Here's a deck I made that uses 2x Execution Order and tries to make that as good a decision as possible. Soul Reaver and Enervating Collar are both really, really good, and Excavator is a surprisingly powerful option after the banner change. Aside from that, I really just want to talk about Execution Order, so I'll use this deck as an example to that end. Execution Order's clearest parallel is Price of Victory: they both deal a chunk of shrine damage and generate 2 AP for affected units; Price costs 40, Order costs 35. I'll list the comparative goods and bads for each, then go into more disparate thoughts about the rune. Order + Costs 5 less nora (12.5%) Grants Mobility, which can equal a large amount of extra AP, and provides tactical benefits Grants Execute, which can increase damage output further Can scale the shrine damage if necessary Order - Does not grant HP Only affects xRNG 1 units Can require insane amounts of shrine damage / Can kill shrine Requires ability activation to gain AP (hosed by Distract) Requires the champion to have AP to gain AP (S Exertion costs 1 AP) The big killer is really point 2 under the con section, and it's also what defines the rune. It means that Order doesn't work on Devourer, which hurts me really deep down in a why I'm not quite comfortable describing. That said, 2 AP global for 35 nora isn't terrible, especially on the right units. I found myself using the spell a lot more than I expected when playing the deck, even to the point of glancing at my runedock, wondering if I had Execution Order available, only to see that both were on cooldown. So, it's not terrible, and I'd encourage other people to at least give it a try. I just wish that the payoff for working on melee (and, oh that it was min RNG 1 rather than max RNG) was a bit higher, considering the restriction. For instance, considering the sample deck, Execution Order did wonders to make Skeletal Berserker a bigger threat: at SL 2, 6 SPD, and Careless, he gets a painfully finite amount of AP over his short life (literally 18 AP, and then he's dead), so cheap ways to increase that number increase his value dramatically. It also worked well enough with Blood Fiend, increase his double attack threat range with Exertion available to 5 spaces of movement, which is really good; he can double tap a unit that pokes at range 6. It also has potentially wonderful synergy with a Portal Walker / 7 SPD Shadecaster, who can warp in, Execute, and tap for a 30 DMG attack -- from 8 tiles away, starting with 0 AP. That's a really best case scenario, but the spell isn't all bad, so long as you build with it explicitly in mind. I didn't face any Majestic units though, so it will probably sting really bad after that.
Elsari swordmage would benefit, too if he could proc Forsaken Exploit. With 10 AP (starting the round with 4) he could warp in, execute, double tap, for 37 dmg. 40 if banner is out (minus 2x defense of course). That would be from 6 tiles away, and again would need 4 starting AP
I objectively refuse to run EO until they give it Exertion back instead of Shrine Exertion. Vampyres are still sore about that change.
Exertion just won't work, though -- it comes in on CD. I'm pretty ok with Shrine Exertion, honestly, it just only gets 2 AP rather than 3.
Ye, either that or melee units automatically gain the "Executing" condition (it's what the Execute ability grants), maybe both. Auto-executing would essentially be +1 AP, but you're forced to spend it on Execute. It would also make the spell work better with Executioner, cleaner, and easier to use: granting two abilities can be rough to track and click.
Yeah, make it something like "Champs with a minimum range of 1 gain execute and shrine exertion for 4 turns"
So, you get 4 AP on the champs, but on a delay and with massive shrine damage? Sorta ok with the massive shrine damage part, but the delay seems like it would be awkward. Execute has a 2-turn CD anyway.
Curious. What if instead of a Global powerturn spell, it was more like Alacrity? AE 4; Friendly champions in the affected area gain Execute. If the champion has a Max range of 2 or less, it gains 3ap.
Theoretically it could do that. I wouldn't necessarily see the point though -- why nerf the spell in that way, when it's already below-par? What would making it an AoE do for the spell?
For some reason, the problem seems to be that letting ranged units have execute. This way, I don't necessarily see it as a nerf to the spell, as now you get execute on whatever, while being encouraged to use it on the melee units it's supposed to be supporting. A lot of time I get into a situation where EO would be useful, most of the units I'm attacking with are only getting one attack in anyway with execution. Also, those same melee units that we've been trying to help aren't having to sacrifice health (Their own or their shrine's) to gain that 3ap to make at least one attack. I don't think it has to stay global in order to work. maybe AE4 is too small an area, but for a powerturn situation, I'm thinking it would be about right, since you're likely only going to get the bulk of your melee and one or two ranged units within the effect. Ah, okay, I see I forgot about mobility. That would have to stay attached to the spell as well. At least if it was going to stay 35n, I would think
The problem is giving ranged units cheap AP, because they can spend more of it to attack compared to melee units; Execute seems secondary. Also, I was asking specifically about the AoE component, and why that specifically was necessary. I want the effect to sacrifice some sort of health as a compensation, that has been the point. So -- All else being equal, why AoE?
I don't see why it has to be global. And I think it's kind of turning a blind eye saying that ranged execution wouldn't be a problem. Throw bones is already cheap ap for them (Common tactic is keeping melee 1 space away from getting double tapped by ranged units banking AP), you can keep invigorate close, Bazaar might suck now because of the exertion nerf, but 1ap can seriously be worth it, game winning even. But there's not a lot of ways to suddenly jump your ranged damage. Flavor wise, it's 'Execution Order,' not 'Call for Genocide'. Global is always sticky, and if there's a solution we can find for a problem that limits it when it makes sense, I think it should be taken. Heck, I'm still waiting on the next +5n to hit Mobi here, and am shocked it didn't happen before I came back. Festering wounds just got touched (Rightfully so) for being a bit too powerful on a global scale. Decay was made a bit cheaper, but it's impact is arguably less game changing. Pain Curse might not be a spell, but it's never going to proliferate (And it should, it's SO COOL), because it reaches E'rwhere. E'rwhere is generally bad, and limits things severely. EO stays global, I don't really see it ever really being much of anything.
Ok, so, you would see making it AoE as a way to scale down its power and let it give a bunch more resources? As for "must be global" v "must be AoE" -- the burden is always on the change to demonstrate that it's necessary, rather than on the present form to avoid change. There must be a demonstrable need or chance for improvement; otherwise, changes come at a cost to format stability, potentially rune integrity, and certainly a player's ability to keep track of what is going on. I see your argument for making it AoE, but what makes that substantially better than the smaller, more cautious changes of Execute -> Executing, and xRNG 1 to nRNG 1?
So yep, Execution Order doesn't compensate for running a deck with enough melee to consistently use it.
How about execution order does the following: Every friendly champion's next basic attack made this turn with range 1 is increased by a 50%. All champions gets Mobility until end of turn. You can't play spells after this one. It's not a guarantee that the attack will be a success, and requires extra planning to use, so it's not a Blessing of Female Dog-level of buff/debuff.
Yes: this should really just be a version of Vengeful, which is a much better deck that does what this does, except with huge damage ranged units instead of running Execution Order.
