4Game

There have been a lot of posts about renfri understandly as there is a confirmed change to her. Even though just days away from patch day, the changes to her have already been set I am sure, I wanted to make a post on how a card like her is a problem in the viewpoint of Design if that is even the right word for it

(This post is gonna be kinda long)

Let's look at other 13/13+ prov cards(ik 11ps and 12ps are also in the deck Defining expensive card category but that is way too long to be discussed in even minor detail)

MO :
1) Viy – Ignoring whether the card is healthy for the game(it's not), It requires huge setup and specific deckbuilding.

2) SWK – Now, as a resilience unit, SWK does not have it's own deck but it's sabbath requirements make it playable reliably in only few decks like carapace.

3) Keltullis – strong card with It's own deck and Setup. Again, ignoring whether it's healthy seeing it's interaction with Sabbath.

3) Regis Reborn – Archetype Defining and does take some "setup" of being attentive to keeping bleed at all turns but not that huge and capped by number of turns in the game.

NG :

1) Vilgefortz: Renegade – Ignoring whether the card is healthy, it does only get used in it's own deck, Imperial Practitioner and unreliable without cursed scroll.

2) Rience – Only gets full value in hyperthin(if it survives) and is pretty bad imo. Some mill decks have started playing him with Quax as well for the order ability and sniping a high end(possibly deploy) card.

3) Artaud – (I would like to hear your opinion about the card).

NR :

1) Chapter of Wizards – Archetype Defining albeit. Doesn't take setup but doesnt do something outrageous for it's price. It's order is an extra alumini

2) Henselt- Archetype Defining card for both IZ and Stockpile. Tutor+Engine. Can get low value if u have raffard or Pride in hand but still, is an alright card for it's prov. But I am unsure about this one.

3) Draug – Draug

ST

1) Zoltan: Warrior – Midrange card that is solid for a 13 prov but not outrageous by any means. However, It's interactions with munro and chariot are beyond scope of this post.

2) Saskia: Commander – Midrange(ish) card but needs it's own deckbuilding(or atleast specific care to it) unlike the dwarf package and also affects how u play round 1 to not brick her. Very very strong card with huge pressure to opponent with Tempo+Thinning but can get screwed over by draws.

SK

1) Fucusya – much more than midrange(autoinclude/ autoplay in compass decks). Strong points/resurrection. No setup or deckbuilding restrictions making.

SY

1) Brute – Archetype defining, arguably bad and needs huge setup. Weak imo.
……………………………………………………………………………..

Neutrals

Sunset Wanderers – Needs it's own deckbuilding and is really only played in decks where the extra card draw it provides is worthwhile like Hyperthin.

Now, Renfri(finally) – 13p card that plays for more than(generally) every card listed till now. It has almost no deckbuilding requirements for some archetypes like Handbuff(which want units in hand anyway). Not playable in decks dependent on specials like Symbiosis ofc. It plays for so much value that it is undeniably the best card in the game.

A card like her shouldn't even exist. Neutrals must only compliment faction cards and combos. Not be the core of it. Now that she has come. She has to either be tuned down below what a faction 13p should play or receive a complete rework that doesn't however maker her completely irrelevant like ornate censer now as the unusable neutral list is large enough already.

In the end, I think it is hard to even balance a neutral card that messes with a core mechanic of gwent, the leader ability. Such a card should never have been printed.