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    • Lost Lands Part 2 Mage Class Spoilers



      Greetings, players of Shadow Era. It's Gondorian here, Shadow Era TCG Head Designer, and I'm back to continue our new spoiler series for Lost Lands part 2, which will be focusing on each of our seven classes in turn. Last time, we had a look at the Hunter class, and before that it was the Warrior class. This week, it's the Mages that we hope will enchant you.

      Without further ado, let's take a look:


      Popsickle - 2cc Mage Ally - Undead - 1ice/4HP - 0: Popsickle attacks target opposing frozen ally if able.

      Subdue - 3cc Mage Attachment Ability - Attach to target opposing ally. That ally has Sustain 1HP and -2 attack. Allies adjacent to that ally have -1 attack.

      Disarming Personality - 3cc Mage Ability - Target weapon with X base attack becomes a readied ally with X base attack, health equal to its durability and no abilities.

      Leash of Life - 3cc Mage Artifact - While an ally is adjacent to your hero, that ally has immunity to enemy attachments and +1 health and its abilities cost 2 less resources to activate.

      Living Ice Wall - 3cc Mage Artifact - While Living Ice Wall is a frozen ally, it has protector. 0SE: If Living Ice Wall is an artifact, it becomes an ally with 2 ice base attack and 5 health and it is frozen for 2 turns.

      Tempest Runebearer - 3cc Mage Ally - 1electric/5HP - Ability damage to Tempest Runebearer is reduced by 1. While ability damage has been dealt this turn, Tempest Runebearer has +2 attack.

      Suspended Animation - 4cc Mage Ability - Target item in a graveyard is returned to play under your control as an ally with 2 ice base attack, 3 health and no abilities: all opposing allies are frozen for 1 turn.


      After looking over these cards, I hope you will agree we have come a long way in terms of marking out a clearer identity and direction for the class, with the idea of original magical spells becoming much more prominent. More specifically, three cards are focused on invoking transformations (joining Wand of Izikus and Transmogrification Curse) and two others represent localised bespoke ongoing effects (joining Consuming Fear, Incendiary Curse and Stoneskin).

      Some might say that this could be a bad thing - that cards like Fireball, Lightning Strike and Supernova will always be the signature Mage cards and we should stick to making more cards like that. Whilst I agree those cards will likely remain popular for years to come (and I like how easy it would be to code other variations of X damage for Y cost!), relying on similar cards for class identity severely limits how much generically useful ability damage and negative effects can be given to other classes without blurring the lines between classes too much. There's also a potential balance issue of creating too much redundancy and consistency for ability damage cards. So it's for these reasons, and the noble cause of just being more interesting, that we've been pushing the idea that our Mage Heroes have progressively learned more inventive and varied ways to dominate the battlefield.

      With all the magic out the way, we round out the seven new cards with two rather different allies: one that does ice damage and interacts with frozen allies; the other does electric damage and is intended to find its way into many Mage decks due to the combination of stats and abilities.

      Random fact: Popsickle is the first Undead ally that Humans have access to for deck-building (outside of Meltdown mode).

      If this doesn't seem like enough new allies for Mages to use, the aforementioned transformation abilities can get you quite a variety onto the battlefield! I don't know about you, but I really enjoy seeing some of our item artwork on cards in ally form (e.g. Thoughtful Investment, Tome of Knowledge). If this is the kind of thing that conjures a smile on your face, be sure to share your personal favourites and any you are looking forward to seeing when these cards are released.

      As with the previous spoilers, I'd like to close by thanking you for your patience since Lost Lands Part 1 was released, and emphasise that we are revealing cards from Lost Lands Part 2 now without artwork to offer everyone a better opportunity to get involved with shaping their final form. Your feedback on how you think they will impact the game (whether that be their power level or fun factor or something else) and any ideas you have for their artwork are most welcome.

      Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time, where we will be weighing up what the Rogue class has to offer us.


      This article was originally published in forum thread: Lost Lands Part 2 Mage Class Spoilers started by Gondorian
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      Comments 44 Comments
      1. pocketsoul's Avatar
        pocketsoul -
        The new cards are definitely an interesting bunch and I like the direction the mage class is going. My only concern is with this new ice-themed ally "Popsickle".

        He can be seen as a kiruth except, like a regular ally, can attack the hero. As a 2-cost, Popsickle won't be particularly able to ward/kill off other 2 or incoming 3-cost opposing allies so it isn't the safest bet for early board presence. For taking down opposing allies, this is where it's ability would come into play but realistically speaking it won't be much help early or late game.

        In terms of early gameplay, the closest time to start freezing allies is Freezing Grip on turn 3 and would then take a total of 2 turns for Popsickle to kill your average 4hp ally. This doesn't seem to viable in my opinion as there could be other options for allies and even bulking allies. Although Popsickle would survive hits from opposing allies, it won't from early gameplay cards like Snare trap, NYM or buffed 2-cost allies (Backstab).

        Late gameplay may be more difficult to really utilize Popsickle. For good use you would need Popsickle on the board, untouched, to play Voice of Winter, Suspended animation (good combo IMO), or Forgotten Horror. Sure Popsickle is going to be useful but really how useful? It will only be doing a total of 2 damage to a single ally and if you plan on using early buffing methods to really put a dent in your opposing allies, then you better be playing a stall deck to be able to get the whole Popsickle + Buff + Freeze opposing allies.

        Sorry for the semi-long critique but I enjoy the Ice-themed decks and this is something I wouldn't add in my decks unless I am getting rid of Kiruth, who will at least give me another body on board with the help of "Lyth: Kristan's Ridge".

        I know buffing him would probably make him a little too strong, but if anything I predict Popsickle will see a rejig. Unless someone would show me how to use it effectively that I have not thought of Still love the other cards and can't wait to see the other spoilers!
      1. ShrapnelFox's Avatar
        ShrapnelFox -
        Quote Originally Posted by Gondorian View Post
        Popsickle - 2cc Mage Ally - Undead - 1ice/4HP - 0: Popsickle attacks target opposing frozen ally if able.
        Equal to a Brutalis with a minor perk.
        Maybe a slight buff is still needed being mage specific card. (All 2 cc cards seem under powered against Warrior's Blade Dancer)
        0: Until the end of your turn Popsickle gains +1 attack and attacks target opposing frozen ally if able.

        Quote Originally Posted by Gondorian View Post
        Subdue - 3cc Mage Attachment Ability - Attach to target opposing ally. That ally has Sustain 1HP and -2 attack. Allies adjacent to that ally have -1 attack.

        Leash of Life - 3cc Mage Artifact - While an ally is adjacent to your hero, that ally has immunity to enemy attachments and +1 health and its abilities cost 2 less resources to activate.
        Not a fan of the new “position” based cards. If we’re copying this mechanic from Heathstone, will be adopting the mechanic of determining the position of where we play the cards as well? The concern being SE has some unintuitive logic, which could be extorted if you have the ability to manipulate card positions.


        Quote Originally Posted by Gondorian View Post
        Disarming Personality - 3cc Mage Ability - Target weapon with X base attack becomes a readied ally with X base attack, health equal to its durability and no abilities.
        I don’t see much value in this currently. Would be useful if it was:
        Disarming Personality - 5cc Mage Ability - Target weapon with X base attack becomes a readied ally with X base attack, health equal to its durability, has no abilities and you control the ally.
        Quote Originally Posted by Gondorian View Post
        Living Ice Wall - 3cc Mage Artifact - While Living Ice Wall is a frozen ally, it has protector. 0SE: If Living Ice Wall is an artifact, it becomes an ally with 2 ice base attack and 5 health and it is frozen for 2 turns.
        Undecided. I think with the 2 turns of being frozen it may need +1 (or more) health. Wait and see on this.

        Quote Originally Posted by Gondorian View Post

        Tempest Runebearer - 3cc Mage Ally - 1electric/5HP - Ability damage to Tempest Runebearer is reduced by 1. While ability damage has been dealt this turn, Tempest Runebearer has +2 attack.
        Likely to have its place it some Shadow decks.
        Quote Originally Posted by Gondorian View Post
        Suspended Animation - 4cc Mage Ability - Target item in a graveyard is returned to play under your control as an ally with 2 ice base attack, 3 health and no abilities: all opposing allies are frozen for 1 turn.
        Seems quite overpowered. Gaining a 2/3 ally (2 cc worth) and freezing all opposing allies (thus only costing 2cc) with the requirement of an item in the grave. (easily achieved and the item can be resued after the 2/3 ally is killed)


        Overall not overwhelmed by the new Mage specific cards. It is good to see some ice themed mage deck support as well as a focus on control over burn.
      1. Kross's Avatar
        Kross -
        Quote Originally Posted by ShrapnelFox View Post
        Not a fan of the new “position” based cards. If we’re copying this mechanic from Heathstone, will be adopting the mechanic of determining the position of where we play the cards as well? The concern being SE has some unintuitive logic, which could be extorted if you have the ability to manipulate card positions.
        I agree. I don't think these types of position based mechanics fit well with SE since SRO is already so reliant on positions.. Adding this seems to thematically conflict with SE's foundation

        Quote Originally Posted by ShrapnelFox View Post
        Undecided. I think with the 2 turns of being frozen it may need +1 (or more) health. Wait and see on this.
        Maybe, but dont forget that Aramia can put this thing in play for free
      1. Alendar's Avatar
        Alendar -
        Quote Originally Posted by Gondorian View Post
        If it has no abilities then the text is treated as blank, so it won't destroy a resource when it dies as an ally. You can already try this via Wand of Izikus.
        I wrote it because I have tried. And all is playing as i sayed. Maybe I need to try in 3.16...
      1. Demnchi's Avatar
        Demnchi -
        Quote Originally Posted by neratza713 View Post
        Living Ice Wall - 3cc Mage Artifact - While Living Ice Wall is a frozen ally, it has protector. 0SE: If Living Ice Wall is an artifact, it becomes an ally with 2 ice base attack and 5 health and it is frozen for 2 turns.
        -mediocre at best. A free ally for aramia every 4 turns. AT LEAST make it 4/5 and frozen, so that cards like Rejuvenating Ritual might see some play.
        If you want to use Rejuvenating Ritual to good effect, try out my Witch Doctor Eladwen deck. In fact, a few of these cards would fit very well into that deck I would imagine.
      1. frost09's Avatar
        frost09 -
        we are back #switchtomindlesseladwin
      1. A1 JitSunny's Avatar
        A1 JitSunny -
        The ice theme got me really interested in LL Part 2. Looking forward to the new set.
      1. mindy's Avatar
        mindy -
        very good items for aramia.
      1. LORDWOLFDOGG's Avatar
        LORDWOLFDOGG -
        Ohh buddy im loving it. Bring on all the mage cards. Awesomnessz!!!

        Sent from my LG-V496 using Tapatalk
      1. dejvo's Avatar
        dejvo -
        Gondo what's the interaction between ALR and subdue? ALR removes sustain and attack penalty for subdued ally, but adjacent allies still get penalty, right? How about I cast ALR on adjacent ally - ALR wording states ally has immunity to enemy attachments that's all, so by that logic the subdue attack penalty is now removed, right?
      1. Gondorian's Avatar
        Gondorian -
        Quote Originally Posted by dejvo View Post
        Gondo what's the interaction between ALR and subdue? ALR removes sustain and attack penalty for subdued ally, but adjacent allies still get penalty, right? How about I cast ALR on adjacent ally - ALR wording states ally has immunity to enemy attachments that's all, so by that logic the subdue attack penalty is now removed, right?
        Good questions. A Legend Rises only gives immunity to the ally it is attached to, so ALR+Subdue on an ally means no sustain and no attack reduction for that ally, but adjacent allies will be affected by Subdue. If you put ALR on an ally adjacent to Subdue then indeed that ally will not suffer the -1 because it's from an enemy attachment.
      1. Steedious's Avatar
        Steedious -
        It looks like people weren't as excited for the Mage Spoilers as they were for the hunter spoilers. I just hope the Rogue class cards are better than these honestly.
      1. Megatog201's Avatar
        Megatog201 -
        Love the new cards guys. These are great! I don't see any over powered cards. Subdue is pretty suspect, but if it brings control to the game then I'm down. The one that freezes everything looks interesting. Wouldn't be at all surprised if or when it becomes a major player. And shadow will love the ability to finally have protection. Best part is when you cast horror it will protect the big undead guy... Again, well done.

        Edit: okay I noticed something so kinda need to edit things. The tribe homulcous are all created from something, right? I think making the living ice wall homulcous would be a good idea.
      1. tolerance's Avatar
        tolerance -
        may i ask when will the next spoilers out?
        thanks
      1. tman507's Avatar
        tman507 -
        Quote Originally Posted by tolerance View Post
        may i ask when will the next spoilers out?
        thanks
        Probably never at the rate it seems to be going

        Really disappointed as well, seemed for a bit like Wulven had started up some good outreach with the updates and spoilers, but that hardly lasted. I personally have stopped hoping anything new will be out anytime soon, at least if we heard of anything going on it would be bearable, but we get nothing.
      1. Kross's Avatar
        Kross -
        Quote Originally Posted by Gondorian View Post
        Subdue - 3cc Mage Attachment Ability - Attach to target opposing ally. That ally has Sustain 1HP and -2 attack. Allies adjacent to that ally have -1 attack.
        I feel like this may need to be rejigged into a 2cc. but we will see.

        Quote Originally Posted by Gondorian View Post
        Leash of Life - 3cc Mage Artifact - While an ally is adjacent to your hero, that ally has immunity to enemy attachments and +1 health and its abilities cost 2 less resources to activate.
        I think this is a great card, but I feel like it should be rejigged into a neutral, 2/3cc artifact. I think it could really spice up the game if all classes had access to it.
      1. Ballyworld -
        Kross,

        You recommendation for leash is interesting. Would really help enhance semi-solo heros and the mechanic could be similar to super focus and be limited to one ally only if making it neutral would be too powerful.



        Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
      1. Gondorian's Avatar
        Gondorian -
        It's time to reveal all the artwork for these Mage cards:













      1. Vexmaw's Avatar
        Vexmaw -
        Very nice, thanks for sharing
      1. Shadow Dragons's Avatar
        Shadow Dragons -
        Nice ice theme!
        Winter has come!!
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