Call of the Forest and Royal Decree are both tutors. CoF is weaker because it can only tutor ST cards. And to compensate this weakness, it was made to boost the tutored unit by 1. So, both RD and CoF were 10P and CoF's disadvantage of only ST cards was compensated by the +1 boost. Now, RD has been buffed and made 9P. It makes sense as Onerio is at 13 and RD at 10 was already powercrept. When this change was made CoF should also have been buffed to 9P.
in my non-devotion decks, I am forced to use RD over CoF as RD is significantly better than CoF. The +1 boost in most cases makes very little difference and even if so, CoF has a significant restriction that it can't tutor neutral cards. If the other argument is "but CoF synergizes with Symbiosis!", I want to respond that CoF had been in ST much before Symbiosis came to existence. CoF is not NG (Nature's Gift) specific card. Even if it going to make NG stronger, NG should be balanced/nerfed and not a faction specific card which is not symbiosis specific card. That is the reason no one wants to discuss Shaping Nature which is completely and utterly pathetic outside of Symbiosis. That card was priced having NG in mind. But CoF shouldn't be.
In its current state, CoF is weaker and junker than RD which is a shame, a faction specific card being weaker than a neutral card.
in my non-devotion decks, I am forced to use RD over CoF as RD is significantly better than CoF. The +1 boost in most cases makes very little difference and even if so, CoF has a significant restriction that it can't tutor neutral cards. If the other argument is "but CoF synergizes with Symbiosis!", I want to respond that CoF had been in ST much before Symbiosis came to existence. CoF is not NG (Nature's Gift) specific card. Even if it going to make NG stronger, NG should be balanced/nerfed and not a faction specific card which is not symbiosis specific card. That is the reason no one wants to discuss Shaping Nature which is completely and utterly pathetic outside of Symbiosis. That card was priced having NG in mind. But CoF shouldn't be.
In its current state, CoF is weaker and junker than RD which is a shame, a faction specific card being weaker than a neutral card.