Feldor
Adept
I'd like to suggest that the removal of the "Prepare to Die" incants has removed opportunities to build tension and use tactics in combat.
An active slay is an active threat. Knowing the opponent has it active, adds tension and lets a single combatant be a more active threat to multiple opponents. It also allows the use of tactics (like having the person with an active magic armor or a use of resolute) to absorb the threat, so as to enable others to attack.
As an example of a situation that happened in our most recent game. It was 4pm on a Saturday and we were returning from a significantly difficult most-of-the-town mod, and we were having to fight our way back. At the front of the group, a high-stat-card melee monster was preventing us from advancing while we were harried from the back and sides. It was facing off against the 2-3 folks at the front of the group swinging 20+, and it activated a prepare-to-die. All of the front group heavy hitters immediately went on the defensive, because defenses were running low and we'd seen this opponent throw 110 slay already. A low build templar stepped in, provoked the attack relying on the just cast magic armor, and then retreated as the monster attempted to chase them down -- but it also let the heavy hitters all re-engage; and let the group continue the fighting retreat towards town again.
That entire scene and tactics would not have been able to happen if it was the case that the monster just had a few "+110 damage" attacks. It relied on the explicit threat of the active slay -- it let that one monster actively threaten 3 significant fighters at once, in a way that just having 1 remaining slay did not. It also relied on knowing the next swing was going to have a slay on it, to enable someone to draw out the sacrificial attack.
An active slay is an active threat. Knowing the opponent has it active, adds tension and lets a single combatant be a more active threat to multiple opponents. It also allows the use of tactics (like having the person with an active magic armor or a use of resolute) to absorb the threat, so as to enable others to attack.
As an example of a situation that happened in our most recent game. It was 4pm on a Saturday and we were returning from a significantly difficult most-of-the-town mod, and we were having to fight our way back. At the front of the group, a high-stat-card melee monster was preventing us from advancing while we were harried from the back and sides. It was facing off against the 2-3 folks at the front of the group swinging 20+, and it activated a prepare-to-die. All of the front group heavy hitters immediately went on the defensive, because defenses were running low and we'd seen this opponent throw 110 slay already. A low build templar stepped in, provoked the attack relying on the just cast magic armor, and then retreated as the monster attempted to chase them down -- but it also let the heavy hitters all re-engage; and let the group continue the fighting retreat towards town again.
That entire scene and tactics would not have been able to happen if it was the case that the monster just had a few "+110 damage" attacks. It relied on the explicit threat of the active slay -- it let that one monster actively threaten 3 significant fighters at once, in a way that just having 1 remaining slay did not. It also relied on knowing the next swing was going to have a slay on it, to enable someone to draw out the sacrificial attack.