I had high hopes for this expansion and I do think that the expansion itself was good and has improved the game.
However, I also think it's just not enough. It's introduced new concepts in both deckbuilding and gameplay that I think are an asset but it's also apparent that the vast difference in power between archetypes and factions makes things go stale real quick all the same. Especially since the strongest decks require almost no substantial skill to pilot. Variety in decks post-expansion lasted for about 3/4 days.
There's so many more cards now than pre- HC and yet in my opinion Beta Gwent was still so much more fleshed out. There's so many redundant cards out there and so many of the same concepts across factions.
The developers are just way too timid in terms of daring to be creative. If they print a 2 power 8 provision tutor for one faction all factions must have it. Purify cards same story. Isn't that what we have neutrals for?
Golds in Homecoming are generally great on their own. Bronzes however are great for some factions and abhorrent for others. This makes for gameplay where faction A (with strong bronzes) pressures round 1 with its bronzes and faction B (with bad bronzes) has to play golds to keep up. As a result faction A secures the win very early on in the game.
Because they get to hoard their crazy golds for later while faction B is stuck with bad bronzes.
Print and rework golds to be supporting cards, that would be a big step towards making the game more interesting.
However, given that balance patches are more and more bare bones I know the odds of them taking steps like this are near zero percent. They like to put most effort in expansions since they can obviously monetize that effort.
But expansions of course don't actually work on what we have but just introduce new gimmicks, further causing a vast power discrepancy. Ultimately I just think the whole way HC was handled from the off set was terribly wrong.
That's just me speaking in terms of how much I've personally (not) enjoyed it. I'm not talking about commercial success or anything like that.
Homecoming was released years too early, their hard work since then (also introducing older mechanics that they initially scrapped) proves as much. But I also think HC didn't have to happen in the first place.
Beta Gwent had obvious problems. Spies, the coinflip, the overload of tutors.
HC actually dealt with some of these things well. But that's about all they had to do.
Erasing all interesting concepts and replacing them with '2 power deal 2 damage' cards was a terrible mistake the game still hasn't and likely never will recover from. Just look at the vast amount of cards that have been terrible from the beginning but never received attention.
I still play this game though simply because I really enjoy the Witcher universe and have no superior card game alternative.
But the enjoyment and the 'feel' of the game post HC has never even been remotely close to its predecessor.
I'd point out the gameplay of beta consume vs. HC's consume.
Beta reveal vs. HC's reveal (which was so horrifically designed it was scrapped all together)
Beta spies vs. current spies. Niche decks like Ocvist handbuff vs. niche HC decks like old Yarpen Zigrin.
Old weather decks (Dagon/WH) vs. the current ones (even after the recent overhaul)
I romanticize Beta Gwent and nostalgia absolutely plays a role in my judgement. like I said, OB Gwent had its problems and most certainly terribly tedious meta decks. However, after nearly two years of playing HC which on its best day I'd give a 7,5 it's made OB Gwent feel like a 10+.
