Tobi_113 :
ST is indeed my main faction and therefore, I might be a little bit biased.
I also think that the ones who are asking for Sheldon nerf are the ones who suffer the most of his powerful blow. So, they might not be totally unbiased either.
However, you have noticed that I said it would be acceptable to increase Sheldon provision cost by 1. I'm not a fanatic
.
And trust me, I do not underestimate the fact that he can deal 5+ damages, this is of course a huge advantage. But still, to raise Sheldon consistency, you need to include agitators in your deck, who are low tempo units.
In your examples, everything seems to work well because you go second and play agitators in round 1, or play them in round 2 whereas your opponent has already passed.
But sometimes, agitators brick or slow down your game so badly that you lose 1 card advantage.
During the first ten days of this season, I played a real handbuff deck, with Filavandrel as a leader and with 2 hawker smugglers in it. I climbed from rank 5 to rank 0 with this deck.
And you know what ? Agitators cost me victory several times... (they also grant me victory more than once...).
I would add that Sheldon is not the only one who can deal an insane amount of damages. Since I have an important number of engines in my handbuff deck (2 hawker smugglers, 2 mahakam defenders, 3 harmony units, weeping willow...), I have often been penalized by big damage dealers.
It was not rare that a 6, 7 or 8 points mahakam defender was killed instantly on the board.
Here is the list of the "big hitters" that don't need a lot of set up :
- Sheldon (obviously),
- Hjalmar (it's pretty easy to deal 6, 7 or even 8 damages with him),
- Serrit,
- Seltkirk (with Foltest power),
- Anseis (with Meve or Foltest power)
- Cyclops,
- Surin....
Actually, each faction owns at least one "big hitter", and strangely, they are all nearly auto-include...
And don't even make me talk about Geralt of Rivia, Bonhart and co, my worst nightmares...
I know what you will say : the problem about Sheldon is that he deals a huge amount of damages and benefits of the handbuff at the same time, which makes him a terrifying finisher.
But all the other big hitters I have listed have their own merits and can be devastative as well.