Indeed, with card synergy being a thing, 'more options' in this game leads to 'more power'. Even before the Nexus event, we've already seen this happen with players who buy their way up the collection ladder or that one card from the premium pass. Ironically, this problem could be mitigated by giving some targeted card acquisition to all players.
Case in point: the nerfing of ka-zoo decks; the developers took the drastic measure of inserting counter cards - Sandman and Killmonger - on every player's collection ladder (what's that about predictable card acquisition being unfun?), for a problem that the meta could have solved organically with a little targeted card acquisition.
Their system of matching players with similar collection levels is probably the best alternative to targeted card acquisition under the circumstances. It's still not perfect though: back when The Collector was all the rage, it was incredibly frustrating that mine was at the absolute bottom of the pool. For matchmaking to work better, more and smaller card pools will be required.
It's really unfathomable how they went from a $15 premium pass, which also includes a brand new card, to this. They're not even in the same plane of existence.
I can accept them keeping to their philosophy of untargeted card acquisition and the 'make the best of what you've got' style of deck building - players will have to change their mindset but it could be good in some ways.
I can also accept if they want to put some targeted card acquisition behind a straightforward $200 paywall for the whales or content creators who absolutely can't wait - again not great but fine whatever, the game remains fun for non-whales.
But what we have here cannot be excused as differing philosophies or mere misjudgment. There is clearly bad faith on the part of SD and their actions were wholly intentional: they knew asking for $200 upfront would be rejected by most people outright, so instead they resorted to psychological tactics and couched the whole shite in loot boxes and misleading imagery to trick people into thinking they could get what they wanted for a tenth of that price.
Whatever they do to 'course correct' down the road and however favourably you may look upon the game then, just remember how low SD was willing to go when deciding your next in-app purchase.
I'm surprised the card retains buffs upon return to hand. Is there any precedent for this? I thought this was Sap with an extra step but this changes things.
Just to make things extra shitty, 2 card art variants are included in the super rare pool. While you won't pull a variant before pulling its base card, it means that your odds of pulling the new card (Jane Foster), arguably the more desirable of the 2 headliners given its synergy with the last new card (Thor), as your first super rare is always 50%, whether or not you already own the other headliner (Destroyer). Bottom line: be prepared to spend twice as much if you only want Jane Foster, thrice if you want both.
What an egregious whale hunt this "event" had turned out to be, targeting those who've already put money in the game: season pass holders and those far along the collection level. People are justifiably disappointed because it was hyped as an alternative method of card acquisition when it's just an insane option for the majority of us.
I saw a Green Goblin variant in the store that I assumed was Gabe's work. I could be mistaken though. Would be nice if the artists were credited in-game.
I'm increasingly concerned about how new players are supposed to catch up with those already in the beta. These premium season passes are currently the only way to add specific cards to one's collection. It's one thing if these are memeish cards but Wave, the card from the previous season, has already proved to be a key card in certain decks.
I guess we won't be seeing the champions they left out returning any time soon. Lissandra and Teemo were among my favourites.
I'm OK if they want to separate PoC from LoR, not make another game with similar mechanics. As we've seen with Hearthstone, all those extra game modes can lead to client bloat.
The observation that Path of Champions has superseded Expeditions in the drafting space is very much on point for me. Something Blizzard has yet to realise: it's more fun to draft decks with random OP synergies without being subjected to the same. They practically invented the genre with Dungeon Runs then botched it with Duels.
Anyways, I'm looking forward to more content for PoC: more Champions, more bosses etc.
Yes, I was going to say the same thing. Imagine being gatekept from a merc's 3rd equipment (and max stats) because you haven't got the necessary mercs to complete the relevant heroic bounty. Good luck if one of those mercs is a legendary.
It would be a pity if their artists have already completed the diamond artwork for the losing side and never get to show it. Hopefully there will be some way to get it, say on the next rewards track with the tavern pass.
I drastically cut my time spent on Mercenaries after the update to lvl 30 heroic bounty rewards* because it made me realise just how unrewarding the whole process was and still is. I am hopeful that Blizzard will improve the game but I don't know which direction they will take so for now I'm avoiding any form of grind - no lvl 30 heroic bounty runs, no task farming. Furthermore, on the off chance they introduce some form of maxed coin protection, I've also decided not to complete any more tasks (except for Toki's daily) or open any more packs.
* Side note: Old Guardian has done some analysis on the post-update drop rates of legendary coins on lvl 30 heroic bounty runs, and his initial findings are disappointing to say the least. See his Reddit post and YouTube video. The average number of coins you can get from the guaranteed legendary coin pile was reduced along with the probability of legendary coins appearing in the other two bounty coin piles. More data is needed but it appears this change is at best a side-grade ie. same legendary coin drop rate on average. For those intent on farming for legendary coins, heroic quilboars still present the best value for your time.
You're not wrong about that feels-bad moment when they (inevitably?) improve the systems we grinded on though. So starting today and until Blizzard improves Mercenaries to an acceptable level I'm going to 1) only play Mercenaries to complete Toki's daily task and Hearthstone's daily quests, and 2) stop opening Mercenaries Packs. Putting this out here so y'all on OoC can hold me to this lol.
Indeed, with card synergy being a thing, 'more options' in this game leads to 'more power'. Even before the Nexus event, we've already seen this happen with players who buy their way up the collection ladder or that one card from the premium pass. Ironically, this problem could be mitigated by giving some targeted card acquisition to all players.
Case in point: the nerfing of ka-zoo decks; the developers took the drastic measure of inserting counter cards - Sandman and Killmonger - on every player's collection ladder (what's that about predictable card acquisition being unfun?), for a problem that the meta could have solved organically with a little targeted card acquisition.
Their system of matching players with similar collection levels is probably the best alternative to targeted card acquisition under the circumstances. It's still not perfect though: back when The Collector was all the rage, it was incredibly frustrating that mine was at the absolute bottom of the pool. For matchmaking to work better, more and smaller card pools will be required.
It's really unfathomable how they went from a $15 premium pass, which also includes a brand new card, to this. They're not even in the same plane of existence.
I can accept them keeping to their philosophy of untargeted card acquisition and the 'make the best of what you've got' style of deck building - players will have to change their mindset but it could be good in some ways.
I can also accept if they want to put some targeted card acquisition behind a straightforward $200 paywall for the whales or content creators who absolutely can't wait - again not great but fine whatever, the game remains fun for non-whales.
But what we have here cannot be excused as differing philosophies or mere misjudgment. There is clearly bad faith on the part of SD and their actions were wholly intentional: they knew asking for $200 upfront would be rejected by most people outright, so instead they resorted to psychological tactics and couched the whole shite in loot boxes and misleading imagery to trick people into thinking they could get what they wanted for a tenth of that price.
Whatever they do to 'course correct' down the road and however favourably you may look upon the game then, just remember how low SD was willing to go when deciding your next in-app purchase.
I'm surprised the card retains buffs upon return to hand. Is there any precedent for this? I thought this was Sap with an extra step but this changes things.
Just to make things extra shitty, 2 card art variants are included in the super rare pool. While you won't pull a variant before pulling its base card, it means that your odds of pulling the new card (Jane Foster), arguably the more desirable of the 2 headliners given its synergy with the last new card (Thor), as your first super rare is always 50%, whether or not you already own the other headliner (Destroyer). Bottom line: be prepared to spend twice as much if you only want Jane Foster, thrice if you want both.
What an egregious whale hunt this "event" had turned out to be, targeting those who've already put money in the game: season pass holders and those far along the collection level. People are justifiably disappointed because it was hyped as an alternative method of card acquisition when it's just an insane option for the majority of us.
Welp, I missed it. My folly for thinking it was safe to go off social media while the Grandmasters was going on.
I reckon the opponent makes their guess at the start of their turn.
I saw a Green Goblin variant in the store that I assumed was Gabe's work. I could be mistaken though. Would be nice if the artists were credited in-game.
I'm increasingly concerned about how new players are supposed to catch up with those already in the beta. These premium season passes are currently the only way to add specific cards to one's collection. It's one thing if these are memeish cards but Wave, the card from the previous season, has already proved to be a key card in certain decks.
I guess we won't be seeing the champions they left out returning any time soon. Lissandra and Teemo were among my favourites.
I'm OK if they want to separate PoC from LoR, not make another game with similar mechanics. As we've seen with Hearthstone, all those extra game modes can lead to client bloat.
Is there not another day of matches, starting 8+ hours from now?
The observation that Path of Champions has superseded Expeditions in the drafting space is very much on point for me. Something Blizzard has yet to realise: it's more fun to draft decks with random OP synergies without being subjected to the same. They practically invented the genre with Dungeon Runs then botched it with Duels.
Anyways, I'm looking forward to more content for PoC: more Champions, more bosses etc.
I haven't read the book but I'm guessing Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth is the source of inspiration.
Yes, I was going to say the same thing. Imagine being gatekept from a merc's 3rd equipment (and max stats) because you haven't got the necessary mercs to complete the relevant heroic bounty. Good luck if one of those mercs is a legendary.
Yes, god please make them coins not XP
That's my understanding of that statement too. There is no mention of the diamond version of the losing faction's leader card.
It would be a pity if their artists have already completed the diamond artwork for the losing side and never get to show it. Hopefully there will be some way to get it, say on the next rewards track with the tavern pass.
I drastically cut my time spent on Mercenaries after the update to lvl 30 heroic bounty rewards* because it made me realise just how unrewarding the whole process was and still is. I am hopeful that Blizzard will improve the game but I don't know which direction they will take so for now I'm avoiding any form of grind - no lvl 30 heroic bounty runs, no task farming. Furthermore, on the off chance they introduce some form of maxed coin protection, I've also decided not to complete any more tasks (except for Toki's daily) or open any more packs.
* Side note: Old Guardian has done some analysis on the post-update drop rates of legendary coins on lvl 30 heroic bounty runs, and his initial findings are disappointing to say the least. See his Reddit post and YouTube video. The average number of coins you can get from the guaranteed legendary coin pile was reduced along with the probability of legendary coins appearing in the other two bounty coin piles. More data is needed but it appears this change is at best a side-grade ie. same legendary coin drop rate on average. For those intent on farming for legendary coins, heroic quilboars still present the best value for your time.
I'm loving the champion skins. The colour scheme and the super-buff champions really speak to me lol
Congrats! I take it this means you're still in their good books.
You're not wrong about that feels-bad moment when they (inevitably?) improve the systems we grinded on though. So starting today and until Blizzard improves Mercenaries to an acceptable level I'm going to 1) only play Mercenaries to complete Toki's daily task and Hearthstone's daily quests, and 2) stop opening Mercenaries Packs. Putting this out here so y'all on OoC can hold me to this lol.