people either don't want to sit through a bunch of animations when they know they're done for and at the same time people want to celebrate their victory by doing it in a flashy way
Maybe they just figured it would be worth to try again now that Hero Portraits are of much higher quality nowadays and people are more willing to actually spend money on those, especially since the huge paywall of a bundle is just too much for the average player
It would seem pretty strange that with all the customer friendly changes we got so far they'd suddenly introduce a pay2win/premium currency feature that isn't needed.
Runestones make sense because paying for each arena run in cash is a really awkward mechanic (although introducing a middleman currency technically carries some....scammy tendencies)
I guess we'll see how it turns out. As pointed out this could just be something to circumvent lootbox laws in a more elegant fashion (which isn't a scummy move, because card packs aren't really the same as actual lootboxes)
Either way, I doubt they would introduce Adventures that grant new cards only to immediately hide them behind a strict paywall.
I guess we'll find out soon enough. If this really is just a blatant ripoff then we have yet another reason to just quit the game for good.
I'm assuming they will add old "free" heroes for a minor cost for those who really want them and I guess they'll try again to just seel cosmetics for cash instead of hiding them behind a huge useless bundle.
I'm assuming Evolution stays the same (or else they would have refunded it)
Not to mention Evolution doesn't enable OTKs.
They give the refund on cards that were realistically used in OTKs (or just used at all)
Walnut Sprite and Phantom Militia are unaffected because there is no way to reduce them below (1) anyways (since there is no aura effect that does that). All the other echo cards that technically could be reduced to 0 ,for whatever reason, never saw play in any real capacity.
The biggest thing about those is that they now removed a bunch of really fun combo strategies for Dungeon Run and the like, but that's not really something you can justify refunds for.
They're already pretty generous for refunding Sound the Bells AND Glinda since the former was only ever used for the memes while the latter still works as intended and technically not even directly involved with the change.
Wild packs are good for those who care. I hope they have distinct disclaimers so new players won't be confused.
Also, it will be weird to see the 3 heroes leave and be replaced with just one. However, this makes me hopeful that new portraits will be added more frequently and that we'll be getting more classic lore characters, with the meme/expansion-themed characters being relegated to bundles and preorders (Vanessa vanCleef, let's go , Rogue needs some love)
extra cards from PvE is a great way to create a mid-expansion meta shake up (and far less volatile than bringing back Wild cards unchecked as has been demonstrated).
For those who fear about the pay2win aspect: This has now been announced and won't arrive until mid January. You can spend all your currently saved up gold on packs, buy a few more to reset the legendary counter, and still have enough time to collect the 2800 gold you need to unlock the adventure for free. I have managed this quite easily for Rise of Shadows. Just because the game's F2P doesn't mean they can't expect you to put in some effort to not pay for cards.
I'm also really excited for the Hero shop updates. Back when they were first released, spending 10 bucks on a portrait that barely changed things was a terrible deal, which is why most people didn't buy (and Blizzard switched to giving out heroes for free or more recently bundling them with card packs). However, since then the quality of these portraits has increased a lot and Sylvanas proves that people would rather spend a minor amount of cash for a cosmetic than spending a huge amount on a technically more efficient bundle (that ends up being pointless because you don't really need that many cards).
I for one am actually considering getting Sylvanas (as long as they don't jack up the price for no reason) and I look forward to see more lore-related heroes for purchase (Vanessa vanCleef or Yrel would be awesome). Even if it's a bit cashgrabby it's better than getting f***ing Annoy-o Trons and BadTouchTreegrannies bundled with a bunch of obsolete expansion packs.
But hey, at this point they might as well end up doing that eventually. NOw that there is a precedent for fundamentally changing the game's rules to achieve balance I don't see why they wouldn't.
Moreover, since they talked about Mogu Fleshshaper and how it would be monitored in the next expansion, maybe this is the route they'll eventually take.
that said, I think your first proposition is still a bit flawed? What about cards like Frizz Kindleroost or Sorcerer's Apprentice? 0-mana discounting isn't an inherently flawed mechanic, it just becomes that when you have an infinite source to discount and the only currently existing ones are Echo cards and Archmage Antonidas who (in my opinion) should have been changed to not proc off his own Fireballs a long time ago (make it like a [Hearthstone Card (Trade Prince Gallywyx) Not Found] situation so Mage can get better cost discounting mechanics without the threat of an Exodia looming over it)
RIP Sound the Bells cheese in Dalaran Heist, you will be missed.
Also, this is the first time Blizzard changed a mechanic to work against established rules for the sake of eliminating an OTK.
At first I was kind of apprehensive because I really don't like the idea of nuking future synergies just because of one specific combo (which Mechwarper is more responsible for than anything else really), but at least they're giving out reasonable refunds.
why not? Bronze Dragon's are all about time reversal and stuff so technically you could argue that reversing you to a healthier state is the same as healing.
That's the idea wiith Nozari. She reverts both players' health to the starting point.
So you just answered your own question
people either don't want to sit through a bunch of animations when they know they're done for and at the same time people want to celebrate their victory by doing it in a flashy way
Probably gonna go with good guys, mainly because they have much more fun cards than most of the evil classes so far.
they'll probably refund it once the bug is discovered
phew, crisis averted,
Does this mean that Chinese players can't buy adventures for gold anymore? Or is this just a direct purchase circumvention?
Maybe they just figured it would be worth to try again now that Hero Portraits are of much higher quality nowadays and people are more willing to actually spend money on those, especially since the huge paywall of a bundle is just too much for the average player
I am worried. Very worried, but also curious.
It would seem pretty strange that with all the customer friendly changes we got so far they'd suddenly introduce a pay2win/premium currency feature that isn't needed.
Runestones make sense because paying for each arena run in cash is a really awkward mechanic (although introducing a middleman currency technically carries some....scammy tendencies)
I guess we'll see how it turns out. As pointed out this could just be something to circumvent lootbox laws in a more elegant fashion (which isn't a scummy move, because card packs aren't really the same as actual lootboxes)
Either way, I doubt they would introduce Adventures that grant new cards only to immediately hide them behind a strict paywall.
I guess we'll find out soon enough. If this really is just a blatant ripoff then we have yet another reason to just quit the game for good.
I'm assuming they will add old "free" heroes for a minor cost for those who really want them and I guess they'll try again to just seel cosmetics for cash instead of hiding them behind a huge useless bundle.
oh ok.
Yeah, it turns out they have been pretty consistent with their promises lately
Ran into this without knowing.
I actually had a laughing fit when I looked away for a bit only to come back to getting OTKd turn 1.
this is probably the first and only time where you can actually pull off an FTK by just playing a single card.
This is the meme supreme
I'm assuming Evolution stays the same (or else they would have refunded it)
Not to mention Evolution doesn't enable OTKs.
They give the refund on cards that were realistically used in OTKs (or just used at all)
Walnut Sprite and Phantom Militia are unaffected because there is no way to reduce them below (1) anyways (since there is no aura effect that does that). All the other echo cards that technically could be reduced to 0 ,for whatever reason, never saw play in any real capacity.
The biggest thing about those is that they now removed a bunch of really fun combo strategies for Dungeon Run and the like, but that's not really something you can justify refunds for.
They're already pretty generous for refunding Sound the Bells AND Glinda since the former was only ever used for the memes while the latter still works as intended and technically not even directly involved with the change.
they could, but I think it'd be pointless.
Also it might enable some other degenracy in Wild in the future and then they'd have to nerf it right back.
only on the non-golden version (aka the one you would have had to craft if you didn't get the free golden one back when it came out)
Wild packs are good for those who care. I hope they have distinct disclaimers so new players won't be confused.
Also, it will be weird to see the 3 heroes leave and be replaced with just one. However, this makes me hopeful that new portraits will be added more frequently and that we'll be getting more classic lore characters, with the meme/expansion-themed characters being relegated to bundles and preorders (Vanessa vanCleef, let's go , Rogue needs some love)
probably someone forgot to whitelist him from the rest of the set.
Rip Holy Wrath Paladin in the new 5 day meta.
Tyrande was always free, it's just that the previous process was very inaccessible for a lot of people
I really like this direction.
extra cards from PvE is a great way to create a mid-expansion meta shake up (and far less volatile than bringing back Wild cards unchecked as has been demonstrated).
For those who fear about the pay2win aspect: This has now been announced and won't arrive until mid January. You can spend all your currently saved up gold on packs, buy a few more to reset the legendary counter, and still have enough time to collect the 2800 gold you need to unlock the adventure for free. I have managed this quite easily for Rise of Shadows. Just because the game's F2P doesn't mean they can't expect you to put in some effort to not pay for cards.
I'm also really excited for the Hero shop updates. Back when they were first released, spending 10 bucks on a portrait that barely changed things was a terrible deal, which is why most people didn't buy (and Blizzard switched to giving out heroes for free or more recently bundling them with card packs). However, since then the quality of these portraits has increased a lot and Sylvanas proves that people would rather spend a minor amount of cash for a cosmetic than spending a huge amount on a technically more efficient bundle (that ends up being pointless because you don't really need that many cards).
I for one am actually considering getting Sylvanas (as long as they don't jack up the price for no reason) and I look forward to see more lore-related heroes for purchase (Vanessa vanCleef or Yrel would be awesome). Even if it's a bit cashgrabby it's better than getting f***ing Annoy-o Trons and BadTouchTreegrannies bundled with a bunch of obsolete expansion packs.
your word in Blizzard's ear.
But hey, at this point they might as well end up doing that eventually. NOw that there is a precedent for fundamentally changing the game's rules to achieve balance I don't see why they wouldn't.
Moreover, since they talked about Mogu Fleshshaper and how it would be monitored in the next expansion, maybe this is the route they'll eventually take.
that said, I think your first proposition is still a bit flawed? What about cards like Frizz Kindleroost or Sorcerer's Apprentice? 0-mana discounting isn't an inherently flawed mechanic, it just becomes that when you have an infinite source to discount and the only currently existing ones are Echo cards and Archmage Antonidas who (in my opinion) should have been changed to not proc off his own Fireballs a long time ago (make it like a [Hearthstone Card (Trade Prince Gallywyx) Not Found] situation so Mage can get better cost discounting mechanics without the threat of an Exodia looming over it)
RIP Sound the Bells cheese in Dalaran Heist, you will be missed.
Also, this is the first time Blizzard changed a mechanic to work against established rules for the sake of eliminating an OTK.
At first I was kind of apprehensive because I really don't like the idea of nuking future synergies just because of one specific combo (which Mechwarper is more responsible for than anything else really), but at least they're giving out reasonable refunds.
can't you tell from her seductive scale and voluptous wings?
but seriously, she is, it's hard to tell with dragons, but the lore doesn't lie
why not? Bronze Dragon's are all about time reversal and stuff so technically you could argue that reversing you to a healthier state is the same as healing.
That's the idea wiith Nozari. She reverts both players' health to the starting point.