Way of the Witcher revealed!

[InkognitoXI]

[...]
Speaking of jokes, I just looked and the beast is listed as 9p card, while the artiface is listed as a 10p card on the site lol

I do not think there is any other exception to the rule that transformed cards maintain provisions, so I assume that is an oversight.
Pumpkin mentioned that Sabre-Tooth got boosted from 10p -> 9p before the reveal, so the artifact is probably not corrected yet.
Edit: I guess it is confirmed by the fact that the version Pumpkin revealed was also a 9p card, so I am very certain this has to be an oversight.

 

[rrc]

GT works for that, yes, but since you're not doing it in the same turn, why use GT at that point when you can just dragoon or Malena or MAKE A JOKE ?
Speaking of jokes, I just looked and the beast is listed as 9p card, while the artiface is listed as a 10p card on the site lol

Yes Dragoon would work. Malena is too important to play to feed Saber. But I am not sure if I will add Dragoon to my GT deck. . But in fact, I might add Make a Joke just as a filler special. In fact, What the Bomb may find its place just because of Saber. Interesting thought.. I never cared or thought about Make a Crap until now, until after you mentioned!

I do not think there is any other exception to the rule that transformed cards maintain provisions, so I assume that is an oversight.
Pumpkin mentioned that Sabre-Tooth got boosted from 10p -> 9p before the reveal, so the artifact is probably not corrected yet.
Edit: I guess it is confirmed by the fact that the version Pumpkin revealed was also a 9p card, so I am very certain this has to be an oversight.

Makes sense. At 10P this would have been a total garbage. At 9, it is a decent card. My very first thought was, this is a great card. But slowly realised that it is just going to get a 9 or 11 max. Which is decent. But not Fantastic.

 

[InkognitoXI]

[...]
Makes sense. At 10P this would have been a total garbage. At 9, it is a decent card. My very first thought was, this is a great card. But slowly realised that it is just going to get a 9 or 11 max. Which is decent. But not Fantastic.

Take it the following way.

This card is great on Blue Coin, getting 2 somewhat save damage and when the opponent plays a second unit on that row you use a GT charge or a movement to move 1 and get 1 unit on each row, at this point the opponent can usually only fill 1 row, so you will still hit the other row and already get an immune 11 for 9 overall.

If you get Red Coin you can be uninteracive for an additonal turn, making it awkward for certain cards the opponent plays.

Furthermore cards like the SK boat might damage it, however it will just transform that damage away.
Also in a "no-unit" ST deck with Saesenthesis + Gabor you can remain uninteractive for quite some time, while getting out somewhat tall units and being able to use this as an extension for removal to keep the row populations low and in the best case keep triggering this.

 

[quintivarium]

Speaking of jokes, I just looked and the beast is listed as 9p card, while the artiface is listed as a 10p card on the site lol

Clearly the artifact has more value.

 

[Draconifors]

Interesting, for sure.

 

[InkognitoXI]

View attachment 11070524
Interesting, for sure.

I guess there is always removal and Cahir is also a thing, so at the very least this is not global, usually a good body and decks hurt massively by it can answer it. Maybe this is less binary and boring than I initially thought.

 

[Draconifors]

however it is the equivalent to "Your opponent cannot gain health" from other games

Not really, since it also affects its own row.
Opponents (especially Scoia'tael ones) can move it to the other row, where it may ruin its player's strategy. 8 is somewhat hard to kill, but the card also cannot be boosted to undo damage.

I wonder Heal will also be disabled by this card's presence in a row.

 

[OuterSpaceDoggo]

View attachment 11070524
Interesting, for sure.

I like it. At least it also shuts down many decks that basically play solitaire.

 

[InkognitoXI]

Not really, since it also affects its own row.
[...]

Decks focused on it would not include cards that do that, also there are version of that ability in other card games that apply to both players.

[...]
Opponents (especially Scoia'tael ones) can move it to the other row, where it may ruin its player's strategy.
[...]

That is one matchup and to my knowledge there are no Row locked boosting cards those SK decks would run.

[...]
8 is somewhat hard to kill, but the card also cannot be boosted to undo damage.
[...]

8 is actually not THAT hard to kill, especially if the matchups hurt by this keep it in mind and do not mindlessly throw away their answers to big cards, like Rockslide, Anseis, CoC, Seltkirk, Heatwave, Triangle (if it sees play) etc.

[...]
I wonder Heal will also be disabled by this card's presence in a row.

I would assume not, given that Heal is a different mechanic and does not include boost as a submechanic it includes, which should also be clear from the fact that boost synergetic cards do not trigger from heal.

 

[Slizzl]

View attachment 11070524
Interesting, for sure.

An NG card got stranded in the Skellige Isles.
This honestly doesn't fit SK at all at this point I'm starting to think they want the faction to have every single option in the entire game. With a bit of game knowledge you'll be able to shut down a lot of stuff with this, I'm looking at you Ozzrel. And even if it doesn't it's still an 8 point body on a Cahir type card.

 

[Markus_Wirth]

Dire Bear:
My favorite animal of this expansion. Can seriously hurt specific strategies (e.g. Vysso + Dandelion; Symbiosis; Cahyr; Kiki Queen; Thrive, Overhelming hunger, Harmony, Assimiliate, Hoard, Fallen knight). Of course the ability of this card is worthless if you run into strategies not focusing on boost (Revenants; Ursine ritual, many SK warrior strategy)

An NG card got stranded in the Skellige Isles.
This honestly doesn't fit SK at all at this point I'm starting to think they want the faction to have every single option in the entire game. With a bit of game knowledge you'll be able to shut down a lot of stuff with this, I'm looking at you Ozzrel. And even if it doesn't it's still an 8 point body on a Cahir type card.

Actually, intervening with opponent strategy is basically a NG stuff.
So, I really understand the criticism and there´s also the question outstanding whether this card will see much play. Thinking about synergies there is definitely one witch bloodthirst/wounded units, as not boosted únits are much easier to damage.
Thinking about 9 provision alternatives there is definitely Sukrus for Arnaghad protection.

Compared to Cahir:
Downsides: Cahir has two valuable tags: Soldier (for Ard Feainn Crossbowman; Alba Spearman; Recruit); Aristocrat for Masquerade Ball); Cahir absorbs the boosted of the whole opposite board, No synergies with Yenn + Standard Bearer
Advantage: Valuable beast tag (Axel Three-Eyes; Corrupted Flaminica; Crow Clan Druid; Tuirseach Bearmaster ), no Melee restriction; higher body (8 vs 5); less vulnerable to tall removal and reset power; synergies with bloodthirst/wounded units

 

[Draconifors]

Decks focused on it would not include cards that do that, also there are version of that ability in other card games that apply to both players.

You cannot know what people will play, and the latter is not what you originally said.

That is one matchup and to my knowledge there are no Row locked boosting cards those SK decks would run.

Note I said especially. Besides, every faction has more than once deck and it's not hard to put in a single tech. A movement tech, for example.
I said absolutely nothing about row-locked boosting cards.

8 is actually not THAT hard to kill

Which is why I said somewhat. I'm aware of cards that can remove 8 or more.

 

[rrc]

View attachment 11070524
Interesting, for sure.

So, basically a proactive Yrden for 9 Provisions and 8 strength.. why am I not surprised it is in SK. For MO, NR, SY and some ST this is a Yrden. For for decks which doesn't concentrate on boosting, this helps in keeping the Blood Thirst to a HUGE value as you can't boost them to be not in red. Such a multi-purpose, can-shut-down-decks-single-handedly card is just 9P with 8 body? Why the hell is any card having 8 body? Isn't all should-be-tough-to-kill cards at 7 strength? Yes, the answer lies with its color. Purple.

 

[ReaperTek]

An NG card got stranded in the Skellige Isles.
This honestly doesn't fit SK at all at this point I'm starting to think they want the faction to have every single option in the entire game. With a bit of game knowledge you'll be able to shut down a lot of stuff with this, I'm looking at you Ozzrel. And even if it doesn't it's still an 8 point body on a Cahir type card.

Well with Kambi ( OB Version even more than the current one, also happy that OB Kambi finally kind of returned with the Syanna Luiza and Salamander combo) and Artis SK already had some tools to mess with the opponent's plan so it isn't exactly something out of the ordinary and Skellige also has the most functioning Archetypes that don't really rely on boosts, so it makes totally sense that they get a Card like this.

But I get you're point, right now it really looks like Skellige is getting the overall strongest tools with this expansion, but I think we still have to wait how the Meta looks by the end of the month before we'll make any final judgments.

 

[InkognitoXI]

You cannot know what people will play, and the latter is not what you originally said.
[...]

I could have been more precise, these cards I was refering to are almost always just tools in aggro decks, so those decks hardly ever care about the cost. That was at the very least the initial association. Luckily Gwent has nothing as toxic as aggro decks so the comparison is not perfect.

[...]
Note I said especially. Besides, every faction has more than once deck and it's not hard to put in a single tech. A movement tech, for example.
I said absolutely nothing about row-locked boosting cards.
[...]

Ok, that would support the binary aspect though, being extremely good against some and extremely bad against others.
My point with the row locked boosting cards in SK was that those cards, especially if they are on deploy, are things an SK player can still play around afterwards.
Also I was refering to specific decks, which cannot be hurt by it being moved, e.g. Warriors or likely the new SK Witcher deck.
My point was not that one could mindlessly throw it into any deck, like Alchemy, there is some thought required to whether one can use it without a risk and my comments were aimed at decks that cannot be hurt by, under the assumption that this card is not an auto-include (which I doubt).

[...]
Which is why I said somewhat. I'm aware of cards that can remove 8 or more.

Actually that was mostly a response to my initial post of it possibly being problematic (which I reworked, since in hindsight I reevaluated the card completely and changed my mind on it), which is why I responded by stating that decks hurt by it cannot really use the excuse that it would be too difficult to remove, which contradicts my initial point.
Since you responded to me it made sense to clarify that I admit that my initial argument does not really hold on being a binary answer to certain matchups.

So, basically a proactive Yrden for 9 Provisions and 8 strength.. why am I not surprised it is in SK. For MO, NR, SY and some ST this is a Yrden.
[...]

It is really not though, given that Yrden maximizes value by the opponent not knowing it is there until it is too late, while this card immediately reveals itself and as such the opponent will take the alternative options or focus on another row, if they do not straight up just answer it.

[...]
Such a multi-purpose, can-shut-down-decks-single-handedly card is just 9P with 8 body? Why the hell is any card having 8 body? Isn't all should-be-tough-to-kill cards at 7 strength? Yes, the answer lies with its color. Purple.

It cannot shut down entire matchups though, because a) you can answer it before it counters you (unlike Yrden), b) it only applies to 1 row and c) it has no surprise value (unlike Yrden).
The reason this has an 8 point body is so that it is still an 8 for 9 if it finds no value and if it picks up a couple of boosts it gains some value.

To my mind there is really no big difference between this, Sabre-Tooth and Vypper, in terms of their power level.

 

[Messyr]

It cannot shut down entire matchups though, because a) you can answer it before it counters you (unlike Yrden), b) it only applies to 1 row and c) it has no surprise value (unlike Yrden).
The reason this has an 8 point body is so that it is still an 8 for 9 if it finds no value and if it picks up a couple of boosts it gains some value.

Fully agreed. Very significant differences when you compare this to Yrden (which is mostly an unexpected Ice Bucket Challenge out of nowhere, with zero chance for any reactive plays).
The fact it has an 8 body is typically the way to create a less binary (oh god, how overused this word is nowadays in these forums) gameplay situation - this is an acceptable inclusion to your deck (although you definitely need to sacrifice at least one 9p card for it) as a tech choice. Even if it does not hit the sweet spot, it still has some undeniable value, while at the same time not getting oppressing just by itself. Fair design in my opinion.

To my mind there is really no big difference between this, Sabre-Tooth and Vypper, in terms of their power level.

You see, I find this a most common issue in case of these card reveals: most players tend to immediately dig up the worst possible scenarios that can ever happen in a match with said card, and take that as the baseline for any discussions afterwards (see Sukrus+Arnaghad interaction, almost as if the two cards would hit the floor simultaneusly with no chance to react).
Yes, many of the new legendaries (and some of the epics) provide opportunities for gamechanging plays, but again, in most cases these come with interesting and tactical choices and setups - everything that we (or at least I) missed in the past months, years of Gwent gameplay.
In short, having cards with devastating effects is good - the question is how balanced these are with their setup, provision commitment and possible opponent interaction. Yrden for example is a clear offender for me for various reasons - this card on the other hand, definitely not.

 

[rrc]

...
To my mind there is really no big difference between this, Sabre-Tooth and Vypper, in terms of their power level.
...

Among the three, Vypper seems very bad to me as it has a lot of potential downsides. It shouldn't be killed, it shouldn't be locked and you need to build around Vypper so that it returns in R3.. it is pretty useless if not drawn in R1 and can be shut down by factions which needs their GY support. Ideally Vyyper should have been 8 points since it has so many disadvantages.

Saber is a good card. It can get 9 or 11 and can act as an uninteractable 7 points.

Bear on the other hand completely shuts down MO. MO knows nothing other than boosting. So, unless you kill the Bear in one shot (Rockslide or Heatwave), this can shut down MO. You don't have to play Bear as your first card. Wait till MO plays 3 or 4 thrive units on a row and then play it on the row, to make that row a dead row. I don't like MO, infact I hate them, but I can see how this can hurt MO. Doing partial damage to this will not work as "Restore" (which has not been used till now), Heals the unit first before boosting. Use it on Bear to heal it back up.

As an ST main, I am not much worried about this card as, as an ST, I can always move it to the Melee row. Just saying how absolutely essential for MO to remove this card.

 

[Markus_Wirth]

Among the three, Vypper seems very bad to me as it has a lot of potential downsides. It shouldn't be killed, it shouldn't be locked and you need to build around Vypper so that it returns in R3.. it is pretty useless if not drawn in R1 and can be shut down by factions which needs their GY support. Ideally Vyyper should have been 8 points since it has so many disadvantages.

Saber is a good card. It can get 9 or 11 and can act as an uninteractable 7 points.

Bear on the other hand completely shuts down MO. MO knows nothing other than boosting. So, unless you kill the Bear in one shot (Rockslide or Heatwave), this can shut down MO. You don't have to play Bear as your first card. Wait till MO plays 3 or 4 thrive units on a row and then play it on the row, to make that row a dead row. I don't like MO, infact I hate them, but I can see how this can hurt MO. Doing partial damage to this will not work as "Restore" (which has not been used till now), Heals the unit first before boosting. Use it on Bear to heal it back up.

As an ST main, I am not much worried about this card as, as an ST, I can always move it to the Melee row. Just saying how absolutely essential for MO to remove this card.

Would not say that MO is mostly hit. Ok, thrive will get more complicated for them as the bear can basically block a row, but MO strategies focusing on thrive have ever been vulnerable to Yrden to a certain extent.
Actually there are also those MO strategies which do not so depent on boosting. One example might be the Wild Hunt / Frost crew + carapace to protect Nithral and Eredin and to enable dominance. This strategy does only partly rely on boosting.

The deck I see most hurt is Vyso + Dandelion on Ranged.

 

[Sensimilius]

SK must dominate and have the best cards otherwise the game loses it's identity lol. It's that simple unfortunately.

 

[Jesting-Jack]

Skellige sure likes hewing them foemen.