Robots have taken over and deployed the wildest OTA ever, taking aim at all of Snap's Tech cards! These changes aren't like a traditional OTA, they're more like the imbalance changes of the past, so enjoy your tech-less utopia because it might not be here forever. Let's go through each change and talk about what it means.
Just as Kate Bishop has the arrows in her quiver, Second Dinner has OTA balance changes as their balance arsenal. I usually give each change a rating from 0 to 4 arrows and a final overall rating as well, but because this OTA is so different, I'm not going to rate each change. Instead I'll analyze each change and give a final rating at the end. Did the Robots hit the target with this OTA or did they miss the mark?
- [Old] 4/3 - On Reveal: Destroy all enemy cards here that have 10 or more Power.
- [New] 4/2 - On Reveal: Destroy an enemy card here that has 10 or more Power.
Shang Chi has been an ever-present force in Snap, despite generally having low win and cube rates. He has always probably been overrated and overplayed, but his looming presence alone has kept decks from getting too greedy and given some decks a chance in the face of tall stacks of power. The nerf is so extreme that I do expect his play and win rates to plummet. You'll still see him occasionally though and it will probably be even more frustrating when you do.
Implications
Decks that stack a lot of power onto a single card, still probably need to maintain a little healthy fear, but decks that can put multiple 10+ power cards out are going to go wild. Beneficiaries include She-Hulk decks with either Moon Girl or Infinaut, Surtur decks, Shuri decks, and greedy move decks. Other cards that can destroy gain more prominence so expect to see plenty of Gambit! Will 5-Cost cards that used to feel too risky like Gamora, Darkhawk, and Devil Dinosaur gain any ground?
- [Old] 3/3 - On Reveal: Destroy ALL 1-Cost cards.
- [New] 3/3 - On Reveal: Destroy ALL 1-Cost cards here
Killmonger being changed to a single location doesn't just let 1-Cost cards feel safer, it also limits his effectiveness in getting out of jams in Deadpool decks and he's gotten a lot worse for Morgan Le Fay decks too.
Implications
Zoo can run free! Even if you happen to face a Killmonger, he can only wipe out one lane. Other beneficiaries include Vulture, Hydra Bob, Black Cat, and Ebony Maw. Both Echo and Elektra greatly benefit from this.
- [Old] 4/6 - On Reveal: Remove the abilities from all Ongoing cards here.
- [New] 4/6 -> 5/8
This one is a little different than the others because, while still definitely a nerf, it's the closest one to a side grade. Putting an 8-Power body on board doesn't feel so bad and combining it with a power 1-Cost card to attack two lanes against a greedy Cerebro or Tribunal deck feels pretty powerful. Add to that that one of Enchantress’ main uses was to mitigate the downsides of large cards like Stardust, Typhoid Mary, and Red Skull and we might not be moving to an Enchantress-free metagame after all.
Implications
Rogue is a direct beneficiary here. She always had trouble competing with Enchantress, and this might open some space for her. I do expect Cerebro, Tribunal, and Thanos Ongoing to go absolutely nuts, though.
- [Old] 2/2 On Reveal: Set all cards here to their original base Power.
- [New] 2/2 -> 3/3
Shadow King was good because he could be combined with a solid 4-Cost card on the last turn. Now, he's a lot harder to fit into an effective curve. Still, these changes are going to bring out a lot of greedy extra power, so I wouldn't be surprised to see his play rate rise as this experiment wears on.
Implications
Move decks can build power without fear. Sunspot and Nebula feel a lot stronger in a format with less Shadow King. Shuri/Nimrod and Zola/Panther might feel unstoppable when opponents don't have Stardust.
[Old] 3/3 - After an enemy character is played here, destroy it. (once per game)
[New] 3/3 -> 4/5
This is the one that I disagree with the most. Negasonic isn't a “tech” card. She's not added to your deck to respond to a specific thing your opponent is doing. She's just a priority reward that has become a lot stronger with the release of several high-tempo cards lately. She might annoy players these days, but there was a time when she was considered one of the worst cards in the game with the same stats and effect. The game changed around her in a way that helped her shine. Additionally, with the recent Fenris nerf, she'd fallen off a tad already anyway.
Implications
At 4/5, Negasonic can still be played with priority to seal a lane, she's just a lot less flexible in what types of decks she can be used in. Luckily for her, we're probably moving onto a very points-y, large cards meta, so she can definitely still get value in decks with large 1-Cost cards and destroy opposing big cards.
- [Old] 6/9 - On Reveal: Remove the text from all unrevealed enemy characters here.
- [New] 6/9 -> 6/6
Alioth, like Negasonic, is a priority reward. Spending your entire turn putting out 6-Power is only going to be effective against completely greedy combo decks though.
Implications
Alioth used to be a part of an effective strategy against Mr. Negative decks. Now, a single flipped card can compete with Alioth's power even if it loses its ability. Silver Surfer is another deck that was vulnerable to Alioth. Invisible Woman was a favorite card of mine before Alioth's release, so I'm definitely going to start using her again.
- [Old] 3/2 - On Reveal: Afflict the lowest-Power enemy card here with -2 Power and remove its text.
- [New] 3/2 -> 3/0
Part of why Red Guardian was such a splashable card was because he always played out as at least a 3/4, even when he didn't hit something especially valuable. Now, he'll become playable only if the meta environment is especially suited to him.
Implications
More than this helps cards like Dracula, Iron Man, Sunspot, Nebula, Mercury, Doom 2099, and other favorite Red Guardian targets, this helps Cosmic Ghost Rider and Lady Deathstrike. CGR and LDS were borderline cards before, but these changes generally help them both and I expect increased play rates and reliance on both of them.
- [Old] 3/3 - Ongoing: On Reveal abilities won’t happen here.
- [New] 3/3 -> 4/6
Cosmo has both offensive and defensive uses. With the Shang and Enchantress nerfs he's a lot less needed for defense and he's too expensive to use offensively to battle Destroy and On Reveal decks.
Implications
Cosmo hasn't been seeing a huge amount of play lately, but his existence did scare people off playing decks like Namora or Odin/Tigers. Now, with Cosmo AND Shang Chi getting nerfed, it might be Namora’s time. Black Panther/Arnim Zola is about to be a meta deck! Cerebro 3 decks losing Cosmo is actually a really big deal, even though Enchantress is getting nerfed too.
What Didn't Get Hit
It's important to note the tech and other interactive cards that didn't get hit in this OTA. As we learned from the recent High Voltage, if you take away the best tech cards, players will happily move on to the next ones down the line.
I expect to see a lot more of all of these cards. Stardust was already in a friendly meta, but that might be even more true as people try to use Arnim Zola, White Tiger, Ghost Rider, and Hela more. Rogue and Echo might be the only things keeping Ongoing from completely taking over and I think Mobius will be important to battle an increased amount of Mr. Negative decks.
The interactive cards that were previously nerfed don't look quite so bad now! All of these look extremely playable in the new robot meta!
One of my biggest criticisms of these cards was that they would never be able to effectively compete with Shang Chi. Well, the robots had a different plan in mind. Both are going to be key parts of a Jocasta deck.
Summary
The game is going to be a lot less interactive now and you can expect to be able to build power and create combinations without your opponent foiling your plans in unexpected ways. Does this mean the death of midrange decks? I expect cards that cost less than 6, but have 10 or more Power to be a lot more popular. Decks that previously packed protection get a double boost. They don't have to worry as much about their predators, but they also free up precious deck slots for more proactive cards. Expect to see a lot of Mr. Negative, Tribunal Combo, Surtur, Cerebro, Victoria Hand, and Discard. Lower tier archetypes that have a chance to rise are Nightmare, Darkhawk, Patriot, She-Hulk/Moon Girl, and High Evolutionary.
Final Rating - 3/4 Arrows
I really like tech cards and the interactivity they engender, even if my opinion is the minority. I've always wanted even more interaction cards rather than less. Additionally, this OTA comes at a time when “tech soup” isn't actually the best deck. Instead, Victoria Hand is running wild and this OTA does nothing to reign her in. I worry about the timing of this experiment because the decks that were already running roughshod over this format (Discard, Victoria Hand, End of Turn, Move, and Destroy) will continue their dominance in the next one.
However, I'm going to give this OTA a good score anyway. It's an admirable experiment and exactly the type of thing Second Dinner should try more often. Game balance isn't actually about making all of the cards balanced, it's about creating fresh and fun experiences. This OTA is going to change how the game feels to play, for better or worse, more dramatically than any previous OTA, patch, or new card release. It will be very interesting to see which changes get reverted and what data can be gleaned from this experiment. Also boosting the score: I really love the idea of adding a little in-universe flavor to the patch notes and that’s something I really hope they continue in the future.
That's it for this week! Come find me on Bluesky (@scosco) where I'll be sharing plenty of decks that will please our new robot overlords. Burning Questions comes out tomorrow, and I'll have some decks for the new meta there as well!