"Price of Power" Expansion Set Officially Revealed!

[Markus_Wirth]

The mage assasin must of course be evaluated as a package with the Blightmaker. So in total this combo costs 9 provisions and you get 4 body guaranteed + 3 body + 2 body + 2 random damage + deck thinning. In total this would be a 11 for 9 + deck thinning. Most of the other thinning packages are 8 for 10.

Risks: The damage can go into shields/armour/self-wound/deathwish etc
Also like with all thinners you have the risk of drawing the mage assasin as a last draw which can mess up your strategy.
When you run into Mill decks or you overthin/overtutor you can get an empty deck.

Synergies: Most obvious in Clog + Kolgrim. But I expect to see this combo in many decks.

Conclusion: By no means this is a very strong package. One can argue that NG is not dominant and appreciate the support. However I consider bronze cards to be problematic if they are so strong that they fit into almost every strategy (maybe not in mill, or some Cahyr hyperboost) but I can see this combo see play (even double play) in many decks.
My first suggested nerf would be reducing the base power of the mage assasin to 1. Then it would be a 10 for 9 + deck thinning which is more reasonable when you argue that the random damage can go into nowwhere.

 

[Sensimilius]

There is no escaping the wheel of suffering that is balance issues.

This is Gwent development modus operandi:
1. Make a few cards that are blatantly stronger then what was already in the game.
2. Instead of nerfing those few cards now you spend the next year very very slowly buffing all other cards to meet their level
3. Once you're somewhat close to good balance (but not quite there yet) - Introduce a new set of cards that are stronger and make older cards obsolete and repeat these 3 steps until infinity.

 

[Slizzl]

I'm starting to fear NG will get its own generic pointslam deck now. This 11 point Blightmaker play is very simple contrary to the "Skillful Deck Manipulation" description.
Surely the devs must have noticed by now that Skald-Skirmisher is autoinclude in just about every SK deck? So why double down on this by giving NG almost the exact same play with Vicovaro-Assassin? 4 provisions for an 8 point thinning play is already crazy, 5 for 11 is absurd.
Thinning pointslam was already a big issue in the beta, this tells me they have not learned from that.

I can understand why the devs needed to raise the point ceiling on bronzes a bit. The point average with Homecoming was set way too low for any creativity. But right now it looks like they have no idea what the average should be. A 5 provision card can be anything between 6 to 11 apparently. A 4 provision 4 to 8. Who in the world would play a 4 point engine when you can get 8 points immediately with thinning included?

And so starts another round of playing catch up with balancing. It's getting old. And in reality it kills deck variety more than anything.

 

[Markus_Wirth]

As for Wolfpack, I thought we are saying if we play Assassin from hand.
However, I agree that 11 (or 9) +1 thinning for 5+4 looks strong.
But, let's wait for other reveals. The irony might be that even such a big-point play might be not enough for NG in the new meta.

To my mind, the problem is that 8 for 10 conditional thinners (or 6 for 8 conditional thinners for NR) are the standard and now the patch offers a 11 for 9 unconditional thinner.
One can say that NG should have a significant thinning advantage (Honestly, they already have as they can thin with Impera Brigade and Hunting Pack). But I still think that this is a little bit too far away from the standard.

 

[Kessman]

Card doesn't have to be toxic to be annoying. It just has to appear in almost every deck you encounter for some time

Ok, I get it. Since the release of WotW, I see Bear witcher and Haern Caduch in particularly every SK deck, which piss me off.
I mean there are many such "annoying" cards in Gwent, why NG couldn't have them.

 

[Draconifors]

Interesting that they revealed both of the Bronzes first, for NG. I wonder if SK and ST will be the same; maybe they're mixing it up for the second half of the reveals.

 

[Markus_Wirth]

And a further point of criticism. Untill now all new cards more or less where in line with the price of power idea. You get a powerful power but in specific situations you can not used your powerful power and have to pay the price of it.
-SY The Witchfinder + Vigilantes run into a berserk/self-wound deck which is benefitting from the automated damage
-SY Fabian Hale does not find valuable targets or bricks as you do not have bounty + spender
-NR Patience: When is the right time to use your power? Or better wait untill it gets more powerful and encourage the opponent to use his removal?
- MO Sabbath: Very strong effects for your cards but intense struggle if you do not meet your Sabbath and you invite your opponent to row punish and tall punish and Yrden and so on
- NG: Top decking + deck thinning: Untill know I do not really see the tradeoffs and the associated risks. So now skillful deckful manipulation but easy unconditional deck thinning.

 

[Pacifixer]

I'm so glad NG didn't get mill support

 

[Kessman]

But I still think that this is a little bit too far away from the standard.

Yes, I agree.
But do you remember the time when MO sucked hard while having the strongest bronze in the game aka Larva?
I mean, in the vacuum, this new thinning pack looks very strong, but we have to see the whole picture.

 

[saodhar]

Ok, I get it. Since the release of WotW, I see Bear witcher and Haern Caduch in particularly every SK deck, which piss me off.
I mean there are many such "annoying" cards in Gwent, why NG couldn't have them.

All factions have them, current NG being no exception. Yet instead of getting rid of autoinclude one-trick cards, we are getting new ones.

Post automatically merged: May 31, 2021

I'm so glad NG didn't get mill support

There's plenty already. Mill, reverse-mill, clog - NG caters to all your needs. Also - wait for the gold NG cards. Maybe there'll be some milling there.

 

[Slizzl]

I'm so glad NG didn't get mill support

It is a relief for sure. Mill needs to stay exactly where it is, any more support would make it a real possibility to fully mill the opponent R1. It really is a delicate thing right now.

 

[ReaperTek]

this is another art where one of the REDs is depicted.

Spoiler

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1399382006824329216

On a positive note no one apart from some Meme Decks and hard to death poison players will use the Blightmaker to spawn a Cow carass
https://www.reddit.com/r/gwent/comments/np6lkv

 

[DRK3]

I will never understand this instantly calling something overpowered. So many times there've been cards that "will be broken" only for no one to play said cards after the novelty has worn off.

Of course, the same also applies to cards that are instantly labelled as underpowered when they're first revealed. They often end up being at least decent.

I am probably one of the most guilty of doing that - calling cards OP when they're revealed. However, i disagree with you there, i think both myself and others that do those early judgements are proven correct way more often than not.

Regarding the 2 NG bronzes, its not that hard to see they will be super popular, the stats others have already posted here support that.

Personally, im happy and will try this new archetype, im probably one of the few that already tried NG mages several times in the past, and as a fan of swarm, these new mages are incredible provision wise and also provide thinning.

Just like how SK discard package is still so popular, remaining mostly untouched for years, one of the few base set cards that can compete with the powercreep. Well, NG just got a better version of it in every way.

 

[Draconifors]

i think both myself and others that do those early judgements are proven correct way more often than not.

Maybe. I haven't collected any data, so I don't know.

I'm not going to look at the numbers alone. We'll see how the cards perform soon enough; I'll reserve judgement until then.

(Even if the NG cards do turn out to be overpowered I'll definitely use them. )

 

[ReaperTek]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1399306825133068289

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1399310818064453633

 

[Sensimilius]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1399306825133068289

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1399310818064453633

Not happy about it lol but at least they explain it. :] Prime decoction target right there.

 

[EduFerraz]

So that proves one more time, MO isnt the devs favorite faction.

Everytime MO gets sh** cards or superb in a total diferent way devs thought to that card (yes, i am talking about vyi).

Also, its the only faction there isnt a good archetytpe by himself, needing a lot of neutrals to make the decks (kelly carapce deck, OH vyi deck and arachnas swarm).

I mean, everyother faction has good archeteypes and the neutrals (when its not devotion) only contribute with the deck. But with MO we need those neutrals to make the deck (one moretime, i am talking about (kelly carapce deck, OH vyi deck and arachnas swarm).

Or someonte could imagine kelly carapace without all those neutral special, or vyi without all those tutors, or arachas swarm withou yen, oneiromanci and yrden (ok, this last its less neutral dapandence than the others).

Why we cant have a good MO devotion deck? Or a good MO deck with only a few neutrals (like it was with OH, hunt, detlaff and etc).

For now, we only have thrive and frost and both archetetpe are, in maximium, tier 2 decks.

 

[ThorgerWolff]

Cynthia won't spawn The Guardian on top of the enemy deck? Rework? End of clog?

Post automatically merged: May 31, 2021

 

[saodhar]

Why we cant have a good MO devotion deck? Or a good MO deck with only a few neutrals (like it was with OH, hunt, detlaff and etc)

I don't know why you can't. I have a neutral-less hunger deck with deathwish and consumers that plays just fine (when I got to Pro rank - it was with this deck). And you're listing one-trick (borderline degenerate) MO decks as examples? Sad.
My vampires deck is also a devotion deck. It's weaker in terms of points generation, but also has its moments.
New MO cards will have interesting synergies with other really tall MO units, and improve existing decks with growth and resilience. Rat Catcheress being vulnerable to multiple pings is just a vulnerability.

 

[Guest 4375874]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1399306825133068289

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1399310818064453633

LOL So it's as I suspected Rat Catheress is pretty terrible Only She who knows appear to be a decent MO card. Everything else will be played for a few days and then discarded. The condition for Sabbath requires you to overcommit and it's easily disrupted. It's an all or nothing trap. Not worth it at all

Post automatically merged: May 31, 2021

I don't know why you can't. I have a neutral-less hunger deck with deathwish and consumers that plays just fine (when I got to Pro rank - it was with this deck). And you're listing one-trick (borderline degenerate) MO decks as examples? Sad.
My vampires deck is also a devotion deck. It's weaker in terms of points generation, but also has its moments.
New MO cards will have interesting synergies with other really tall MO units, and improve existing decks with growth and resilience. Rat Catcheress being vulnerable to multiple pings is just a vulnerability.

Vampires are terrible, we all know this and the stats support that for over a year or more.
New cards have no synergy, they're all relicts. What synergy?....have you looked at the relict pool. Also that's a huge vulnerability you mentioned there for Rat Catheress. Tell me in what scenarios this card is better than something like Aen Elle Conqueror? I'd rather save the 3 provisions to use elsewhere. Adda Strigga plays for the same pts requiring only 1 condition and less risk of losing all those points.

It's obvious now that Rat Catheress had only one purpose, being a target for She who knows since her base can surpass She who knows and depends on other relicts. You're better off just dropping She who knows last and avoiding all these other cards that force you into relicts that barely have any support or synergy with other archetypes.