As we know, ST is the weakest faction now and it's competitively unplayable. As far as I know, It was almost unrepresented in the latest TLG Invitational Tournament. The strongest ST deck seems to be the Elven Symbiosis but it's unplayable vs. SK (with 30% play rate in pro, I hear...). It's hardly competitive in most other meta match-ups, too. Other ST decks are too weak to even have some fun in unranked.
I think the answer is careful changes ACROSS THE WHOLE FACTION and not just one or two cherry-picked stats, as was done in the SK hotfix and did absolutely nothing. Here's some proposed changes.
1) Buff the poison package. The only option for tall punish in devoted ST is the poison. With the harmony bricking, those ST poison cards are really low value. I'd like to see Whisperers at 3 for 4 plus poison. And nobody cares about that shield (mostly). Or if they do, then move harmony to Whisperers, and provision buff Rangers. Inclusion of the extra 4 or 5 units for 20 or 27 provisions respectively really hurts the ST archetypes now that some symbiosis must also be included to keep up with the post-MM power plays. Especially when those cards have zero synergy in non-harmony ST.
2) Buff Mystic Echo. The 12 provisions were balanced around Water of Brokilon which was effectively bricked by the harmony nerf. There is now no reason why this leader should be so restrictive.
3) Make Young Dryads 3 tall. Seems a lot but bear with me. 1) Every other evolving card deploys for at least 12 (unless you choose less than 5 tall unit for Auberon). Eithne is a sad 10. 2) Eithne herself got worst pings. Symbiosis is the only effect whose synergistic tags are limited by the minimum number of units. Not to mention that half the nature cards are simply garbage. 3) Symbiosis synergy depends on Young Dryads staying alive. They simply don't. 4) Usurper procs status boosts on deploy. Jaques procs Fallen Knight and clerics on deploy. Auberon and Harald proc bronze deploy effects on deploy. Eithne does nothing on deploy.
4) Make handbuffs stick after Ethne's transformation. This is the only example of negative synergy between the veiled engine and the evolving card. Freixenet also bricks way too often if played early.
5) Add 2 armor to the defender. Being one-shottable by a 4p special from a deck with 30% play rate...
6) Rework Circle of Life. I'm not quite sure what's the most useless MM card: CoL, Angry Mob or Will of the Wisp. Make it 4 provisions. 1) ST got no room at 5 and lots of room at 4. Some Gord decks even use Tempering without dwarves in deck because there's nothing else to put there. 2) 4p seem a lot but, hey, even if you meet the condition and double the handbuff value (Aglais or Sheldon) it would still be a not-at-all out-of-place 7 for 4. SK feels good with almost non-conditional 8 for 4 and 5 for 4 plus 1 targeted boost/turn so... Or make it 2 dmg 2 handbuff with no deathblow condition. Or, I don't know, do something, symbiosis desperately needs another functional nature card...
Let's stop at that. Thank you for reading and I would love to know what you think. Cheers!
PS. I forgot about the echo card. It needs a complete rework.
I think the answer is careful changes ACROSS THE WHOLE FACTION and not just one or two cherry-picked stats, as was done in the SK hotfix and did absolutely nothing. Here's some proposed changes.
1) Buff the poison package. The only option for tall punish in devoted ST is the poison. With the harmony bricking, those ST poison cards are really low value. I'd like to see Whisperers at 3 for 4 plus poison. And nobody cares about that shield (mostly). Or if they do, then move harmony to Whisperers, and provision buff Rangers. Inclusion of the extra 4 or 5 units for 20 or 27 provisions respectively really hurts the ST archetypes now that some symbiosis must also be included to keep up with the post-MM power plays. Especially when those cards have zero synergy in non-harmony ST.
2) Buff Mystic Echo. The 12 provisions were balanced around Water of Brokilon which was effectively bricked by the harmony nerf. There is now no reason why this leader should be so restrictive.
3) Make Young Dryads 3 tall. Seems a lot but bear with me. 1) Every other evolving card deploys for at least 12 (unless you choose less than 5 tall unit for Auberon). Eithne is a sad 10. 2) Eithne herself got worst pings. Symbiosis is the only effect whose synergistic tags are limited by the minimum number of units. Not to mention that half the nature cards are simply garbage. 3) Symbiosis synergy depends on Young Dryads staying alive. They simply don't. 4) Usurper procs status boosts on deploy. Jaques procs Fallen Knight and clerics on deploy. Auberon and Harald proc bronze deploy effects on deploy. Eithne does nothing on deploy.
4) Make handbuffs stick after Ethne's transformation. This is the only example of negative synergy between the veiled engine and the evolving card. Freixenet also bricks way too often if played early.
5) Add 2 armor to the defender. Being one-shottable by a 4p special from a deck with 30% play rate...
6) Rework Circle of Life. I'm not quite sure what's the most useless MM card: CoL, Angry Mob or Will of the Wisp. Make it 4 provisions. 1) ST got no room at 5 and lots of room at 4. Some Gord decks even use Tempering without dwarves in deck because there's nothing else to put there. 2) 4p seem a lot but, hey, even if you meet the condition and double the handbuff value (Aglais or Sheldon) it would still be a not-at-all out-of-place 7 for 4. SK feels good with almost non-conditional 8 for 4 and 5 for 4 plus 1 targeted boost/turn so... Or make it 2 dmg 2 handbuff with no deathblow condition. Or, I don't know, do something, symbiosis desperately needs another functional nature card...
Let's stop at that. Thank you for reading and I would love to know what you think. Cheers!
PS. I forgot about the echo card. It needs a complete rework.
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