The Eye of Judgment Cards (strategy & trading)

[oldmike]

Originally Posted by Icemage

If you must discard stuff, there are better cards to use to throw away than Parmetic Holy Feast IMO. Sciondar's Inferno/Fist of Verzak/etc. come to mind. 2+ damage to 3-4 squares for the cost of two creatures that you may not be able to play effectively due to board considerations is pretty big.

I'm not saying that Parmetic Holy Feast is a bad card - it's not. I just think you get shortchanged in the exchange, since there are easier ways to earn a 2 Mana advantage (that and it dilutes the number of creature cards in your deck - not that every card should be a creature, but I've found that 5-7 spell cards is the practical limit, and there are equally good candidates that compete for those slots (Fissures of Gohlie, Beguiling Fog, Summoner Mesmer's Lapse).

All of the incarnations are great if you can find a way to summon them, but the MP cost is huge. Granted, you can replace one of your existing cards of that element with it to get them in play by paying the difference in cost, which is a nice perk, but you still have to be somewhat wary - and there's usually a couple of squares that your opponent can hide on. Generally speaking, you end up spending more Mana than you might otherwise spend killing the same creatures, but it just takes a little less time and fewer cards (which I agree is not a bad thing, but it's very situational).

Generally speaking, I find that games where I use these big Armageddon-loosing creatures tend to devolve into a game of who-draws-their-last-card-and-loses-first, since you just don't have the Mana to power their activation cost and put anything else on the board.

i dont like the trash 2 guy to dam all blank for many things
1 is its 3 cards in all and one must be a set type
2 most my game there realy rarely any more then 2 of any type of area

as for mana the only 2 cards i know are this one and goghlie altar and you can only have 1 per in a deck
(sad thing is i have 4 of these 2 cards and need so many cards_)

as for the big guys i have used them in 2 ways one is a comback card they can turn a game around the other is CUBEs

[Icemage]

Originally Posted by oldmike

as for the big guys i have used them in 2 ways one is a comback card they can turn a game around the other is CUBEs

I really dislike cubics. They're weak, vulnerable, and will always get attacked by a smart opponent. Granted, you get the MP back when they die, but it's something of a wasted play IMO - you can gamble and hope your opponent ignores it in favor of a bigger threat (letting you drop your really big guns), but as I said, most everyone will home in on a cubic like a laser.

IF your opponent is stupid enough to leave it on the table, then yes, bringing in a big gun that way is very effective.

[oldmike]

only one i use is the white do to the dodge
the othere ones whoud ONLY be good in a moster cost deck that was only one color

[nails]

I've found that getting high HP characters summoned all over the map, and keeping their HP up has been winning me almost every game. Most of these games my opponent ends up with like 8 mana, but can't summon anything major because he only has weakling cards. People that do beat me is by a very thin margin, and it's usually because I screwed up a couple times. Man it's so easy to screw up.

[Icemage]

Originally Posted by nails

I've found that getting high HP characters summoned all over the map, and keeping their HP up has been winning me almost every game. Most of these games my opponent ends up with like 8 mana, but can't summon anything major because he only has weakling cards. People that do beat me is by a very thin margin, and it's usually because I screwed up a couple times. Man it's so easy to screw up.

This is the lightweight-itis I was referring to above. There's not much payoff in using lots of the 1 cost "freebie" cards because they become a liability when you're trying to win the game.

[Icemage]

Originally Posted by oldmike

only one i use is the white do to the dodge
the othere ones whoud ONLY be good in a moster cost deck that was only one color

The colored ones are actually marginally better than the White Cubic IMO. You can play a colored cubic on its native element to give it a 2HP boost and make it harder to kill, I guess. White Cubics are always vulnerable to magic attacks from Flame Magus or Aluhja Priestess...

[Icemage]

Okay, now that I've ragged on a number of seemingly popular cards, let's talk about cards I think are really great.

Elven Berserker Maiden (wood)
2(2)MP/3HP/1AT. If at exactly 1HP, gains +2AT and a Dodge attempt.

What's not to like about this card? If played on an Earth square(-2HP), it's a 3 damage for 2MP and can potentially dodge anything that might otherwise kill it. If played on a Wood square, it gains 2HP and becomes a solid square defender that can well take care of itself. On top of that, the Mana cost is reasonable.

Flame Ascetic (fire)
3(3)MP/3HP/2AT. Add +2AT half the time when attacking. Activation to attack is at -2MP.

This guy is the best deal in the game as far as cost of damage-to-MP when attacking. He hits for an average of 3 damage per 1MP spent. He's also pretty durable.

Juno Tree Haunt (wood)
3MP(1)/1HP/2AT. Perfect Dodge. Destroyed if not on a Wood square.

Juno Tree Haunt is a nightmare for decks that don't pack magic or fieldquaking abilities. He's immune to normal attacks, and he can attack at long range to the tune of 2 damage per 1MP spent. This guy is a steal at 3MP. Just remember he can only be played on Wood squares!

Novogus Catapult (earth)
3(1)MP/4HP/2AT. If destroyed, gain MP equal to the number of Earth fields in play.

Since you get 1 on a normal recharge, and normally gain 2 when it dies, this guy almost plays for "free", and if you play him an on Earth square, he gets 6HP. Extra bonus if you can place him somewhere that he can actually hit something (2 squares way), since he can deal 2 damage for 1MP as well, so you get even more bang for your buck.

Tritonan Harpoonsman (water)
2(1)MP/2HP/1AT. Gains a Dodge when on a Water square.

This guy has a really nice long range attack, and is hard to kill when on a Water square. Amazing card if your deck isn't Water-focused, as he does a fantastic job of anchoring down Water squares you aren't using.