The spell states that the target loses 3 Pips, right?
So my question is, when you use the spell, the target loses his/her pips, shouldn't the target then be forced to pass if the target was going to use a spell requiring said about of pips instead of still be given the chance to actually use the spell with no pips?
In other words, say I'm fighting a Mob. The storm mob has three power pips. I attack with Mana Burn, the mob looses all those pips, but the mob still casts Kracken. If the mob lost it's pips, how is it possible for the mob to still cast a spell requiring those pips? Shouldn't the mob instead be forced to pass?
Wasn't this the way the spell was intended to work?
I think the logic is, if you've already selected the spell when a pip steal/destroy is applied to you ... you've already used up those pips, so to speak. So they're already gone.
It's been a relief to have the mechanic work that way, especially when I had all my pips ready to go to take out the minion in Azteca and his Ice boss slammed me with Lord of Winter.
And that experience that I'm talking about is exactly why the spells work as they do. Having spells like Mana Burn or Lord of Winter used against us in battle is excruciating if they also force us to lose the opportunity to use even the spell we had already selected. It can actually be deadly.
My balance has mana burn...it is an awsome card to use...and I have to say I have not actually done the math with the hits, but perhaps this might be possibility....you said your storm mob had 3 power pips. According to info I have been ABLE to find, a mana burn card thrown will do 80 per pip of damage and the opponent will lose 3 pips. ok....but it really didnt state that it would be 3 Power Pips....Im thinking its regular pips intended, which means your Storm opponent has 3 power pips or 6 regular....which means he would have 6x80 for damage and lose 3, with 3 white pips (or 1yellow and 1white) remaing. If you go First in this battle, you can do damage well, if your opponent goes first its a situation of "are you feeling lucky" that your card will do a lot of damage before he throws his....if I do not go first I seldom use the card for damage but Will use it just to keep my opponent's pips down.I can put a +30hex on them, +25 and +20 on me and yes, for a 5pip card it can get some respect!
I originally thought the same as you when i first encountered these spells.
But as an ice wizard, i have other wizards but my ice is my main surprisingly since i started storm first, But anyway, lord of winter takes 3 pips after it does its attack. I first noticed that it will actually just take 3 pips from you, powers or not. When i was on the receiving end of lord of winter. If you just have white pips than it will take those but at the level of lord of winter, white pips aren't very common. Well hopefully anyway. It's like if you are casting a 3 pip school specific spell and you only have two power pips. You don't get a pip in change, it just takes the lot. So if you have three power pips, it will take three power pips. If you have three white pip it will take the whites. And the same with mana burn.
I'm super glad now that it doesn't make you pass if your pips are taken away. Because that would be horrible. When repeatedly getting slammed with lord of winter or mana burn, not only does it get annoying but concerning when your health starts getting to an uncomfortable level. You could die, easily and repeatedly and there wouldn't be any way around that. You wouldn't have the pips to heal and it would be incredibly unbalanced and unfair gameplay.
Doing lord of winter or mana burn second can be actually quite useful by slowing the enemies attacks down.
I do find it kinda fun though, like that boss in avalon that cheat casts reshuffle. It adds something new to the gameplay. Something different. I like that. Makes you think in a different way :)
Just wanted some clarity on the situation on spells like these.
A friend asked me about it in the game since the description on the card seems to match up with the very intent of what I was asking about, so there was just a small confusion there.
However, to most of you guys' point, it's good the spell works this way and not the way of having you pass o:
Mob. The storm mob has three power pips. I attack with Mana Burn, the mob looses all those pips, but the mob still casts Kracken. If the mob lost it's pips, how is it possible for the mob to still cast a spell requiring those pips? Shouldn't the mob instead be forced to pass?
Alia Misthaven
