Card Balance Update - In the Line of Fire
Hello friends!
Welcome to the latest installment of the Kards balance blog, known to cause PMS (Premature Metashift Shakes) in even the most disciplined souls. This time around we have a number of subtle changes that we foresee will cause drastic changes in the near future, as we are taking aim at many of the most cherished cards and decks out there.
Some of the changes also have the upcoming Campaign mode in mind, as the new cards found there are bound to have a significant impact on many decks. But more on that later, right now we’re going to take a look at how all your decks are about to be ruined. Enjoy!
We’re going to look at cards in the usual order of suspects - Britain, Germany, Soviet, USA, Japan, France and Italy.
[h3]Intercept Air Blitz, Bismarck, and The Commonwealth[/h3]
But first, a few cards are seeing slight template change - Air Blitz, Bismarck and The Commonwealth now are phrased so that they require you to target an HQ. Apart from the extremely rare case of you wanting to target your own HQ, this results in the cards being played the same almost always.
So why the change? Because it makes Interception more relevant, as it can now stop these three cards from resolving when targeting your HQ. It will be interesting to see if Interception will be run more frequently now.
[h3]Blockade[/h3]
The current version of Blockade is powerful, but frustrating to play because you don’t know which card was affected. The new version avoids that, and will generally result in a stronger, more powerful effect. Coupled with other resource affecting cards the Brits have, like Black Watch and Shelling, Blockade might find a nice home in a British control deck aiming to stifle the enemy’s development.
[h3]141. Gebirgsjäger[/h3]
The Mountain Boys have it all - good stats, low cost, solid abilities, making them the go-to guys for aggressive and slow decks alike. We are bringing them down from their mountain lair, thus reducing their defensive cover (read: 1 less defense), pushing them closer to the realm of mere mortals.
[h3]Katyusha[/h3]
Well, it was fun while it lasted, but Stalin’s Organ has played its last note in its current incarnation. The popularity of Katyusha has reached the point that you are more surprised when it’s NOT on one or both sides in any given battle, which is a clear sign that things need to change. We still want to keep Katyusha a strong unit due to its iconic status, just tone it down a notch into similar territory as, for instance, the Nebelwerfer.
[h3]Men of Steel[/h3]
The Heavy Armor shenanigans of the current Men of Steel are too soft, so we want to toughen it up a bit. It will be interesting to see what brews we will see with this new version - will people go wide, such as in tokens? Or a more novel approach like US Bombers, as bumping a unit from Heavy Armor 1 to Heavy Armor 2 is usually more powerful than getting Heavy Armor 1. Note that the max Heavy Armor a unit can have is 3, so take that into account.
[h3]Zhukov[/h3]
Zhukov is going back to its original version, as now that we have more options for Soviet infantry (and more coming soon), the current version is simply a little too powerful. While turn 1 4th Kuban Cossacks is still possible, there is always the chance of getting something like 6th Airborne and losing out on the cost reduction. Zhukov is still a powerful card, but at least playing it early is a bit more risky now.
[h3]Overwhelming Force[/h3]
In the long run, our goal is to make sure there are answers for anything the opponent might be up to. We are not quite there yet, but adding the ability to deny a Destruction effect is a powerful addition to the tool box of answers. And adding this ability to a card that is overwhelming in name only is a win-win for all involved.
[h3]B-25 Mitchell[/h3]
Random damage is a tricky subject and something we want to keep under strict control. The problem with the B-25 Mitchell, and the main reason for keeping it out of the big leagues, is the unpredictability of its effect, seemingly taunting you again and again with its lousy targeting. Restricting the effect to units only may seem like a nerf, but actually focuses the ability more, thus giving players a bit more control over when and what to hit.
[h3]34th Infantry Regiment[/h3]
The 34th Infantry Regiment has been the premium milkshake bringing the boys to the yard since the Allegiance expansion. Recently we have seen the milkshake starting to wander outside the yard, popping up in all kinds of decks as an ally. And you know when the milkshake has left the yard that things are getting serious. I have no idea where this metaphor is going, but the 34th now has a defense of 2, so there’s that.
[h3]Empire of the Sun[/h3]
Empire of the Sun is the removal order for when you need that little bit extra, for when you need to take things to 11 and really blast it. But we’re only amping it to 10. Should be loud enough.
[h3]Kamikaze[/h3]
Sacrifices shouldn’t come cheap. At 0 kredits, it is a little bit too easy to string together a kill in a single all out turn after having stalled the game for a long time. At 1 kredit, it now requires a bit more setup to get maximum value out of Last Rites.
[h3]Char B1 bis[/h3]
The Char B1 bis has been the saddest of Pandas sitting at 7 kredits, sad because no one wants to play with it. Let’s see if more playmates are found at 6 kredits.
[h3]Eastern Bound Front[/h3]
Being sent to the Eastern Front has been all doom and gloom so far, so we’re changing the card up a bit to see if heading east becomes a more jolly experience this time around. Note that the Alpine unit draw is random.
That’s it for now, these changes are set to hit tomorrow, June 3rd, along with a whole host of other fixes and improvements. Look out for the full patch notes for all the juicy details. Many more things are also in the pipeline, stay tuned for more info on the Campaign mode soon for instance.
See you on the battlefield!
Welcome to the latest installment of the Kards balance blog, known to cause PMS (Premature Metashift Shakes) in even the most disciplined souls. This time around we have a number of subtle changes that we foresee will cause drastic changes in the near future, as we are taking aim at many of the most cherished cards and decks out there.
Some of the changes also have the upcoming Campaign mode in mind, as the new cards found there are bound to have a significant impact on many decks. But more on that later, right now we’re going to take a look at how all your decks are about to be ruined. Enjoy!
We’re going to look at cards in the usual order of suspects - Britain, Germany, Soviet, USA, Japan, France and Italy.
[h3]Intercept Air Blitz, Bismarck, and The Commonwealth[/h3]
But first, a few cards are seeing slight template change - Air Blitz, Bismarck and The Commonwealth now are phrased so that they require you to target an HQ. Apart from the extremely rare case of you wanting to target your own HQ, this results in the cards being played the same almost always.
So why the change? Because it makes Interception more relevant, as it can now stop these three cards from resolving when targeting your HQ. It will be interesting to see if Interception will be run more frequently now.
[h3]Blockade[/h3]
The current version of Blockade is powerful, but frustrating to play because you don’t know which card was affected. The new version avoids that, and will generally result in a stronger, more powerful effect. Coupled with other resource affecting cards the Brits have, like Black Watch and Shelling, Blockade might find a nice home in a British control deck aiming to stifle the enemy’s development.
[h3]141. Gebirgsjäger[/h3]
The Mountain Boys have it all - good stats, low cost, solid abilities, making them the go-to guys for aggressive and slow decks alike. We are bringing them down from their mountain lair, thus reducing their defensive cover (read: 1 less defense), pushing them closer to the realm of mere mortals.
[h3]Katyusha[/h3]
Well, it was fun while it lasted, but Stalin’s Organ has played its last note in its current incarnation. The popularity of Katyusha has reached the point that you are more surprised when it’s NOT on one or both sides in any given battle, which is a clear sign that things need to change. We still want to keep Katyusha a strong unit due to its iconic status, just tone it down a notch into similar territory as, for instance, the Nebelwerfer.
[h3]Men of Steel[/h3]
The Heavy Armor shenanigans of the current Men of Steel are too soft, so we want to toughen it up a bit. It will be interesting to see what brews we will see with this new version - will people go wide, such as in tokens? Or a more novel approach like US Bombers, as bumping a unit from Heavy Armor 1 to Heavy Armor 2 is usually more powerful than getting Heavy Armor 1. Note that the max Heavy Armor a unit can have is 3, so take that into account.
[h3]Zhukov[/h3]
Zhukov is going back to its original version, as now that we have more options for Soviet infantry (and more coming soon), the current version is simply a little too powerful. While turn 1 4th Kuban Cossacks is still possible, there is always the chance of getting something like 6th Airborne and losing out on the cost reduction. Zhukov is still a powerful card, but at least playing it early is a bit more risky now.
[h3]Overwhelming Force[/h3]
In the long run, our goal is to make sure there are answers for anything the opponent might be up to. We are not quite there yet, but adding the ability to deny a Destruction effect is a powerful addition to the tool box of answers. And adding this ability to a card that is overwhelming in name only is a win-win for all involved.
[h3]B-25 Mitchell[/h3]
Random damage is a tricky subject and something we want to keep under strict control. The problem with the B-25 Mitchell, and the main reason for keeping it out of the big leagues, is the unpredictability of its effect, seemingly taunting you again and again with its lousy targeting. Restricting the effect to units only may seem like a nerf, but actually focuses the ability more, thus giving players a bit more control over when and what to hit.
[h3]34th Infantry Regiment[/h3]
The 34th Infantry Regiment has been the premium milkshake bringing the boys to the yard since the Allegiance expansion. Recently we have seen the milkshake starting to wander outside the yard, popping up in all kinds of decks as an ally. And you know when the milkshake has left the yard that things are getting serious. I have no idea where this metaphor is going, but the 34th now has a defense of 2, so there’s that.
[h3]Empire of the Sun[/h3]
Empire of the Sun is the removal order for when you need that little bit extra, for when you need to take things to 11 and really blast it. But we’re only amping it to 10. Should be loud enough.
[h3]Kamikaze[/h3]
Sacrifices shouldn’t come cheap. At 0 kredits, it is a little bit too easy to string together a kill in a single all out turn after having stalled the game for a long time. At 1 kredit, it now requires a bit more setup to get maximum value out of Last Rites.
[h3]Char B1 bis[/h3]
The Char B1 bis has been the saddest of Pandas sitting at 7 kredits, sad because no one wants to play with it. Let’s see if more playmates are found at 6 kredits.
[h3]Eastern Bound Front[/h3]
Being sent to the Eastern Front has been all doom and gloom so far, so we’re changing the card up a bit to see if heading east becomes a more jolly experience this time around. Note that the Alpine unit draw is random.
That’s it for now, these changes are set to hit tomorrow, June 3rd, along with a whole host of other fixes and improvements. Look out for the full patch notes for all the juicy details. Many more things are also in the pipeline, stay tuned for more info on the Campaign mode soon for instance.
See you on the battlefield!