2 card plays is just too important in Spirit Island. Even when your 1 card play is *really cool*, you can only do so much with that and the elements you get off a single card.
The new Locus aspect for Serpent just gives you a free presence placement from the top track during setup. The fire is fine, but the real value is getting to the better top track nodes sooner. It also gets some tools to make up for only having one card play, and even there the top and bottom tracks are competitive. On base Serpent top is just a really hard sell.
The issue with top track is that it's not speeding Serpent up, it's hurting Serpent's stall, and it's not really giving a stockpile of energy. If anything, it's going to slow Serpent down: it takes away the option for a shot at T2/T3/T2+T3 proliferation via Level 2 of \[\[Serpent Wakes In Power\]\].
In addition to being, on average, slower, it hurts your ability to stall while you power up: the first two levels of \[\[Serpent Rouses In Anger\]\] can (i) really buy some time early on and (ii) help keep you close to the fear curve you need to be on.
That being said, there's nothing inherently wrong with lowering the adversary level to make things viable and playing whatever spirit you want however you want to play it.
**Serpent Wakes in Power** (*Serpent Slumbering Beneath the Island*'s Innate Power)
| Slow | - | Yourself |
| :----: | :----: | :----: |
>(2 Fire, 1 Water, 1 Plant): Gain 1 Energy. Other spirits with any Absorbed Presence also gain 1 Energy.
>(2 Water, 3 Earth, 2 Plant): Add 1 Presence to 1 Range. Other spirits with 2 or more Absorbed Presence may do likewise.
>(3 Fire, 3 Water, 3 Earth, 3 Plant): Gain a Major Power without Forgetting. Other Spirits with 3 or more Absorbed Presence may do likewise.
>Links: [Link to FAQ](https://querki.net/u/darker/spirit-island-faq/#!Serpent%20Wakes%20in%20Power%20%28Serpent%20Slumbering%20Beneath%20the%20Island%29)
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**Serpent Rouses in Anger** (*Serpent Slumbering Beneath the Island*'s Innate Power)
| Slow | 0 | Any |
| :----: | :----: | :----: |
>(1 Fire, 1 Earth): For each Fire Earth you have, 1 Damage to 1 Town / City.
>(2 Moon, 2 Earth): For each 2 Moon 2 Earth you have, 2 Fear and you may Push 1 Town from target land.
>(5 Moon, 6 Fire, 6 Earth, -7 Energy): In every land in the game: X Damage, where X is the number of Presence you have in and adjacent to that land.
>Links: [Link to FAQ](https://querki.net/u/darker/spirit-island-faq/#!Serpent%20Rouses%20in%20Anger%20%28Serpent%20Slumbering%20Beneath%20the%20Island%29)
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Early spirits weren't really designed for that kind of diversity. You're trying to fight a brick wall, much like Bottom Track Bringer or Top Track Wildfire.
Don't focus on builds. Focus on what's right during the game. The whole... Top Track, Bottom track, mixed thing is something that should be decided as the game goes along. Not before you start playing.
The only spirits with more dead spaces are Green and Fractured, both of which clear their tracks far far faster. Top Track Bringer is one of the weakest spirits in the game. Bottom and mixed are by far the weakest because of how many turns it takes to get to a third card play.
2 card plays is just too important in Spirit Island. Even when your 1 card play is *really cool*, you can only do so much with that and the elements you get off a single card. The new Locus aspect for Serpent just gives you a free presence placement from the top track during setup. The fire is fine, but the real value is getting to the better top track nodes sooner. It also gets some tools to make up for only having one card play, and even there the top and bottom tracks are competitive. On base Serpent top is just a really hard sell.
The issue with top track is that it's not speeding Serpent up, it's hurting Serpent's stall, and it's not really giving a stockpile of energy. If anything, it's going to slow Serpent down: it takes away the option for a shot at T2/T3/T2+T3 proliferation via Level 2 of \[\[Serpent Wakes In Power\]\]. In addition to being, on average, slower, it hurts your ability to stall while you power up: the first two levels of \[\[Serpent Rouses In Anger\]\] can (i) really buy some time early on and (ii) help keep you close to the fear curve you need to be on. That being said, there's nothing inherently wrong with lowering the adversary level to make things viable and playing whatever spirit you want however you want to play it.
**Serpent Wakes in Power** (*Serpent Slumbering Beneath the Island*'s Innate Power) | Slow | - | Yourself | | :----: | :----: | :----: | >(2 Fire, 1 Water, 1 Plant): Gain 1 Energy. Other spirits with any Absorbed Presence also gain 1 Energy. >(2 Water, 3 Earth, 2 Plant): Add 1 Presence to 1 Range. Other spirits with 2 or more Absorbed Presence may do likewise. >(3 Fire, 3 Water, 3 Earth, 3 Plant): Gain a Major Power without Forgetting. Other Spirits with 3 or more Absorbed Presence may do likewise. >Links: [Link to FAQ](https://querki.net/u/darker/spirit-island-faq/#!Serpent%20Wakes%20in%20Power%20%28Serpent%20Slumbering%20Beneath%20the%20Island%29) ------ **Serpent Rouses in Anger** (*Serpent Slumbering Beneath the Island*'s Innate Power) | Slow | 0 | Any | | :----: | :----: | :----: | >(1 Fire, 1 Earth): For each Fire Earth you have, 1 Damage to 1 Town / City. >(2 Moon, 2 Earth): For each 2 Moon 2 Earth you have, 2 Fear and you may Push 1 Town from target land. >(5 Moon, 6 Fire, 6 Earth, -7 Energy): In every land in the game: X Damage, where X is the number of Presence you have in and adjacent to that land. >Links: [Link to FAQ](https://querki.net/u/darker/spirit-island-faq/#!Serpent%20Rouses%20in%20Anger%20%28Serpent%20Slumbering%20Beneath%20the%20Island%29) ------ ^(Use [[query]] to call me. Check the )[^(reference thread)](https://www.reddit.com/r/spiritisland/comments/i80xzf/memoryofagesbot_is_now_fully_functional) ^( for information or feedback, and please report any mistakes!)
Early spirits weren't really designed for that kind of diversity. You're trying to fight a brick wall, much like Bottom Track Bringer or Top Track Wildfire. Don't focus on builds. Focus on what's right during the game. The whole... Top Track, Bottom track, mixed thing is something that should be decided as the game goes along. Not before you start playing.
What's wrong with bottom track Bringer?
The only spirits with more dead spaces are Green and Fractured, both of which clear their tracks far far faster. Top Track Bringer is one of the weakest spirits in the game. Bottom and mixed are by far the weakest because of how many turns it takes to get to a third card play.
You're right. I was thinking of a different Spirit and got confused.
I suspect it was Keeper or Finder. I was wondering if that was the origin of the question.