A lot of decks run a "finisher" that is meant to be a big, swingy play in the last round. One of the reasons for this is that round 3 is the only round that players can be 100% sure of the duration; in the other rounds, big plays are usually met with a pass, rather than going into round 2/3 down on more than 1 card. So, the strategy is based around making a favorable duration on round 3 based on your deck and your opponent's deck.
What I would like to see is a mechanic that adds an extra tactical element to this. My idea is a set of 3 keywords (each on different cards) that change what a card does in one of the rounds. My initial idea is to have the cards boost themselves to a 1:1 ratio of provisions to power on their off rounds, and be more efficient on their main round. The idea is that damage/abilities are probably worth some number of standard provisions, possibly modified by their faction identity. For example, Cleaver's Muscle and Vandergrift show that Resilience is worth about a 3 provision difference. Or how damage costs more provisions than flat points.
Some examples (probably a bit unbalanced, but you get the idea):
Ambush = 1st round, Maneuver = 2nd round, Assault = 3rd round.
CARD A
2 power / 6 provisions
Deploy: Boost self by 4
Ambush: If this card is played in the first round, instead damage an enemy unit by 4.
CARD B
4 power / 6 provisions
Deploy: Boost self by 2.
Maneuver: If this card is played in the 2nd round, instead gain Resilience.
CARD C
3 power / 6 provisions
Deploy: Boost self by 3.
Assault: If this card is played in the 3rd round, instead give adjacent units a shield.
My thought behind this mechanic came from playing NG as an answer to the NR/SY dominance. These types of mechanics can help NG to still "control" the game while allowing room to lighten up on the kill/lock/destroy everything strategy that they currently have. The mechanics even fit thematically with NG's theme of battlefield tactics.
What I would like to see is a mechanic that adds an extra tactical element to this. My idea is a set of 3 keywords (each on different cards) that change what a card does in one of the rounds. My initial idea is to have the cards boost themselves to a 1:1 ratio of provisions to power on their off rounds, and be more efficient on their main round. The idea is that damage/abilities are probably worth some number of standard provisions, possibly modified by their faction identity. For example, Cleaver's Muscle and Vandergrift show that Resilience is worth about a 3 provision difference. Or how damage costs more provisions than flat points.
Some examples (probably a bit unbalanced, but you get the idea):
Ambush = 1st round, Maneuver = 2nd round, Assault = 3rd round.
CARD A
2 power / 6 provisions
Deploy: Boost self by 4
Ambush: If this card is played in the first round, instead damage an enemy unit by 4.
CARD B
4 power / 6 provisions
Deploy: Boost self by 2.
Maneuver: If this card is played in the 2nd round, instead gain Resilience.
CARD C
3 power / 6 provisions
Deploy: Boost self by 3.
Assault: If this card is played in the 3rd round, instead give adjacent units a shield.
My thought behind this mechanic came from playing NG as an answer to the NR/SY dominance. These types of mechanics can help NG to still "control" the game while allowing room to lighten up on the kill/lock/destroy everything strategy that they currently have. The mechanics even fit thematically with NG's theme of battlefield tactics.
