Paladin Duel Spawnpoint

[Kelanen]

dude you need to stop talking about how good you are...

You misunderstand me. It's not how good I am, I'm taking my books to be reasonably representative (and in my experience they are). It's what basic economies of actions/mana/damage can achieve over that same timeframe.

It's what many/most books and players could do is my point, making it an unsafe gambit. What one would achieve, not what I would...

[Kelanen]

Now, about fireball or hurl boulder on a crusader banner, it has a few drawbacks-
1) A fireball or a hurl rock cost 8 mana and a quick action. The banner cost 7 mana and a quick action. to kill it will cost you more than the cost to create it.

That's absolutely true, but sometimes the lesser of two evils. You lose a little mana (and probably have to be prepared to use another spell on top if damage doesn't come out your way), but letting it run on hurts more.

It's the same as the double Surging Wave to a BattleForge - you are down an action and 3 mana, but for a lot of books letting it run is worse. Lesser of two evils, and one of several reasons why Forge is so good - you win if it stays, and you win if they kill it.

[Werekingdom]

Sounds like a fun strategy! How many Tanglevines are you running? Also do you have backup Astral Anchors?

I usually run 1 Astral Anchors and 5 Tanglevines.

[Beldin]

dude you need to stop talking about how good you are...

You misunderstand me. It's not how good I am, I'm taking my books to be reasonably representative (and in my experience they are). It's what basic economies of actions/mana/damage can achieve over that same timeframe.

It's what many/most books and players could do is my point, making it an unsafe gambit. What one would achieve, not what I would...

This game is a game of finite resources based on each turn. There has to be a base optimal benchmark or you risk running less efficiently than the opponent. An average game runs  6-14 turns, with outliers of 3 and 30 at the extremes. This allows for a finite amount of actions, activation, mana etc. The most successful books are those who are the most efficient. If is a brute force efficiency by bursting of high dice combats/attack spells or slower attrition builds where you out heal the opponent, while still wearing them down, then each has its own efficiency.

This boils down to what is the best solution to achieve my objective in this turn. Do I have the mana? Could I better use a different card to cover this situation alternatively. This is not what one player would do but the most efficient action would be. The fact that Kelanan is a very efficient player is a different story altogether.

[Biblofilter]

The idea behind this deck opening is simple, delay until the spawnpoints can overwhelm the opponent.
This means a lot on 4-9 mana creatures. It does include a Crusade Banner which can be used for a more powerful creature or as a detraction from the temple and mage.

Turn 1: 10+9=19.
-Move then Crusade Banner -7
-End QC Temple -10

Turn 2: 2+9=11 (works best if you have ins this turn)
-Tanglevine -5
-Astor Anchor -6

Turn 2: 0+9=9
>Cleric for temple 5-2=3 (any of the 5 mana clerics will work)
-Arcane Ward -2 (for Astro Anchor if it not despiled),
-Have a Astor Anchor or Tanglevine to keep the enemy mage locked down. If neither Tanglevine or Anchor is needed then just go in and attack.

Wouldnt it work better with Battleforge + Temple?
That way your Paladin could punch a bit while waiting for backup.
Your not really going to get a swarm going are you?

[Beldin]

Wouldnt it work better with Battleforge + Temple?
That way your Paladin could punch a bit while waiting for backup.
Your not really going to get a swarm going are you?

Then why not temple priestess?

[Biblofilter]

Wouldnt it work better with Battleforge + Temple?
That way your Paladin could punch a bit while waiting for backup.
Your not really going to get a swarm going are you?

Then why not temple priestess?

Sadly i think the answer would always be that Priestess would be better than Paladin/Priest.

Still it seems to me that Battleforge + Temple or Battleforge + Banner or even Battleforge + Temple and Banner would be better than Temple + Banner.
We want to melee with him and buffing him, should be a lot easier with Battleforge. I guess you could go for Eye for an Eye - no armor and lots of healing with Temple + Banner and creatures with healing.

Paladin seems slow to me. Take a long time to set up useful aura(s). I mainly play timed live matches (75 min ~15 rounds) so i just don´t think his good enough for that.

[Werekingdom]

Wouldnt it work better with Battleforge + Temple?
That way your Paladin could punch a bit while waiting for backup.
Your not really going to get a swarm going are you?

Then why not temple priestess?

Sadly i think the answer would always be that Priestess would be better than Paladin/Priest.

Still it seems to me that Battleforge + Temple or Battleforge + Banner or even Battleforge + Temple and Banner would be better than Temple + Banner.
We want to melee with him and buffing him, should be a lot easier with Battleforge. I guess you could go for Eye for an Eye - no armor and lots of healing with Temple + Banner and creatures with healing.

Paladin seems slow to me. Take a long time to set up useful aura(s). I mainly play timed live matches (75 min ~15 rounds) so i just don´t think his good enough for that.

You have a good point here Biblofiliter, after a few games I did switch over. What I'm trying now is:
T1 10+9=19
-Cassiel -9
-Battle Forge -8

T2 2+9=11
>Leather armor -1 (from BF)
-Temple -10
-Run 2
Cassiel can then Pray and give the temple 1 mana, giving enough mana to spawn a another creature.

As for why the Paladin over the Priestess, it is the Valor, the buffs to creatures are awesome.
Think of all the reasons why we hate to play priestess, she has high armor, expensive creatures, with mid to low atk power. The Paladin have cheaper creatures that can get huge buffs, and it includes war creatures which have much better attacks.

[Kelanen]

Paladin seems slow to me. Take a long time to set up useful aura(s). I mainly play timed live matches (75 min ~15 rounds) so i just don´t think his good enough for that.

Paladin is not too slow, but the auras are - think of them as an occasional late game bonus, rather than a primary game plan (like Warlord with Talos).

Paladin can be very fast by spending T1 running to NC and casting a banner on FC, and T2 summoning a couple of knights off it. He gets a really fast start that no-one else can match, and that gives him his own niche.

If you are going for any kind of slow build up game, and using Paladin's equipment and Valour to protect/buff your creatures, then I think you'd do it better with a Priestess in all honesty.

[Beldin]

It is the same with all mage abilities. You have to work out which you are using as part of your main build and what are your more second choice and back up ones. If you are just playing for x school then what other x school is there? Also if you build it as a wizard then how bad off are you in points.