Justice to ST at 4 Provisions

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rrc

Forum veteran
What are the most dangerous 4 provision cards in the game? It is OK if the 4 provision cards are moved because they are kind of fillers (not always, some 4P cards are as valuable as a gold card), but if they are to say on the board, which 4P cards can potentially win you a round?
NR:
Tridam Infantry: Simply the best 4 provision card in the game. The moment this gets deployed, it can generate huge value (Lets say, Nenneke or Sergent is on the board) and there are lot of awesome cards which support Tridam Infantry (like Knighthood, Runeword, Vysogota, Anna, etc). You can build your entire deck around this card and it would still be worth it.
Lyrian Cavalry: An amazing engine which doesn't look dangerous, but can easily reach 10 points in a long round.
MO:
Nekkers: If left untouched, Nekkers can get upto 14 points or even 16 points in a long round. A huge pain in the rear card that has to be handled with top priority.
Vran: Though tightly coupled with AQ, a untouched Vran is a sure defeat as it is famously known as "machine-gun"
NG:
Naucizaa Sergeant: I have faced opponents who got NS to 11 points in a long round easily. An absolute must to kill it or it can single handedly win you the round
Magne Division: A great engine with relatively easy condition and which you can stop when it has reached 7 points to avoid generating more points to be safe from tall unit removal. A decent flexible engine.
SK:
Brokvar Hunter: He can potentially generate 4 damage the next turn he is deployed. In discard heavy SK, he is a valuable 4P filler who poses a great threat and demands removal.
Heymey Protector: Can be used in many different situations synergizing with many cards and an extremely versatile engine and a huge pain in the rear.

Now, lets see ST:
Elven Scout: A decent engine which can only work with Eldain and even then is not as dangerous as other engines.
Swordmaster: The weakest of all the cards mentioned above for the obvious reason that an all-elf deck is not viable and not-competitive. She is the most unique 4P engine, but in a negative way. She is the only row-locked 4P engine.

ST doesn't have any good/strong 4P card. SM sucks as on top of expecting many elves to be in hand, it is row locked. If someone says "What about Pyrotechnician?" I would reply "Good one!" and we can all laugh for that joke.

So, CDPR, I request that you treat ST fairly and give ST some good 4P cards and buff the existing ST cards. With CC, you introduced a lot of 4P cards which are far far superior than ST cards and basically powercrept ST. So, my request/suggestions for ST is:

Swordmaster: Remove her row lock. This row lock has become a huge nuisance after the NG update. This is totally unnecessary and is completely unfair to ST. If the explanation is, "She is a sword master and should be melee row locked" then what about Tridam Infantry who should also be row locked or Broukar Hunter who should be ranged row locked? Treat ST fairly and equally with other factions starting from 4P cards.

Dyrad Fledgling: Give her some Deploy ability. Increasing her power to 4 will make Water of Brokilon powerful and ST can't have powerful cards. So, if you give her some deploy ability like "Poison an enemy unit", she would still not become auto-include or too powerful, but there would be some viable decks in which she can played as a 4P card. And since WoB summons her, she would basically remain the same in that build.

Dwarven Skirmisher: Give him 2 Reach. He can maximum be worth 5 or he will stay at 4. Why to make him Melee row locked and Reach 1. A lot of new bronze cards can be worth 6 points and some even do 4 damage and still be 6 points worth (without having row locked). Most of the cards in ST needs row stacking and having these row locks add unnecessary and unfair disadvantage to ST cards. [Even Damned Sorceress reach was changed and she synergizes with Kaedwini Revenant, basically worth 6 points]

Dwarven Agitator: Remove the row lock. What is the need for row lock here? Which other faction has these many 4P cards that are row locked? This is not even a dangerous engine or anything. This unnecessarily makes him vulnerable against certain decks. Also, there are Dwarves which are melee row locked and he is Ranged row locked making the Mahakam Guard change in the last update useless.

Aren't ST supposed to be supremely agile and were basically having "Not row locked" as their faction identity? Having dangerous engines row locked makes sense. But it doesn't make any sense to have these many 4P cards row locked for no reason when every other faction has the freedom to play in any row. I feel like every update ST gets powercrept from other factions and even neutral cards. These changes will give freedom and flexibility to ST players.

[And Yes, I intend to create a series of posts for Justice for ST for various provision ranges.]
 
I'm usually quite annoyed by your permanent rants for ST, though I have to admit that you mark a point here. Well illustrated.
 
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Interesting post. I agree with some of the comments, but not all of them.
The only problem of swordmaster for me is indeed the unnecessary row lock. Apart from that it's a good 4 provisions card. If you don't have elves, it can still reach 5-6 value and if you do, more than that. You don't even need a whole elf deck (although that helps), just 2-3 in hand to reach good value faster.
Agitator same. The row lock is useless and just limit synergy with other dwarves.

The skirmisher is not a really good card, but if you give it reach 2 it's just a better version of the damned sorceress with its 1 boost. You can't really use the fact that the sorceress synergize with other specters without considering the synergy with other dwarves...

The dryad fledgling is also not very good compared to other boost engines like the ones you cited, but I believe it's a problem of harmony more than the card itself. Harmony could be tweaked to be competitive with others assimilate/thrive. A solution could be to play on the rows: harmony triggers when a unique category comes to the row. Like that you could use the movement specialty of ST to trigger it more than a couple of times...
 
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Aren't ST supposed to be supremely agile and were basically having "Not row locked" as their faction identity?
Ay, I suppose this was their defining attribute in Wild Hunt's Gwent, especially for avoiding weather. From a lore perspective, they should be versatile, as guerilla warriors; however, as we know, lore doesn't always balance out in numbers.

Dwarven Skirmisher: Give him 2 Reach.
This is probably the only card of those you mention I would personally wish to see changed -- since I run a Dwarf deck -- and there have been plenty of occasions where the Skirmisher in my hand became a mere 1-point stone, since all the opponent's units were safely in Ranged. However, to be fair, the Skirmisher is only one dwarf with an axe. His range, technically, wouldn't be much. Perhaps switching his artwork and name with the Mahakam Guard, who has a halberd, and reinforcements at his back, might make more sense with a reach of 2.

Dwarven Agitator: Remove the row lock. What is the need for row lock here?
Well, I think this one makes sense for the reason that, technically, the Agitator is not a front-line combatant, but rather a chap who hangs about in the pub, where he goads other dwarves to fight in defence of their lady folk.
 
I would change skirmisher, adding boost by 3 if deployed in the range. So in the worst case is still a 4 str unit.
The dryad fledging could get deploy, boost itself by 1 (even conditional to not other dryads in the field/row), that way, won't affect water of brokilon, and that would make counting dryad, as its first armony boost.
 

Gyg

Forum regular
My proposition for skirmisher is to make him strength 2 with 2 damage on deploy (range 2) with self buffing as it is.
 

rrc

Forum veteran
Interesting post. I agree with some of the comments, but not all of them.
The only problem of swordmaster for me is indeed the unnecessary row lock. Apart from that it's a good 4 provisions card. If you don't have elves, it can still reach 5-6 value and if you do, more than that. You don't even need a whole elf deck (although that helps), just 2-3 in hand to reach good value faster.
Agitator same. The row lock is useless and just limit synergy with other dwarves.

The skirmisher is not a really good card, but if you give it reach 2 it's just a better version of the damned sorceress with its 1 boost. You can't really use the fact that the sorceress synergize with other specters without considering the synergy with other dwarves...

The dryad fledgling is also not very good compared to other boost engines like the ones you cited, but I believe it's a problem of harmony more than the card itself. Harmony could be tweaked to be competitive with others assimilate/thrive. A solution could be to play on the rows: harmony triggers when a unique category comes to the row. Like that you could use the movement specialty of ST to trigger it more than a couple of times...
I didn't mean to say SwordMaster is outright junk. What I meant was, SwordMaster is the weakest of all the 4P engines in the game and yet, it has the row lock while all the super powerful 4P engines don't have row lock. There is no necessary for this. It is just like CDPR team wants ST players to suffer more than any other faction to get equal value. What else could be the reasoning for this row lock? Since she wields a Sword and not a Bow? Then why Tridam Infantry is not row locked to Melee? Kaedwini Revenant wields a sword and has 2 reach. I can give a hundred example in which Sword wielding units not have melee row lock. So, Sword=Melee doesn't apply. What applies is ST should have inferior units than other factions. I am not suggesting an increase in the damage or any extra benefit. Just that, remove the damn row lock and I will be fine! The game will be fair.

Isn't Damned Sorceress a better version of Skirmisher now? :) Isn't Morgvarg a better version of Arelinne? There are some cards which are (slightly) better version of other cards. And in almost all of the cases, it is ST which has the weaker version. Isn't it? I didn't ask about Blue Mountain Elite because (for one, she is junk, for another), she has more damage and increasing her range will mean that she will be too oppressive and obnoxious as Marauder. But Skimisher, if he kills a 3 point engine, he would be a 4 point card, like Damned Sorceress. But if he fails to kill, he boosts himself by 1 which is not a great deal. Now, he can very well be a 1 point brick in your hand. But, I agree about your Skirmisher's synergy with other Dwarves. Good Point!

The reason I wanted Dryad Fledgling to have a deploy ability is, 1) she is never used as a stand alone card (at least not in games in which people want to win). 2) Ducal Guard was increased to 4 points. Basically Ducal Guard is a mirror of Dryad Fledgling (and I would say even better than her), but he was buffed! The reason Dryad Fledgling can't be buffed to 4 points is due to Water Of Brokilon. So, to make her on par with Ducal Guard, if she has a deploy ability, she will still be viable and WoB will still not become broken. I would say Ducal Guard is a better version of Dryad Fledgling.

I am not asking for huge buff to ST golds or leader. All I am asking is, make ST have decent 4P cards. ST has been severely power crept after CC where every other faction has amazing 4P cards and ST has got only junk cards. Can we all agree on this?

This is probably the only card of those you mention I would personally wish to see changed -- since I run a Dwarf deck -- and there have been plenty of occasions where the Skirmisher in my hand became a mere 1-point stone, since all the opponent's units were safely in Ranged. However, to be fair, the Skirmisher is only one dwarf with an axe. His range, technically, wouldn't be much. Perhaps switching his artwork and name with the Mahakam Guard, who has a halberd, and reinforcements at his back, might make more sense with a reach of 2.


Well, I think this one makes sense for the reason that, technically, the Agitator is not a front-line combatant, but rather a chap who hangs about in the pub, where he goads other dwarves to fight in defence of their lady folk.
Dear Riven, Just because he has an Axe, not having reach 2 is not logical when compared to all the other cards, as I have mentioned above. He is not even a very good card and having him with 1 reach is absolutely unfair to ST. When Skirmisher and BlueMountainElite bricks, they brick with 1 point. Tell me any other cards in the game which can brick with 1 point because opponent hasn't played cards on a row?

Same for Agitators. Ranged row is not pub :p, it is still a war field. It makes no sense for him to be row locked and puts some match-ups unnecessarily difficult. I want agitators to be able to come to front row and Yell "Wake up Dwarfs! Humans lust after our lady folk!!!". It is not an unfair ask. It is a fair ask to make ST fair.
 
Just because he has an Axe, not having reach 2 is not logical when compared to all the other cards, as I have mentioned above.
I don't disagree. As I said, logic and lore don't always balance out in numbers. It's one of the many frustrations in the grand illusion of games.
I want agitators to be able to come to front row and Yell "Wake up Dwarfs! Humans lust after our lady folk!!!".
Jolly fun, eh? Long live the Dwarves!
 
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Seems to me like ST allways counts in their synergys, while other factions don't. If you use Filavandrel, suddenly all units are at a good base value. If you don't it's only imune, controll and Eithné's 18 Provisions that does the trick.

I pretty much gave up on Scoia, only play them in season mod or fun options. Sk has same controll, better tempo, bigger Units, best deck controll as others mentioned bevor but this is another threat^^
 
Seems to me like ST allways counts in their synergys, while other factions don't. If you use Filavandrel, suddenly all units are at a good base value. If you don't it's only imune, controll and Eithné's 18 Provisions that does the trick.

I pretty much gave up on Scoia, only play them in season mod or fun options. Sk has same controll, better tempo, bigger Units, best deck controll as others mentioned bevor but this is another threat^^

It's not really counting synergy as much as it is being held back by it. Usually playing for synergy entails pairing cards together because they benefit each other. With ST it feels more like playing for synergy because many faction cards can only work with one other card type or concept. Put differently, you aren't building toward synergy to benefit from it but to avoid getting punished for not doing so.

To toss out examples.... Swordmasters, Aelrinn and Isengrim only work with elves. To maximize value on these cards you are forced to play other Elf cards. Many Dwarves only function with other Dwarves. Certain Dryads only work with other Dryads. Technicians and Scouts must be played with traps. Some of the abilities here aren't simply worse when you do not pair card A with card B. They don't work at all. These restrictions are highly irritating. Not just because of the isolated instances of card A vs B but also due to deck builds as a complete entity. If you run a certain build carrying these cards and want to swap out a card here or there or move provisions around to fit another in it's frequently a headache to find a suitable match (not to mention trying to abuse OP neutrals as other factions do becomes a real problem).

When building combos some of this behavior would be expected. However, it shouldn't be this far reaching. Nor should it be so restrictive with 4p bronze cards. Likewise, it's expected for certain synergies to only work one way. Case and point, NR engines requiring order cards to function. The difference there is NR has order cards spread all across the faction. They're everywhere. Finding one to pair with those bronze engines is easy. Also, "order card" is not nearly the same as "elf card". One is an ability and the other a category. The latter tends to be highly restrictive.

Now, take all of the above and toss in a concept like Harmony or a leader like Dana. Here the concept is based on playing different primary unit categories. It's somewhat of a counter to the design of many ST faction cards. To use these you want to play different type cards but many of the cards require like type cards to function effectively. Incidentally, Dana or Harmony based decks tend to flock to the options without these requirements. At that point your pool of options shrinks considerably.

All of that said... It has actually been a competitive faction for a while with the right build. It's just highly irritating to build around it's card pool.
 
NR:
Tridam Infantry: Simply the best 4 provision card in the game. The moment this gets deployed, it can generate huge value (Lets say, Nenneke or Sergent is on the board) and there are lot of awesome cards which support Tridam Infantry (like Knighthood, Runeword, Vysogota, Anna, etc). You can build your entire deck around this card and it would still be worth it.
Lyrian Cavalry: An amazing engine which doesn't look dangerous, but can easily reach 10 points in a long round.
First of all I don't agree that NR is so much better of than ST. While there is Tridam Infantry, that is only a card for a single archetype. And Lyrian Cavalry might work with orders in general, but as soon as you try to go for charges that card is pretty much dead weight, because it is just one more card in a charge deck that isn't working with charges and neither has an order itself.

And while I agree that ST hasn't that many good 4 provision cards, you have left out the strongest one in my opinion.
Vrihedd Dragon does break even and can disrupt all row locked engines easily, as well as aligning enemies for certain effects. This way the dwarven Skirmisher can hit any enemy as well.

Also, Dwarven Agiator is an extremly strong 4 provision card in my opinion too, even though it is row locked and only works with dwarves. 2 points of carry-over on deploy is really strong.

Nonetheless, I agree that some buffs are due. After the assimilate engines were buffed by 1, the Dryad Fledling deserves a boost by 1 too. Though Water of Brokilon should be increased to 10 provisions.

Dwarven Skirmisher shouldn't have range 2 as that means he will break even on deploy and either kills an important engine, or gets 1 additional point, which is both far too good. Instead his range should only be increased if he was already buffed. That will add synergies with handbuff archetype, though he can still be played with movement too.


And I completly agree with RestlessDingo32 concerning the state of ST.
 

rrc

Forum veteran
First of all I don't agree that NR is so much better of than ST. While there is Tridam Infantry, that is only a card for a single archetype. And Lyrian Cavalry might work with orders in general, but as soon as you try to go for charges that card is pretty much dead weight, because it is just one more card in a charge deck that isn't working with charges and neither has an order itself.
I never said NR as a faction is much better than ST as a faction. I only compared the 4P cards (especially engines) and I still stand by my statement. Tridam Infantry is the BEST 4P card in the entire game. It can single handedly win you the game. With the CC expansion TI is even more awesome. BTW, why would anyone put Lyrian Cavalry in charges deck? Similar to why would anyone put Swordmaster in a harmony or dwarf deck?

And while I agree that ST hasn't that many good 4 provision cards, you have left out the strongest one in my opinion.
Vrihedd Dragon does break even and can disrupt all row locked engines easily, as well as aligning enemies for certain effects. This way the dwarven Skirmisher can hit any enemy as well.
I agree Dragoon is a solid 4P card. Its 4 for 4 and can sometimes win you a game (by moving Avallach or Vysogota). It is true that against NR, I would even mulligan a Gold card but not Dragoon. But against all other factions, it is just a 4 for 4.

Also, Dwarven Agiator is an extremly strong 4 provision card in my opinion too, even though it is row locked and only works with dwarves. 2 points of carry-over on deploy is really strong.
I didn't say that Agitator is useless. He is a good card, but I only mentioned that the row lock is unnecessary especially when some dwarfs are melee row locked and there is a dwarf card which wants as many dwarfs as possible in a single row. This row lock kind of makes the Mahakan Guard changes an eyewash - just to add a point to ST as a 'we know we nerfed all the cards you love, but take this buff on Mahakam Guard' which is kind of a sad joke.

Nonetheless, I agree that some buffs are due. After the assimilate engines were buffed by 1, the Dryad Fledling deserves a boost by 1 too. Though Water of Brokilon should be increased to 10 provisions.
Even as a hardcore fan of ST, I would say that +1 power to Dryad Fledgling would be too much! Even a 10 provision Water of Brokilon will be considered as broken if it can bring two 4 power DF. The best thing is (as someone suggested above) to have a deploy ability of boost by one (or what I suggested: Deploy - Give poison to an enemy unit) which will keep WoB as it is, but would give a buff to DF.

Dwarven Skirmisher shouldn't have range 2 as that means he will break even on deploy and either kills an important engine, or gets 1 additional point, which is both far too good. Instead his range should only be increased if he was already buffed. That will add synergies with handbuff archetype, though he can still be played with movement too.
After CC expansion, a 4P card not being able to add 6 points to the board is a power crept card. Almost all of the new 4P cards added in the expansion is a *potential* 6 points card. Damned Sorceress already does 3 damage, having 2 range and breaking even and she synergizes with Keadwini Revenant too. But your suggestion of Range 2 if boosted on deploy seems to be a fair and nice suggestion. I would be glad if they do it. Or I would be glad if they add +1 reach unconditionally. I would be sad if they don't do either :p

And I completly agree with RestlessDingo32 concerning the state of ST.
Yep! @Restlessdingo32 nailed it!
 
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