Is there no balance between engines, control & deployment value?

[1990BW]

Last year around the same time I started a similar thread about removal and locks:

POLL: Removal and lock need rebalance?

As for now removal is better than locking cards. With removal engine value gets instantly denied while a locked card can be purified. Most lock cards have a body while most removal don't. Still lock is worse and won't see much play. The main problem is centered around the provision costs. Locks...

forums.cdprojektred.com

Interestingly there has been some progress made since then in the form of lower provision cost and/or taller body.
Although locks see a bit more play in certain factions in the last couple of patches removal cards still have the upper hand.
The reasons are simple:

1 Removal is cheaper
2 Larger fill rate due to plenty of faction and neutral options
3 Denies your opponent to regain an engine because locks can be purified
4 A lot of removal decks got more support: Bombs/Madoc, Tunnel drill, Serpent trap

My conclusion would be there is still no balance between locks and removal, the latter actually got more support over time.
Just take a look at the huge amount of bronze specials in the deckbuilder that do 4 damage (which I consider removal zone):

Neutral
Dimeritium Bomb

Piercing missile
Moon dust
Northern wind
Rock barrage
Alzurs thunder

MO
Natural selection
Predatory dive

NG
Tourney joust
Coated weapons
Assassination

NR
Boiling oil

ST
Making a bomb

Nature's Rebuke

SK
Gutting slash

Stunning blow

SY
Assault
Bloody good fun
Payday

*The cards which are color marked blue see a lot of play

What this gamedesign delivers, which also can be seen in metareports, is that control decks accompanied with big value on deployment dominate the game.
There is no room for engine decks because all engines get removed and deliver most of the time negative points compared to their provision costs or deploy counterparts.
On top of that deploy value got buffed bigtime so it's way better to play such cards instead of engines.

My analysis on the problem is that there are way to many damage mechanics not only in the bronze cardpool but also in golds and leader abilities.
This makes an huge cardpool not worth playing because you won't stand a chance from the beginning.
If you are a tryhard that likes to play engines all the game offers right now is frustration & anger instead of fun.

For me this is a reason to play Gwent much less (or perhaps quit at some point) because a game that is themed around having the most control and deploy value is very boring.
Don't know how you guys think about this after this breakdown?

 

[saodhar]

There is just no balance in this game. Period.

 

[EduFerraz]

There is no room for engine decks because all engines get removed and deliver most of the time negative points compared to their provision costs.

This part its like a punch in my brain.

I agree with everything, specialy with this part.

Engines usualy need some rounds to get value, while those control doenst need.

Also cards like madoc, Eldain are toxic for the game, because they give more value for the cards that get all the value in the "deploy".

Lets take example the incineration trap. Its a 5 for a 5 damage, but wiith eldain and vernossiel its a 5 for a 7 damage and 3 points, while it kills the opponent enginue wich gives a 0 for randm provision (could be 10 provision),

The same goes to madoc and bombs.

What i want to say its normal you have cards that sinergy betwen they and give more value, but in these examples the cards stop your opponent to does his combos or engines works and still put points at your side.

The same goes to leader abillity like lined pockets wich gives one coin, or nature gif (also harald gord in both decks)

 

[Sensimilius]

Exactly, there is no such balance, cards with Deploy effect just beat the shit out of engine cards cuz engines just get massacred by SK or locked by NG mostly and occasionally by ST traps.
Since we can hardly stop a deploy ability from going off, they should yield less points then they do now. But alas, bronzes with deploy, especially SK ones just play for too much points.
And as if SK wasn't OP enough, and didn't already have an absurd amount of removal they just go ahead and buff Reckless Flurry so that now you can do precise removals WHILE ALSO increasing the overall power of the leader! At least make a damn cooldown for that thing!