by ToeSama
MajaiofDreams wrote:
Was this mentioned at some point by the designers, or are you assuming that's the case? Because assumption or not it does seem like that's the case. Moonbeasts almost could read "when summoned, target opponent loses one doom point". And that changes the entire feel of the monster.
Assumption, but it's one based in quite a bit of play. I don't use Moon Beasts too often, but they are a cornerstone strategy if and when I do simply for their versatility. I either luck out and my enemies know what I'm trying to do, so they suck it up and lack a spellbook effect for a turn, or they pay the Doom and put themselves behind. I get what I'm after either way.
Plus you have to take the example for Yellow Sign's Third Eye spellbook to account for everyone. 1 Value Elder Signs are more common than 2 or 3, so even if you drain 1 Doom and they gain an Elder Sign later, it's quite likely they've not made up the difference, but simply restored the loss. That counts when it matters the most. One Moon Beast can make a single Elder Sign a pretty crummy acquisition. It technically also turns a single 2 or 3 into a 1 or 2 respectively in the grand scheme of things. So that you get four of them to play with can be quite a mean little trick. Especially if you cycle them back into your pool to do again later.
Doom is required to win. Spellbook effects are certainly helpful for that purpose, but they are not. If your enemy can't pull ahead after a few well placed Moon Beast drops, they might not get the chance to.
I've also been on the receiving end of this, so I've seen it on both sides. It's not an easy choice to make.