This gives each faction more flavor, adds more weight to the dual-faction decision, and makes gameplay less unpredictable as you can now rule out significant options for your opponent based on the factions they are using. This can make aggressive positions much more potent.įactions are now much more restricted in the mechanics they possess. Many units that were previously slow or fast have been changed to a standard 3 move unit with different abilities, and the SLOW attribute is used sparingly (and the FAST attribute for 4-move units is exclusive to ninjas).Ĭombat abilities such as CHAIN LIGHTNING and COMBO now activate when a unit counterattacks as well as when they attack. Units that move 2 spaces ALSO cannot attack on the same turn they are played, again because they tend to have higher stats and were too potently used as value-add castle defenders. Melee units have been mostly standardized to 3 movement, with special card text for units that can move 4 or 2 spaces. Playtesting identified the ability to punish attackers directly from hand with a ranged unit, gaining massive board presence at zero risk, to be the most significant deterrent to attacking. Most significantly, RANGED UNITS CANNOT ATTACK IMMEDIATELY when they are played. So Castles now have 20 HP, but we have nerfed or removed most ways for players to significantly punish an attacker directly from the hand. By focusing on core mechanics and basic cards, we were able to come up with a rule set that feels more fair for all sides and addresses the actual issue of tempo swings directly, at the cost of majorly changing the game. A lower HP pool means players can sometimes be surprised by how quickly they die and feel that their position is too fragile to allow for interesting setups and longer-plan decks. This worked in improving the player experience without changing the card pool too much, but came with some significant downsides. Last summer we reduced the HP of the castle from 20 to 12 as a way to reward more aggressive positions with a potential early kill. Traditionally the game has allowed for tempo swings too easily and too frequently, leading players to play a conservative game and generally not take aggressive positions until late game. TRAP CARDS, a new mechanic available to all factions which allows you to set secret traps that can activate on your opponent's turn!Ī general revamp of numbers and formulas, with more powerful spells, a sturdier Castle, and less ability to punish aggressive positions.įor this release, the team went back to examining core gameplay with basic cards to identify ways we could improve the pacing and momentum of the game. Many neutral units have been returned to their original faction. Key features are:Ī 6th faction, the enigmatic and nature-loving Druids, have joined the fight! Summon rampaging beasts and harness the spirit of the forest to protect your units and crush your enemies!įaction identities return! Factions now have much tighter restrictions on what kinds of cards and abilities they may possess. We are proud to announce the upcoming release of our next major expansion, THE ENCHANTED GROVE, coming January 11th! This expansion will feature the addition of a 6th faction to the game, DRUIDS, as well as some new cards for the druid faction and a massive revamp of game mechanics and cards.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |