4Game

I got to Pro last December and decided I was bored with Gwent. So I took a break. Started up back last month and was actually pleasantly surprised with the state of things. Relicts needed a nerf, and probably need another, but a lot of the factions got at least interesting cards and the NR rework shows promise even if it needs work. I think the fundamental thing that the Gwent devs needs to figure out is how to design powerful cards and assign appropriate provisions. I use, as examples, my two favorite cards at the moment, and my two least favorite.

The Good:

Reince: Love this card. Unique design, great art, not tied to a specific group of bronzes though it has synergy. This is the best card I think the developers came up with. He can have a huge impact on a game but he also requires some setup and he also can be stopped without teching in some otherwise useless tech card. I've hated Nilfgard since W3 and I…dammit, I finally like them. I'm not playing him on the ladder at all for obvious reasons, but he has a deploy power that I wouldn't call OP AND requires some setup not to brick and an order which is not impossible to counter but can bait your opponent's locks.

Francesca Findabair: I've mained ST and SK primarily. I think I, in fact, made it to pro with SK but I don't recall. But, at any rate, I again love her art. But more importantly I love that her power a.) can really swing a game, but B.) it requires setup and though she's not easily removed she can be. I started last season at rank 15 (absent). I'm at 6 at the moment. And I've played her throughout. She absolutely needs setup and support, she is frequently removed, but she is exactly at the right provisions and she forces your opponent to think. She may not be viable at rank 2 but she's been a great card in the current ambush deck.

The Bad:

Eldain: I really hate to say this because the art (including the music on the animated version) is sooo good, but the card is horrible. Eldain epitomizes one of the problems the devs have, They will seemingly introduce a card assuming that it will be played in a reasonable way only to have the community remind them that that is a delusion. ST traps was an under-utilized archetype that needed some love, but when all the artifact removal was taken out it became somewhat un-counterable. Which would be fine since the traps can't play for points (and I still think they should try to design support cards for it), but the devs managed to figure out a way to break that. I've seen Eldain slammed down to convert six traps to deadeyes. That is ridiculous. That's worse than Gord and Gord is horribly balanced at his current provisions. I suspect Monsters can outpace that and so the devs don't necessarily see it as a problem, but from a game design perspective this is horrible. The setup is hard to counter and the effect is instantaneous and can play for massive points.

Drill: This is territory that has already been covered and I don't have much to add. But it does bring up a design question. Which is: maybe syndicate should have leader powers that revolve around specific factions rather than generic coin abilities? Self-poisoning could have a poisoning power, etc… Maybe that would finally bring some balance to the faction? Thoughts?