4Game

What: A New Draft Game mode (an alternative to the unpopulair current Draft mode and the lost Arena mode)

How does it work:

STEP 1: You start opening 5 custom Ultimate Kegs. These are kegs containing cards from the pool of all existing Gwent cards. However, the first card from the keg is always an epic card, the middle card is always a legendary card and the last card is always a rare card.

– tldr; in this phase, you end up with 5 chosen legendary cards, 5 random epic cards, 5 random rare cards and 10 random common cards, all from all factions.

STEP 2: You choose a custom Faction Keg; again, containing a legendary to choose, a random epic/rare/two commons.

STEP 3: Do step 2 four more times.

– tldr; now you have a total 20 gold cards (10 chosen legendaries, 10 epics). You have 30 bronze cards (10 rares and 20 commons. Half of the cards are from Ultimate Kegs (cards from random factions), the other half is from chosen Faction Kegs.

FINAL STEP: With this Keg collection, you are in Shupe's Deck Builder. Choose any leader ability, follow its provision restriction and build you deck. For all bronze cards you automatically have a copy, so you can always add two copies of any bronze.

Play! Like Gwent Arena, the game will end once you win nine games — or lose three. You make Shupe happy!

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Why? The draft game currently takes a.. lot.. of.. time.. to balance. Also the packages doesn't allow for enough creativity and player agency. Creativity and player agency are key words for a draft game mode.

I took inspiration from MTGs booster draft. There too, you can expect a fixed ratio of rares/uncommons/commons. This expectancy is important for the fairness of the format. Then, the fact that in this mode you can choose your Faction direction allows for player agency to form a draft collection that relates to each other in your chosen synergy.

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An idea, a glimpse of an alternative and something that could revitalise (the discussion about) a fun new draft game mode.

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Let me know what goes on in your brainsss reading this (for those interested in the topic)!

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Cheers all.