Casual Mode Locked Out

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DRK3

Forum veteran
I can understand this decision by CDPR, but the choice for the rank that unlocks casual mode (7) is really terrible.

If the objective was to protect new players from having a bad starting experience, then rank 15 or even 20 might be enough.

Maybe they used recent data from ranked, where there were newbies able to reach ranks higher thank 7, thanks to the huge imbalance of decks like Foltest and Dijkstra, but on a regular situation, you were required to have some piloting skills, at least of the deck you use, to reach said ranks.

Now with this system, it forces all sorts of players to play ranked, where they're less likely to face experimental decks and are encouraged to "play seriously and try to win", thus removing the freedom that existed in Gwent before.
 
Like I said, Casual should rebranded to 'speed gwent'. An option for me and you who are tired of taking 1 minute to play a card.
Why would you play casual ? Answer: For testing out meme decks.
Here you go, play meme decks, but 4x times faster. Oh but it's too fast for me, I also want to learn something while playing.
No, not realy, you can learn faster by playing 4x matches using same amount of time as 1. More variety, larger learning experience.
 
Given the situation in current seasonal, perhaps this wasn't the best time to rank lock access to casual. Pretty shit choice to either get stomped by AQ and GS abuse in seasonal or tank MMR in classic when you're trying to complete a quest, like "Play 20 artifact cards" with a deck optimised for the grind.

And for the rank-locking the casual mode to improve the new player experience and retention rates? Yeah, I don't think that argument is solely the case. I mean if if the rank lock was lifted after completing Rank 25, then maybe you might be able to fudge logic, but Rank 7?!? I think the issue here is low player numbers overall. It's the only thing that makes sense. Locking out one of the 4 modes of the game means less rubber-banding to create matches while (hopefully) allowing more players to rise to the higher ranks where numbers are lowest.

Unfortunately, it's not a good solution if the 'fun, janky mode' is only fun for people running either of the 2 most op net-decks in that mode and the other mode doesn't allow you to progress playing jank. If the game isn't fun, then forcing people to play modes they don't enjoy won't encourage them to stay. It's boneheaded moves like these that make me wonder if it won't be long before we get told the game has lost its way (again) and HC Redux will wow us - after another 6 month long content drought.
 
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I'm currently at level 19, 13:18 W:L this season and not going to lie, feels bad man. Ladder anxiety is shit and is sucking the fun out outa the game for me. 736 hours in this game, think I should be allowed to play whatever mode I feel like given I fully understand what casual mode is like.

Yeah I'm sure this is making match making better in ranked but what's the point of that if I don't want to play anymore?
 
736 hours in this game, think I should be allowed to play whatever mode I feel like given I fully understand what casual mode is like.
Exactly. Like plenty of others have said in this thread, rank lock needs to be a once off for casual. And it needs to be lowered to something a little more realistic than Rank 7. There's players like yourself and I who have logged hundreds, even thousands of hours playing Gwent. Why should we miss out on a non-competitive mode just because we aren't inclined to push to the semi-pro ranks? It's not like we don't have reward books to grind.
Yeah I'm sure this is making match making better in ranked but what's the point of that if I don't want to play anymore?
Yep, nothing like being forced to do something you know you usually avoid because you don't enjoy it. Really provides an incentive to stay.
 
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It would not be a good month to be a new player with all the casual players with all cards and experience now playing ranked.
I started a new profile to do a challenge run to see how far I could climb in a season without buying kegs.
Some of the players have profiles that have never played ranked and have all the cards and hundreds of wins from playing casual.
 
This decision is very very bad. The worst of all.
I suggest they unlock casual asap, otherwise I hope people will abandon the game.
Also I like the idea of decreasing time to 30sec in casual.
 
The big white elephant in the room....low player numbers means everyone has to play ranked, right?

Do something about netdecking. Is that even possible? Yes, it is. I already suggested a way. Two years ago......

Not many agreed haha
 
The big white elephant in the room....low player numbers means everyone has to play ranked, right?

Do something about netdecking. Is that even possible? Yes, it is. I already suggested a way. Two years ago......

Not many agreed haha

One solution, and this would be lower in popularity as some of the least popular changes to Gwent, would be to lock ranks to playing CDPR pre-constructed decks. If everyone has to play preconstructed, then there's no need for netdecks. Of course the other obvious problem is this wouldn't help player numbers in ranked if casual mode was the brewer's mode.
 
Some players in this thread have suggested that the change was brought about (also) because of dropping player numbers. However, I have never had to wait a long time to find a match, no matter the time of day or the game mode. Maybe that's because I am in a different bracket (rank), but, still, I don't think player numbers had much to do with the decision to lock out casual. It's all about player experience and finding a better match up.
 
Maybe just change it to prestige 1, so completely new players don't play casual. And finally write somewhere that when you play casual you can be matched with opponent from ANY LEVEL, so noone can complain about that.
 
Guys, what we're talking about in this topic? This is insane. I played a lot of card games, like a loooooooot. Every card game has ranked and casual. That's like the basic stuff. Core game modes. No-brainer. Period. It's that simple.

This is insane. I'm still shocked that they did this. Like wth?!?!?!? I don't know why there isn't more topics about this and huge riot on reddit and all kinds of forum.
I have over 300 hours in Gwent, I know how to play (and there are a lot of players like me) and I want to play casual dammit! :)
I want to test new decks/combos without ladder anxiety, I want to see more decks, not just meta decks ALL THE TIME, I want to quickly complete quests like play 20 artifacts ......... Not everyone have lots of hours to play daily, Sometimes I have 1 hour, I want to quickly complete first daily crown and that's it. In ladder I care about my ranking, in casual I can relax :)

Again, this is insane :) They take away one major, basic, no-brainer mode that is essential in every card game. WTH?!?


(sorry for my english)
 
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Guys, what we're talking about in this topic? This is insane. I played a lot of card games, like a loooooooot. Every card game has ranked and casual. That's like the basic stuff. Core game modes. No-brainer. Period. It's that simple.

This is insane. I'm still shocked that they did this. Like wth?!?!?!? I don't know why there isn't more topics about this and huge riot on reddit and all kinds of forum.
I have over 300 hours in Gwent, I know how to play (and there are a lot of players like me) and I want to play casual dammit! :)
I want to test new decks/combos without ladder anxiety, I want to see more decks, not just meta decks ALL THE TIME, I want to quickly complete quests like play 20 artifacts ......... Not everyone have lots of hours to play daily, Sometimes I have 1 hour, I want to quickly complete first daily crown and that's it. In ladder I care about my ranking, in casual I can relax :)

Again, this is insane :) They take away one major, basic, no-brainer mode that is essential in every card game. WTH?!?


(sorry for my english)

Sounds like you prefer speed-gwent too. Well then, lets be clear about what we really want as a community, which would bee faster matches. I'd rather see the casual reworked entirely and replaced with speed-gwent, rather than revert the changes. For lets be honest, it's not as if the matches are any faster in casual compared to ranked.
 
I like the change.

When I first started playing I obviously started casual thinking it would be an easier more relaxed way to get use to the game. Instead I got consistently thrashed by advanced players using crazy decks and really didn't want to try getting into the game anymore. If I hadn't found a forum post saying new players should try ranked instead of casual I probably would have uninstalled the game.

So it wasn't until I tried ranked that I actually had a better and more enjoyable time. I'm not the best player and I'll never win tournaments or make pro ranks, but at least in ranked I could have more fun and compete and win enough of my matches to actually enjoy the game.

Leave casual to the hardcore players and their meme/meta decks as far as I'm concerned because it will make new players more likely to stick around.
 
You like ranked better? Cool, play ranked :) Before we had a choice to play ranked, casual or seasonal. Now this choice is gone. We have to play ranked or seasonal :( If it would be like before you could still play ranked and I could still play casual. Win-win situation, right? I don't see ANY good reason for this change.

And this whole "new players will be crushed in casual" is just soooo silly. So play ranked. I don't stop you, but cdpr stop me from playing casual.
 
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You like ranked better? Cool, play ranked :) Before we had a choice to play ranked, casual or seasonal. Now this choice is gone. We have to play ranked or seasonal :( If it would be like before you could still play ranked and I could still play casual. Win-win situation, right? I don't see ANY good reason for this change.

And this whole "new players will be crushed in casual" is just soooo silly. So play ranked. I don't stop you, but cdpr stop me from playing casual.

But the problem is new players don't know that ranked is a better experience.. I only found out through an obscure forum post. New players will always be drawn to casual thinking its the easier start.

Once you get to the appropriate rank whats stopping you from playing casual again? CDPR hasn't stopped anyone from playing it they have just added requirements to access it based off the experience of new players.
 
Once you get to the appropriate rank whats stopping you from playing casual again? CDPR hasn't stopped anyone from playing it they have just added requirements to access it based off the experience of new players.

Because I want to be a filthy casual and I'm not in the mood to play hours and hours of ranked to unlock it?
 
Sorry but I don't have the time each month to level up so far.
"New players will always be drawn to casual thinking its the easier start." - yes and they will be trashed by better players but they will not lose anything, no ladder points, no ladder anxiety. They will learn the basics there. After some time they will finally play ranked when they have more/better cards.
 
Sorry but I don't have the time each month to level up so far.
"New players will always be drawn to casual thinking its the easier start." - yes and they will be trashed by better players but they will not lose anything, no ladder points, no ladder anxiety. They will learn the basics there. After some time they will finally play ranked when they have more/better cards.
I think you're correct, locking casual is a mistake. Casual was a place were many played meme decks now when I play casual because players need to be of a certain rank will still be many that play the same netdecks as in rank mode.

Which is just... "bleah", I hope they will revert the decision so I can have more fun with meme decks.

I can't play meme decks on rank especially when I play in the pro ladder.

So the devs just robbed me of some fun.
 
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