Thoughts about cards - 2) Pentex(TM) Subversion

So as our metagame scene grows stronger and stronger and as I attend tournaments, I have been encountering this card more and more. And there is no surprise - it is really strong.

1) One stars/high caps -  I usually play star or at least high cap decks and this card is often enough to cripple this deck to a point, where it just waits to be ousted. Acting deck is usually shut down totally, since you need to multiact and your tool up actions are lost. Blockish are stripped of their main defense. Yes, you still can use bounce, but that may not be enough without proper cycling.

2) Midcaps - Although not as powerfull as with high caps, ability to shut down main blocker - like Carna for example, is very good. Often that one round, where that one minion cannot block you maybe enough. It may be that one intercept, ivory bow, or being a prince, that bothers you, but solution is universal. Same way, block deck can get rid of that one minion, which bothers them, or just again slow dow those initial tool up actions, like govern superior.

3) Lowcaps - even less effective, but eliminating one vampire for price of two pool can often save you much more.

Again, these thoughts are nothing new. Everyone has used it, or was killed by it and again, when moving closer and closer to tournament scene, I keep seeing this card more and more. Is it bad? I am not sure. I dislike its ability to shut down almost every one star deck. Would we see this card on the table more rarely, if its cost would be 3 pool? I doubt it. Even with 4 pool cost, I would play it in same decks. Of course, there would be times, when this card would be too much expensive, but most of the time, it would still be worth it. And I think that says a lot. Speaking with other players, some of them confirmed this opinion.

I have read some discussions, where people were advised, that his card should either restrict acting, or blocking, but not both. Another interesting idea was to give pentexed vampire ability to remove pentex.

Although all those ideas are interesting, I think that this card goes long way back and changing it this much would be too much. Although this card will be pain in my behind for a long time, since I tend to play high caps and probably will in the future, I would stick to increasing cost of this card by one pool. It isn't much, but I believe that it would help a little to balance this card. It would still remain pretty strong though.

I am not sure, what next article will be about, but I will try to continue writting about things I find interesting.

See you next time...

Thoughts about cards - 1) Giant's Blood

I have currently two unfinished posts and huge writters block, so I will try to start a series of short posts with my thoughts of some cards. They should be short, simple and from my personal point of view. I hope I will be able to finish at least these.

I was usualy against including this card when it came to deckbuilding. My reasoning was, that this is very unreliable card - you cannot play lots of it, you will never have it when you need it and it will often end up as a dead card. I ended up with 0 coppies in all of my decks, including those, that would really used this card.

But yesterday, in a process of modifying one of my more retarded decks, I discovered, that I have ran out of them and I am using them more and more. I have started to think about, what has led to a such huge change in my deckbuilding.

Only thing I have came up is, that this is just another aftershock from introducing villein to the game. And yes I know, that it happened a long time ago, but since the ceaseproduction of this game, developments of new decks and strategies are slowing down and Villein has become permanent part of Vtes tournament scene. And if you are playing mid to high caps, why don't just throw one in. If you are able to villein same minion twice for almost all of his blood, it can be a gamechanger. And that is of course most extreme case.

When constructing deck, which has need for some blood gain these days, I just put Giant's there, because I just cannot let others benefit from this huge advantage. I have few deck, where I can benefit a lot from playing this card, but on the other hand, there are decks, that will just benefit more. I often end up playing it early for not much benefit, but just denying playing others is often enough. This has led me to adding this card to more and more decks and this trend will probably last.

In the end, I really do not like this card. Its effect on each game is much more based on luck, than it should be. I would be satisfied with changing "Only one Giant's Blood can be played in a game." to "Each player can play only one Giant's Blood in a game." or even ban this card altogether.

I know there are lot of people, that they are satisfied with the way it is, and I am not surprised. To issue errata or ban cards in dead game is further complicating things, but with this card, I belive that is just not right to let a card, that has this much luck/strength potential in the game.

Once again, this post is a lot longer, than intended from start and I will end it here. I will be back with some more cards soon an probably some other topics.

See you next time...