Vapor Mahal - 4 | Common
Building
Gives E.
Base E.

At end of round Vapor Mahal takes 1 Damage.
No Ruin. When destroyed it goes to bottom of your deck.
Atk 0 | HP 5 | Speed 0 | Vision 2 | Range 0


OK. I saw it in game, I saw it on paper and... I don't think that 5hp, 2 vision, base, +1 domain should cost 4 flux even with the penalty of going down in max. 5 rounds (unless there is 2 flux Iron Gate used, of course).
Starting battle with 10 flux all other domains can deploy 7 flux base (I know that Legion can also deploy Dank Pit for 2 flux but it has 3hp and 1 vision and gives no domain). With Vapor Mahal Elementals are able to deploy (with a bit luck of draws) 3 of those in just 2 rounds (total flux needed is just 12) and taking 2 flux wells.

Surprisingly badly designed, I would say. Penalty is really not compensating its early-game power.

Alten has found the deck that abuses this, i think it could be improved even more, this is kind of wonky, on one side it seems fair enough by itself, but its early game potental is insane, and this is proven.

Maybe the fix is to have it have a domain requirement, as well as possably costing 5 flux considering all you get. I think requiring a domain upon it may be a neccessity.

Requiring the domain would change this card really strongly.

I'm not sure of that because maybe the idea is to let Elementals be quite fast in early-game. The problem is that this is definitely TOO fast.

I've been massacred early on by this card as well. BabyLeech and I were actually watching the same set of games on Sunday night and struck up a conversation about how broken this card seems. I agree that it completely throws off the pace of a match. But I'm not an intelligent enough man to give a proper suggestion on how it should be fixed. I agree with Leech above that adding a domain requirement completely changes the tenor of the card. I was thinking its Vision could be decreased to 1 (so that the users aren't able to add domain *and* control a flux point quite so early). Or maybe it can add domain, but not be counted as a base.

At first view it looks good, but usually you can do it in three rounds if you have only mahals and don't have any other domain buildings. And when you did it your first mahal is almost dead so you need to create new one at first flux, so actually you just loosing instead getting an advantage.

P.S. For example sylvan can capture central Flux with any building and two watch towers.

Just to bump and put in my 2c.. Altren does speak the truth, but that neglects that you just got to 3 domain on the 2nd turn, which is a huge advantage.

.. and you are back at 2 the next, and constantly spending all of your flux to keep it there after that, recasting the Mahals. So you got one 3D creature out and spend five rounds trying to stabilize your economy. I don't see this being nearly as good as you guys seem to think it is...

Personally I don't have a probelm with this card as it currently is. Sylvan can lay a base for 7, a creature for 1 or 2 that has very high movement, and then cast emerald spring to start capping another flux well on the second turn (terrain willing). Granted, this doesn't give you domain, but it doesn't die after 5 rounds, and it has 8hp.

I think ele decks were meant to burn quickly and bright...and if they can't dominate within that short time, they get snuffed out in the end.

ive been playing what i can asemble of THEE ELEMENTAL deck and i have no trouble maintaning my 3 domain once i hit it, i can put pressure on them with one or two cards tie up all there resources and drop removal if needed with such efficency i can drop a coupl magmas after my rush, if i dont end right back with mahals, without letting my opponute get 2 domain still. Its there efficency for cost that makes it so dangerous, they can apply presure to you out the gate at their leisure.

A few elemental cards need tweeked, it's not soley one card be broken,
fire ent needs a cost raise, at least to 4 flux,
mahal needs some tweek but as of what were not sure yet, i think removing its base ability would be substancal in slowing elemental uber-agression
horizons is a lot more fair then it seems, this line seemed crazy till i played with it, basicly you waste it all to drop one beatstick, Lord Zygoth or the Tempest are my personl choice favorites. more can be said but ill leave it for another post, as this is focusing on mahal.

Getting to three domain is probably the biggest problem with this building. Although, hitting the middle flux on the second or third turn even with building maintenance is not balanced when you can drop a Mogi Nest for two flux to solidify the claim and allow you to branch for another corner without using creatures and avoiding any of the pitfalls of terrain. Autodraw makes sure that your likelihood of getting enough Mahals is high since it gives domain. Maps with heavy mountain/hill/ocean terrain cripple most other decks ability to combat the Mahal. Combined with Scorched Horizons for that extra push you might need (a card which is probably fine when the Mahal is out of the picture) this is a broken building.

I'd suggest raising the cost to five flux which would keep someone from hitting three domain by the third turn and making the building give either base or domain to keep creatures from being played that shouldn't be on the table yet.