Thoughts on the Banish Mechanic

[4RM3D]

Thoughts on the Banish Mechanic

All units that reach 0 base strength will be banished from the game upon removal.

The latest big patch introduced this new banish mechanic. So far we have only seen it used for Mardroeme. Yes, Mardroeme is too strong and Roach is already very dead (Did you get the reference to the saying?).

Considering a whole new level of death has been introduced, it seems logical there will be new cards accompanying it that can also reduce base strength and thus potentially banish units.

With a greater number of 'banish' cards, comes a greater weakness to resurrection. For NR that might be necessary, but I am not sure this actually works in favor for the rest. Lets take a look at Ocvist. That card will be banished so hard, it completely disappears from everyone's collection. There should at least be some form of protection (other than Quen, unless that gets buffed). Making units banish-immune will only complicate things, though. Heck you already have fleeting, restless, permadeath. So many new mechanics to create workarounds for powerful cards. Should banish be removed from the game?

What are your thoughts on this banish mechanic?

 

[IAxiiYourMother]

It's a necessary mechanic in my mind, for cards you mentioned like Ocvist who can win a game on his own if not removed. Before Mardroeme was introduced both NR and SK could run Ocvist with impunity because of their abundance of medics. There are many other very cool and balanced silver 4 cards though that are impossible to play at the moment due to Mardroeme.

In regards to banishing related changes I would like to see:

• Very powerful silvers like Ocvist made 3 STR, cards like Ves remain 4 STR
• Mardroeme adjusted to +-3 STR
• NR bronze medics can not resurrect silver cards

Mardroeme will still be able to fulfill its role of versatility and removing high threat cards from the game without suffocating the meta and making it impossible to use silver 4 cards that need to stay on the field for more than 1 turn to activate. The reduction on Mardroeme's power will also mean there are less players running 3 of them which gives more breathing room for players that want to run cards like Ocvist.

 

[The_Inept_Expert]

In regards to banishing related changes I would like to see: Very powerful silvers like Ocvist made 3 STR, cards like Ves remain 4 STR Mardroeme adjusted to +-3 STR NR bronze medics can not resurrect silver cards

I totally agree. I play NR, PFI. Bash me all you want, I know I'm a pile of poo for playing them. There have been so many games where my opponent has played Ocvist or Ves and been completely shut down by a simple Mandroeme. Because I run three of them, I usually always get one or two in the first hand so I always have one to play. Changing the value from 4 to 3 would help tremendously. Reducing those choice few other 4 strength silver cards down to 3 and keeping the rest at 4 would would be a good idea too.

 

[IAxiiYourMother]

I play NR, PFI.

Get me my pitchfork boys.

 

[SarahGabriella]

I totally agree. I play NR, PFI. Bash me all you want, I know I'm a pile of poo for playing them. There have been so many games where my opponent has played Ocvist or Ves and been completely shut down by a simple Mandroeme. Because I run three of them, I usually always get one or two in the first hand so I always have one to play. Changing the value from 4 to 3 would help tremendously. Reducing those choice few other 4 strength silver cards down to 3 and keeping the rest at 4 would would be a good idea too.

This is a problem with low amount of cards in the deck, not mardroeme. They should increase it already. 1 tactic decks are boring and i already have no fun in playing this game. I do the 6 wins a day and im done.

 

[TheWalkingHawking]

In regards to banishing related changes I would like to see:

• Very powerful silvers like Ocvist made 3 STR, cards like Ves remain 4 STR
• Mardroeme adjusted to +-3 STR
• NR bronze medics can not resurrect silver cards

Yeah, i think that's one of the ways to deal with the problem, it would hopefully reduce the Mardroeme all-purpose supremacy meta too.

Get me my pitchfork boys.

You can have one of mine,

Because I run three of them, I usually always get one or two in the first hand so I always have one to

spare.

 

[The_Inept_Expert]

1 tactic decks are boring and i already have no fun in playing this game. I do the 6 wins a day and im done.

I'm sorry the game isn't fun for you. Maybe switch your play style and try something new?

 

[SarahGabriella]

I'm sorry the game isn't fun for you. Maybe switch your play style and try something new?

Why would i do that? I already play all factions with multiple themes.

 

[The_Inept_Expert]

Well, wait a patch or two. The Nilfgaardian Empire faction is coming out.

 

[Dant3s15]

It's a necessary mechanic in my mind, for cards you mentioned like Ocvist who can win a game on his own if not removed. Before Mardroeme was introduced both NR and SK could run Ocvist with impunity because of their abundance of medics. There are many other very cool and balanced silver 4 cards though that are impossible to play at the moment due to Mardroeme.

In regards to banishing related changes I would like to see:

• Very powerful silvers like Ocvist made 3 STR, cards like Ves remain 4 STR
• Mardroeme adjusted to +-3 STR
• NR bronze medics can not resurrect silver cards

Mardroeme will still be able to fulfill its role of versatility and removing high threat cards from the game without suffocating the meta and making it impossible to use silver 4 cards that need to stay on the field for more than 1 turn to activate. The reduction on Mardroeme's power will also mean there are less players running 3 of them which gives more breathing room for players that want to run cards like Ocvist.

1.nope, they would be easily killed with lacerate
2.that's ok
3.what?? You wan to make RANDOM priestesses of Freya out of field medics?

 

[IAxiiYourMother]

1.nope, they would be easily killed with lacerate
2.that's ok
3.what?? You wan to make RANDOM priestesses of Freya out of field medics?

• The point of a 3 STR Ocvist would be the easiness of killing a very powerful silver card. It makes it high risk high reward. It is an example of a silver card I don't mind having the possibility of banishing from the game. The more turns you are able to bounce it the higher the reward. This would force players to hold onto it until the enemy has used several control cards.
• NR has been overpowering as of late with better medic chains than even SK (the resurrection faction). This is due to the ability of Field Medic to pull silver cards such as spies, Priscilla and KOB. (Also Baron not being perma-death, but that is a whole other can of worms.) I would expect the medics to be changed in the near future to only pull bronze cards.
• The reason I even mentioned them on this post is because NR used to run Ocvist because while he was the only card in the grave you couldn't keep him off the field. This allowed NR to use him for the entire first turn which is typically the longest round. The card advantage and free lacerate on every enemy row was too much. With this change we can be sure silver cards like Ocvist are not coming back without the cost of a more powerful card like Baron, Shanni, Nenneke, Sigrdrifa, or Restoration.

 

[Ugralitan]

I'd rather wish Mardroeme to be a Silver Card with its current power and versatility. Since it provides choice and can potentially banish critical cards.

Though this suggestion would possibly kill PFI decks. On the other hand Mardroeme is so good...it has been ages I have seen a NR deck using bronze buff cards such as Kaedweni Siege Support or Blue Stripes Scout.

There has to be some balance on Mardroeme to give breathing room to all decks.

 

[Monalba]

NR bronze medics can not resurrect silver cards

I think NR needs to be able to resurrect Silver units. And that is compensated by the fact that the resurrection is random.
You are as likely to get Priscilla as you are to revive a Reaver Scout with no targets or a Blue stripes commando directly into frost. Is the price to pay.

NR needs the silver cards to make things like Ves or Margarita work.

I'd rather wish Mardroeme to be a Silver Card with its current power and versatility. Since it provides choice and can potentially banish critical cards.

Yeah. I know it won't happen, cause the devs are happy with it, but Mardroeme... is a card I really hate.
I get how it works and all that, but I think that the devs didn't take into consideration that the card has the power to banish other cards. Exclusively. Is the only card to do that. And if you are not interested on it, you have another positive effect! Wonderful!

Yeah, uh, no.

Blue Stripes Scout.

Weeeell, the scouts are seeing some action thanks to the Dunkoro deck. Many people runs them cause they are reliable. They are 8 points at their best, 5 at their worst and have synergy with Foltest ability.

What are your thoughts on this banish mechanic?

Don't like it much, but is there, is ok, we play with it and around it.

What concerns me is how powerful it as and how it affects many strategies while I'm not sure if the devs took it into consideration when creating many cards...

I said it not too long ago, one of my favourites decks is the Henselt-Promote-swarm, but that is something that is almost obsolete now. One core card is the siege tower. The siege tower starts weak and fragile, which makes sense, cause it can grow and become very powerful. Is weak at the beginning so is easier to deal with. Now, as it is very important and the NR deck relies on combos, they have medics. Medics bring the towers back and you keep playing.

Buuuuut with the arrival of banishing medics lose power. You play a tower, it eats a shroom. Bam, over. Next! They are lost, they are not coming back. This can be applied to Ves too.
This won't lose you the game, but will make it very, very hard to win 2 rounds.

It worries me even more when the devs say that they want to revamp the NR faction to be more focused into the gold synergy. I like it, but the idea of having to rely on fragile cards that can be banished from the game sounds like too much of a risk...

 

[4RM3D]

The point of a 3 STR Ocvist would be the easiness of killing a very powerful silver card. It makes it high risk high reward. It is an example of a silver card I don't mind having the possibility of banishing from the game.

Ocvist might be powerful in certain cases, but that doesn't warrant painting a huge target on his back. If you compare Ocvist with King of Beggars, for example... KoB is already nice once it hits the board. Ressing him for some extra play is powerful, but even without it, the card is still good. However Ocvist can be a dead card too easily.

NR has been overpowering as of late with better medic chains than even SK (the resurrection faction). This is due to the ability of Field Medic to pull silver cards such as spies, Priscilla and KOB. (Also Baron not being perma-death, but that is a whole other can of worms.) I would expect the medics to be changed in the near future to only pull bronze cards.

Agreed.

 

[Strollin]

Are there other cards than mardroeme that banish units? If not then I think its more of an issue with mardroeme. I mean a bronze card (which also offers a non-counterable buff) that can banish potentially strong silver units seems a bit too much tbh.

 

[Monalba]

This is due to the ability of Field Medic to pull silver cards such as spies

Make them unable to target Disloyal cards then. But unable to target silver cards...
Then Field medics would need to lose the random effect and/or NR silver cards would need to be slightly stronger.

I also heard someone yesterday saying that the buffing in the graveyard (Blue stripes commando and Reaver hunters) is a bug and they will eventually fix it. That's already a nerf to those cards and their revivability (?) if you ask me.

Are there other cards than mardroeme that banish units? If not then I think its more of an issue with mardroeme. I mean a bronze card (which also offers a non-counterable buff) that can banish potentially strong silver units seems a bit too much tbh.

I think there isn't.
Some cards can banish other cards if they are in the graveyard.
For example, Ghoul can eat and banish unit cards when played. Katakan and Gravehag banish unit cards when triggered. Frigthner banish special cards in the GY when triggered too.
Isengrim was able to banish special cards in your GY in the past too.

But directly from the board? I think that's Mardroeme exclusive right now.

 

[4RM3D]

I'd rather wish Mardroeme to be a Silver Card with its current power and versatility.

That has been suggested a few times before. It might be true Mardroeme is too strong now as a bronze. However it will be a tad too weak as a silver. So it should at least get a minor buff, if it's changed into a silver card.

Are there other cards than mardroeme that banish units? If not then I think its more of an issue with mardroeme.

Like I've explained in my original post, I am discussing the banish mechanic and potential new cards that will use it. Even though Mardroeme is the only card that can banish ATM, I believe we will soon see other cards like this. That's why this discussion can exist outside of Mardroeme.