Card AI (Improvements) Requests

[Nordos]

It should, too, consider if his creatures deal enough damage to harm the enemies creature (given that you attack with 5 creatures, each more powerful then the defending slivers. Then again, he could assign them as blocker and sac them directly afterward)
First of all, though, it needs to check if the attacking creatures have trample or not. If it has a x/5 Sliver, it would be more logically to let him absorb the damage instead of sac him.

[timmermac]

It should, too, consider if his creatures deal enough damage to harm the enemies creature (given that you attack with 5 creatures, each more powerful then the defending slivers. Then again, he could assign them as blocker and sac them directly afterward)
First of all, though, it needs to check if the attacking creatures have trample or not. If it has a x/5 Sliver, it would be more logically to let him absorb the damage instead of sac him.

Another factor with Sliver decks is Toxin Sliver. The only deck I'm aware of that uses it is mine, which I don't think anybody else uses, but it does work well if the slivers have to block something bigger.

[cc-drake]

- AI gives the same creature flying multiple times.

How?

Sorry - with Predator, Flagship.

[Nordos]

The AI would activate Nectar Faerie w/o using the creature it gives lifelink in any way.

[ZzzzSleep]

The problem I reffered to was that I did play the Darkheart Sliver...

Ok, the AI will no longer sacrifice the sourcecard of a GainLife ability unless it has 5 or less life. At least Darkheart Sliver will no longer be a blowout against Sliver decks.

Will the AI sacrifice a sliver for an effect if there's a spell that's about to kill it?
e.g. If I cast Murder on a Darkheart Sliver, will the AI gain life with it? It'd be awesome if it did...

[cc-drake]

AI should cast Larceny before combat.

[saturnine]

The AI shouldn't attack if it's only got one creature and I've got a card like Liliana's Shade or Nantuko Shade out--basically any pumper--and I have the mana available to pump it so that it kills/survives. Right now the AI will do that despite having a clear disadvantage if it does so.

[RumbleBBU]

Damn, you've discovered my dirty little secret tactic.

I too have noticed that the AI really doesn't take into consideration your pumpable creatures and how much you could pump them with your available mana.

It's cheesy, yes, but pumpable creatures a great way to beat the dumb AI in limited formats. Probably should be fixed, though.

[Nordos]

Dunno if I mentioned it - but the same is true for Phyrexian Obliterator. A great way to win against the Show and Tell deck is, by having a Phyrexian Obliterator on your hand. As soon as he uses Show and Tell, you simply choose Phyrexian Obliterator and attack with it the next round. Normally, the Ai will have a creature with Power 5 or higher, thus, as soon as it blocks the Phyrexian Obliterator (since his creature wouldn't die), he has to sacrifice 5 or more permanents - which is, often enough, everything he has in play up to that point.
I did mention the Royal Assassin, though. Thats the same like the Pump abilities.

[Nordos]

Another ting regarding Ninjas:
Whenever a creature of the AI is unblocked, he will play a Ninja card for it's Ninjutsu cost - even though the CMC of the card he wants to play is either similar or even less then the attacking creature!
He should only 'upgrade' his creatures, so, simply checking if the CMC of the attacking creature is less then the CMC of the Ninja he wants to play. If it isn't, he shouldn't waste his mana by playing this card in this way.

[Doomlord]

The AI is very bad at using abilities such as the one Gideon's Lawkeeper or Blinding Mage have. The AI will tap down my creatures on its own turn, even if it does not then attack. If it is not going to attack, it should use the abilities on my turn, after I untap in order to prevent me from attacking. As it is, the ability taps my creature, and then the computer just passes the turn and I untap the creature during my untap step, and thus the ability is wasted.

[Sloth]

The problem I reffered to was that I did play the Darkheart Sliver...

Ok, the AI will no longer sacrifice the sourcecard of a GainLife ability unless it has 5 or less life. At least Darkheart Sliver will no longer be a blowout against Sliver decks.

Do we have a function that calculates how much incoming damage from unblocked and trampling creatures during combat (after blockers)? We could use that so the AI will buffer his life enough with these types of cards instead of just dying with a Bottle Gnomes (or equivalent) on the board.

Incoming attackers will now also be checked.

AI should cast Larceny before combat.

Fixed! Thanks cc-drake.

The AI would activate Nectar Faerie w/o using the creature it gives lifelink in any way.

Can you describe the situation Nordos?

The AI shouldn't attack if it's only got one creature and I've got a card like Liliana's Shade or Nantuko Shade out--basically any pumper--and I have the mana available to pump it so that it kills/survives. Right now the AI will do that despite having a clear disadvantage if it does so.

This is quite tricky to get right, because we still lack the infrastructure for the AI to really "look ahead". I managed to get the AI to predict one activation of a pump ability of the blocking creature. The problem with multiple activations is to check whether the costs can still be paid. This will take a while to evolve, but hey the AI now masters Abbey Matron and Boa Constrictor.

The AI is very bad at using abilities such as the one Gideon's Lawkeeper or Blinding Mage have. The AI will tap down my creatures on its own turn, even if it does not then attack. If it is not going to attack, it should use the abilities on my turn, after I untap in order to prevent me from attacking. As it is, the ability taps my creature, and then the computer just passes the turn and I untap the creature during my untap step, and thus the ability is wasted.

Regarding this, some work has been done since the last beta.

[cc-drake]

AI doesn't cast Voice of All.

[Nordos]

I've used the Faerie deck I've posted. While using it, I've seen him using the lifelink ability each turn, yet only if he has another creature on the battlefield. He would use it in his turn in the Main 1 phase and would even use the mana if he would have been able to cast a spell instead (having 2 lands, he activated it and discarded a CMC 2 card at the end of turn).
After he has given his creature lifelink, he checks if it will be able to attack w/o dying. Thus, if I have a 2/2 flying creature, and he has only a 1/1 flying Faerie and his Nectar Faerie, he would use it, skip his battle phase and end his turn.

[Sloth]

AI doesn't cast Voice of All.

Fixed! Thanks cc-drake.

I've used the Faerie deck I've posted. While using it, I've seen him using the lifelink ability each turn, yet only if he has another creature on the battlefield. He would use it in his turn in the Main 1 phase and would even use the mana if he would have been able to cast a spell instead (having 2 lands, he activated it and discarded a CMC 2 card at the end of turn).
After he has given his creature lifelink, he checks if it will be able to attack w/o dying. Thus, if I have a 2/2 flying creature, and he has only a 1/1 flying Faerie and his Nectar Faerie, he would use it, skip his battle phase and end his turn.

Fixed! Thanks Nordos.