Spore Launcher Ideas

[Enraged]

Gday and happy new years!  Saw the stream after the fact, congrats on the 3rd anniversary!  I rediscovered this a month or so ago and have gone back to my roots from the EA days by playing roots for most of my time!  The sylvan gate really makes a difference, very useful and enables map wide networks!  Have done every campaign map with roots including oceans (only 2 islands are unreachable by a single network if I remember right) and while I do take spore launcher in my deck, its advantages are fairly niche.   The main difference it has positively is its damage is more 'spike' damage rather than over time.  Only really useful on like bad harvest when trying to kill the shamans before their health jumps up, if you sync up enough spore launchers then they dont get that chance.  The disadvantages when compared to razorleaf are significant, primarily the anti air capacity, and when fully supported they both do enough damage anyway.  

 

In order to separate them, you either nerf razorleaf (which id not suggest!) or buff spore launcher, but id say it needs to bring something different to the table as just slapping more damage on it might not be necessary when razorleaf fully supported kills most things in a shot!  Ive got a few thoughts on potential options that might help!

 

- Adding more range and potentially an artillery type arc that shoots over areas you normally cant (doubt thats viable though from the feel of those areas).  Extra range is nice, opens up a few options on the offense, lets it counter other artillery type structures without being hit, but ultimately its not that much of an issue, can usually just tank thru it with forests vim.  Increased radius would be nice too, but once again its just a luxury.

- Adding a disable to its attack, say the spore causes a delayed cast of ensnaring roots to sprout, or is full of paralysing spores kind of like the gemeye.  Something like parasite wouldnt be as good, as most things are dead, at least the delayed disable can catch the next wave, and stunning them lets the razorleaf hit them easier as it can struggle to hit moving targets.  Unfortunately thanks to the damage of fully powered up roots, most of this is as irrelevant as its knockback small and medium, as they are just dead.  Maybe if it can penetrate boss resistances it will have a more substantial niche?  Could have 2 types, one with root spores one with paralysis spores I suppose, but root decks are already pretty packed, very hard to add things to them!

- Delayed explosion spores, so there is the impact hit then afterwards the spores explode for a 2nd wave of damage.  Could also cause the ground to quake and slow enemies, though I think the option above with roots bursting out of the ground from the spore seeds and entangling foes (and maybe bringing flying units to the ground if being really daring) would look cooler.  

- Having spore launcher add some kind of passive effect into the root network, perhaps when it kills units it absorbs them and restores void power or something,  bit of a stretch there at long range but maybe the spores swiftly decompose them?  Root decks main issue is energy, being the amount locked up by expensive units, supporters and repeaters, so a way to get power back is nice, though ways to return power from existing units/buildings or discount them are better.  Dont really think spore launcher could do that though, and is too late to do a breeding grounds effect.  Maybe if when it kills things it can leech stored power into the void pool from connected units, sort of like some shadow effects, but represented by decomposing its victims in the natural cycle.  Once again, its probably a bit late for this kind of effect to work as you usually only need to add a couple of spores to the force at this point, having built the network at t3 and added the supporters and razorleaves, I find its just throwing in a few spores and extending said network for t4.  

 

I think if spore launcher can become the damage/disabler with razorleaf being the support that clears air it would become much more tempting.  Given the damage of properly used root units, the better way to differentiate is if spores add alot of value to taking out bosses, as most well supported t2/t3 root units will clear out t4 comfortably, and if they cant 1 hit them then a 2nd unit with supporters just need to be added.  As to rpve, ive tried roots, unfortunately its just too slow and expensive.  At least in campaign mode you can settle in for a longer run!  Not sure if it can be made to work, would need cheaper support and network costs (or increased power gain) to get it set up faster.  

 

As for forests vim, its pretty incredible being able to heal the entire network for that much over time, though the only one ive tried is shadow variant (havent got the other yet!).  I tend to just put it on some unit in the back, a fortress or thornbark near healing wells which can take the damage rather than a front liner who might not survive with enemy damage + vim transferred damage.  You could tweak the secondary buffs they provide, but as a healing spell its pretty solid.  

 

T1 roots is a bit weak, tree spirits take alot of preparation to be great, but do have a niche on empires when they have alot of shielding in the first attacks.  The addition of more lost souls enemies with shielding would make them more tempting, but ive found archers with shamans tend to be faster and pretty much take you right up to t3 in most cases.  Purple sylvan gates ability is also a bit unused, but with the addition of more shielding foes it might come into play more, but with current shielding I find its easier just to use the red ones damage buff and if they have shielding just brute force through it.  Razorleaf could use 1m more range to avoid the annoying situation of other 50 m range units sometimes attacking while being safe!  Not common but does happen!

 

Other ideas could be a healing well variant that can link to the root network, a breeding grounds effect on a t3 root unit or support structure to free up a slot in the deck, spells or supporters that add interesting effects to linked units (like poisions or slows or whatnot), maybe upgradeable structures too (fountain of rebirth getting a bit stronger for higher tier upgrades, root nexus getting a larger range, living tower causing a root effect on impact, healing well adding some percentage regeneration) after the success of soulstone.  

 

This is getting a bit long so ill end it here.  Congrats again on the 3rd anniversary, looking forward to the new content!  

[Kapo]

I still love the suggestion that has come up in the past the most, that it actually shoots spores (weaker Treespirits) the most, but what I also like is the idea that comes up here that he could have some passive effect. Also, the idea that he come with its own form of root so he needs no Stranghold-support is also nice.