Date: Tue, 15 Nov 94 18:16 PST
From: (Nicholas Fang) <fang@cse.ogi.edu>
Subject: Agbaar's guide Addendum 2 Part a

======================================================================
----------------Agbaar's Guide to the Isles, ver 1.0------------------
---------------Addendum 2: Color Combinations of Blue-----------------
------------------And Uses for More Spells*Part 1---------------------
======================================================================

        You are still sitting in Agbaar's den, and he begins
again. "Now then, back to the spells themselves. There are several
spells I have yet to mention that are difficult to come by, but are
valued by all who possess them. They are the magics of increasing your
spell memory and manipulating time.
        Ancestral Recall and Braingeyser are 2 of the extremely few
and valuable cards that allow you to draw at no penalty, an ability
that is quite akin to the mental nature of blue. Both of these spells
enable you to get around the limitation of the number of spells you
have access to. 
        Ancestral Recall was found to be so powerful that it has
ceased to be produced, and you must find an old copy from another mage
to utilize it. However, it bolsters one of the greatest effects that
you can obtain from a one mana spell...the drawing or forcing of your
opponent to draw 3 cards.
        Braingeyser is still readily available, and for a greater
cost, allows you to draw as many cards as you have mana
for. Oftentimes, this ability will give you the knowledge to win your
duels.
        In combination with the Black Vise, however, these spells take
new meaning. Forcing your opponent to draww will cause the squeeze of
the Vise to be that much stronger. And when you suspect that your
opponent is nearing the end of their resources, the Braingeyser may
push them over the edge to defeat.
        There are also the spells of Time Walk and Timetwister, both
found to be so powerful that they are now no longer in
production. Timetwister allows you to reverse the course of time,
drawing old spells and new alike into one resource for you to plunder
again. Your opponent also gains this benefit, but you can use this
spell to your advantage when you either have a smaller deck than they
or when you have fewer spells available, as you will renew your spell
resources.
        Time Walk grants you the boon of doubled action. A powerful
boon indeed. Oftentimes this extra period of activity will mean the
difference in a long and drawn out duel."
        "Thre is also a pair of spells unique to blue that will allow
you to use your opponent's mana against them. Mana Short and Drain
Power, while confusing, can be very effective.
        Both are used best during your opponent's upkeep, if you seek
to prevent them from casting more spells that turn. During their
upkeep they may only use spells of instant and interrupt speed. This
greatly hampers their development. However, another situation to use
these spells is during your turn, before casting a spell of
importance, to assure it's successful casting.
        One particularly nice trick with Drain Power is to control
those creatures with a mana upkeep cost. Your opponent will expect you
to fall to it's upkeep, but you can use Drain Power during your upkeep
before paying upkeep costs, and his mana will power your newfound
creature. One case in particular that works especially well with Drain
Power is Vaevictus Asmadi, which you can pay off, then spend the
rest of the mana into pumping up. Next turn, it dies, not to be used
by your opponent again."
        "However, I suspect that you did not come for this," he
surmises. You nod your acknowledgement. You tell him of your trials in
the use of blue. "Although I have found blue to be of use, I have been
unable to obtain the spells necessary to make it stand on it's
own. Have you any advice for this situation?" you ask.
        Agbaar scratches his chin, and walks over to a nearby
bookcase. He draws out an old and often used tome, with a worn blue
cover hanging off of its binding. As he returns to his seat, you can
see the delicate book has not only blue on the cover, but smatterings
of other colors on the front of it.
        "Yes, you are now ready for the intricacies of combining blue
with another color, for although blue stands alone in all the magics,
it's combination with other colors, when used properly, can be the
devastating addition necessary to win."
        He shows the cover of the book to you. It reads...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            Combinations of Magic :
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        
        Flipping open the book, he shows you first-

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        Combinations of Abjuration :
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Blue and Black : The Magics of Death and Deceit
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        
        Agbaar begins to read. "When combined, the magics of Black and
of Blue mesh well into a finely tuned spellbook. Blue provides you
with the means to counter all spells, while Black gives you added
enchantments and spells to destroy and subvert artifacts and
creatures. Black adds to blue the power of many creatures with varied
abilities that blue is lacking, as well as many enchantments.
        One of the most important things that Black gives to Blue is
that it can destroy and subvert artifacts and creatures. Blue has the
power to control them, and can send them back to their casters'
memories to be countered later, but spells like Terror get rid of them
outright. Useful in certain situations, when you haven't got a Control
Magic to spare.
        Several of the spells of Black have vulnerabilities in that
they cannot affect spells and creatures of the same color. However,
blue has the spells that can remedy this. Fear is a good
example. Using Sleight of Mind on Fear can render a creature
unblockable to all colors but one of your choosing, and almost
inevitably there will be a color that your opponent does not
use. Gloom is also another prime candidate for Sleight of Mind, to
hamper your foe's development.
        Black and Blue have a deadly combination of landwalking and
evasion abilities. Between islandwalking and swampwalking and Magical
Hack, you can conjure up creatures that can stealthily travel through
any terrain. Of course, you can alternatively use Fear or Invisiblity
for even more evasionary abilities, as well as Flight, which is
slightly less effective. As a final strike, Teleport is well used on
creatures such as the Frozen Shade or Carrion Ants, to render them
unblockable for a turn. 
        One benefit that Blue gives to black is that Black creatures
often have gruesome upkeep costs. In fact, with the release of The
Dark, we are sure to see more. Blue gives you the unique ability to
use these creatures until you have no use for them or cannot pay the
upkeep, and then Unsummon them back to memory, to be used again at a
more appropriate time.
        Several individual spells come to mind especially. Demonic
Hordes, while you can pay them, do a valuable service for you. They
destroy land. And when your opponent finds themself lacking on land,
they are easy pickings for a mage of Blue. The Lord of the Pit is a
devastating attacking creature, and can safely be withdrawn whenever
necessary. 
        One especially effective tool is Word of Command, which
normally has limitations, as if the opponent only has creatures in
mind, all you can do is force them to summon a creature right
away. But with blue, you can force a spell to be cast and then counter
it. Extremely effective for getting rid of a spell that they were
saving for when you has no mana."
        Suddenly, a parchment materializes out of thin air, which
Agbaar casually opens and reads. "Ahh yes, Mercenary brings up a good
point. Deathgrip makes an excellent target for Sleight of Mind, to
help counter your opponent's spells."

        Agbaar pauses, as a small rat nibbles on his boot. He
contemplates controlling the rat and sending it away to bother the
Lord of the Mountains, but decides against such an unjudicious use of
a spell. He gestures, and suddenly, a streaking bolt of light zaps
down, and the rat is gone. "Nothing to be worried of," he remarks to
you, "Just a Zephyr Falcon that has taken akin to me. Now then, where
were we..." Agbaar flips through some more pages, and you can hear
some of the weathered pages crinkle. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        Combinations of Abjuration :
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Blue and White : The Magics of Protection and Counteraction
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

        "Here you switch allegiances, from the evil and dark magic of
Black to the pure and holy magic of White. In White, you find spells
of protection, defense, and purity, such as the Circles of Protection,
the Wall of Swords, and the Serra Angel. In this facet, White is a
perfect partner to Blue in a deck of defense, adding to blue's powers
of deception and counteraction the power of defense and protection. 
        Not only this, but White has two creatures that fit in rather
nicely with blue's creatures that master the skies. Those are the Wall
of Swords and the Serra Angel, which are respectively the best aerial
defending wall and a creature of high attack and defensive
formiddability.
        White helps considerably with the cards that blue cannot
counter, usually due to a lack of mana or a lack of cards. The Circles
of Protection are extremely useful against creatures, which is
fortunate because besides the Boomeranging and countering method, blue
has little to do with creatures. In addition, Circles of Protection
give you a blanket of protection, and wards give your creatures
protection. Together, these protections give you the time you need to
stay alive until you can power your way to victory with Mahamoti
Djinns and Serra Angels.
        White has a very effecive spell in diabling your opponent's
land usage, namely Conversion. This spell is even more effective with
blue due to blue's ability to hack a spell itself. Magical Hack and
Conversion together are truly a devastating combination.
        Perhaps even more devastating is Karma, which can put a quick
end to the game for a Black Player. But why not Hack that to kill a
Red or a Green player as well? And the Circles and Wards
aforementioned are easy targets for a Sleight of Mind. White possesses
many spells that are fortified by the Hacking and Sleighting
properties of Blue.
        Of course, a creature that is very excellent to Sleight of
Mind is the Northern Paladin, as it can easily cripple the development
of someone any color with but a slight change.
        White also has several spells that can help to remove or
counter creatures, artifacts, and enchantments in play. The most
common of these is Disenchant, which can be thoroughly useful for the
blue mage who hasn't got a counterspell in memory. This handy spell
takes out enchantments and artifacts. Truly a powerful spell.
        There is also the Divine Offering, which not only destroys any
artifact, but will suck it's essence and give it to you in the form of
life, which is always useful. On the other side of the coin. Swords to
Plowshares grants your opponent life, but has the benefit of burying
the creature in question.
        Animate Wall can be a useful spell when animating your Walls
of Water, as they are innately born with a talent I refer to as
'Waterbreathing', and this makes them very formidable
attackers. Balance works especially well for Blue, as Blue usually has
less creatures in play, and also has an equal or less amount of spells
in hand due to it's nature of countering.
        Armageddon can be a very useful card, especially if you are in
the unfortunate position of being behind in land development. Better
is when you have several powerful creatures out, such as Island Fish
and Mahamoti Djinns, and use Armageddon to hamper your opponent's
devolopment enough to kill them.
        Wrath of God can be an extremely devastating card, as it can
quickly wipe out opposing hordes of small creatures. This gives you
the opportunity to start out fresh anew, with your own much larger
creatures. 
        The Personal Incarnation is especially suited to playing with
White and Blue, because Blue has the means of protecting the Personal
Incarnation by means of countering any Terrors or other spells that
could send your Incarnation into a premature death."

***End of Part One***


--Agbaar the Abjurer, Mage of Blue

----------------- 
This document was written as a treatise on blue magic by Nicholas
J. Fang (fang@orange.cse.ogi.edu). Feel free to distribute as you
wish...although I'd appreciate it if my name was on it somewhere.

P.S. Note : Is this interesting and helpful to you all? Comments are
welcomed and appreciated. As you can all tell, I am more of a
strategist than a writer, so if you are looking for a good story, go
seek Canticle or Morgan. Would you be interested in Addendums to
cover : Card by Card, the expansions, combinations? 


Ancestral Recall and Ivory Tower.
Timetwister and Underworld Dreams.

-- 

Nicholas J. Fang             Interactive Systems (Media) Group
Agbaar on SCS-ML/r.g.d       Computer Science/Engineering Dept.
fang@orange.cse.ogi.edu      Oregon Graduate Institute-Portland, OR