There were many changes in this recent OTA, so we will get back into the Good, Bad, and Ugly that resulted from it. With 14 different card changes, although Agatha is only a text one, there still is a lot to cover, so let's get to it!
The Good
While I like Sable, and she was awesome in bounce and affliction decks at her original stats, she was essentially a 5 power card with zero downside. Unlike the other 1-cost 5-power cards that have a slight downside. Additionally, in her main archetype of bounce, she could be played repeatedly, causing many problems. So dropping her just one power to essentially a 4 power card is not the biggest Nerf and one that brings Sable into a better balance spot. While she isn't as popular anymore, that's more about bounce being a lot less prominent than specifically her nerf.
I have long thought that Jessica Jones was an interesting and unique card that was underplayed, and with lockdown strategies becoming a lot less prevalent, especially with the storm change, she has dwindled a lot recently from the little play she had. This makes the change much better than something irrelevant to most players. Also, this is a much better change for lower CL players because there are fewer 4-cost 10-power cards at the lower CL levels than players who are collection or close to collection complete. Either way, this has been a good change for Jessica. Also, while her play rate hasn't changed much because there are slightly better options at higher CL, her win rates, when played and drawn, have gone up.
I like this change. Skaar has been mildly present for a while but never overbearing. However, when given its own archetype that excels, taking a point of power off to balance is a pretty good change, especially now that it is a lot easier to get him to 0 cost. Before, it was a little harder, and you'd mainly get him down to 2 cost, but with Surtur in either post or pre-nerf state, it allows him to get to 0 cost a lot easier. So, for that reason, slightly changing his power level is a good change.
This is good because a card named Destroyer should have high power, and at 14 power, it felt all too weak. 16 is a lot better, especially for the fringe Nimrod destroyer strategies.
While I am sure many players have some small form of PTSD from Thanos when he was at his peak, many players have not gotten to use him that much. While this change feels minor, it is much more helpful in allowing Thanos to be relevant again. He has started to pop up more and more in multiple builds, which is a good change of pace for the game.
The buff when in the spotlight caches aspect doesn't escape me here, so maybe more people will pick up the card, and if you did, I hope you were not disappointed. Either way, decks with both Valentina and Luke Cage are showing up more and more, as well as the pool of 6 cost cards, making Valentina a more appetizing option when trying to build a deck. Currently, she is a pretty solid 2-cost card with little downside, and more often than not, the card she generates can win the game. I like that she sees more play after this change and that small boost in her power output is good overall.
The Bad
Surtur is an interesting change. While I agree with the reasoning behind the change, and overall, it is a good change, it feels a little inconsistent regarding season pass cards from the developers. I know they mentioned design constraints with the balance of this card, and I understand that can sometimes be difficult, but this isn't a new occurrence. If it were the first time, maybe I would be like I get it, but this seems to happen a lot, especially with the season pass cards. Agent Venom is also a good example, which I'll talk about later. Regardless of the reasoning for not changing Agent Venom during its season, changing Surtur feels bad, especially when last season, Agent Venom was popular and the top deck pretty much all season long. Surtur was here for maybe a week, and even then, it was beatable just as much as any other deck.
It's not a good or bad change. This is mainly here because the prior change to 3 power was a bad one, and the quick revert is just another notch in the weird play-testing conundrum the developers and players are stuck in. Did they think the last buff all the way through? Why not give it more time, especially when they even said his win rate went down? The change provokes questions that ultimately go unanswered, leading to frustrations for those who play consistently. Regardless, Shadow King will always remain a good and useful card.
The Ugly
While some are praising this change because they were tired of Black Widow into Misery and essentially never drawing a new card that was not the most consistent strategy, while it's not the worst change and is something completely new, the switch to activate does a lot of damage to Black Widow's viability. Seeing what your opponent might be playing is much worse than most players think. I can plan around an activate way easier than I can plan around my opponent, possibly having a card. Also, being a late-game card with the earliest widow's kiss being introduced for the turn 5 draw doesn't help. Yes, there are times you'll stop a top deck but by the time most games get to turn 5 it's a lot easier to plan on a missed draw because your hand is fuller and more information has been gathered from your deck. The change makes most players want to play something else in the 3-cost slot that has much more impact than stopping an important draw. Maybe if she also got a bigger power boost, she would be more viable, but as of right now, it's a little ugly for Black Widow.
For the record, I like the change to Agent Venom going to 3 for the cards in the deck. Giving him a power boost simultaneously is slightly odd, but it's okay, I guess. The ugly portion is the timing. Of the four Meta Mondays I wrote for the Agent Venom season, I'm pretty sure he was in the top pillar or at least the top 2 pillars for all of them. While I don't have their internal data, that seems like it's a little excessive, and then the first chance they get after the season ends, they nerf him. This happens in tandem with them nerfing the current season pass card. That's screaming for people to cry conspiracy. Or if they don't, at least irk players about the inconsistencies. Regardless, the change makes the card feel worse on paper but makes almost no difference in the game. While you are dropping some cards down a power, the decks that are running Agent Venom are not too concerned if it's 3 or 4. Most of them are running Bast anyway. So it's in the ugly category because of the timing and because it doesn't change much. It still has fantastic stats and is still one of the most popular cards.
Wait, Thanos was in the good change. Yes, he is. I like his change. But he also has produced a weird effect, causing Arishem to explode in popularity. For a game that has 12 card decks and talks a lot about being careful with card draw, making Thanos and Arishem work the way they do together is an odd occurrence. So, while Thanos' change is good in a vacuum, overall, it has felt ugly for many players because of the Arishem interaction.
The Irrelevant
Irrelevant sounds bad. These are not exactly irrelevant, but they are just slight power updates that won't make a giant impact on performance. However, they will be nice for those who already have them in their decks. The Winter Soldier change is probably the most notable for early and low CL destroy decks getting a slight boost, but for those playing other types of destroy and more meta versions, this won't make that big of a difference.
Overall Balance feelings
Overall, these changes come at an awkward time. Sentiment for the game feels much lower than it used to, and there isn't that much hype around changes. There used to be much discussion about OTA balance changes before they dropped, and this time, there was a lot less and, in some places, absolute zero. None of these changes are monumental enough to bring back that hype, and honestly, some of the changes might have made it even worse. Either way, the overall feel is just down across the board, and these changes, while good and bad, were not as exciting or meaningful as players wanted. What have you thought about the current balance of the game? Are your sentiments towards the game also a little low at the moment?
Teasers
Welcome to the GBU teasers section. We uncovered information on a future card and an album expected to be included in the game.
Redwing
We all love new cards. We might now love the acquisition around those cards, but new designs and synergies are exciting. We have uncovered a new card within the datamines, which is Redwing. We don’t have the cost or power associated with the card, but we have a rough idea of the ability attached to him at this point, which is subject to change.
"Redwing"
- On Reveal: Return one of your {card.TargetCardCost}-energy cards to your hand to grant it +{card.AddedPower} Power."
What do you think about Redwing? Where do you think Redwing will work best? Let us know!
Viktor Farro
An album is expected to be released for fan favorite artist Viltor Farro. We were unable to find the official release date, cards required, or rewards for progressing through the album, but our best guess is that this album might be released with the Scorn variant on January 16th, 2025. Let us know what your favorite Viktor Farro variant is in the comments!