Gwent Arena Mode Vs LoR Expedition Mode

[TacticalGrizz7]

I'm sure many of you know that Legends of Runeterra has been sweeping across the CCG universe, and while it's not Gwent by any means, it does have a few things that I really enjoy, and think Gwent could take some pointers from.

One thing is their version of "Arena" called Expedition. If you have not played it, it basically goes like this:

You are given rounds to pick cards from(15 rounds) much like Gwent, but you are picking "sets" of cards (usually 2-3 cards per set) and you are given three different set options each round. Usually each set is a different Faction or a combination of factions and champions. After 15 rounds you are given the opportunity to "trade" one card from a choice of three different cards to better synergize your deck before heading to battle.

You start your first "Trial" run once you've finalized your picks. You have 7 games to win to beat the expedition, if you lose more than two games in a row, your trial is over, but if you win, your two losses reset and you can continue with the two loss rule again, which gives players a lifeline if they had a crapy draw in one game that they lost due to Mana (this happens alot I feel, which is why Gwent is so great). If you lose twice, you will have one last trial run to try to beat your first runs score, more wins grants better prizes.

As you progress through your 7 games, every two wins (I think, not %100 sure), you get to pick another set of cards, trade for additional champions, etc to round out your deck. By game 7 if you've made it that far, theoretically your deck should be tailored from your trades and new card/champion aquisitions and efficient enough to take on your opponents tailored deck at this stage.

I think the way you progress through this mode is a great idea, and the options to be able to trade cards after a certain amount of wins and aquire more synergistic cards through your run is great.

If anyone has played, let me know how you liked it or disliked it, and features Gwent could benefit from.

Not pertaining to the topic:

LoR definitely needs some work in areas, but one is a better deck builder. Gwent has such a great one compared to other CCGs. The filtering options, layout and abundance of information Gwent offers is amazing compared and I will not take that for granted anymore. So bravo CDPR, it really is the little things sometimes.

 

[4RM3D]

As explained here, I do like the idea behind expeditions. However, Runeterra's implementation has one circumstantial downside. Players can only be matched to other players with the same progression in expedition. If Gwent would implement the same thing, then enough players have to play arena. Otherwise, queuing for the last match will take too long.

 

[TacticalGrizz7]

I did not know that you could only be matched with others at your current progression, I agree that this will end up making queues very long, I've unfortunately haven't gotten to 7 wins yet, so I cannot say I've experienced long queues yet.

I feel like the dynamic aspects of Expeditions feel fresh and interesting, which I enjoy.

Currently I feel like Arena is not played by the majority of players as is, I often have to wait a few minutes to get queued.

Is Arena's matchmaking not based on progression of wins? Even though the decks are random in nature, a player with no wins playing against someone who is at their 8th win, would seem unfair strictly due to the experience one player has playing the randomly assembled deck and discovering it's nuances and strengths.

Either way, I enjoy both games in their own ways and hope to see the spirit of competition drive them both to improve.

 

[4RM3D]

In expedition, your deck changes based on your progression, especially right before the final match when you can swap out 5 cards. This means that those with a higher progression usually have a better deck. As a result, players can only be matched with the same progression because otherwise it would be unfair.

As for the queue times, I wasn't talking about Runeterra because the playerbase is healthy enough. I was talking about Gwent, which might not have a high enough playerbase, at the moment, to support such an implementation.

The matchmaking in arena probably tries to take the progression into account, but if it cannot find any players, it will still match anyone, regardless of their progression.