1dbomb, there is no "best" element. Each one has certain strengths and weaknesses plus there is a degree of luck in getting the cards you need before your opponent gets theirs. Monsters are targeted with cards and with the talents of the other monsters. Read the descriptions of the cards and you will see what abilities each has, which includes the ability to attack other creatures.
I did not record the game, but in any case, it was a matter of my getting good cards and them not. I have Aether which has immortal creatures and great shield. As long as you don't lose your shields via steal/destroy and you have your pillars long enough to generate quanta, you can usually do a lot of damage over time. Also, I was able to get my rare weapon up and made immortal which makes a huge difference. I played the gods 10+ times before winning once and deciding I needed a lot of upgrading.
Actually, I've beaten one with no upgrades, but I was just very, very lucky. Same thing with the top 50. Sometimes I beat some one in the top 10, but lose to someone barely on the list. Some decks just work well against other decks, especially if you get lucky. Me? I need to get a couple of nova so I can protect my stack of pillars from the dang earthquakes, or get at least have them for a few rounds so I can get my attacks going. Some decks work very well simply because they have monsters that make elements for you.
You don't have to upgrade ALL of your card to win. You just need to make sure your key cards are available. Like if your main element is life, but you have a dark that you like to use, upgrade that so it uses less power to call into play. If you can upgrade all of your pillars, that is a very good start.
Oh, the reason why you won't always win is simple, luck. If you get a hand with no pillars and your opponent has the worms that eat your points, you are dead. Or if your opponent has the earthquakes to kill off your pillars, etc.
You don't need trade, but you do need patience. The truth is, if you get to the point you will win most if not all level 3 games you will gain enough gold via selling the creatures to do the upgrades. Granted, this means a LOT of games per upgrade, but what's the hurry? You've earned a rare item via the quest, right?
Aether is not "broken" as long as you have a few other cards. You need to have a way to destroy the Earth shield which stops 5+ hp or you need momentum to get around it. You also need enchant artifact to protect your pillars against earth quakes.
Beautiful game that requires, oh, a bit of patience. You might want to play again after
figuring out where the monsters are, that is, if you really want the max points possible.
Me, I was happy getting the badges. :-)
quantum shield is great, as long as you can enchant it so its not destroyed or stolen.
There is no best element, but aether is the easiest to get ramped up on and beat lvl 3 most of the time. Once you get some rare cards, then it may be time to change up the deck to better use it. Quantum pillars are great if you have more than 3 elements in your deck.
There is nothing wrong with using an Aether deck. If there is a big enough imbalance they will eventually change the way things work to even it out. IF someone is just starting out they need to be able to deal with the people that already have the rare cards which they CAN'T buy to make things even. I'm tired of fighting players with multiple miracle cards and the like, but that's life.
A good Aether deck will let you beat the elder decks most of the time. You can still get killed if you never get a pillar or you get nothing but pillars and your weak characters. This because the light and dark decks can build up quickly to do massive damage. Of course, if you have the shield you are going to be good for a while.
Look, the game has flaws and luck is a significant factor. That said, my only real complaint is the lack of a surrender button and the way it sometimes handles the stalemates, often giving itself one when it would lose the match if it went on a few more turns. Simple strategy will give you a win most times. Avoid making a piece appear next to his pawns until you know where your king is. Avoid making a piece appear next to your queen until you know where his queen and king are. Use his low powered pieces to pin his higher powered ones. Understand that his pattern tends to
be somewhat aggressive. Yes, a pawn often appears next your king, but then again, it happens to him to. Track the pieces. If you eliminate all of his pawns and his king you king cant be killed. etc
xienwolf, how sure are you of that. I'm fairly sure I've received cards that were NOT in the deck of what I was playing. I.E. Black when facing a water w/o black as an example.
gotta love it, after begging for a shield I get
one, but have no quants to pay for and I'm dead the next round. Ranks right up there with getting nothing but pillars or cards that are your off suit.
shteev, what you get by changing elements is the one permanent pillar that cannot be destroyed, thats about it, but essential if you happen to win a "rare" of an element that you do not have. Of course, you could just switch to a multi-element approach and use quantum pillars.
My only real objection in this game is that some of the elements in the elder group
have stupid levels of rares like multiple miracle cards.
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