#NAME:Ball Lightning # #DESC:"You are nothing #DESC: But more fuel #DESC: For my insatiable #DESC: Rage!" # Ball Lightning (M10) *4 Beacon of Destruction (10E) *2 # 28 direct damage spells Flame Burst (ODY) *4 Flame Javelin (SHM) *4 Kindle (TMP) *4 Lava Spike (CHK) *4 Lightning Bolt (M10) *4 Fire Tempest (POR) *2 Volcanic Hammer (POR) *4 Howling Mine (10E) *4 # accelerates the game, makes more # # damage spells available Mountain (10E) *24 # Cards considered, but not included: # Sonic Burst - 4 damage is nice, discarding a card is not. # Shock - nice damage per cost ratio, but 2 damage is too little, # especially since the AI likes to use it on creatures with # toughness >2 # Steam Blast - nice effect on all creatures and players, but # damage amplitude of 2 is just a bit too little. # # Blaze - AI currently casts spells with "X" cost for too weak an # effect # Char - damage per cost ratio too low, and damages caster as well # Earthquake - difficult to fine-tune for the AI: too little mana # and the effect might be wasted, too much mana and the effect # might be dangerous for the AI and its creatures as well. # Fault Line - more expensive than Earthquake for same effect # Fire Tempest - very expensive, and too dangerous for the AI # Fireball - AI doesn't choose targets well # Flamewave Invoker - ability too expensive compared to Beacon of # Destruction # Lava Axe - Too expensive for one-time use, esp. since red mana # acceleration is currently not possible # Lightning Blast - Too expensive # Puncture Blast - damage per cost ratio too low. Wither damage # would help against big creatures, but so do the walls, and the # opponent hopefully won't last long enough to bring many big # creatures out anyway. # Puncture Bolt - effect too weak # Scorching Spear - effect too weak # Zap - too little damage, the AI often uses it on a creature # that doesn't get killed by it, so the card is wasted. # Jayemdae Tome - casting cost and ability cost too expensive in # that deck; Howling Mine serves the same purpose, and hopefully # the opponent will be dead before he can make much use of the # cards he draws. # Cards removed from the deck: # none # Notes: # # The AI doesn't target the damage spells well, often wasting them # on creatures that are tough enough to survive the damage, or # casting them on creatures when it could have won they game by # targeting the opponent. # # The AI sometimes casts Ball Lightning and then doesn't attack # with it, effectively wasting the card.