So, Skellige is popular in the pro-ranks, huh? Just browse the list there and see Skellige being used ALOT. This is just to say that I have reasons to claim that Skellige is overpowered. I'm also not the only one with this opinion. It seems generally alot of people seem to think Skellige is the best/most powerful faction
Monsters as a comparison is a faction that does not focus alot on damaging opponent units, so it's fairly reasonable to justify them having alot of high point units This also fits with the abilities of monsters (ex. thrive). Monsters feel quite focused and have quite tight archtypes. The same goes for all the other factions actually. But Skellige, no. This faction is all over the place with it's abilities.
Skellige was always good at damage, so it is really ok to give this faction alot of high point units too? I like to compare the damage potential of Skellige with that of Northern Realms, except NR have the order ability and slightly more damage per unit/provision. That seemed reasonable. But where are the giant NR units? But hey, NR is good at boosting! Sure, they are. But Skellige is also good at that and their engines for that is cheaper and easier to set up. Dang! Scoia'Tael is also good at boosting and damage! Yeah, really? It was never a damage faction like SK and NR, but sure, they had some increased damage recently. They also don't have boost engines the same way NR and Skellige have.
Anyways, my point is that Skellige have both the damage and the boost engine of Northern Realms, but they also have giant units! And their own archtype things. Doh. Where will it stop? Do you need to start copying Nilfgaard abilities too now for SK so that it misses no abilities that other factions have? Ooh, yeah, thats right, you already partly did that by making a SK version of Slave Infantry. What's next? Skellige spies? Skellige thrive? Skellige Deathwish? Skellige Consume?
I'm growing a bit tired of Skellige in this game. It seems they get the most attention, the most abilities and variety, despite being the DLC faction of Witcher 3. After playing Northern Realms for a long time, I realised this faction is terrible compared to Skellige. After moving to Nilfgaard I realized there is something wrong with NR. So why is NR getting so little attention and SK so much? I don't play Scoia'Tael, but I'm glad that faction finally got some attention. Nilfgaard is pretty good after it was fixed, maybe even the second best faction. It seems the popularity of Nilfgaard increased in the pro-ranks lists at least.
That leaves:
1st tier faction: SK
2nd tier faction: NG, ST, MO
3rd tier faction: NR
If the developers were to adjust this correctly, they would need to weaken SK to the level of NG/ST/MO and strengthen NR to the same level. Would it not be the better thing to have factions be pretty equally strong?
Discard, boosting, damage, self damage, tall units, graveyard/spawn, bloodthirst, berserk. Do skellige really need all that and then more? Can they not be more focused on fewer abilities like other factions?
So, as I see it, here are some "problematic cards":
Lippy: is it really necessary to have to re-evaluate the whole game, just for one card? Why was Witcher trio "removed"?
Vabjorn: do Skellige really need a giant killer in addition to all their other abilities? If yes, add bloodthirst 3 condition, reduce to 3 board points
Vildkarl: skellige was already powerful without alot of gigantic units, did big units really need to be added? Increase provisions, reduce power, remove order or delete
Ulfhedinn: this card is in the same category as gimpy gerwin, skeldon skaggs etc, but 7 provisions, unreasonable. 4 board points too. Increase provisions to 9
Arnvald: you just had to copy slave infantry and give this to Skellige also? Delete or change to something Skellige related instead
Disgraced brawler: same as above, did skellige really need more big units? 3 power, 3 damage, if bloodthirst 3 lock self, if not self destruct
Svalblod priest: is this card in every skellige deck for a reason? together with Haymaey and self damage, it creates the easiest and best engine in the game for low provision cards. Damage the unit to the right by 1, then boost self by 1. With all the units that can absorb/benefit from self damage in Skellige, this makes more sense.
Anyhow, not all these cards are completely overpowered seen in isolation, but they contribute to making Skellige overpowered, and adjusting them could fix that and make Skellige more in line with the other factions. Maybe even remove something all together, like boosting or tall units. Before, Suirseach Veteran, Jutta and Olaf were the only big units, and they would often brick due to the condition. Vildkarl is so good that it is widespread to bring Renew just for him. A 12 power unit which heals itself and bring renew always? Pretty indestructible. Disgraced Brawler is overpowered in combination with other cards, besides, it is a big card to toss on the board, and Skellige don't need more big units. Monsters is suppose to be the faction of the big units, other factions should have them as an exception. Skellige now is the faction with the second most/powerful big units, maybe even as powerful as monsters or even more so. That's just not right.
Nor is Skellige.
Monsters as a comparison is a faction that does not focus alot on damaging opponent units, so it's fairly reasonable to justify them having alot of high point units This also fits with the abilities of monsters (ex. thrive). Monsters feel quite focused and have quite tight archtypes. The same goes for all the other factions actually. But Skellige, no. This faction is all over the place with it's abilities.
Skellige was always good at damage, so it is really ok to give this faction alot of high point units too? I like to compare the damage potential of Skellige with that of Northern Realms, except NR have the order ability and slightly more damage per unit/provision. That seemed reasonable. But where are the giant NR units? But hey, NR is good at boosting! Sure, they are. But Skellige is also good at that and their engines for that is cheaper and easier to set up. Dang! Scoia'Tael is also good at boosting and damage! Yeah, really? It was never a damage faction like SK and NR, but sure, they had some increased damage recently. They also don't have boost engines the same way NR and Skellige have.
Anyways, my point is that Skellige have both the damage and the boost engine of Northern Realms, but they also have giant units! And their own archtype things. Doh. Where will it stop? Do you need to start copying Nilfgaard abilities too now for SK so that it misses no abilities that other factions have? Ooh, yeah, thats right, you already partly did that by making a SK version of Slave Infantry. What's next? Skellige spies? Skellige thrive? Skellige Deathwish? Skellige Consume?
I'm growing a bit tired of Skellige in this game. It seems they get the most attention, the most abilities and variety, despite being the DLC faction of Witcher 3. After playing Northern Realms for a long time, I realised this faction is terrible compared to Skellige. After moving to Nilfgaard I realized there is something wrong with NR. So why is NR getting so little attention and SK so much? I don't play Scoia'Tael, but I'm glad that faction finally got some attention. Nilfgaard is pretty good after it was fixed, maybe even the second best faction. It seems the popularity of Nilfgaard increased in the pro-ranks lists at least.
That leaves:
1st tier faction: SK
2nd tier faction: NG, ST, MO
3rd tier faction: NR
If the developers were to adjust this correctly, they would need to weaken SK to the level of NG/ST/MO and strengthen NR to the same level. Would it not be the better thing to have factions be pretty equally strong?
Discard, boosting, damage, self damage, tall units, graveyard/spawn, bloodthirst, berserk. Do skellige really need all that and then more? Can they not be more focused on fewer abilities like other factions?
So, as I see it, here are some "problematic cards":
Lippy: is it really necessary to have to re-evaluate the whole game, just for one card? Why was Witcher trio "removed"?
Vabjorn: do Skellige really need a giant killer in addition to all their other abilities? If yes, add bloodthirst 3 condition, reduce to 3 board points
Vildkarl: skellige was already powerful without alot of gigantic units, did big units really need to be added? Increase provisions, reduce power, remove order or delete
Ulfhedinn: this card is in the same category as gimpy gerwin, skeldon skaggs etc, but 7 provisions, unreasonable. 4 board points too. Increase provisions to 9
Arnvald: you just had to copy slave infantry and give this to Skellige also? Delete or change to something Skellige related instead
Disgraced brawler: same as above, did skellige really need more big units? 3 power, 3 damage, if bloodthirst 3 lock self, if not self destruct
Svalblod priest: is this card in every skellige deck for a reason? together with Haymaey and self damage, it creates the easiest and best engine in the game for low provision cards. Damage the unit to the right by 1, then boost self by 1. With all the units that can absorb/benefit from self damage in Skellige, this makes more sense.
Anyhow, not all these cards are completely overpowered seen in isolation, but they contribute to making Skellige overpowered, and adjusting them could fix that and make Skellige more in line with the other factions. Maybe even remove something all together, like boosting or tall units. Before, Suirseach Veteran, Jutta and Olaf were the only big units, and they would often brick due to the condition. Vildkarl is so good that it is widespread to bring Renew just for him. A 12 power unit which heals itself and bring renew always? Pretty indestructible. Disgraced Brawler is overpowered in combination with other cards, besides, it is a big card to toss on the board, and Skellige don't need more big units. Monsters is suppose to be the faction of the big units, other factions should have them as an exception. Skellige now is the faction with the second most/powerful big units, maybe even as powerful as monsters or even more so. That's just not right.
Nor is Skellige.
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