This post is made in continuation to the previous battle challenge post about Gem Meteor. Blood Maker and Gem Meteor are worth 5 mana and they both have very similar status. Therefore it is interesting to compare both card and see their respective strengths. So let's cast down our spell upon these cards!
Pros & Cons
| 1. The card have a typical status of a ranged card. For a 5 mana ranged card, the card started with 2 damage (fair enough), 3 health (a bit low), and 3 speed (above average). | 1. Low health will make this card very vulnerable from any attack including damaging environment (Earthquake and Noxious Fumes ruleset) |
| 2. This card has a rather rare ability. Scattershot are quite are as there're only 7 card owned this ability, and it is the only card owned it from Fire Splinter. Cripple (which attained at later level) is found more often, but still there're only 2 card from Fire Splinter owned this ability (the other card is Caladuum which cost 11 mana). | 2. It's a complex card which require deep thought on deployment (even more complex than Gem Meteor!). Not only its difficult to control random targeting of Scattershot ability; but also Cripple ability, which is more effective for attack hitting a consistent target, will be downplayed by this random targeting. |
| 3. Scattershot is a unique since its the only target modifying ability (for example Sneak, Snipe, Opportunity, etc.) which isn't affected by Taunt ability. | |
| *Reference for Archetype term : Striker --> Superior Damage / Tanker --> Superior Health / Ninja --> Superior Speed. |
Market Price Analysis
Market price for regular foil is flat and quite stable which is a typical price for Reward edition card. The gold foil is in a downtrend but with small deviation. As per this post was made, the price for regular foil is $0.01 and for gold foil is $0.11. With regular-gold price ratio at 1:10 and regular-gold bcx (for each level) between 9:1 to 10:1, we can conclude that it is very beneficial to take purchase gold foil. But with downtrend still happening, it might be better to do Dollar-Cost Averaging technique.
Progression Analysis
Blood Maker start with average status for a ranged card. But as Common type, this card gained a lot of progression steps. Up to Level 5, the card gained a equal growth for all status, rotating between speed, health, and damage. Only at Level 4, there's a small setback, with health downgrading back to 3 to compensate the damage growth. And then there's a small break at Level 6 where it gained Cripple ability. The status growth continue to rotate until ended with damage growth on Level 10.
In my opinion, although the growth looks balanced, the status on any level are less motivating to be achieved. Blood Maker doesn't seemed to have clear stand as any of the archetype (Striker, Tanker, Ninja, or Support card). Health started low and still low until max level (the setback at Level 4 cost a quite a lot). Speed might be the primary strength, but with no ability related to speed status, this strength might be less valuable. Damage growth is quite decent, but since the final growth on damage attained at max level, it become too costly to develop this card as Striker type card.
Take a look the status comparison between Gem Meteor and Blood Maker. Both card are very similar in status and abilities. Gem Meteor have weaker damage but better health than Blood Maker. But at later level, they both have the same status (except for the higher speed on Blood Maker.
With all this explained conditions, and also the complexity of the abilities, it's truly difficult to find the right motivation to somehow use and develop this card.
Rulesets To Be Watched
| Ruleset | Strategy |
|---|---|
| Super Sneak, Equal Opportunity, and Target Practice ruleset will be less useful for card with Scattershot ability, since this ability always takes precedent and override all other target modifying ability. | |
| As happened to other high speed card. Reverse Speed will jeopardize all the speed benefit from Blood Maker. | |
| Blood Maker have high evasion and decent health; this make it suitable to be a Sub-Tanker for the front row. Close Range ruleset not only take benefit Blood Maker as Sub-Tanker but also its high damage gained at latter Level. | |
| Scattershot will give around 50% to 75% chances for attack to hit the middle row. The middle row is the most effective target for in Explosive Weaponry ruleset to gain the maximum two blast damage. |
Here's one of my battle experience with Blood Maker in my formation. Click Here for the battle link. The battle have 28 mana cap, with Standard ruleset (well recently I've been falling behind to bronze level). For my formation, I used:
| Position | Card Name | Level | Mana | Health | Armor | Speed | Damage Type | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summoner | Tarsa | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1st Row | Antoid Platoon | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Melee | 1 |
| 2nd Row | Radiated Brute | 1 | 5 | 5 | - | 1 | Melee | 2 |
| 3rd Row | Tenyii Striker | 1 | 5 | 6 | - | 2 | Melee | 2 |
| 4th Row | Djinn Apprentice | 1 | 5 | 4 | - | 2 | Magic | 2 |
| 5th Row | Blood Maker | 1 | 5 | 3 | - | 3 | Ranged | 2 |
| 6th Row | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
My opponent formation:
| Position | Card Name | Level | Mana | Health | Armor | Speed | Damage Type | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summoner | General Sloan | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1st Row | Shieldbearer | 1 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 2 | Melee | 2 |
| 2nd Row | Venari Crystalsmith | 1 | 4 | 4 | - | 2 | Ranged | 1 |
| 3rd Row | Time Mage | 1 | 4 | 3 | - | 4 | Magic | 1 |
| 4th Row | Pelacor Arbalest | 1 | 6 | 2 | - | 2 | Ranged | 2 |
| 5th Row | Xenith Archer | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | 1 | Ranged | 1 |
| 6th Row | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
This is bloodbath battle since both formation have summoner which buff the damage output. My formation's buff strengthen 3 melee card, while opponent's buff strengthen 3 ranged card. I played my "3 Champions of Fire" (please refer to my previous post). It tried to spread my attack by putting Antoid and Brute to strike the frontier with Djinn as follow-up attack, while Tenyii strike the back row, and finally Blood Maker just as supporting attack. But to my surprise, the opponent put a glass cannon formation by putting the formidable Shieldbearer, and then 3 ranged card which will be buffed by General Sloan. One of the ranged card is the dangerous Pelacor Arbalest with its double strike ability. And the final key to this solid formation is Time Mage with Slow ability, which put my formation timing falling behind.
When the 1st round started, the Slow ability really deal the trick. The barrage of arrow from Venari and Pelacor ranged have put an end to Antoid. Here we see Blood Maker using Scattershot ability play it skill to bypass Taunt ability and luckly shoot down Xenith Archer before it shoot any. And then Shieldbearer managed to hit Radiated Brute. The total damage of Antoid and Radiated are too much since not only both card are 4 and 5 mana card, but also they both benefit from the damage buff.
Again in Round the fury of ranged damage put a massive damage to my last 2 tanker. Tenyii now standa as the last tanker with only 2 health. Venari play a very supportive role by heal Shieldbearer two times already. And here we see another skillful act by Blood Maker. The scattershot luckily again hit and eliminated a ranged card, and this time its Pelacor Arbalest!
By the start of Round 3, Shieldbearer still stand strong with heal ability keeping its health floating. Meanwhile Venari with its damage already buffed, shoot into Tenyii and eliminated it. Blood Maker managed to throw another scattershot which hit Venari Crystalsmith, but Venari survived with 2 health left. The tide of the battle have turned against me as Djinn is in the frontline with only 3 health left.
Round 5 started, and with opponent attack with exactly 3 damage against Djinn, then my fate is sealed, as Blood Maker move to 1st row as cannon fodder.
Did your strategy work? What will you try differently next time?
My strategy didn't work because the Taunt ability make my Tenyii unable to backstab the last row position. In addition those ranged card (with buffed damage) really put a destructive damage to my frontier. If only there's more striking power toward the Shieldbearer, there's a chance Shieldbearer could be destroyed on 2nd Round and won't benefit much from Heal ability.
Do you like BLOOD MAKER? Why or why not?
Blood Maker and its Scattershot ability have changed the course of the battle by destroying Xenith Archer and Pelacor Arbalest in two consecutive rounds. But again a luck factor is in place, since there's a chance the attack might just hit Shieldbearer itselft. Scattershot are difficult to predict, and in this case, using it just to bypass Taunt ability is a less effective use-case. Fury ability which double the damage against card with Taunt ability is a more certain tactics.