A more versatile Imprisonment

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So, I like to play NG soldiers despite of the difficulties this archetype has because of the lack of real options; that said, it continues to be funny. The only real Leader is Imperial formation, which is really ok now with the armor thing, but that's all. And adding more variety could be great.
  1. This is what I propose: change the ability of Imprisonment giving 3 (or stay at 2) locks without damage and spawning a Slave driver once you spent all the charges.
All NG players agreed that giving lock with damage is a bit counterproductive because it decreases the profits of other cards like Vanhemar or Vattier. So let's remove the damage of the charges and focus it in the Slave driver, who is also a soldier, allowing, this way, synergies with soldiers among other archetypes.
What do you think about this idea? Maybe 3 charges could be too much and 2 is the correct number. But I thing swapping damage with this card could be funnier and give more versatility to this Leader.
 
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It's an interesting idea, but even the tiny damage from the current version can mean the difference between victory and defeat. You can also use it to set up things like Coup.

Plus, Slave Drivers just aren't that good. I've not seen one played in at least over a year (not counting draft and seasonals) despite heavy Lock decks existing, which is saying something. Master of Disguise is the only pure Lock synergy Bronze that really sees play.

Vattier de Rideaux isn't played much either, not because of Imprisonment damage but because he's so very easy to disable. Vanhemar is better since he's got Deploy, even though his point ceiling is of course much lower than de Rideaux's.


All things considered, I think the current Imprisonment is fine and the damage is more of a positive than negative. There are, after all, multiple Lock cards that don't deal damage and that are cheap too, and only two cards (three if you count Vincent) have anti-synergy with the damage.
 
Nilfgaard already has plenty of options to lock opponents, I don't think giving an additional free lock would be a good idea. It would make the game even more oppressive since it would allow locking most engines and order cards easier. As Draconifors mentioned before, Nilgaard does not suffer from a lack of locks, quite the opposite actually.
 
As Draconifors mentioned before, Nilgaard does not suffer from a lack of locks, quite the opposite actually.
That is not what I said. Please do not take my words out of context to use them as a support for your own arguments. The context very much matters.

I was not commenting on the number of Imprisonment charges, I was commenting on the damage they currently deal. I specifically said "multiple Lock cards that don't deal damage". Shackles is a cheap Lock, too, but it deals damage and clearly was not included in my statement.
 
Sorry if I caused offence, it was not my intention. I was referring to the last sentence:

There are, after all, multiple Lock cards that don't deal damage and that are cheap too, and only two cards (three if you count Vincent) have anti-synergy with the damage.
I understand now (I hope) that your main point was mainly about the damage caused by Imprisonment charges and potential anti-synergies (among other things). I must have read your note rather cursorily and made a jump in my mind from 'multiple lock cards' to Nilfgaard having most lock cards. Which, of course, is not in your entry.

So, allow me to rephrase the last sentence from my first message:

I believe that Nilgaard does not suffer from a lack of locks, and adding one more lock (even without additional damage) wouldn't be a good idea.
 
It's an interesting idea, but even the tiny damage from the current version can mean the difference between victory and defeat. You can also use it to set up things like Coup.

Plus, Slave Drivers just aren't that good. I've not seen one played in at least over a year (not counting draft and seasonals) despite heavy Lock decks existing, which is saying something. Master of Disguise is the only pure Lock synergy Bronze that really sees play.
Well it's not because Slave driver is a good card, but in this situation it could be more useful because it allows you to direct the damage where it's need. Also, with a little preparation you can get a 5 damage Slave driver, which is great. And it has Soldiers tag, so it have some sinergies with that archetype.

Having 2 ir 3 charges is not the important thing here, but I agree 3 could be too much. The thing is more about giving a more versatile use to the damage and allowing this Leader to be used with Soldiers archetype too.

Well, the idea is there if someone finds it interesting :beer:
 
I think that replacing damage from Imprisonment to Slave Driver is not a bad idea at all - it makes sense and would fit the archetype rather nicely. I just think that 3 locks could turn out to be excessive and make locking too easy.

For obvious reasons, Slave Driver is currently not really popular. Its base copy is simply Wolf Pack, the card requires at least several locks on board to make a difference in the game. Perhaps boosting it to 3 or (maybe) 4 body strength could help make it a more viable option.
 
You are probably going to spread locks through rounds, so Slave driver isn't that useful
Well, yes, but you also have lock cards. You probably will have a 2 body card plus 4 damage, which is the same amount of points you get now but being capable to use them as you need it.
 
Even if not ideal, this might push towards something like Slaves archetype, which was valid for some time.

Right now, ball is gone, hyperthin is back, however - this all underscores greatest issue with Gwent - tons of useless leaders/archetypes.

That leads to lack of diversity and boredom.

A valid archetype of NG soldiers or NG slavers, at least tier 2, would be nice.
 
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