Defender is a status. Lock doesn't disable statuses (which are displayed by an icon on the card). For example, you also can't lock Resilience or Vitality, since they are also statuses.
The most common way of dealing with defender is to Purify it - you remove the status from the card. You can also seize it or move it to other row.
The most common way of dealing with defender is to Purify it - you remove the status from the card. You can also seize it or move it to other row.
After blocking donimir of troy he still defend all row. If it's not a bug this is really OP card cause with it shield and armour it can be only countered by whitcher (its 9 provision to 11). It gives 2 to 3 turns of invulnerability to engines etc.
They can't but they should imo.
Status effects that appears on the cards can't be removed by locking the unit but I believe it's a mistake from CDPR.
There is two problems with that, first, and your topic kinda shows that in a way, it's extremely confusing for players. You explain that lock remove a card effect but wait, not those ones...Sorry but it makes the game unecessarily convoluted.
Second, it makes controlling more and more of a pain. Before purify was a thing, you could put a lock and be okay with every cards that have an effect and it was not broken because you have so many locks and not every decks were playing lock targets anyway.
Now locks don't even worth it anymore since they only solve a couple issues at best...And as a matter of fact, purify isn't that great either because they answer only a few things too (I mean, they're still better than lock atm due to Defenders but in the grand scheme of things, it remains a tech effect that will provide an acceptable value in only a few situations).
I feel like they put too many different options to deal with situational effects which makes the game a lot more tedious to play.
Don't get me wrong, I still love Gwent but I feel like making so many different effects that are dealt with in so many different ways deteriorate the experience a little bit.
Status effects that appears on the cards can't be removed by locking the unit but I believe it's a mistake from CDPR.
There is two problems with that, first, and your topic kinda shows that in a way, it's extremely confusing for players. You explain that lock remove a card effect but wait, not those ones...Sorry but it makes the game unecessarily convoluted.
Second, it makes controlling more and more of a pain. Before purify was a thing, you could put a lock and be okay with every cards that have an effect and it was not broken because you have so many locks and not every decks were playing lock targets anyway.
Now locks don't even worth it anymore since they only solve a couple issues at best...And as a matter of fact, purify isn't that great either because they answer only a few things too (I mean, they're still better than lock atm due to Defenders but in the grand scheme of things, it remains a tech effect that will provide an acceptable value in only a few situations).
I feel like they put too many different options to deal with situational effects which makes the game a lot more tedious to play.
Don't get me wrong, I still love Gwent but I feel like making so many different effects that are dealt with in so many different ways deteriorate the experience a little bit.
On top of everything said for the Locks - why does the D-Shacks DMG not go through Armor? Give this card something.
Also, with all those swarm decks roaming around - CDPR should implement when you play a card like D-Shacks and various weather or whatever effect cards - they should stay on that row till the effect wears off, or said card is destroyed by artifact removal (if they do not remove those from the game, the way everything's going lately). Please, give me more cards that can "softly" interrupt stuff like Formation on the enemy board side, while making other cards useful in the process too.
Also, with all those swarm decks roaming around - CDPR should implement when you play a card like D-Shacks and various weather or whatever effect cards - they should stay on that row till the effect wears off, or said card is destroyed by artifact removal (if they do not remove those from the game, the way everything's going lately). Please, give me more cards that can "softly" interrupt stuff like Formation on the enemy board side, while making other cards useful in the process too.
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I agree about weather. I think Rag nar Roog should be better (3 dmg?), as should ale of ancestors (3 per turn), and subsequently weather should be permanent for the round unless removed. With all the armor and swarms now, seems stupid to have weather so restricted.
Just let it go through armor or/and make it apply additional effects.
Let's be more specific.
It's not confusing for you and me who play the game regularily and were kept well up to date with every change the game went through but try to think about new players who were just tuning in recently. For them it's obviously confusing.
New players are important, they're the future of this game and what makes it perdure through the ages. No new player = Good bye Gwent.
This kind of split between status and effects could have been a good idea if it was actually bringing something interesting for the game but the way I see it, it just creates more cards that would never see play during each meta depending on what is the most threatning between effects or status. Nobody is gonna run both locks and purify in their deck and have acceptable result with it, those effect being way too situational.
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Yep, bleeding already does so why not weather. It's not like (in Witcher World terms) Armor would protect you from Weather effects, right?!
I am using a modded NG starter with a lot of locks and well, I don't mind if lock doesn't remove defender status. (this is only a limited view fromNG perspective). Purify is a very reliable solution and many purifying units are multipurpose + I always find a use for purifying even without a defender around. In most cases though I usually remove the unit. Poison is also a possible way to deal with the card as the conter measurement to poison removes the defender status 
. I ask myself if defender is in a way a buff for poison? or one could pick the aoe way ignore the single unit and go for the overall row. Geralt Yrden got suddenly pretty common
I was surprised though that you can't target other units when locking. Intuitively I would have considered lock as a non-agressive manipulation that doesnt require to defend against in contrast to damage. It is reactive it is single target it doesnt take points away (on its own) just hinders generation of new points. So lock ignoring defender block is a possible buff I could imagine.
Though the biggest issue in my eyes are the lack of multi lock options as an answer to the multi summon possibilities. Some small unit with a deploy skill like *lock a friendly unit, then lock 2 random enemy units* could really fit in there end help Slave driver too to come back alive.
. I ask myself if defender is in a way a buff for poison? or one could pick the aoe way ignore the single unit and go for the overall row. Geralt Yrden got suddenly pretty common I was surprised though that you can't target other units when locking. Intuitively I would have considered lock as a non-agressive manipulation that doesnt require to defend against in contrast to damage. It is reactive it is single target it doesnt take points away (on its own) just hinders generation of new points. So lock ignoring defender block is a possible buff I could imagine.
Though the biggest issue in my eyes are the lack of multi lock options as an answer to the multi summon possibilities. Some small unit with a deploy skill like *lock a friendly unit, then lock 2 random enemy units* could really fit in there end help Slave driver too to come back alive.
Perhaps they could keep 'Defender' as status but make Defender something that a particular unit can give to an allied unit through an order (so you could lock that card)
Hi, today I locked with my Dorregaray a Cave Troll.
Although "lock" should "disable a unit's abilities" and "Defender" is an ability, afterwards I still could target only the cave troll in this row with my Bloody Baron.
So, Bug or Feature?
And, if it's the first ,shall I write a support ticket?
If it's the second, could this somehow be clarified?
Although "lock" should "disable a unit's abilities" and "Defender" is an ability, afterwards I still could target only the cave troll in this row with my Bloody Baron.
So, Bug or Feature?
And, if it's the first ,shall I write a support ticket?
If it's the second, could this somehow be clarified?
Defender is not an ability, it's a status. Lock does nothing, status must be purified, if you want to remove it.