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Team Card Design: New Weapons

Septima Rhay

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BOne stall, 3x Bo staff
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Bo Staff - Works well in stall. Seems fine to me.
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Agreed.
4x Bo
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Bo Sader works nicely in 2-weapon strategies; assuming Bo builds up shield DR first, replace weapon for new utility and DR shield is retained.
3x Bo, 2x Amulet
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« Last Edit: August 29, 2024, 01:45:36 pm by Septima Rhay »


Septima Rhay

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Great Maul testing notes:

Card active - removes opponent shield stacks in entirety, moves stack to hand, opponent can replay entire stack at cost of one shield stack (i.e. stack of 8 repulsors moved to hand can re-enter shield slot next turn at 6 gravity cost - not 48).  That's a pretty powerful active on top of moving single shields back to hand.   Thematically, I don't like that the 'great maul' that conjures a big hammer would have an active that 'moves something intact'.  Great Maul conjures something more 'destructive' in my mind.

1/2 damage (while own shield equipped)- just odd, prefer something more thematic and simpler to understand be instituted

Blocking damage (while own shield eqipped) - practically okay, good game mechanice, but thematically odd with 'Great Maul'.  I'd want a weapon concept that, itself, is more shield like in look and function.  More on that below in concepts.

Serprex said they're considering a shield 'merge' concept.  Here's a few ideas for the discussion:

1. Weapon that has active: Splinter/merge/alloy.  Rather than physical splinter, a 'psychic' splinter - active that steals opponent's 'skill' or 'trait' ---basically, their passive trait.  Examples: Skull loses 'chance to turn creature to skeleton'; solar loses 'generate light when attacked'; phase loses 'block all physical damage.  Once trait/passive is 'splintered' that passive merges to one's current shield in shield slot.  Damage reduction (DR), which is more 'physical' is left alone on both sides.  Example: own solar shield + splinter opponent phase = solar stats remain, generate light, block physical damage for 2-3 turns.  Imagine splinter effect as stacking - clunky and dependent on opponent running multiple shield types (unlikely) or they can simply not play shields as soft counter.  Super shield can be built, but difficult to do so.  I understand the soft counter itself diminishes active's effectiveness, but complements can be explored: give shield.  Example:  Give thorn, active steal carapace trait, apply to own titanium shield = 2 DR shield with carapace trait = possibly worthwhile in a stall.  Splintering might help expand stall decks, help explore slowing the game down for more 'absolute defense' style decks.

2.  I've been thinking about weapons in general and companion cards that may deserve some synergistic design: lodestone, lifesmith, blacksmith, ferro golem.  Can earth produce a weapon with a 'forge' or 'creation' style active?  I present the concept of clay.  Something that can be molded and applied to a 'copy' active.  Can the weapon itself PU/mitosis a target weapon or Shield back to own hand? Can the active element be water?  And, clay evokes 'golem' to me.  Can the new earth weapon be clay-themed and 'golem' trait? 

When applied to self, strategies like copy own phase shield can be looked at.  Does the weapon itself have 'charges' and 'crumbles' after X usage?  When applied to opponent's targets, what's the point of copying shields/weapons unless we're in some SNOVA/equalize build?  We may not have the quanta to play or those shields are worse than the ones we're playing or don't provide help at all (i.e. opponent is playing Sh.of.voids with dusk mantle).  I recognize the idea here is very problematic, but consider the 'clay' and 'forge' concepts in your own ways, perhaps you can move it forward in a better way.

3.  Last idea: concept of 'umbrella'.  A weapon that is sharp, pointed for offense, but, when the 'umbrella' is 'open' loses offense and becomes 'defensive' - even shield like.  Can the 'umbrella' defense function by allowing two shield 'effects' to occur?  Taking the great maul 'block' function, can the umbrella be easy to (a) replicate and (b) enter the board to (c) block various opponent targets?  Block opponent weapon's damage when in weapon slot.  Block opponent's opposite creature when on board?  Here, I like Umbrella being earth with a life active.  That can synergize with Lifesmith, Ferrogolem, Mitosis.  I'll randomly throw out a build here:

Card name: Umbrella
Cost: 5 :earth/ 4 :earth
Stats: 7|4, 7|4
Active "Canopy":  :life :life, stats change to 4|7 and block opposite target's damage; active can be toggled back to offense stats with 2 :life

This makes me wonder more about using 'repositioning' mechanics so that certain cards can be specifically placed in various creature slots.  Maybe the right term is 'summon'?

4. Non-weapon design note, but pondering a buff:  How about lodestone increases active costs for everything except weapon and golem actives?



« Last Edit: August 26, 2024, 02:51:12 pm by Septima Rhay »


Turlututu

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Deployed some adjustments:
1. Scepter of Ruling active cost raised by 1 & stats changed from 7|5/8|5 to 4|8
2. Unupped infested log also gets infect(2), & 3 attack, while upped costs 2
3. Sun Blade cost raised to 3, Mirage is 3|6 instead of 2|8
4. Amulet active cost raised from 1/0 to 2/1
5. Haunt gets removed from creatures when they die (specifically tones down scythekitty)
6. Cyberweapon cannot target players
After some quick PVE testing:
Scepter of Ruling nerf, Infested Log buff, Scyther nerf, Cyberweapon nerf: No complaints here.

Sun Blade berf: Upped cost was deserved, not so sure about the new Mirage stats. It's becoming a good idea to just give the blade away, and I don't know how to feel about that.
Or perhaps it's the healing vs shield combined with the higher strength that's the problem. The deck below has a great matchup vs dim shields, wings etc. 
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Amulet nerf: People were using the skill? Just kidding. So far I have only been using the Amulet in mostly Time-based decks, so the extra skill cost has not mattered much. I also have not found much reason to "splash" the Amulet. Maybe the skill should be a different element altogether.


serprex

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Give Sun Blade being a thing sounds great. Stalling with heals vs shield has lots of counterplay between letting shields expire or playing weapon or PC or CC milling such charitable gestures

(edit: lemming effect on mirage makes it hard to mix into givethermal, too bad, lemming effect seems a bit unnecessary at this point)
« Last Edit: August 26, 2024, 06:52:05 pm by serprex »


Septima Rhay

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Sunblade mirage cost might need looking at, zero cost 3|6 target for fractal. 1 chroma cost?

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Manuel

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tried bo staff: first attempt: rustler + life nymph but adren on bo makes instantly reset the counter
second attempt:

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one delayed flying bo is enough to not lose the counter while the other flying bo attacks, one delayed bo and ALL get the counter. A new bo automatically enters with all the counters. Or at least, this is what i understood from my first matches with some missplays

Silence on creatures + immaterial + damage reduction is nasty
« Last Edit: August 28, 2024, 03:08:29 am by Manuel »


Septima Rhay

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Testing notes:

 :entropy Wand: great, no complaints, balanced, and looking forward to exploring it more.
 :death Skeleton Axe: initially felt it was underwhelming and underpowered; then I learned axe active allows multiple casts per turn = game changer; need more exploration but satisfied for now
 :gravity Scepter of ruling: always liked the beguile effect so this is a welcome addition; solid so far; should have named it Sceptima of ruling
 :earth Great Maul: needs work, possibly wholesale new idea
 :life Infested Log:  even with latest buff, I anticipate it being underutilized; however, future buffs to companion cards might give log more utility down the road; when I slow down and think about it, it is odd that this is a weapon one 'wields' but bugs will always be weird
 :fire SunBlade: interesting card that will need more pvp testing to confirm balance; token may need a cost; healing when blocked by shield is an interesting mechanic, just not sure of the thematic fit for the card itself, and within the element of fire
 :water Fishing Rod: it looks cool but I sense it is narrow; active might actually be better at 2 cost; I like the token aspect of the design; this card didn't seem to draw much interest from testers so I wonder if there is room to refine it
 :light Bo Staff: one of the best of the new weapon batch; like that another weapon will help aid stalls; this weapon can help shields
 :air Fierce Feathers: unfortunately needs a new redesign; would love new off-element active and air getting even more versatile (I.e. quanta denial)
 :time Amulet: versatile for mill or self-draw, worth testing to refine balance; recent batch of testing gets me thinking card cost now should go down 1.
 :darkness Scythe: seems solid, good addition
 :aether Cyberweapon: good addition, buff lodestone to inflate target card :)

Don't know what serprex/design team's window is for implementation but I'll keep messing with air and earth weapon ideas.



serprex

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After nearly a year of development, we are ready to release these weapons to the main server. Also a new rare :earth spell Imbue is added which allows combining weapons/shields


Septima Rhay

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Awesome new weapons and earth spell.  Well done design team.  Thanks to Niharia and Manuel for testing as well.  Nice to see Tornado improved as PC and other developments (i.e. Firebrand active).