtcannonjr]

OK - so we should actually learn to read rules properly then! 

Does that still apply if there is a player owned Sslak guarding an orb? ie - the other players would need to take that one down before they could control the orb, but the guardian owning player could still control it?

No, player controlled Sslak follow different rules. We don't consider them guardians just alien creatures.

[iNano78]

As others posted, you need to kill Sslaks first.

That said, yes, Elusive is terrific in Domination mode. If you go last, you can often tag an enemy orb to turn it off at the end of the round, even if you don't have the actions to turn it on for yourself.

Often our MVP creatures are Cervere, Thunderrift Falcons, even Bitterwood Foxes. Basically anything fast or elusive, then pump it with Mongoose Agility or Cheetah Speed.

The new king of goblins is also amazing for making all goblins elusive (not to mention pushing them into position). But at least most goblins are pretty easy to deal with individually. 

[Rodge]

Thanks for the replies all. Really appreciate the pointers.

You've ruined my mate's plan to combat my BM build - but it sounds like the game will be better balanced by playing by the "actual" rules

[sIKE]

And most Elusive does not work with the Druids Vine Markers.

[Intangible0]

And along came Terraki.

[silverclawgrizzly]

What makes Beast Masters awesome in Academy is their ability to spit out creatures like it was going out of style. The card I found super useful is actually Tooth and Claw. Orb Guardians only have 1 armor, if every creature you have ignores that one armor they drop so fast.