Infester Inspector

After reading, I just had to take the time to post a response to this rediculous comment. May I ask you something ...? Are you insane?! Spawning infested marines complete with armor and a fully functional guass rifle right off the backs of the infestors is the most uncreative, dumb thought out idea blizzard has come up with for the zerg. Sure they are enigmatic, but I can still see how zerg flying through space and even more simply how they create larvae can be explained in real terms ... but these infested marines? Come on! Maybe if the infested terrans didn't have their gear it would be reasonable, but no way no how does this make any sense. Even if its not a gameplay issue, blizzard could at least come up with something better for the infestor then this heaping pile of horse sh*t of an idea. Not only does it infuriate me that blizzard decided the spawn infested marine ability was okay to put in the game, but also players who accept it as a good enough mechanic. 0__o!!!!

 

That's exactly why I said it's predominantly a lore issue. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the mechanic, and it is a good, and simple, mechanic, especially for the Zerg.

As for my attempted explanation, you do realise that you can completely disregard it now, right? Blizzard's already offered an official explanation. Regardless, you haven't really debunked anything about my explanation. You've just restated that you don't like how Infestors can spew out Infested Marines. Comparing the Infested Marines to flying in space, Infested Marines make so much more sense, it's hilarious. Seriously, Infestors spewing out Infested Thors would make more sense than flying in space. Flying in space, as the Zerg do, literally makes no sense. No sense as in, zero. Nothing. At all. It doesn't matter whether you can imagine it or not, because you're just choosing what you feel is acceptable while blatantly ignoring any facts.

It's a fact that organisms are able to synthesise all sorts of seriously incredible compounds, provided they have access to the elements required. For example, you know all those foods that say 'High in Iron" on the side of the box? That's actual iron. Actual iron as in, atomic symbol of Fe, number 26 on the Periodic table. It's iron as in the iron used to make steel girders. That's kind of iron. In fact, with Nutri-Grain in particular, by grinding up a couple of pieces, adding water and using a strong enough magnet, you can actually see the physical iron in it. The same goes for calcium. It's actual calcium. Ca, 20, the same stuff that practically explodes when you put it in water.

And that brings me to my first point. Enamel, and bones, shells, etc, are made of compounds based off of calcium by the organism. On top of that, they're actually inorganic substances. Chitin, is actually a compound based off of glucose. Spiders and silkworms, among other organisms, create silk, out of proteins and amino acids, and certain species of plants, such as the Snow Gum, can literally make antifreeze to stop the water in their cells from freezing, which would result in each and every cell rupturing, enabling them to survive in below-freezing conditions.

Lastly, there's the simple fact that steel is a compound of iron and carbon. Not hard to grasp.

Taking the above facts, that living organisms can create such amazing structures and compounds, and that organisms do actually contain and use iron, and also remembering that animals themselves are carbon based and that the Zerg are the supreme masters of genetic engineering, is it honestly that hard to imagine a Zerg organism synthesising its own deposits of steel?

 

Lore issue: yes. Balance issue: perhaps.
I dont think its such a cool abillity. I would prefer a dark-swarm or other abilliy which buffs zerglins and other meatunits. I think that can be nessecary to survive lategame for the Zerg ( at least it was in scbw).

 

Sythesising iron and other metal components to create a freshly made zerg warrior armed with terran weaponry? Just listen to the sound of that and tell me it's not a bad idea. What purpose would that serve the zerg when organic elements are more easy to synthesize, and has proven to be just as efficient and in some cases more efficient then terran armor and weapons? Can you see infested siege tanks being hatched from eggs too? Spawning genetically engineered organic killing machines is the speciality of the zerg, this method of producing infested terrans makes no sense and serves no purpose for them. When I first heard about the ability I kid you not, I thought it was a blizzard joke. I mean, I could come up with something better for the zerg then that, and I am sure most everybody else could. All in all, they can and should do better then this. There are so many better ways to introducing infested terran in starcraft 2 competitive play without it conflicting with or overcomplicating lore.

 

Firstly, iron isn't synthesised. The iron deposits would be. Synthesising iron would require building the individual atoms from the appropriate number of protons and neutrons from other atoms that have been torn apart.

Secondly, what honestly baffles me is how people find this mechanic to be absolutely ridiculous in every way, shape and form, but the Changeling, Lurker or flying in space are all perfectly acceptable. Do you realise what Mutalisks flapping about in a perfect vacuum actually implies? It implies that Mutalisks are actually gaining momentum by pushing off of nothing. Literally, nothing. It's like drinking water that doesn't exist, throwing a ball that you don't have, or driving a car that isn't there. It cannot be done. Seriously, I'm fine with people wanting some sense of realism in science fiction games, but you've got to be consistent. You can't say something's absolutely ridiculous, when you accept all the stuff that's even more impossible, just because you don't like the ability itself.

If you don't like it, you can say you don't like it. If you don't like it because of how impossible it is to occur, think of all the other impossibilities that you simply accept.

 

So now that this has been discussed, let get back to the real-gam mechanism, and if it really suits the Zerg, what do you think IHG?

 

I didn't say it was impossible ... inefficient in comparison to other zerg methods of spawning warriors, yes ... uncreative, definiately. And FYI, space is not a perfect vacuum.

 

Really?

True about space, but it's of such low density that there's little difference. That fact still remains that things are not able to gain sufficient momentum by flapping about in space.

As for the in-game mechanic, I don't see a problem with it at all. It seems to be a relatively strong ability, producing five, buffed but temporary Marines, and I really don't see how increasing the size of the swarm can be thought to not suit Zerg. Basically, almost all ways of adding to the swarm have been added now. They can produce units normally at the Hatchery, they can increase the rate at which they produce them with Queens, they can create new units through attacking with the Brood Lord, they can convert defeated enemy units with the Corrupter, and they can both convert living enemy units and summon units straight to the battlefield with the Infestor. Zerg is all about amassing a swarm, so I see an ability like this working perfectly.

Lorewise, it's definitely not as strong as others, and it is definitely a shame to miss out on the old form of Infestation, but if it's not viable, it's not viable. I'd rather good gameplay mechanics without Infestation than poor gameplay mechanics with it.

 

I said it makes no sense to emphasize how inefficient and worthless it is for the zerg mr. smart guy. The old way of infestation may have had its problems, but even that was better then this spawn infested marines ability.

 

Lol then you have to learn to express your english a bit better mr. dumb guy.

 

"No way no how does this make any sense" is supposed to mean that it's inefficient in comparison to Zerg's other methods?

All that aside, the problem with the current ability is, and only is, with lore. That's it. The problem with the old ability was with the gameplay. If you prefer a game that's completely based off lore with little regard to whether it's fun or even viable in game, read a book. There is absolutely no point in including a flawed gameplay mechanic in StarCraft2, just so it can make sense, lorewise.

 

Yes, a good point IHG! But the next question is then if it is good enough balance wise, and if it all ends up that the Zerg will have to cut these marines and get an abillity liek dark swarm back, but thats of course a completly different discussen.

 

I don't see how people consider Dark Swarm to be a requirement for the Zerg. If it wasn't included in StarCraft1, any suggestion for a spell which shields all units from ranged attacks would easily be deemed overpowered. The fact remains that Zerg can be balanced to not require Dark Swarm. Especially with a lot of the new units in StarCraft2, like the Baneling, and also the new Ultralisk, Dark Swarm would easily be overpowered. These things are designed to be combated from a distance. It's not as though you can beat Banelings with Zealots. Along with Zerg getting new or improved tanks, with the Roach and Ultralisk, and even the Queen, there's no real need for it, in my opinion.

 

Ok, you can be right that the banelings and the roaches will be able to compete with the new and old "problems". Ill think abit about it!

 

the lore of the infested marine thing can be solved very simply... and that is by chaning it to a actual zerg organsism like a more "mature" version of a broodling. by more mature i mean basicaly it not having a timed lifespan. or even having them morph into a new evolved version of scourges or something idk. the idea can be seen in the way certain frogs/spiders/scorpions have there eggs on there backs and the eggs hatch while still on the organisms back. so that will make alot of ppl happy then the infested marine thing since it is a lore issue after all like itza said. rather its balancing or not tho idk. it gives the zerg extra units and does not count toward there overall supply limit so i can see how it can turn out to be a little less balanced.

i think its just a way for blizzard to keep the infested marines without having to take them out (since banelings basically replaced the sc1 infested marines even tho the sc1 version was like 3x or 4x more powerful then banelings dmg wise).

also, the thing about infested terrans is that they have double the HP of normal marines while having the same dmg output. even when normal terrans get there upgrade to increase there hp the infested marines still have alot more HP. and since this does not count toward the unit supply of the zerg AND 1 infestor can create 5 (count em FIVE) infested marines i can see how this can be a bit overpowered actually. as a matter a fact, ima change my mind on the entire infested marine thing and just say that its pretty overpowered.

i can bring up 2 or 3 infesters and instantly make 10-15 marines thats double HP of normal marines for next to no cost at all at the front of any base, let them absorb the atks while my mass of 50+ zerglings and probaly 20+ hydras/roaches basicaly overwhelm the hell out of anyone. thats pretty ****ing cheap... and i LOVE the zerg =/ lol seriously, even if they do have a timed lifespan the infested marines can easily get there job done and my infestors can always create 10-15 more if needed... and just think if my supply is 200/200. i can still create more units easily because of the infested marine thing.

i wont touched the space thing or w/e since this is a sci fi game... but if you think real hard about it, you can come up with some real creative thoughts on how the zerg can survive in the vacuum of space. and ill say this, the brood lord/guardians/devours/scourge/corrupotor dont flap there wings, they "glide". infact, only the mutas actually use there wings to fly. some propelltion system perhaps? thats up for you to decide...

so ya, taking another look at the infestor and its abilities ill kind of change my mind and look diffrently at it from now on. all tho i still think it needs a lilttle more tweaking. and i still think neural parasite should take control of something for a permanent time rather then just 10 seconds. maybe its because im taking its namesake a bit to literal but thats just me. as it stand right now, the infestor just needs some tweaking. i dont know what kind of tweaking it needs, i just feel as something needs to be done with it.

 

So creating five buffed Marines is overpowered, but permanently Mind Controlling units like the Colossus, etc, isn't?

Firstly, the Infested Marines do have a limited lifespan, and as for everything else? It's all up to balance. Not only their individual stats, such as their health, damage, attack and movement speed, duration, but also how many Infested Marines are spawned, and also how much it costs to cast. There could also be a substantial cooldown on the ability, as well.

As for instantly being able to spawn ten to fifteen Marines, firstly any swarm of over fifty Zerglings and over twenty Hydralisks and Roaches would just about overwhelm anything, but is it really that different to, say, Plaguing their defences or Neural Parasiting their units? Thinking of the third Battle Report, two Neural Parasites did a heck of a lot more than anything ten Marines could have achieved, and a Plague could easily help break through their defences quicker and more effectively than the Marines.

 

whoa whoa whoa, hold on a sec... this is where i have to stop you... lets look at the facts here. so far as we know it does not cost any energy to spawn those 5 marines from what ive seen and it also does not cost any minerals or gas. for a Terran however it cost 50 minerals per marine... so those 15 marines from terran cost 750 minerals. 40 hp each (55 with upgrade). for the zerg however they can spawn 15 Infested marines for ZERO COST... and each of those marines have 80 HP and about the same if not more atk then reg marines. so these marines can basically be spawned almost endlessly. if these infested marines were to go toe on toe just on there own against the reg marines who do you think will come out on top? and just to add a red Hot knife to finish off the job you add in some hydras/roaches/lings to the mix. and remember, the marines cost no supply so you can go crazy with them.


as for the BRs, the neural parasite alone didnt change much of anything since he still had alot of his army was warping into the zerg basses at that time. if neural parasite was turned to perma it would just be exactly the same as the mc of sc1 and no one complained that was overpowered...

and you also seem to be contradicting yourself in saying that the spawn infested marine is a very good machanic and a useable one, but in this post its as if your saying both plague and neural parasite is far better... do you honestly think that spawning countless marines at NO COST and at no supply cost at all and virtually anywhere on the map not imba? plague is limited, neural parasite is limited. the spawn infested marines is virtually limitless...

and even if it does cost energy (which im sure it does) the possibilities for it are still endless. thats basically FREE extra units for the zerg at anytime they need it. and on top of all that, just like you said the zerg can use neural parasite and plauge. at 250 energy im almost certain that a infestor can get off a plauge and still be able to spawn the marines even if spawning the marines costed 100 energy. so thats 1 plauge +5 marines from 1 infestor. 2 infestors and its 2 plauges and10 marines. 3 infestors 3 plauges and 15 marines and so on so forth. and any extra infestors around with some energy can add in a neural parasite and even MORE marines... and in the BR he spawned about 4 or 5 infestors it seems (have to take a look again to make sure) so he could have easily did 2 neural parasites from 2 infestors, 2 plauges 2 infestors, and got off 20 marines from all 4 of the infestors at same time...

to explain it more simply, i dont know the exact cost of energy each skill cost but ima round it up to whats most likely. lets say for example he had 4 infestors out on the field. plauge cost 150 energy, and lets say spawn infested marines cost 100 energy. Infestor number 1 casts plauge on enemy units, thats 150 energy. he has 100 energy left. he casts spawn infested marines for the remainder of his energy cost. thats 1 plauge and 5 infested marines out so far. infestor number 2 does the exact same thing as infestor number 1. thats 2 plauges off and 10 infested marines on the field. infestor number 3 casts neural parasite which is, umm, oh wth, 150 energy (even tho im SURE its alot less) and controls a enemy unit and then casts spawn infested marines for the remainder of his energy. thats 2 plauges off and 1 neural and 15 marines out. infestor number 4 does the exact same thing as infestor number 3. so thats 20 marines, 2 plauges, and 2 of the enemy units that have been controled. and ON TOP OF ALL THAT the zerg has an entire army waiting and ready to just **** over u. and a big LOL ROFL LMAO if one of the Units that was nueral parasited was a Mother ship/thor or something. devastation much?


and the limited timespan they have hardly matters since in SC it does not take long to destroy an entire army or even turn the tide. and just the appreance of those marines on top of the plauge and neural parasite can easily and instantly turn the tide of a battle. and more then likely, the marines will die from enemy fire before the ticker on there limited life is up. and by then who cares? because the zerg army itself did not loose any units, it only lost infested marines which didnt cost any minerals/gas or supply anyway...

so ya, maybe making it perma MC for the zerg would just overpower it even more so, but thats why i said the infestor needs to be tweaked. so for now, scrap the perma NP idea from me (neural parasite abreviated cuz im tired of spelling it out...)

 

Dude, you've immediately gone into the stats in your first paragraph. Stats are variable. They're not finalised. If the ability is overpowered, then, as I said, not only can the stats of the Infested Marines be altered, but the number of Infested Marines and cost of the Marines can also.

As for Neural Parasite being temporary, I honestly don't think that they're looking for much more than that in regards to Mind Control. Just because something worked in StarCraft1, it doesn't mean it'll work in StarCraft2. Browder, himself, has even said that both games are incomparable, even in regards to statistics, yet alone mechanics.

And I don't see how I'm contradicting myself by saying that Plague and Neural Parasite are very good abilities. They are. Neural Parasite did so much more than Infested Marines could have in the third Battle Report, and if you're looking to bust through a heavily defended points, whether they've got Bunkers, Siege Tanks, Planetary Fortresses, Photon Cannons, Spine Crawlers, etc, etc, Plague is going to do much, much more damage than Infested Marines. I'm not saying Infested Marines is useless, it's just that each ability has its own area in which it excels. They're all extremely useful abilities.

With Neural Parasite in the Battle Report, it may not have changed anything in the long run, but in regards to the specific battle in which he used it, it was literally what turned the tide of the battle. Without Neural Parasite, that attack would have steamrolled him. He had a huge swarm of Zerglings, blocked by a line of Zealots, which couldn't go for a surround or go for either of the two Colossus that were backing it up. In short, he was a goner. Parasiting those two Colossi literally won him the battle. If, instead, he'd've spawned ten Infested Marines, or, taking it to the extreme, if he'd've been able to cast it twice each, spawning twenty Infested Marines, chances are he still would have lost. A couple of sweeps from the Colossus and those Marines would have been taken care of.

Again, you can't simply assess the worth of Infested Marines before the game's even entered Beta. How do you know they're limitless? They could cost a hundred percent of the Infester's Energy, plus supply. They could be nerfed to being much more unstable, having their health reduced to half that of a standard Marine. Their weapons could be deemed inferior, and have their attack damage reduced. Even right now, we don't know their movement or attack speed. Granted, they might end up costing no supply, having eighty health and dealing as much as a normal Marine, but they could also end up being as slow as Reavers or with an attack cooldown as long as that of a Siege Tank. It could be changed so that they take a good fifteen seconds or so to hatch. Who knows? We're not even in Beta yet, so how can you say their stats are imbalanced?

As for the Energy and everything, your judgements are really unjustified. You're saying that said Energy cost would be fair for what the ability's worth, but you're also saying it's overpowered. If it's overpowered, how can that be a fair cost for the ability? And you're forgetting that, after all this casting, the Infesters are out. They're practically out of the game until they've got their Energy back. That's a really long time to wait, even until they've just got enough for their cheapest spell, it's a long time to wait.

Overall, there is nothing about the spell that can't be balanced. If it's overpowered as is, it will be nerfed. Spawning units onto the battlefield is not a flawed gameplay mechanic.

 

i know it all can be changed, and im very well aware of the fact that its not in beta. infact id love for some of these things to change, thats why i made a few suggestions for some things for the zerg to change. what im arguing and talking is its current abilities rather its in testing stages or not, its still there and they are still considering putting it in the game. if im not to talk about its abilities now, then why was this topic or any other topic for that matter even made? im not saying that it wont change, but im saying that IF it doesnt then thats how it can go down. the stats can stay the same for all we know. stats can be changed, yes they sure can. but again, why not talk about the current stats thats already on paper and seem to not be changing as of yet?

and in that BR, ya he was in basically a narrow path so the zerglings couldnt get a proper surround on his units, so neural worked out for that situation rather then the infested marines or a combination of the 2. but what about other maps where it IS possible to do that? where there IS a open space for such a play? or even, what if he didnt break those rocks and went around where he was more open? in that specific battle he didnt even need neural parasites, a few mutalisk could have won him that battle since they dont atk air... in that BR he didnt even use alot of units that could and would have helped him overall win that battle, but the entire game he just stuck with roaches and zerglings... so i cant go off of BRs all the time since the plays seem to be rigged or the players just dont use the full potential of the race there playing and do stupid plays. also, he still could have just spawned the infested marines and still came ontop of that battle. he had 4 infestors so he easily could have spawned 5 in front and 5 in back for a flank. then he had 2 more infestors which could spawn 10 more. so he could have had 10 marines in front and 10 inback. even if all of them died, the protoss forced would have been very weakend from the battle with the infested marines and the zerglings/roaches would have taken them out easily. OR even still he could have spawned 10 marines to protect his other bases from the warp in atks on his eco. those atks basically lost him the game, and im sure 20 infested marines could have atleast saved him or bought him some time. theres just so many things he could have did to win him that battle or even win him that battle and the game itself.

and again, all these "what ifs" things can go on forever. like i said, its best to look at what we have right now. not at what might change because we have no idea what might change. for all we know they can add the old consume to infestors on top of what the infestor already has... for all we know they can even INCREASE the ammount of marines spawned... or they can take it out alltogether. or they can replaced all of the infestors abilities with brand spanking new ones. we just do not know. so again, im very aware that everything can change, even the entire race itself can be changed and re done with new units and skills. that is why im basing my arguements on what we have at this moment and treating it as if it does go into the final release.

and as for the energy, i was just going off of what is most likely. even if it does cost all of the infestors energy, its still very devastating. plague all over a enemies base or units reducing most of the units HP to 1 while these FREE units lay waste to them while the main zerg forces is eating cake and drinking milk... also, spawning FREE units onto a battle field is pretty flawed where as almost every other race need minerals/gas to make units. they can basically absorb atks from cannons while hydras or zerlgins finish it off. as a result none of the zergs units are lost. same with a bunker or other defenses. these units do not cost anything to make and u can keep using them while keeping your own forces safe and sound.

 

Yes, 'if' it the stats aren't changed, it could go down very badly, and 'if' it is overpowered then it will need to be fixed, but as you said yourself, all these 'what ifs' can go on forever. Balance is one of the few things that shouldn't be discussed by fansites. We have no access to anything but the raw data, and that data's probably outdated anyway. We don't even know everything about spawning Infested Marines even. It could cost the full two hundred and fifty Energy and have a ten minute cooldown for all we know. It's fine to talk about mechanics, the abilities themselves, tactics, uses, buffs, nerfs, alternative abilities, previous builds, lore, visual effects and what we personally think about it, but what does discussing the balance of outdated stats achieve? Yes, eighty health might seem to be too high. Then again, it might be perfect. We don't know, we aren't the balance experts. We haven't even played. Yes, five Infested Marines might seem a bit much, but how do we know?

If anyone were to ask me, I'd say the Ultralisk is heavily imbalanced at the moment, having six hundred health, a devastating area of effect attack, a special attack against buildings, and are able to be healed for two hundred health at a time by Transfusion. How isn't that imbalanced? But, their stats have remained relatively consistent from when it was released. I might claim that it's imbalanced, but then what? Either Blizzard will balance it, or they'll find that it is overpowered during Beta. Other than that, there's literally nothing that can be gained, and saying that I think it should have its health reduced to four hundred and not be able to be targeted with Transfusion means nothing.

As for the Battle Report, that's exactly my point. Different abilities are suited to different situation. Spawning Infested Marines won't always be the best solution. As for Mutalisks, they simply would not have cut it. I went back and checked, and the Protoss player had two Colossus, seven Zealots and four Disruptors. That's two thousand and seventy health that the Mutalisks would have had to have cleaved their way through. Mutalisks deal, what? Nine damage on the first target? Six on the second and three on the third? There's no way Mutalisks could have won him that battle, particularly when the Protoss player had four Nullifiers there, which can attack Air and deal extra to Biological units, and when he did have Phoenixes and Stalkers on the map that he could have brought over anyway.

Twenty Marines could have been spawned, but in that situation, not only preventing the Protoss player from using his Colossus but taking control of them, you can't say Marines were definitely the way to go. The Zerg player was basically four Colossi up on the Protoss player because of that. Marines would have definitely have buffed the Zerg's forces, but they're not particularly strong, despite being stronger than normal Marines. The Infested Marines would have gone down in two shots from the Colossi, and looking at how many could have been hit by a single attack, they wouldn't have lasted long, especially when you keep in mind that it takes time for the Infested Marines to hatch. In that time, the Colossi could have easily have either massacred the Zerglings or taken out most of the eggs. From the second Battle Report, we saw that it took about five seconds for the Infested Marines to hatch. By contrast, the Neural Parasite battle took about ten seconds to complete.

As for the Warp In round the back of his expansion, that was set up to be a surprise attack. The attack with the Colossi was more set up to be a distraction, if anything else, however, given that he saw the Zerg player only had Zerglings defending, he would have been expecting a convincing victory at that front as well. By the time the Infesters could have reacted to the Warp In threat, even if they hadn't spent any Energy in the previous battle with the Colossi and had the full two fifty, it was too late. There were four Immortals, a Stalker and seven Zealots, and more than likely, much more in reserve if he hadn't thrown in the GG. His expansion had already been all but wiped out before the Infesters could even get there.

Again, as for the 'what ifs', yes, there's a chance that they'll add more abilities, that they'll add more Infested Marines, that they'll buff their health or damage, etc, etc, but seriously, what's the chance that they're not going to balance? It might be a bit overpowered at the moment, and it's true that that might slip through the net, but it's if blatantly overpowered, it's going to be fixed. If it's overpowered at the moment, then they're not going to make it even more powerful. As for acting as tanks, and taking the fire for other units, so what? All Zerg units can do that. Zerg are basically fodder, but in addition to that, they've got very specialised fodder now. The Roach and Ultralisk, larger masses of Zerglings, Infested Marines, Broodlings, and Neural Parasited units. fodder doesn't make anything overpowered, just because they divert the fire. If that were the case, the Brood Lord would have to be one of the most overpowered units in the game. They instantly spawn one or two Broodlings with every attack, right at the base of the building they're attacking. If you have five Brood Lords, you can continually be spawning five to ten Broodlings every attack, while sitting at a safe distance. If something does retaliate, Corrupters can quickly corrupt almost any incoming threats, adding more to the Zerg arsenal. All free, all not costing supply, all relatively powerful. Backed up by Zerglings and Hydralisks or Roaches, there's little they couldn't overwhelm. Does that automatically make it imbalanced? No. Could it potentially be imbalanced? Certainly, but it doesn't mean it will. On top of that, we haven't even gotten to Beta yet, so, again, saying eighty health is too much for Infested Marines is simply useless.

Basically, this all boils down to the question of whether Infested Marines is imbalanced. The answer to that is simple. What if it's not? We don't know, and we can't know. If it is, then it's relatively safe to assume that it will be balanced at a later date. The fact still remains that there's nothing imbalanced about the mechanics of the ability, and, balance aside seeing as we're in no position to pass judgement, the only real problem people are having with the ability is with lore.