Why I detest removal in this game.

[Mystikast]

Vomit, vomit, zap, zap, vomit

Trying to run a clever deck that uses an engine? Remove.

this game had literally turned into who can vomit the most with a few removals interspersed.

vomit, vomit, vomit, vomit, vomit, zap, vomit, vomit, zap, pass, pass

vomit zap vomit zap pass pass

vomit vomit vomit vomit

count up the vomits.

whoever vomited the most wins!

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[Snake_Foxhounder]

Removal is the only thing that kind of keeps me playing, even though I don't play much. The only way I feel like playing is playing NG alchemy so I can remove all the braindead greatswords and long ships, as well as the NR machines spam. Problem is, NG alchemy is a spam deck in itslf, with very little interactivity from the opponent. Spam units, ale, revive witchers. The end. So you can kind of see why I don't play much.

While I love contol decks, and alchemy is great for that, that one deck completely destroys engine archetypes. Good thing is, engines aren't really a thing anymore. (And by good I mean it sucks they were replaced with point spam)

Viper witchers will be nerfed, which will leave Skellige and NR free to run amok if not nerfed themslves.

What I'd like to see going forward is that locked units can't be resurrected while locked. If the opponent has to tech in locks to be able to unlock a card in the graveyard, it'd add a new layer on interactivity, as opposed to just simply reviving a card.

 

[Esmer]

Adding the excessive amount of removal only makes things worse for an already bad archetype. And that's why the only engine decks that work consistently are Axemen (wholeheartedly recommended, I can't even begin to describe how great, powerful and interesting to play they are) and Greatswords, both Skellige, so both packing Revivals to counter removal.

Axemen work thanks to weather. Basically, the deck has two types of engines which have synergy with each other. Even when one part is removed (either weather or axemen/Derran), you still have a chance as it's hard to pack removal against both.

Moreover, arguably the best axemen deck has only 2 revivals (Restore and Sigrdrifa) and they are usually not used on axemen.

Anyway, engines could be great (even with lots of removal) if they had a failsafe mechanism. For instance, Vrihedd dragoon could be "Boost a random non-Spying unit in your hand by 1 on turn end. If killed, boost a random non-Spying unit in your hand by 2". This way engines would have almost the same value as an average bronze card (in the case above the dragoon is 11 points play) even when removed right away. Removal will still be useful as it denies long term value. And locks will also be good since they deny the last gasp ability.

Triss: Butterflies and Yennefer: Conjurer actually used to have that kind of effect when killed. I have no idea why CDPR decided to remove that.

 

[Weissenberg]

Removal is the only thing that kind of keeps me playing, even though I don't play much. The only way I feel like playing is playing NG alchemy so I can remove all the braindead greatswords and long ships, as well as the NR machines spam. Problem is, NG alchemy is a spam deck in itslf, with very little interactivity from the opponent. Spam units, ale, revive witchers. The end. So you can kind of see why I don't play much.

While I love contol decks, and alchemy is great for that, that one deck completely destroys engine archetypes. Good thing is, engines aren't really a thing anymore. (And by good I mean it sucks they were replaced with point spam)

Viper witchers will be nerfed, which will leave Skellige and NR free to run amok if not nerfed themslves.

What I'd like to see going forward is that locked units can't be resurrected while locked. If the opponent has to tech in locks to be able to unlock a card in the graveyard, it'd add a new layer on interactivity, as opposed to just simply reviving a card.

Alchemy is one of the reasons why most engine deck ceased to exist. Historically control decks used to struggle to find points of their own, meaning you traded off the ability to generate value for the capability of denying value otherwise generated by your opponent. The same principle applied to engines, that were unable to interact with the other side of the board. Alchemy shifted this balance to the point where one deck is responsible for extinction of numerous synergized and well-thought archetypes, since it doesn't only deny value, it creates your opponent's engines and vomits points as well.

 

[iamthedave]

Alchemy is one of the reasons why most engine deck ceased to exist. Historically control decks used to struggle to find points of their own, meaning you traded off the ability to generate value for the capability of denying value otherwise generated by your opponent. The same principle applied to engines, that were unable to interact with the other side of the board. Alchemy shifted this balance to the point where one deck is responsible for extinction of numerous synergized and well-thought archetypes, since it doesn't only deny value, it creates your opponent's engines and vomits points as well.

I have to question this. What decks did alchemy kill?

Alchemy wasn't even a top deck until the recent Metas, and even in these it's behind Henselt (an engine deck in the most literal sense possible), Greatswords (engine deck), and Axemen (engine deck, though it's more equal with axemen).

It seems odd to me that you claim alchemy is shutting down engines... when engine decks beat it semi reliably (with the caveat that alchemy does have a positive matchup against greatswords).

I can't think of any other viable engine decks, and the ones I can think of that aren't viable (movement elves, for example) aren't viable for reasons that have nothing to do with alchemy.

 

[DowlandCobaltSS_PC]

Games broke. Needs fixed. RNG sucks. Create sucks. Coin-flip sucks. Art is bad. Arena is a waste.