Springtime Custom Competition Poll - Congrats Astroking112!

[Yodaking]

Originally Posted by El Happy Face

Long time site lurker, but made an actual profile because this contest looked so fun. Maybe I'll participate the next time around!

Welcome to the site! This one really stood out for me as well and turned my attention it's way after not keeping up with the last few. Might have been all the cool tree miniatures, the wide selection of mini's to build a card around, or a bit of both. Kind of wish I had taken some time out to throw in a design myself, but it's been fun seeing what everyone else came up with.

[BiggaBullfrog]

Let's review stuff! These reviews may be lame overall because I'm just doing a quick few at a time during breaks in my project, but I wanted to get something in before the contest ends (and I need some breaks during my project). I guess I should also add I didn't read any bios.

Wood Elemental: As mentioned by someone, the mini is way to small to support any of the powers/stats on this card. That aside, I'm not feeling the defense lowering on Entangling Roots SA. Brush Cover is cool as a power, though I don't think it should give a bonus to large figures even if it was Medium 4, it's too small. Flammable has consistency issues with fire attacks, as mentioned, so I'd prefer it without it. Overall, decent card/unit, but it's hard to warrant taking these when you can take Raelin instead unless you're hardcore on theme. Cool direction though.

Darkwood Treant Guardian: Cool concept, but pretty OP - just compare with the Iron Golem. That can be fixed with a points bump. Stats are solid, though "Plant" as species is a little too vague for me (though that happens in 'Scape sometimes so it's not necessarily bad). Awaken the Forest should have a limit IMO - every figure is a lot. Grass Roots healing is a cool concept, but for some reason the terrain dependency just isn't working for me here.

Wooden Revenant: As others have mentioned, I'm not seeing the "tree that suddenly sprouts when people die" aspect of this design. As other haven't mentioned (I think), this guy's bonding with Death Knights makes it too good, IMO. When a Death Knight hero dies, you get an immediate 5L/6A/4D figure to take turns with -- 4 Move doesn't matter since it's already on the frontlines. You could just do a build with one initial hero then two or three of these guys backed by Death Knights and have a sold steamrolling army (as far as Death Knight armies go, at least). I think it already needs a point bump without the bonding, so I think the personality just needs to be changed here.

Birch Sentry: As mentioned, Range 0 should be 1. Linked Roots is interesting and has a nice scaling effect when combo'ed with Mighty Oak Shield. However, one of these guys alone is just too punishing, and being able to only move one at a time is rough. It could be interesting with a leader who could move multiple, but as-is it's not going to work out, especially at 60 points a sentry. Shared Lifeforce is a way cool power for a tree thingy, but I'm not in love with it on this unit specifically (though it's decent). It's a really cool concept that could be worked on.

Enchanted Tree: Not a huge fan of 0 move figures. Or planet-based bonding (or planet-based powers). Or figures that have weird "don't start on battlefield" rules. Or 5 point figures. So with that knowledge that this one pushes a lot of buttons for me, it's cool that it actually comes really close to something I'd try out. I would hands-down use it in a scenario game because it looks awesome for that. I'd be close to using it in a classic game, but it's just off enough that I wouldn't use it in a serious game. (Let's be honest though, non-serious games of Heroscape are the best ones anyway.)

Timber Custodian: Showed this (and the other entries) to my buddy and now he wants to make a palm tree ent called Jungle Janitor. Solid card though. Swat seems a little too generous as is - I'd prefer it only happening on the Custodian's turn to keep it simple and free from headaches. Love Take Root - I like Uncommons with that kind of synergy with each other. I think it could be a tad better than 100 Points, especially as is. And minus points for not using Custodian as the class.

Jubokko: Unfortunately, I'm one of those guys who sees a lot of text and loses interest quickly. It's an interesting enough custom, but there's too much going on here for me. A death requirement before entering the field is weird for me (cool for sure, but weird in gameplay). The Perceptive thing is off for me too, and dropping a glyph after already not starting on the field just complicates the design. There are plenty of people who will love this design, but I'm just not in that target audience, even in my own casual play.

Tsuri Oni: Dig the squad angle. Demon doesn't work as a class, but I like the idea of demon trees (though I'd rather them be Valkrill, which I also think would be cool). Can't See the Trees ..., while cool in concept, is just too complicated for what it does. I'd prefer it be simplified to be more similar to Glacier Camouflage from the Dzu-Teh. Splinter is okay and going in a good direction, but I feel like it could be honed down into a simpler, but better thematic, power.

Elder Oak: Unlike some others, I really like 3 Move here. I think it's a neat way of spicing up the design. However, I don't know that the 3 Move works - I think it hurts it too much, especially as a double-spaced figure, though the good survivability makes it seem worth trying at least. I'm not as phased by Double Carry and 3 Move as others - this guy is tall and would be good to pop figures on top of a cliff (or, if he was a few levels taller, on top of a fortress wall in a siege scenario, which would be awesome -- ent siege towers FTW). Fire Weakness has similar consistency issues as the Wood Elemental.

Wise Oak: Cool boss guy. Lord of the Forest is interesting but potentially really strong in the right army (of course, no official units to make such an army, but I'm imagining that in this guy's world there would be others available). Walking Tall is a cool power. The stats are the main kicker - 7L/6D is huge! Granted he only has a single melee attack per turn, but that's a lot to hack through anyway. Just feels out of place for a non-Marvel 'Scape figure.

Wood Golem: Fury of the Forest is a cool twist on Whirlwind Assault, though I think the name could be changed to allow better reusability. The once per round limitation seems unneeded, though. Whirlwind Assault can be used every turn and is better as a power. Barkhide Armor is cool. Root Entaglement, as others have mentioned, needs some kind of marker or something to mark immobilized figures. And that would get messy when used on Commons. Seems decent with Death Knights.

Gnarl of Elder: Solid card. Tree Ally Strike captures the ent theme, and Boulder Throw SA is good, though I'm not a big fan of the negation of Jungle Bonus (not because it's unthematic or bad mechanics -- it just makes the card feel more customy to me, though that's largely subjective on my part). I actually really like Undead Hatred here. I didn't read the bio (for any of these guys) because I like to just go off of the card without relying on stuff outside of it to explain things. Here, I feel like it does a good job of characterizing the unit without requiring some convoluted power, which makes it feel very Classic to me.

Entrean the Elder: Awesome scenario boss! But bad for an actual game, IMO. Being able to move/change pieces of the map is just a no-go for me (adding to the map like Mika is cool if done smartly and sparingly). Root Crush needs a way to mark the figure that can't move (memory powers are messy in general). I like the push for Aquilla, but this unit seems more Ullar to me with its design.

Oakshadow: Nature's Wrath is cool, though I'm not 100% on board with the name (I just think it could have a better one). I also really like Barkskin Defense. He's got good survivability, especially against range, but his slow move may hinder him enough that he could just get kited and die, so may be overpriced. Not super flashy, but makes up for that with a solid design

Arboris: Crixus is pretty cool as a tree. I actually really like the balance that this guy has going on with his Overgrowth and By the Roots powers. It makes for an interesting design without feeling overly complex, IMO. I can see the worry for him only being good for cleanup, and I'm certain that's the only time I'd use him, but I'm okay with just solid cleanup figures once in a while. I think the theme and mechanics are really hitting it here.

[Yodaking]

Originally Posted by BiggaBullfrog

Elder Oak: Unlike some others, I really like 3 Move here. I think it's a neat way of spicing up the design. However, I don't know that the 3 Move works - I think it hurts it too much, especially as a double-spaced figure, though the good survivability makes it seem worth trying at least. I'm not as phased by Double Carry and 3 Move as others - this guy is tall and would be good to pop figures on top of a cliff (or, if he was a few levels taller, on top of a fortress wall in a siege scenario, which would be awesome -- ent siege towers FTW). Fire Weakness has similar consistency issues as the Wood Elemental.

That is rather brilliant and should really be pursued. A walking tree ladder for scaling castle walls would be an awesome addition to the game.

[Heroscaper 101]

This competition may end tomorrow at any time. It will be nice to put the customs back in their thread. Don't forget Dr. Goomonkey about your tutorial in your last PM with me.

[Dr.Goomonkey]

Haha, it won't end at any time tomorrow, it will end in exactly 24 hours. Thanks for all the great review posts! All of these great units almost make me want to drop the 100ish dollars to get a good number of these guys and tweak these into customs of my own.

And yes, I won't forget about my tutorial. Spoiler to everyone else, I'm going to put together a little tutorial on how to make custom cards... That way you don't have to send them to me to do! Though I am still willing to, especially for the sake of the contests.

[ollie]

For making cards, have you seen superfrog's tutorial? I haven't tried it, but it looks good and thorough. (Although having two different ones might be nice for when something doesn't work following one of them for whatever reason.)

[WarBeast]

Regardless of who wins, I am going to be using Arboris for my GROOT figure and Elder Oak for my Tree Beard just as they are. Great job. I really think they both depict their characters to a tee. At first, I also had concerns over 3 move on the Elder, but then realized he can carry Raelin or Kelda or both or a few other combos that just need a way to both move up together but still need to hang back a bit at the same time. As for Arboris, I much prefer this with 1 life and markers vs a hero with 4 life. Similar to Migol but BETTER because it's automatic he only takes one wound.

[Heroscaper 101]

I cannot wait for other competitions, might use the custom units that is in my custom thread.

[White Knight]

Originally Posted by Dr.Goomonkey

All of these great units almost make me want to drop the 100ish dollars to get a good number of these guys and tweak these into customs of my own.

thingiverse has a treant, a squad of small woodkin, and some tree sprites that can be 3D printed and painted. It also has a Jubokko vampire tree.

In addition, it shouldn't be too hard to alter some of the 3d tree models to give them faces.

With 3D printing, you're probably looking at <$50 for an army, maybe <$25, if you can get someone to 3D print them for a nominal cost. I have a printer, and I know some others on this site have one as well.

If you're interested...

[Heroscaper 101]

I haven't made any tree base customs since this competition came up.

[Confred]

Originally Posted by BiggaBullfrog

Spoiler Alert!

Let's review stuff! These reviews may be lame overall because I'm just doing a quick few at a time during breaks in my project, but I wanted to get something in before the contest ends (and I need some breaks during my project). I guess I should also add I didn't read any bios.

Wood Elemental: As mentioned by someone, the mini is way to small to support any of the powers/stats on this card. That aside, I'm not feeling the defense lowering on Entangling Roots SA. Brush Cover is cool as a power, though I don't think it should give a bonus to large figures even if it was Medium 4, it's too small. Flammable has consistency issues with fire attacks, as mentioned, so I'd prefer it without it. Overall, decent card/unit, but it's hard to warrant taking these when you can take Raelin instead unless you're hardcore on theme. Cool direction though.

Darkwood Treant Guardian: Cool concept, but pretty OP - just compare with the Iron Golem. That can be fixed with a points bump. Stats are solid, though "Plant" as species is a little too vague for me (though that happens in 'Scape sometimes so it's not necessarily bad). Awaken the Forest should have a limit IMO - every figure is a lot. Grass Roots healing is a cool concept, but for some reason the terrain dependency just isn't working for me here.

Wooden Revenant: As others have mentioned, I'm not seeing the "tree that suddenly sprouts when people die" aspect of this design. As other haven't mentioned (I think), this guy's bonding with Death Knights makes it too good, IMO. When a Death Knight hero dies, you get an immediate 5L/6A/4D figure to take turns with -- 4 Move doesn't matter since it's already on the frontlines. You could just do a build with one initial hero then two or three of these guys backed by Death Knights and have a sold steamrolling army (as far as Death Knight armies go, at least). I think it already needs a point bump without the bonding, so I think the personality just needs to be changed here.

Birch Sentry: As mentioned, Range 0 should be 1. Linked Roots is interesting and has a nice scaling effect when combo'ed with Mighty Oak Shield. However, one of these guys alone is just too punishing, and being able to only move one at a time is rough. It could be interesting with a leader who could move multiple, but as-is it's not going to work out, especially at 60 points a sentry. Shared Lifeforce is a way cool power for a tree thingy, but I'm not in love with it on this unit specifically (though it's decent). It's a really cool concept that could be worked on.

Enchanted Tree: Not a huge fan of 0 move figures. Or planet-based bonding (or planet-based powers). Or figures that have weird "don't start on battlefield" rules. Or 5 point figures. So with that knowledge that this one pushes a lot of buttons for me, it's cool that it actually comes really close to something I'd try out. I would hands-down use it in a scenario game because it looks awesome for that. I'd be close to using it in a classic game, but it's just off enough that I wouldn't use it in a serious game. (Let's be honest though, non-serious games of Heroscape are the best ones anyway.)

Timber Custodian: Showed this (and the other entries) to my buddy and now he wants to make a palm tree ent called Jungle Janitor. Solid card though. Swat seems a little too generous as is - I'd prefer it only happening on the Custodian's turn to keep it simple and free from headaches. Love Take Root - I like Uncommons with that kind of synergy with each other. I think it could be a tad better than 100 Points, especially as is. And minus points for not using Custodian as the class.

Jubokko: Unfortunately, I'm one of those guys who sees a lot of text and loses interest quickly. It's an interesting enough custom, but there's too much going on here for me. A death requirement before entering the field is weird for me (cool for sure, but weird in gameplay). The Perceptive thing is off for me too, and dropping a glyph after already not starting on the field just complicates the design. There are plenty of people who will love this design, but I'm just not in that target audience, even in my own casual play.

Tsuri Oni: Dig the squad angle. Demon doesn't work as a class, but I like the idea of demon trees (though I'd rather them be Valkrill, which I also think would be cool). Can't See the Trees ..., while cool in concept, is just too complicated for what it does. I'd prefer it be simplified to be more similar to Glacier Camouflage from the Dzu-Teh. Splinter is okay and going in a good direction, but I feel like it could be honed down into a simpler, but better thematic, power.

Elder Oak: Unlike some others, I really like 3 Move here. I think it's a neat way of spicing up the design. However, I don't know that the 3 Move works - I think it hurts it too much, especially as a double-spaced figure, though the good survivability makes it seem worth trying at least. I'm not as phased by Double Carry and 3 Move as others - this guy is tall and would be good to pop figures on top of a cliff (or, if he was a few levels taller, on top of a fortress wall in a siege scenario, which would be awesome -- ent siege towers FTW). Fire Weakness has similar consistency issues as the Wood Elemental.

Wise Oak: Cool boss guy. Lord of the Forest is interesting but potentially really strong in the right army (of course, no official units to make such an army, but I'm imagining that in this guy's world there would be others available). Walking Tall is a cool power. The stats are the main kicker - 7L/6D is huge! Granted he only has a single melee attack per turn, but that's a lot to hack through anyway. Just feels out of place for a non-Marvel 'Scape figure.

Wood Golem: Fury of the Forest is a cool twist on Whirlwind Assault, though I think the name could be changed to allow better reusability. The once per round limitation seems unneeded, though. Whirlwind Assault can be used every turn and is better as a power. Barkhide Armor is cool. Root Entaglement, as others have mentioned, needs some kind of marker or something to mark immobilized figures. And that would get messy when used on Commons. Seems decent with Death Knights.

Gnarl of Elder: Solid card. Tree Ally Strike captures the ent theme, and Boulder Throw SA is good, though I'm not a big fan of the negation of Jungle Bonus (not because it's unthematic or bad mechanics -- it just makes the card feel more customy to me, though that's largely subjective on my part). I actually really like Undead Hatred here. I didn't read the bio (for any of these guys) because I like to just go off of the card without relying on stuff outside of it to explain things. Here, I feel like it does a good job of characterizing the unit without requiring some convoluted power, which makes it feel very Classic to me.

Entrean the Elder: Awesome scenario boss! But bad for an actual game, IMO. Being able to move/change pieces of the map is just a no-go for me (adding to the map like Mika is cool if done smartly and sparingly). Root Crush needs a way to mark the figure that can't move (memory powers are messy in general). I like the push for Aquilla, but this unit seems more Ullar to me with its design.

Oakshadow: Nature's Wrath is cool, though I'm not 100% on board with the name (I just think it could have a better one). I also really like Barkskin Defense. He's got good survivability, especially against range, but his slow move may hinder him enough that he could just get kited and die, so may be overpriced. Not super flashy, but makes up for that with a solid design

Arboris: Crixus is pretty cool as a tree. I actually really like the balance that this guy has going on with his Overgrowth and By the Roots powers. It makes for an interesting design without feeling overly complex, IMO. I can see the worry for him only being good for cleanup, and I'm certain that's the only time I'd use him, but I'm okay with just solid cleanup figures once in a while. I think the theme and mechanics are really hitting it here.

Great points

I never thought of DK/Revanent combo, but thematically it works! Yes!!

Siege tree sounds awesome, a 20 tall redwood Woodkin

For Jubokko, maybe instead of Glyph, it starts with a tile, could be shadow. When placing, remove tree or Bush, place tile, then place jub- cures Board integrity/ space gaps issue

[gatormustang]

Originally Posted by ollie

For making cards, have you seen superfrog's tutorial? I haven't tried it, but it looks good and thorough. (Although having two different ones might be nice for when something doesn't work following one of them for whatever reason.)

Here is the link to @superfrog 's tutorial:

https://www.heroscapers.com/communit....php?p=2167496

I have used it to create other customs. It's easy and works great, but when using @Xorlof 's x2cc tool you may need to use Chrome instead of Microsoft Edge or IE. When I used Microsoft Edge or IE the general's symbols did not change when I switched generals so that's why I used Chrome, which worked great. Some time ago someone also had created a .xcf file in GIMP that has multiple layers with all of the generals including all of the AoTP colors. I have used it to make custom cards also and it is pretty easy. I am not sure how to post the .xcf file though for others to use in case it is no longer on the site.