Balor is the Guardian for the Champion's Odyssey set (you can find Balor here.
Feared throughout the Mid Realms, Balor literally is the "Lord of the Pit" as cards fall like fiery rain into the discard pile or vanish from the game through removal. As creatures, items, and other goodies are sacrificed to Balor, his power grows stronger. Other Vierkuns shudder when facing the monstrous resources Balor is able to focus into energy for channeling.
Obviously, cards that work well with Balor are cards that cause discarding or removal from the game, such as the Crypts of Damnation, Mordred the Summoner, or Stanley the Wonder Goat. With the ability to build up Power Stones, creatures that receive channeling are also good choices, as well as cards that require Power Stones for other uses like healing, or the Egyptian Standard Bearer 25 (that cancels an opposing AOE for 1 Stone). Sacrificial Altar has the potential for Balor to gain double the Power Stones (with good dice rolling). Use Small Mox to create more Stone disparity, or use Limited Big Time Rebate and a few accessories that also generate Power Stones to turn Balor into a Power Stone machine. With Rocks of Skull Cracking it is not unusual for Balor to decimate entire multiple flying shields.
Balor does have a few drawbacks. First, the ability usually only works 50% of the time (4-6 on a D6). Also, Balor has a low number of starting Power Stones, as well as a low Vitality and an average CMP. Cards that shut down channeling can negate Balor's Power Stone advantage in combat.
Still, it can be daunting to sit across from a player with Balor as Guardian, usually accompanied by a huge stack of cards to facilitate sacrifices to the "Lord of the Pit".
Developer Notes:
This was probably the most difficult card I created, as there was no Guardian template from Phil, so I created it completely from scratch. In doing so I learned a few things about Photoshop that I didn't know how to do before. The artwork is selected from a larger painting, which I first tried to use as Terrain, and then as a Stronghold. After some time I focused in on Balor and it seemed like a good fit both in appearance and in theme as "Lord of the Pit", so I extracted it from the larger artwork. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
Champion's Odyssey Card Revision/Argammond's Visions #1
This was intended to be a simple post about a revision to card#3, the Crypts of Damnation. However, when I thought about describing the revision, it seemed that much of this information would have been appropriate for the series of posts in which I take a look at Champion's Odyssey cards in detail. These posts will be referred to as "Argammond's Visions", which I will start as weekly and increase in frequency if necessary. So let's start Vision #1 with the Crypts of Damnation.
Background: During the early stages of planning the set, I really loved the Brom work "Allura of Damnation". I knew this would be the first card to start the set with (although it ended up being #12 due to some difficulties). I wondered how could I incorporate "Damnation" as a place in the set that would help define her story? When I saw the artwork by Parkinson, I knew that would be the Crypts of Damnation as a Terrain card. But what would that Terrain do?
Since I already knew the deck would have many undead based on the amount of Brom artwork, I decided to make this Terrain beneficial to certain undead you were likely to find in the Crypts. Being new to card design, I decided to use channeling as the benefit because channeling is really easy to slap on a card. So Vampires, Bats, Rats, and Ghouls all received channeling on the space.
When the set was complete, some of my faithful readers felt the card was to powerful, so I adjusted the CMP by -3. Another quick fix, but not very creative. It was bothering me that I had taken the easy, non-creative route, and I was unhappy with the card. Furthermore, it didn't really tie in to the set's Guardian, Balor. So I decided to change it again. The trick was to not make it too powerful, but still make it desirable to use and tie it to Balor.
Some of the creatures in the set already get a bonus when on the space (in their card text). But what if the card's main benefit was if you weren't on the space? And a benefit to ease the pain of losing a combat instead of a "yet another way to crush the opposing card" ability. Drawing from the Demon of Kabod ability, which I really like, the final change to the text is:
"If you retreat to this space, you may heal one Vampire or Ghoul for each creature discarded from your Creature Pen." I feel this is really not too powerful: first, you have to lose combat to retreat, so it doesn't help you win the space in any way - in fact, since combat wasn't on the space, your Vampires and Ghouls probably didn't get a bonus; second, there is a cost to healing that is not cheap (discarding creatures in the Creature Pen); third, you can't use the ability if you have no creatures in the Pen! Finally, the benefit is limited to Vampires and Ghouls only.
So why use it? Well, normally when you retreat you don't get to heal your creatures; like Demon of Kabod, this is an exception to the rule. And if your Guardian is Balor, each creature discarded from the Pen gives you a chance to gain Power Stones. Plus, if you get attacked again while on that space, some of those creatures you healed will probably get their Crypts bonus.
Who benefits from this card: Allura, Crypt Ghoul, Crypt Guard, Balor, Revenant, Shrine Ghast, Buzz Vampire Mosquito, Vampire, Vampire Lord, Carrag the Black (if your sacrificed creatures are undead), Death Pit of Djoser, Rogue Spectre, Standard Bearer Goblin 16, Tablet of Ancathus, Mummy's Fist*, and Well of Souls* (bring those discarded undead back!). Nebbuch also has the Command ability to convert any Terrain to this one during combat.
Threats to this card: Hammer of Doom. Obviously, Deceiver, Holy Spear*, Vampire Hunters, Ice Spirit, and White Unicorn are threats to undead, period.
* = Seven Seas
Uses: Power Stone disparity is the main use. You're gaining some Power Stones discarding unused creatures if you're using Balor, while your Vampires are draining your opponent's. Vampires and ghouls aren't bribeable, either.
Background: During the early stages of planning the set, I really loved the Brom work "Allura of Damnation". I knew this would be the first card to start the set with (although it ended up being #12 due to some difficulties). I wondered how could I incorporate "Damnation" as a place in the set that would help define her story? When I saw the artwork by Parkinson, I knew that would be the Crypts of Damnation as a Terrain card. But what would that Terrain do?
Since I already knew the deck would have many undead based on the amount of Brom artwork, I decided to make this Terrain beneficial to certain undead you were likely to find in the Crypts. Being new to card design, I decided to use channeling as the benefit because channeling is really easy to slap on a card. So Vampires, Bats, Rats, and Ghouls all received channeling on the space.
When the set was complete, some of my faithful readers felt the card was to powerful, so I adjusted the CMP by -3. Another quick fix, but not very creative. It was bothering me that I had taken the easy, non-creative route, and I was unhappy with the card. Furthermore, it didn't really tie in to the set's Guardian, Balor. So I decided to change it again. The trick was to not make it too powerful, but still make it desirable to use and tie it to Balor.
Some of the creatures in the set already get a bonus when on the space (in their card text). But what if the card's main benefit was if you weren't on the space? And a benefit to ease the pain of losing a combat instead of a "yet another way to crush the opposing card" ability. Drawing from the Demon of Kabod ability, which I really like, the final change to the text is:
"If you retreat to this space, you may heal one Vampire or Ghoul for each creature discarded from your Creature Pen." I feel this is really not too powerful: first, you have to lose combat to retreat, so it doesn't help you win the space in any way - in fact, since combat wasn't on the space, your Vampires and Ghouls probably didn't get a bonus; second, there is a cost to healing that is not cheap (discarding creatures in the Creature Pen); third, you can't use the ability if you have no creatures in the Pen! Finally, the benefit is limited to Vampires and Ghouls only.
So why use it? Well, normally when you retreat you don't get to heal your creatures; like Demon of Kabod, this is an exception to the rule. And if your Guardian is Balor, each creature discarded from the Pen gives you a chance to gain Power Stones. Plus, if you get attacked again while on that space, some of those creatures you healed will probably get their Crypts bonus.
Who benefits from this card: Allura, Crypt Ghoul, Crypt Guard, Balor, Revenant, Shrine Ghast, Buzz Vampire Mosquito, Vampire, Vampire Lord, Carrag the Black (if your sacrificed creatures are undead), Death Pit of Djoser, Rogue Spectre, Standard Bearer Goblin 16, Tablet of Ancathus, Mummy's Fist*, and Well of Souls* (bring those discarded undead back!). Nebbuch also has the Command ability to convert any Terrain to this one during combat.
Threats to this card: Hammer of Doom. Obviously, Deceiver, Holy Spear*, Vampire Hunters, Ice Spirit, and White Unicorn are threats to undead, period.
* = Seven Seas
Uses: Power Stone disparity is the main use. You're gaining some Power Stones discarding unused creatures if you're using Balor, while your Vampires are draining your opponent's. Vampires and ghouls aren't bribeable, either.
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