Artefact Compression (Coral) Thoughts

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Artefact Compression (Coral) Thoughts

It looks to me like this card is a bit OP when put into context honestly. It can choose any unit at all, to practically destroy. And not just that but make it useless and banish it for the rest of the game really. cannot be revived, cannot be decompressed, nothing you can do at all. No restrictions on the unit's power either, Coral can just do it too. And last but not least, it is only a silver card. Assassination used to be like that (long time ago) and it got nerfed completely. And it was a gold card. Every other card that allows you to destroy any unit (Vilgefortz for example) comes with serious conditions (your opponent draws the top bronze card. Plus, they can always revive the killed unit). Scorch can kill of your units as well and it is not targeted, not to mention that they are still able to be revived. Villentretenmerth takes 3 turns for its ability to be applied. Kayran can only target units with power less than 8. So really, I don't think it's just another card

Some good ideas would be those:

- It can instead only target units with 15 power or less
- Alternatively the Jade Figurine can be reduced to half the unit's power, instead of STR 2 indiscriminately
- Plus, the same restrictions can apply to Coral.

I don't know guys. Is it just me? Doesn't being able to perma-banish any unit, regardless of its strength a bit too much, especially for a Silver card that can be re-applied by Eithne for example?
 
Not that many players use Artefact Compression, other than Spell'tael decks and Skellige with Coral. I never really had many issues with Artefact Compression and I think the card is in a good spot right now. It doesn't need any nerfs.

PS. Slightly altered the title; fixed a typo and included 'Coral'.
 
I think it is a good card, and I eat a fair share of Artifact Compression delivered to me by that charming Coral gal.
Having said this, I think that there are certain gaps in your argument that need to be addresed. You mentioned Vilgefortz, but only part of his ability. And let's be honest, the usual victims for Vilgefortz are those poor Vicovaro Medics. Scorch its not targeted, but you can destroy multiple units with it, and the same with Villentretenmerth. Poor Kayran, I don't see it very much, so I must assume it is not a very good card in the actual meta.
So, making a fair comparison between Artifact compression and the cards you mentioned, it doesn't seem an OP card to me.
 
I think it's a hell of card. Almost every SK deck has it so it's not just a "commum" golden card at all. Specially when combined with Renew. It is a nightmare for people who depend on a specific card for a strategy like in my case with Trololo. If at least discarded the card would be okay but transform it for the rest of the game? And there's no single way to bring back the card? Sorry but I can't think this it's not op. So no, it's not a "good" card it's a "amazing" card or a "goddamnit" card.
 

DRK3

Forum veteran
Hmm, i usually use Coral for Artefact Compression, and im pretty sure that's not OP but actually one of the few well balanced Golds. But that's just the silver version + 5 points.

For the actual silver 'Artefact Compression', it might be a bit powerful, but you forgot to mention that it can only target non-gold units. That means it cant hit a powerful Unseen Elder, a Tibor or Hjalmar, while a Scorch which is also Silver can.

Of course there's the argument that with Artefact Compression you have direct control of what's the target, but there are also many situations where that card isnt useful at all. I still think Hailstorm is way more OP than Artefact compression, so that shouldnt really be a priority.
 
Artifact compression is fine to me, Coral is not.

This is much like the pre change hailstorm AC and Coral comparison, essentially a very strong silver with a stick make a very strong gold. While the silver special card have basically same effect but with a risk of being bricked in hand. Coral on the other hand never had such problem so yeah that's why she never below 90% usage. Being able to renew or Royal decree is another plus for Coral. Ironically the only thing better than Coral in such context is Blue dream into Coral (for the extra 2 buff LOL)

She can ultimately shut down a lot strategy but I found it's ok, that's her role. What's awful is she is used in any skellige deck regardless of archetype, even I blue dreamed Coral using NR and I found she is extremely powerful. This is the sole gold in the game can be used without any risk or downside as far as I can recall and not even requiring any synergy with the deck. Usually a gold card is best when it can support the archetype or have a deck built around it, never the case for Coral



 
Artefact Compression is my favourite special card at the moment, and I run it in literally all my decks (none are Spella'tael or SK). While it often gains great value

DRK3;n9831951 said:
there are also many situations where that card isnt useful at all.

In some cases the Jade Figurine can be used by the opponent as a body for a max value Commander's Horn or some other AoE effect card. So, AC doesn't entirely destroy its target unlike Scorch or Banish effects.

As for Coral, she's fine as well IMO. I mean, you can re-use AC with Eithné or possibly Aglaïs, so Renew into Coral isn't even a unique advantage.

Note: I am not a competitive player so I don't know what it's like high on the ladder, let alone the Pro Ladder.
 
Nearly everything has a counter but there is no way to play around AC. Should there be a silver or gold promotion card (bronze to silver, silver to gold) you could save a silver unit from AC by promoting (downside would be disabling resurrect options other than renew)

Or

If only there was a redhead mage that can decompress figurines instead of throwing a cigarette grade fireball...
 
altaybek;n9832581 said:
If only there was a redhead mage that can decompress figurines instead of throwing a cigarette grade fireball...
This is gold.

If there were no Spell and a better than Coral gold for Skellige, I don't think many people would've used the Compression. Coral just gives you 5 body plus, let's say, 20-ish value, which is really good. And Spell can play it twice and your Iris and whatnot are cooked (usually, it's used only once but the threat it's there). One tier 2 deck and one faction which problem isn't Coral don't make a whole lot of a OP, imo.
 
thanks for the feedback :) Most of my decks are based on specific cards for the tactic admittedly, so you are right in that not relying too much on specific cards can save you the trouble with that.

I do still have a problem with cards that cannot be countered though. Even Gold weather can be countered with something as simple as Clear Skies.
A promotion card would work. In general something that can be used pre-emptively or afterwards, and the same is true for every card
 
Well we have demotion option with dimetrium stuff. Why not have a promotion too? Since it would have more dramatic and game changing effect than shackles,(unless you are mill. Never be mill.) it should be at least silver. Saves from merigold, ac, if used aggresively it will completely distrupt res options etc...
 
ser2440;n9832881 said:
I do still have a problem with cards that cannot be countered though. Even Gold weather can be countered with something as simple as Clear Skies.
You see, here's the thing: bronze Clear Skies can render RNR a zero value gold card! And there are three of those bronze cards. So, I do think that if we want counters one way, we should somehow compensate the other side as well.
altaybek;n9834141 said:
(unless you are mill. Never be mill.)
I'm starting to like you...
But who would use a promote card? Think about it: it doesn't thin your deck, does basically... nothing? but prevents your card from Artifact Compression (I mean Muzzle has nothing here, we're talking about high value buffs).
 
HenryGrosmont;n9836551 said:
it doesn't thin your deck, does basically... nothing?

It's just an idea. Dimetrium demotion should hava a balancing weight on the other side. Details needed to be discussed. A tactic or alchemy card that promotes, resets and lock changer maybe? having 3 of them would be more useless than having 1 so it should be a strong silver with more than one effect. Bronze dimetrium locks, damages, demotes after all.

This will be more relevant when card colors have more distinct features in the future (like gold immunity times). Demotion mechanic is almost never used besides mill. They either have to remove it or make a viable gameplay based on it.
 
altaybek;n9836651 said:
It's just an idea. Dimetrium demotion should hava a balancing weight on the other side. Details needed to be discussed. A tactic or alchemy card that promotes, resets and lock changer maybe? having 3 of them would be more useless than having 1 so it should be a strong silver with more than one effect. Bronze dimetrium locks, damages, demotes after all.

This will be more relevant when card colors have more distinct features in the future (like gold immunity times). Demotion mechanic is almost never used besides mill. They either have to remove it or make a viable gameplay based on it.
Combining reset and lock, for example, makes it a Margarita :p

Another example: Mardroeme is only popular because of the low strength units like Protector or even Impera Brigade are getting heavily buffed. The balance is very delicate here - it's a half-step from useless to OP.

I hope it's obvious that I'm not arguing here, just sharing the thought process.
 
Artefact Compression is a powerful effect - so whilst the card itself I feel is balanced, being able to use it multiple times may not be. Having up to 3 target hard removals is very strong in any situation.
 
Yykkla;n9841591 said:
Artefact Compression is a powerful effect - so whilst the card itself I feel is balanced, being able to use it multiple times may not be. Having up to 3 target hard removals is very strong in any situation.

Exactly.

Most OP things in Gwent become such when they can be used too many times.
 
I don't feel that this card is overpowered at all. I would like to see one or two more banishment effects myself.
 
ZenaRose;n9842911 said:
Its just a Artefact Compression (that noone using in ladder itself) on a 5 point stick, nothing OP

That I disagree. give any silver special a stick of 5 and it's gonna be decent, even bad card like Necromancy. In skellige case even Aeromancy on a stick is good due to existence of axeman.

The fact none use AC but every skellige use Coral is much like the old Coral and hailstorm comparison. No one used the silver spell but every skellige use Coral, and it turns out the silver spell is in fact really good while Coral was absolutely busted if kept that way.

That been said, I don't know how to change Coral, giving her any silver spell and she is still a very decent and potentially broken card.
 
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Hey guys, I have been able to counter Artifact Decompression twice now. With the use of Summoning Circle. I can confirm that these were somewhat flukes though. I was facing Spellatael and my opponent used AD spell on my Axeman, I used Summoning Circle after that and out came a base copy of my Axeman (instead of a Jade Figurine.) I tried it against a Coral though and unfortunately I ended up with a copy of a figurine.

But yeah, back on topic, there really is no solid way right now to counter Artifact Decompression and I do think there should be one.
 
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