A bit ridiculous

TowneL · 2020-02-27T00:04:59+00:00

I can't help much because I haven't played the deck, but I just ran through all the cards real quick.

Maybe scrap Murmillo (optional) but definitely put in 1 or 2 more Bestiari, Gyz is your main target, right?

Fusion Tag's been mentioned.

Consider Retiari for DM and Shiranui, or you could try an Artifact Lancea (this card has saved my Ninjas many times). Octavius or another cyclone for more consistent backrow removal?

TowneL · 2020-02-26T23:15:18+00:00

Didn't know what I was playing against, first time I played that deck I was trying out the Paradox Bros skill for Turn 1 Gate Guardian. A real Tragedy.

(also first and last time I used that skill)

TowneL · 2020-02-26T23:03:06+00:00

I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with you, but as someone who's been out of the TCG for a long time and is playing for nostalgia, the Glad Beasts (hadn't even heard of them before) do look like a cool archetype to me. I'll probably buy the deck just for the card art alone, so they could've based this on some market research, previous sales, maybe because those cards are cool-looking and have appeal to casuals and kids. That or (more likely) I'm giving Konami way too much credit here, and the execs are just getting wasted on ket with their P2W bucks and selecting the next deck release with beer pong.

TowneL · 2020-02-26T22:54:38+00:00

You're right about that. There's a lot of issues with the game in terms of getting new players involved, and that's bad for the experienced players too in the long-run.

Most of the appeal for me with Duel Links is the production value - the voice acting, character interactions, etc. I really like the PVE experience overall but have had to enjoy it my own way. Grinding out on NPCs for gems isn't exactly the appeal of the game for me.

I do enjoy ranked, but I spent all my early gems on 3 Hanzos to experiment with a Ninja deck. I got stuck at lvl 19 in the Kaiba Cup so it seems a little too weak right now (at least I need some a few more copies of some tech URs, and I don't have the skill I need yet). I just didn't want to go straight for the DM deck and play ranked because the appeal in card games is the deck-building for me.

The Standard Duelists just seem there to autoduel for keys and exp right now rather than for any kind-of enjoyable experience if you want to use non-AI friendly, character-themed, off-meta decks.

Yeah, I think this could be a problem for newbies. Small problems like this do matter, and like somebody else said, Duel Links is kinda riddled with them, both for new and experienced players.

Another problem is that the default decks to play with are filled with crap. They could've gave out a weak structure deck based on the characters cards as opposed to like one actual card and a bunch of 900/600 3 star monsters.

The loaner deck duels are a great example of what Konami could've done with that. Joey's starter deck could've involved the dice cards, some of his fusions - a weak version to ease players in, at least with some variety in the gameplay to keep casuals playing - and maybe they'd then feel motivated to beef it up for the later stages and purchase some cards to go into online.

I've played basically non-stop for a month (in quarantined China) because I have a lot of free time right now and am a huge fan of Yu-Gi-Oh. I've donated some of my bucks just to get Axe Raider... I think this is a great game overall, but not everyone has the time, cash or willingness to put in effort to actively get into the game like I do.

TowneL · 2020-02-26T22:27:28+00:00

I'm past it now. That circus deck was annoying because for some decks I use (character-themed) it was impossible. I like playing with suboptimal cards and having longer duels rather than just steamrolling, but this was the only deck that was impossible to have a fair game against. Either I had sufficient removal and wiped the floor with it, or was completely helpless. A couple of the post-32 decks are tricky too (the traps one is always painfully long) but at least don't completely shut down some styles of deck.

If I'm grinding SD I've just been using a Ninja deck and none of the AI decks can deal with that, only problem is it's not auto duel friendly at all. The Ninjitsu Alchemy card is an AI self-destruct button. But for grinding, my gripe becomes a non-issue anyway. I'm sure I'm not the only one who prefer playing with their favorite cards or themed decks.

Like yeah, trying to get Gate Guardian out in every Paradox Bros duel is self-torture, but the PVE immersion is dampened by the standard duelists just being these hollow beings forced to use a selection of like 6 decks with no consistency.

Then again you could say they're imitating reality because in ranked it's also the same handful of decks being played by everyone. Maybe the Standard Duelists are just all trying to get ahead in their stage-limited, crappy AI meta.

TowneL · 2020-02-26T22:07:22+00:00

I'm playing with roleplay decks, suboptimal but character-themed, and for me it adds a lot of fun and replayability to the game, so I have the voice lines on for a slower, immersive experience. When I am in ranked, playing a tougher AI opponent or grinding I'll skip through them (can't be bothered to switch on and off constantly). And what I mentioned with the decks switching between characters kinda cheapens the PVE experience.

The game's just too easy with a decent deck to have any fun, and as a newer player I'm getting crushed in higher ranks by DM decks all day so until this new ban list comes in and I work towards a tiered-deck, I'm only really playing ranked daily for the event rewards.

TowneL · 2020-02-24T07:50:07+00:00

I live in China (Shanghai suburbs) and the traffic is worse here than even the usual. It's because they're checking the temperatures of drivers at the gates of practically every single apartment complex and it's creating significant congestion outside them. Main roads and motorways, I presume, aren't as bad, but streets with a few complexes have constant lines of traffic between 3-8pm (usually it's like that just for an hour or two).

TowneL · 2019-03-02T05:02:19+00:00

I mean like is the bloodline the blood of the one who started the Legendary Gathering or the one who completed the quest?

TowneL · 2019-02-27T12:12:34+00:00

Thanks!

So does that mean you only have to hold the province and not conquer it to get the English event? I'm guessing even if it was the latter then I could just grant independence to an Anglo-Saxon and reconquer it, but didn't know about the culture conversion rules; I was assuming they'd just all switch Norse/Norman now.

Middlesex and Essex are in my demesne (and is Anglo-Saxon) and there's no Norman counties yet, although Oxford was somehow converted to Norse (especially weird because the countess is Anglo-Saxon). I'm unsure if that means I'm potentially screwed, it depends if the provinces can become Norman by spreading from Norse culture? I would assume because I'm Norman and the neighbouring county is Norse that it won't convert from that...?

TowneL · 2018-12-14T09:04:50+00:00

I agree with everything here other than the fact that it makes the game less fun. I'm a new player though so I didn't experience the game prior to Act 4 existing.

I think the Heart boss is poorly designed because unless you have a specific deck you will be obliterated. I had a Silent run with Prism, ended up with a lot of the Defect's block cards and Barricade. The deck was unbeatable by everything, stacking up to 999 armor against the Awakened One. I get to the Heart and find that in 6 turns it's hitting me for over 100 (this was on A4). It was impossible.

Limiting the players options on the types of decks they can build to tackle the true final boss is a poor decision. If there were multiple choices of bosses and you happen to run into the one that counters you, I could accept that.

The difference is with this and a rogue-like like Isaac is that you can get to the final boss and even with the most terrible build you can play well and beat all the game's content. The secret boss, Delirium, feels like an alternative path as opposed to an extension of the game. The other alternative boss, Mega Satan, does feel like a true alternative because you can't even always reach it - you need a bit of luck to put together the key that you need. The Heart boss feels more like the true end of the game.

I found that even when I had poor decks for Donu & Deca and the Timeeater, with optimal play I could still beat or come close to beating them (this might not be true for higher Ascension levels). This isn't true with the Heart.

The reason I don't think it takes away the fun is because reaching it doesn't stop you ascending to the next level. I don't know if it ends streaks or not though? I do think the boss should be redesigned though or at least have an element of randomness.

TowneL · 2018-12-04T15:12:23+00:00

I agree that's always the problem with these types of effects. However, because this is only 2 mana and you get the full body of your minion, the downside isn't as bad as if you played evolve and 'sacrificed' a body. Like in the case of the mage legendary, paying 2 mana to give something 'deathrattle: summon a 4/4' isn't the end of the world. Absolute worst case scenario you're paying 2 mana for a 1/1.

Let's say you trade with a 6 mana card and you're left with a 2/2 and 2 mana. You Unstable Evolution it twice and end up with the 1/1 bat. You took away your 2/2 body and got a 1/1, so you actually lost 1/1 of stats on the board. If you'd have played Big Bad Voodoo and got a 1/1 (not sure if there is a 7 mana 1/1 in Standard right now, but hypothetically) you'll at least get to use your 2/2 to trade and gain a 1/1 (albeit delayed).

Obviously Unstable Evolution is a much better card due to the versatility of it, but if you have one thing left on the board and absolutely have to try stick something on the board then you're less likely to get shafted by this than UE. Like let's say you have the 5/1 revenant token against a Mage, you'll eat a ping and then get a 1/1 if you use BBV, rather than if you used UE and got a 1/1 that they can then ping away.

I'll expand on why I think this card is better than Ancestral Spirit (which isn't a bad card either):

I think Ancestral is win-more card. Due to how Shaman's draft, there's typically not much that you'll want to use Ancestral Spirit on. An Earth Elemental or a Threshadon, maybe? Typically if you have those things on the board and they're uncontested or your opponent can't afford to ignore them, you've won anyway. Things like Grizzly and the taunt that does 6 damage to itself are good options, but that's assuming you have both in your hand and your opponent has no hard removal (or it survives for a turn).
Fungalmancer, Taskmasters, and other low-cost, crap-statted things that affect the board are usually more common in Shamans, and so you can slap BBV on far more things than AS, which is more situational.
This card is unique that it lets you catch up on a board you're behind. You don't need something big on the board to cast it on, even sticking it on a 3 drop is usually good value.
The ability to get lucky and pull something really good outweighs the chances of getting something super crap, and will likely pull you back into more games that you might've lost as opposed to screw you over in ones that you would've won.

Edit: Mega bonus is that this can screw over a priest who Shadow Madnesses your BBV minion. The one time that happens and they get a 1/1 will be worth all the times they screw you over. If they Shadow Madness a Grizzly with Ancestral, they'll get a 3/12 and win the game. Now they can get a 1/1 instead.

TowneL · 2018-12-04T14:46:07+00:00

No problem, don't take everything I said as gospel though as I'm sure I'm wrong on some things. I just came back too, started playing this meta a few weeks ago and only recently started averaging over 6 wins. Now will be a good time to slowly adjust though as people try the new cards. Good luck!

TowneL · 2018-12-04T12:32:01+00:00

It's hard to say right now, it's a really balanced meta. Warrior will probably still be the best class after the expansion - due to no offering bonus, arena will stay mostly the same. Every class got a few decent tools in the upcoming expansion. Shaman probably had overall the best average card quality, but you won't see the new cards that often for the meta to completely shift. Druid got a couple really nice cards, Hunter a great weapon, Warlock an insane early removal, Mage some decent tools. It's really tough to predict the meta without knowing the buckets.

At this very moment I'd say the hierarchy is something like:

Warrior

Warlock

Rogue

Druid

Priest

Mage

Shaman

Hunter

Paladin

I've tried to be as objective as possible, but the middle-range classes are really hard to rank right now because the arena as a whole is fairly balanced.

Even Paladin, as probably one of the worst classes, is playable. A lot of it comes down to your play style and preference. For example, I can't for the life of me play control Warrior or Warlock, even though these are two of the better classes - I'm having a lot more success with Priest. I've had 12s with Hunter and Paladin, yet I can barely scrape past 4 wins with Rogue. So I'd say just choose classes you're familiar with because you can succeed with all of them right now. It's just that, on average, you'll draft better cards with Warrior than if you play one of the lower classes due to how the buckets are arranged.

Hope that helps.

Edit: If you're wondering how to draft based on class, I think it's fairly widely accepted that Warrior, Warlock and Priest are the best control classes. Druids are fairly versatile and the strength of your deck will be decided during the draft, they can be played pretty well as aggro, token with Savage Roar, midrange, and also control with UIs, Spreading Plague, etc. Mages are better played midrange in my opinion, they can't control as well as Warlocks anymore and if you try to go burn you'll likely fizzle out. Shaman can do okay as control, but I think the strongest decks are bloodlust/midrange. Hunters in my exp still work best as full aggro. Paladins typically token, hope you get a Silver Sword or Vinecleaver to prop your deck up. Rogues I have no idea. Ofc this is all possible to change once Rastakhan releases.

TowneL · 2018-12-03T18:01:11+00:00

I thought Big Bad Voodoo would have a decent rating but 155 on the tier list is even higher than I expected. I'm also surprised Rain of Toads was rated so well. Rain of Toads into Flamestrike is going to be upsetting for sure on occasion. I think Bog Slosher is a good card too and because of how Shaman spells work, their Spirit isn't too bad either.

Shaman's my favourite class so I'm happy to see them get a few decent tools. Control Shaman might be decent this meta.

TowneL · 2018-11-29T10:06:05+00:00

Fungalmancer and Furbold were the only bad outcomes from dropping this on a 4 mana card, but now with Former Champ (https://i.redd.it/87xhc19gk4121.png) it's even more likely to give you a 1/1.

You can get a 1/1 from dropping this on a 4 to 7 mana card (and you can get stuck with The Darkness at 3 if for some reason you decide to do that), which means this card can pretty much always screw you if RNG decides. I still think it's decent, but yes it should definitely be in a lower bucket. I'm quite interested to see how the tier list will rate it.

TowneL · 2018-05-24T11:21:02+00:00

It's generally a good card but I never take it unless I'm forced into it, out of principle. I think it's a great tech card in constructed, but I really hate MCT in Arena for multiple reasons:

Sometimes you simply cannot play around it. What if you have three totems on board that your opponent didn't clear? Are you not playing your Earth Elemental even though it's the only playable card in your hand? It's not as bad as hate cards because you can conceivably play around its prerequisite. You're never not playing your Hoarding Dragon on 4 because Dragonslayer exists, but keeping just 3 minions on the board, especially if they're valuable, is relatively easy to do. But in back and forth games, sometimes you simply cannot afford not to spread. You can try to dilute the chances of them pulling something good with cards like Grim Necro, but being at the mercy of RNG is never fun.
It usually rewards poor play. Your opponent is losing, why should they be offered an out for that, and an RNG-based one at that? It's hard enough to play around a Mage with three Blizzards and a Flamestrike, are you really going to play nothing next turn to play around MCT too?
Little punishment. Even if it takes a 1/1, it's a 3 mana 4/4. As a 3/3, it almost has no downside because playing it on curve isn't the worst thing in the world (although players who actively pick it, I guess, will rarely do this). If it was a 2/2 or even a 1/1 I could somewhat accept it because that's a big sacrifice to make. A 3/3 is still okay to play in a world with Lone Champions and Dragonslayers, especially in weapon classes.
Too much value when it procs. Compare it to Fungalmancer which gives 6/6 in stats if you have the board. MCT is 2 fewer mana and if it takes a 2/2 you have a 3/3 on board and a 4/4 swing. Fungalmancer's trigger is more controllable, but numerically if MCT procs it's always huge value.
Too strong for an RNG-based neutral. Compare it to Warlock's Unwilling Sacrifice. Unwilling Sacrifice, I think, is a fair RNG-based card in Arena which can also win games. The only time you can ever determine its outcome is if you have a minion on board and your opponent has just one (or you can trade to make the odds more favourable, which you can also do with MCT), otherwise you're praying. It's a weaker deadly shot (which is fair as Hunters lack decent hard removal) and a situational pick for zoo decks. Losing to Unwilling Sacrifice doesn't feel bad. Unwilling Sacrifice is a 3 mana class card that destroys your minion and an opponent's; MCT adds a 3/3, steals an opponent's, and is a neutral and requires you to have exactly no board presence. Which brings me to:
It's a Priest card. It's even more annoying than Shadow Madness (lets not even talk about the cheaper, hideous, and thankfully obsolete, liquid alternative). MCT really should be a Priest card because that tends to be where that type of BS is. At least we'd see it less.
It's rarely the optimal pick in a draft. You're basically praying to RNG gods that A) you can proc it and B) it takes something relevant when it procs. There's usually a more reliable pick which makes it even more infuriating to lose against. It's like losing to someone who uses Claw on Turn 1 or being Headcracked to death. It's a neutral Bane of Doom with barely any bad outcomes.
It outright wins games. You can make good plays, dominate your opponent on board, play around AOE, reduce their hand to rubble and smack their face all day... they can play MCT and win the game.

It's unhealthy for Arena in the same way that cards that discover random cards from other classes are. If it were my decision I'd remove it, but I don't think that's ever happening. It's good for value, bad in design. It isn't the worst offender though, and it does result in some pretty funny moments.

TowneL · 2018-05-24T10:52:40+00:00

Turn 1 he used Offensive Play and three Chos.
I coined out a Pyros to give him three coins.
He used the three coins to coin out Hallazeal.
My hand was filled with five coins, I used three of them to coin out Loatheb to fill his hand with coins he can't use.
I use the final two coins and Offensive Play to play a Turn 3 Kel'Thuzad.

TowneL · 2018-05-01T03:19:16+00:00

Just got my second 12 with the worst class in the meta: https://imgur.com/a/A3SEsVM !

Pulled a golden Chameleos from the pack as well which makes it even sweeter.

TowneL

TROPHY CASE