New Golds.

[x1Cygnus]

Yes. They are enemies. And yes (I think)but it needs to be EXACTLY the base power so it won't work if it goes beyond that. I think this would really only work with Aguara who boosts by exactly 5. Especially if ST remains so prevalent and she keeps being an elf charmer

Yes, but this needs to be confirmed for 100% though by CDPR as to what this card will actually do under specific circumstances... although I suppose they could just let us find out on our own... Beta testing...

I agree and he shouldn't be. This is a direction in Gwent that I don't like. It's a card that is made specifically to counter an entire archetype. Sure this has happened before with Sweers but that's just due to people focusing on a very specific way of play (breeding nekkers to oblivion). Sweers is meh against everything else, including regular consume decks. On the other hand Roche is SPECIFICALLY designed to be an ambush killer. Even though no one will play it on Normal mode probably, it's still a bad card to have available, made even. And to a lesser extent, Geralt, though that one is less situational and less of a game breaker if it works.

I mean, if the devs want these cards to be for the arena mode then make them ONLY available there. They don't have to mess up the regular game.

I can very well imagine running onto people who run that one card and auto-forfeit or just lose every other match waiting for the opportunity to ruin your day. Or worse, spawning it via Uma's Curse.

And it gives CA too if the conditions are met - why would anybody ever play ST Ambush ever again? I mean as an archetype it's not in a good place anyway, but with the potential of coming up against this Roche card, why would ST ever include/play any ambush units? Your game is lost even before you've played a card... Sweers can find other uses - against Henselt and/or Wardancers for example, but yeah I agree, in pretty much every other match up he's just a 9pt body that moves some cards to GY.

Very vulnerable to removal. Since it heals by 2 and doesn't reset itself, you can only hope the opponent doesn't play something big enough to damage you. Even if he wins the first duel, hell even if he wins without getting damaged (for that to happen the opposing unit needs to be up to 8 Strength. Not so easy for the opponent's STRONGEST unit to be just 8.), he will just become STR 7 with 2 armor, perfect target for Alzur's Thunder. Even regular damage will hinder his ability to duel. Iorveth will bring him down to 1 STR and bye bye. Vanilla Roche too.

For me Cerys and Dandelionoet (basically an upgraded gold Sile that works with everything) are the only good cards to include in standard play, with Morenn: Forest's Child being a decent option in some decks too.

Yeah, thinking about this some more, as it doesn't reset and only heals by 2, doubtful that it will survive long enough to be of any real use. And as it's a fairly easy remove with Alzurs/almost anything else, I think it's doubtful that this card will give any real value over time - which is a shame I think as it has the potential to be a good card and provide some interesting play options for Monsters - who lets face it don't have exactly the best selection of faction specific gold cards. Which I think is also a small issue - faction specific gold cards should (imho) always provide more benefits than neutrals, even if they don't have as much overall power, and encourage faction specific advantages and synergy - which I think Monsters are lacking a bit tbh - especially when compared to other factions - NG in particular.

Cerys I think has the potential to be good - I don't think this card will be good straight away, but over time I think it'll become a reliable card for SK.

 

[partci]

Cerys>Johnny into Poet>GG

(you heard it here first)

 

[sfruzz]

Cerys>Johnny into Poet>GG (you heard it here first)

A Clever Maneuver!

I like the idea, especially after all this season Johnny into Ciri:Nova, getting me a 1 pt strength Gold.

 

[Tir_na_Lia]

When criticism arises, I'm tired to hear: "...but it's designed for Arena..."

It's the new: "...but the game is still in Beta..." shallow excuse.

Arena does not yet even exists. If you claim some cards are supposed to be used in Arena Mode, then do the following:
1- Restrict them to Arena mode.
2- Release them only after you released said mode

Instead, these cards roam free in Casual and Ranked months before their supposed destination is implemented.

I'm getting tired of this....

 

[Void_Singer]

[...]
2- Release them only after you released said mode

Instead, these cards roam free in Casual and Ranked months before their supposed destination is implemented.

I'm getting tired of this....

that's ok, some of us are tired of poor reading/listening comprehension too....

none of these cards are being released before Arena

 

[Tir_na_Lia]

that's ok, some of us are tired of poor reading/listening comprehension too....

none of these cards are being released before Arena

My bad, I thought they'd come before Arena.

 

[Draconifors]

Well, now we know what card the Geralt art introduced in the Midwinter Hunt challenge ended up being used for. Really like the design of the card, too.

Ihuarraquax I'll definitely craft and premium just for the art, that much is certain!

 

[Zjiin]

For anyone who says Gwent doesnt need new designers.

Look at these cards. Cards that are either total trash or game winning is a sign of truly awful design.

 

[Bondonkadonk]

Oh dear.

We are at a point now where game design is entirely based around a mode that hasn't even been released. The constructed mode, the bread and butter of the game is left by the wayside, in a bad state purely to help a mode that could have been fine had the cards been left as they were, there is no way to ever know. As it hasn't even been released.

Ok but... these cards have yet to be released and the Arena is being released next week. So no, they're not being entirely based around a mode that hasn't even been released. They are being released WITH a mode they're being considered for.

The people complaining about cards being released with Arena in mind are the same sort of people who'd complain if Arena came out and had nothing but the base cards on offer. Sure, arena could have attempted to just go with just the cards on offer before mid-winter, but considering the level of synergy that most original cards require, I bet it would have raised plenty of complaints.

I mean, lets be honest, this is the gwent fanbase, there's going to be complaints no matter what CDPR do. ;D They could all give us $100 each and there'd still be folk saying "BUT WHY WASN'T IT $150??????"

 

[twinkiegorilla]

I have to agree with SkippyHole. Why in christ are they designating time and money into a new play mode RIGHT AFTER they destroyed everything good about the game proper?

 

[Guest 4226291]

The point is that this will STILL be a card also available in the other modes. People will still be able to pick it or far worse, create it via Uma's Curse. It's an extremely situational card that will only lead to the burial of an already dead archetype that used to be interesting, even if not so fun to play against.

Sure no one will include it in their options but dammit, designing a card to specifically do that to that extremity is nowhere near what Gwent should be in my opinion.

Who cares? I’m glad it’s available outside of Arena. I hate the idea of certain cards being locked into a certain game mode. Roche’s card advantage I think should be looked at, and his ability to destroy an ambush unit is too situational, but other than that a lot of these cards can be used in normal play. You need to relax. They make balance changes if things are too strong.

 

[Khreygond]

Who cares? I’m glad it’s available outside of Arena. I hate the idea of certain cards being locked into a certain game mode. Roche’s card advantage I think should be looked at, and his ability to destroy an ambush unit is too situational, but other than that a lot of these cards can be used in normal play. You need to relax. They make balance changes if things are too strong.

But that isn't. That's not too strong. That's why it will never be balanced. Because to their mind "oh yeah but if it doesn't work it's a 5 point brick" even though it will be the burial of an already dead archetype. It's just reason not to run any ambush. Reason to stay off a specific archetype.

 

[Zillow]

Anyone know, where can i review yesterday dev stream about new cards?

 

[Draconifors]

Anyone know, where can i review yesterday dev stream about new cards?

Twitch VOD, and it's on Youtube now as well.

 

[TV_JayArr]

Anyone know, where can i review yesterday dev stream about new cards?

Twitch VOD ; 10 min is the start.
Youtube

 

[GenLiu]

Roche is too extreme tbh, might aswell say "if opponent plays an ambush card, win the game", else it's a 5 pt gold.

I fully agree with that and you basically had the exact same though as did "if you play an ambush card you lose the game"
While I have nothing against tech cards (even though I'm really not a fan of Faction/archetype specific tech cards which don't make any sense in a game with no sideboard) I honestly think that Roche is WAY too extreme in both direction.
He's gamebreaking against Ambush and completely useless against everything else, which on paper is fine because the card is just not gonna be played but the general concept is massively toxic for the game imo.

Gwent is a game of building your victory and should remain like that. When you think about it, Gerald proffessional is much better of a card (even though it's, again, a Faction specific tech card which is a bit lame) at least it doesn't straight up give the win to the player who faces Monster.

I also think that CDPR should slow down with the card advantage in this game, First, Shupe now Roche. CA is too strong to be used willy nilly like this, even if it's on a situational card.

EDIT : CDPR updated the card : https://twitter.com/pawelburza/status/966675113126096897
Thx to DannyGuy who posted the info on another topic.

The card is better like this (I'm still not a fan of those type of cards but at least it doesn't punish the ambush player too much).

 

[FG15-ISH7EG]

I hope, this is a joke. As someone mentioned on the twitter comments, if the ST player used Isengrim to play the ambush and Roche destroys it, the ST player will have +1. And even without Isengrim it will be only a 6 point advantage, in compensation for teching against 5 different cards in total. And Roche is a gold, while most of the ambush cards are silver and one is even bronze.

Furthermore, comparing him do Morvudd is even more desasterous for Roche. Morvudd locks the unit and thus flips over ambushes and afterwards halfs its power. Lets compare Morvudd to Roche against all 5 ambushes:
-Sapper: Morvudd is +0 or +1 (depending if its rounded up or down)
-Morenn (silver): Morvudd is +2
-Morenn (gold): Morvudd is +3
-Toruviel: Morvudd is +3
-Malena: Morvudd is +2/3

Roche is always +6. So, we have a silver, that is against in average only 4 weaker than Roche and against everything else tons better.


My suggestion is therefore the following:

Roche: Mercyless (3):
Deploy: Lock an enemy. If it is an ambush set it to 1 strength.
Add a Blue Stripes Commando to your deck at the start of the game.

This way, he would be similar to his other version. He would still be mainly good against ambushes but not that bad against everything else anymore.

 

[SkippyHole]

Ok but... these cards have yet to be released and the Arena is being released next week. So no, they're not being entirely based around a mode that hasn't even been released. They are being released WITH a mode they're being considered for.

The people complaining about cards being released with Arena in mind are the same sort of people who'd complain if Arena came out and had nothing but the base cards on offer. Sure, arena could have attempted to just go with just the cards on offer before mid-winter, but considering the level of synergy that most original cards require, I bet it would have raised plenty of complaints.

The point is that the game mode isn't released yet - we have no idea whether it's going to be good or not. What we do know is we've invested time and enjoyment into a base mode, that let's face it, seems passed over in favour of another mode we don't know if we like yet. It was months ago they first said on stream "this card is mostly designed for a new game mode". The first I remember was Pyromancer, which was about 3 or 4 big patches ago? That suggests to me the entire design space is being built around a second mode that isn't out. These cards are even more based around it, once again without anyone knowing if they wanted them for this mode, or if the mode is even going to be good enough for anything else.

What really needs to be made clear is they could have released Arena with no new cards, no changes, and then worked out what needed changing around it, what needed banning in specifically in arena, or if specific arena cards needed adding. Instead, they've ruined a mode people like, are invested in, spend loads of money in for a mode people have invested nothing in. And now they've released 10 more cards designed for that new mode, also affecting the main game, that do nothing to sort out the problems people have, seemingly with no changes to that mode, and probably more problems. Yes, that upsets me a lot more than if they'd released nothing with the new mode.

 

[xDivinity]

Im glad they are slowly adding more characters from the books.The Ihhuarraquax art is simply stunning.

 

[GenLiu]

I hope, this is a joke. As someone mentioned on the twitter comments, if the ST player used Isengrim to play the ambush and Roche destroys it, the ST player will have +1. And even without Isengrim it will be only a 6 point advantage, in compensation for teching against 5 different cards in total. And Roche is a gold, while most of the ambush cards are silver and one is even bronze.

Furthermore, comparing him do Morvudd is even more desasterous for Roche. Morvudd locks the unit and thus flips over ambushes and afterwards halfs its power. Lets compare Morvudd to Roche against all 5 ambushes:
-Sapper: Morvudd is +0 or +1 (depending if its rounded up or down)
-Morenn (silver): Morvudd is +2
-Morenn (gold): Morvudd is +3
-Toruviel: Morvudd is +3
-Malena: Morvudd is +2/3

Roche is always +6. So, we have a silver, that is against in average only 4 weaker than Roche and against everything else tons better.


My suggestion is therefore the following:

Roche: Mercyless (3):
Deploy: Lock an enemy. If it is an ambush set it to 1 strength.
Add a Blue Stripes Commando to your deck at the start of the game.

This way, he would be similar to his other version. He would still be mainly good against ambushes but not that bad against everything else anymore.

The problem with what you propose is that Roche would be a tech card with upsides which is already toxic for the game.
As I said, it's unfair to punish someone for playing a Faction or an archetype and it restrains deck building freedom.

For me personally Roche is just fine as a 6 power unit that destroys an ambush card. In fat it's really cleverly ballanced since it makes him amazing against the new Morenn and Toruviel, which are (or will be) the best ambush cards in the game.
This way the player who has Roche Merciless can't just play him on the first ambush card he sees but have to think and figure out if it is indeed one of the two cards I mentioned earlier.

I like that, it's tactical and believe me, a Roche hitting a Toruviel after she got buffed a million times by every hand buff effects your opponent can pull off is a game winner. Same thing with Gold Morenn, if this guy hits her before she gets any form of value he will worth more than her 6 points body (a lot more in fact).

The problem with tech gold cards in Gwent is not the cards themselves but the fact that you can get them out of Uma's curse. The card is already viable in constructed, if you give it some overly powerful silver bullets on top of that, it's gonna make it way too strong.