The Balance Saga: The Fall '05 Chapter

I like to think of SWIMSUIT!! when comparing effects to creatures. Using the established multi->mono conversion formula, SWIMSUIT!! is the equivilent to 6. Kelar Sage costs 5, but everyone says that SWIMSUIT!! is infinitely superior. The main point being that Kelar Sage is fragile, while SWIMSUIT!! is vulnerable only to Effect D (Can't be as easily dizzied, or directly attacked, or sniped etc). I share this commonly held view.
It's also quite simple to compare the 8 cost of a plain card-drawing Ivory Library with the hero synergy boosting, generally more multifunctional 5 Cherry...

In a rush deck, the value of a cheap rush creature is incredibly high, as it's the foundation upon which the deck relies on. Most decks will for that kind of cost have creatures for either their abilities (Rio, Drecker, Healers) or for synergy purposes, and are treated as mere fodder. An effect such as Slime Valley has much more permanence about it - you play it and you darn well expect it to stay there. It will generate my 1 mana or creature every turn, it will be nicely available for a mana boost come the appropriate sac phase, it will be there for my attrition, my Raddslaying and my entrenching defences. I will rely on the Slime Valley at least as much as my mana gens, whereas that beatstick will be a forgotten kamikaze. Whether it makes sense or not, I can't say, but that's how it goes... that's just how players use them.

edit 2:
What do people think of BoS dealing 12 damage instead of 10, and not affecting tokens then? I also personally think that even 3 mana from a single gen is a huge amount - remember that a normal full field will only give 5. I'd suggest a lower limit than 8 myself. And does this need its own separate thread, or should we continue on BoS in here?

edit:

Andriex Wrote:Double mill is a drastic step, not only does it makes Skeletal Chrimera much more powerful, but because I personally feel that nerfing it that hard is just a knee jerk reaction, without putting thought into the fact that we can rebalance the other swords (and possibly skeletal warhammer.) If anything, why not just try it at one mill, and see how it goes. It's not like we can't simply go back and balance it again, but we're DOUBLING one suggested penalty without even giving the first one a chance and seeing how things go.

Just saying it's better to be safe than sorry.

Yes, that's what I'm aiming at for this balance. And not just by personal preference, it's webby's will - no kneejerk reactions because you could well just end up on the other side of imbalance, maybe further away from our final destination.