Ciri:Nova takes a sacrifice that you can not have 3 copies of the same card, right? It outright rejects a lot of deck synergy. (I wonder what will happen to this card after Homecoming, as, after Homecoming anyone only 2 bronzes are supported). It gives an easy clue that your opponent has Ciri:Nova when you see that they have 16 cards deck (instead of 15) in the beginning. As soon as you see that, you can plan accordingly. I crafted that card, but didn't use it much as the decks I build (I like building my own decks) can't take that restriction. So, it is not a brain-dead card, IMHO. Also, if the opponent makes sure that he/she goes last, it takes a certain skill.
Mollybal, I agree that 22 points finisher is a big deal. I crafted her thinking I will always use it, but nowadays I rarely use. You will have build the entire deck around her. If you 22 points is a finisher, what would you say about Restore (Skellige) which can give you 19 as a single card. Or Sigrdrifa who can get similar points and they are just silvers, without making any sacrifice in their deck building?
I am not defending C:N card (I don't use that card). But 22 points for a NEUTRAL gold with such a sacrifice is OK when faction specific silvers can achieve the same with out any damn sacrifice.
I'm sure this has come up a billion times already, but can we please get a nerf for her? My equivalent card for Nilfgaard: Tibor Eggebracht, reaches 32 power when synergized properly with Imperial Golems and Roach, but comes at the cost of card advantage. The sacrifice required for Nova is next to nothing, particularly when it comes to Scoia'tael swap decks, which is where she pops up most in my experience. Compare this to the silver spies, which require you to give your opponent 13 power to generate card advantage, and Tibor's max power is effectively only 19, which is about right for most golds, which should come out to around 15 power. On his own, his power would just be 12.
"My equivalent card for Nilfgaard: Tibor Eggebracht, reaches 32 power when synergized properly with Imperial Golems and Roach, but comes at the cost of card advantage." - Tibor is not comparable to Ciri: Nova. Tibor has built-in card disadvantage; Nova does not. Adding Impera Golem and Roach makes the comparison even less fair. Imagine if I said Tibor is actually worth 38 points because in addition to Impera Golem and Roach, I also have 3x Mangonel.
"The sacrifice required for Nova is next to nothing, particularly when it comes to Scoia'tael swap decks" - if these decks weren't running Ciri: Nova, they would have 3x Half-elf Hunter and 3x Vrihedd Vanguard. 3x Vrihedd Officer is also a possibility. So I completely disagree with you that the sacrifice required is "next to nothing".
"Compare this to the silver spies, which require you to give your opponent 13 power to generate card advantage" - don't see the relation. Nova used to have a problem where if you got the red coin + opponent played anything less than 12 power to start, you could spy them and if they didn't have spy, you win on even. That obviously is less easy to accomplish now.
"Tibor's max power is effectively only 19, which is about right for most golds, which should come out to around 15 power" - 15-power golds are completely unplayable. Nobody plays vanilla Geralt, vanilla Triss, etc. Where they aren't used as enablers (e.g. Leo Bonhart in NG Handbuff), they will almost always be worth more. Check the average points of golds such as Coral, Schirru, Triss: Telekinesis, Kayran, etc.
I remain unconvinced that Ciri: Nova needs a nerf. If anything, she's like a new-player magnet since some people got the memo that "Ciri: Nova is OP!!!" and are playing her in decks that completely should not be playing her. Go figure.
She's by far not among the most popular cards atm. Only exception is Radovid (which is one of the weaker archetypes these days). So that's not really an indication.
I love ciri as a character so I am always trying to make decks with her cards in them. While Nova is strong, the requirement for only two bronzes is difficult because you have to make a deck that thins very efficiently. Harder to do when deck building options are more limited due to having a 26 card instead of 25 card deck as well as being forced to have two copies of every bronze you include. She does not fit in a lot of archetypes due to her limitations
In my opinion she is balanced.
I think new people might be drawn to her because she is a neutral and because they don't have 3 of all the bronzes so the 2 bronze card requirement might work better for them u til they get more cards.
In my opinion she is balanced.
I think new people might be drawn to her because she is a neutral and because they don't have 3 of all the bronzes so the 2 bronze card requirement might work better for them u til they get more cards.