The Table of Elements, Part 1

The Table of Elements

Part One

First of all, there is some confusion in the game between "Elements" and "Elementals". This is due to the fact that the entire category of creatures with brown borders are called "Elementals". However, there is also a class of creatures called "Element", which includes creatures that are the embodiment of the natural (and some unnatural or supernatural) elements around us. These creatures have names like Greater Air Elemental.

Anytime the game refers to "Elementals", they are almost always referring to every brown-bordered creature in the game. When they only want to refer to those creatures with "Elemental" in the creatures' names, they are refering to the class called "Element".

It really isn't as confusing as it sounds.

With that out of the way, I would like to present a compilation of all the Elements in Guardians, including some that don't exist in the game. (I have marked those with asterisks.)

The "real" cards from the game are included so that you can see which gaps I have filled in. All Elements are Elementals (naturally). Unless I have mentioned otherwise, Elements have no off-color bonuses nor channeling ability nor bribery icons. Some Notes are at the bottom of the page.

Air, Earth, Fire and Water:

• Earth Elemental, Vitality 18, OCB 9 Large, +2 in the Dry Heaps.
  
• Fire Elemental, Vitality 14, Medium-sized, Flying, +2 in the Woods and 4-pt fire AOE.
  
• Greater Air Elemental, Vitality 16 Large, Flying, +6 vs flying creatures. (Note A)
  
• Water Elemental *, Vitality 12, OCB 6, Large, +4 in Rivers & Lakes. (Note B)

Air+Water, Water+Earth, Water+Earth (again), Earth+Fire, Fire +Air

• Vapor Elemental, Vitality 11 Large, Flying, Channeling Receiver. When played in a match-up, opponent must discard any Items in Combat hand.
  
• Mud Elemental, Vitality 8, OCB 2 Medium-sized, +4 in Swamps.
  
• Ice Elemental, Vitality 15, OCB 6 Medium-sized, +4 in Mountains.
  
• Magma Elemental, Vitality 9, Large, 4 point ranged-attack.
  
• Smoke Elemental *, Vitality 13, OCB 0, Medium-sized, Flying, immune to Mortals. Smoke gets in their eyes. (Note C)

Light, Dark, Energy and Fear:

• Light Elemental, Vitality 13, OCB 2 Large, Flying, Channeling Receiver,Destroys Darkness Elemental.
  
• Darkness Elemental, Vitality 13, OCB 3 Large,
  (C):Opponent must revealhis Combat Hand. You may choose to retreat before melee,but discard the Darkness Elemental to do so.
  
• Shadow Elemental *, Vitality 13, OCB 4, Large. +2 in Woods and Swamps. (Note D)
  
• Greater Energy Elemental, Vitality 12 Large Flying, Unlimited Channeling Receiver! CMP 2.
  
• Lesser Energy Elemental *, Vitality 5, OCB 0 Medium-sized Flying. Can receive up to 10 points of channeling. (Note E)
  
• Psychic Elemental *, Vitality 13, OCB 0 Medium-sized. 5 pt fear AOE that only affects Mortals. Fear-based attack.
  
• Fear Elemental *, Vitality 6, OCB 0 Medium-sized.
  (C):All primary attackers are +3 vitality vs. creatures affected by fear.

Miscellaneous:

• Vensuni Inferno Swarm, Vitality 6 (stacks as 14), OCB 4, Command: 11-pt AOE fire attack, discard entire combat hand
  
• Beer Elemental *, Vitality 6, OCB 3, Medium-sized. +10 versus Beer-bribable creatures. (Note F)

End of Part 1

Notes:

A - I didn't include a regular Air Elemental (as opposed to a "Greater" one) although I thought about it. Mostly because the Bantam Drake is already a smaller creature with a similar ability.

B - I'm curious what the actual stats would have been. When FPG closed shop, the next expansion was supposed to be "Seven Seas" and the theme was supposed to be "wet things" (according to Dave).

C - There was no Fire/Air Elemental and Smoke was a natural, except that there already is a Smoke Spirit. Since there's an Ice Spirit and Ice Elemental, it didn't bother me to make a duplicate here, either. Of course, if someone has a better name, I'll be happy to hear it. And I naturally needed a different ability. I toyed with the silly notion of something like "if in play and unbeaten, your Elementals are immune to Mortals", but I thought that was too much smoke.

D - I was not as happy with this one. "Shadow" is a great fantasy "element". But I couldn't think of a good, non-useless, not-overly-powered ability. I also couldn't decide what terrain had the most shadows. Woods can be dense, but Swamps are always depicted as dark and dreary. Jungles make me think "hot and sweaty" even though the jungles used to be referred to as "darkest Africa" and such.

E - Hey, why not? I kept the vitality low, so it wouldn't be a replacement for the Greater Energy.

F - At first, I thought about making him a destroyer, but I thought that might be a little much, so I make him an Elemental Giant Babe instead.