MArcomage

I started working on the summer update and here is a first balance changes draft preview. I should be posting new cards preview in couple of weeks as well.

oh, I like Imperial griffin, if played correctly you lose only 3 recruits for 30 damages (or more).
Also War elephant and Lancer are nice, a good reinforcement for barbarian deck.
Regulator is the new name of new beginning? I don't mind, but remember when you changed Tubolar bells into Gnomish alchemist, Mojko?
I'm not sure about this Reiji Maigo but indeed it's interesting. Maybe it should cost more (15 or 20 gems I say) or have a different effect: Gems=5N, N=#of round passed from last time Reiji Maigo was played.
Maybe Monster slayer should stay soldier.
I like the other changes.

Compiling a text list of changes to make it easier to compare...

Citadel: tower gain changed from +22 to +18, added wall +6
Gorgon: +/-6 changed to +/-5
Heavy infantry: appears to just be an image replacement
Imperial griffon: total redesign. Always attack 30, conditionally restores 12 recruits, removed Charge, cost reduced from 31 to 30
Intrigue: Now replaces selected card with Common from your deck rather than a standard discard/redraw
Lancer: Removed Soldier, Banish, and Skirmisher; added Barbarian and Frenzy(10)
Lighthouse: Per discussion in the card's thread, will grant variable tower based on whether match is already revealed (+7 or +13, from always +13). Reveals matching card to always trigger Far sight effect.
Monster slayer: Removed Soldier and Skirmisher, added Far sight
Regulator: Formerly Return to the Beginning (no functional change)
Royal pikemen: Cost raised from 12 to 18 but refunds 4. Attack reduced from 16 to 10, added +10 wall
Standstill: +5/+10 reduced to +4/+8 for both players
War elephant: Soldier keyword changed to Barbarian, otherwise functions the same

Nice idea DPsycho, good job.

@DPsycho: Yeah, thanks for the changelog. I will try to provide a changelog as well in the future.

@Fithz Hood: I think the Regulator suits the card better along with the new picture, but as always I'm open to discussion. Reiji Maigo is still in experimental stage, but one thing is sure - I want the card to have effect based on game round, since we don't have such card yet and we support the mechanic.

Which card would be replaced with Reiji Maigo? I would like to know, sicne i dont't know any card which has a similar card effect or could be reworked into this... But maybe its the joke balance card we had in some balance/new card drafts before, don't know :/

At first I thought that Reiji Maigo would be a joke card of this card pack, but as of late I plan to make it a new card ;-)

I ignored RM in my list because I assumed it was a joke card, though I could see it working. The problem would be a lack of transparency as to when it would function. You could use the game history to learn all you need (whether it's been played and if so when that was), but it would be the first card where all relevant information isn't right there on the current game screen.

Edit: And the preview function, which I admittedly always forget exists, doesn't help when it's in your opponent's hand and you need to know how many turns before it becomes active.

Lancer: Why? :( At least leave one of Banish or Skirmisher.

for a start i thought my footman combo-common was implemented. Turned out to be heavy infantry re-balance with same picture.

I like new intrigue more, it's more intriguing now :)
And "jm" is nice new "you have 10moves to discard me, while I'll shuffle my deck around" mechanic.

DPsycho, you forgot that Lancer also lost Soldier keyword and received Barbarian.
To be honest, I don't really like Lancer change. It was a really versatile card, which could be used by itself, not only in thematic Soldier deck. Now it's just another offensive card. I like Frenzy decks, and Lancer in this form will be a great addition to Frenzy pool, but I like universal discarder (banisher, skirmisher, anti-Mage/Legend) much more.

Other changes:
Citadel - I really like it. It will be weaker in building decks, but stronger overall.
Imperial griffin - nice rework. This version is great both in Beast and Soldier decks.
Nerfs to Standstill and Gorgon are fair.
Intrigue and Lighthouse changes are interesting. I'd like to see how effective these cards would be.
Royal pikemen - I don't know if it's necessary, but I don't have any problems with such rework.

New Lancer is much less interesting than the current version. I like that the current Lancer is a non-targeted ultra-discarder, able to discard charge, durable, quick, and swift cards of all rarity. It would be nice if it could be buffed without changing its essential flavour.

I like all the other changes.

In the future, it would be awesome if these balance patches could be previewed using an image that shows the old versions and the new versions side by side.

I'm working on the new keyword - Aria. Currently, I'm considering these two alternatives:

Variant A

Description:

If Round is divisible by 8 or Round + 1 is divisible by 8, discard up to N lowest cost common cards from hand, N based on played card's rarity (C-1, U-2, R-4).

Summary:

Every 4th round you may call on the power of winds to clean up your hand. This variant focuses on power - higher rarity of the played card allows you to discard higher number of cards.

Variant B

Description:

If Round is divisible by 2N or Round + 1 is divisible by 2N, discard lowest cost common card from hand, N based on played card's rarity (C-4, U-2, R-1).

Summary:

On specific Round (4th for common, 2nd for uncommon and every round for rare) you may call on the power of winds to clean up your hand. This variant focuses on flexibility - higher rarity of the played card allows you to use the effect more often.

Here is a list of existing cards that may receive the Aria keyword: Corrosion cloud, Devilkin, Renewal, Retribution, Wind, Blizzard, Dark pegasus, Invisible squad, Breeze, Laputa the Flying fortress, Roc, Vulture.

Which variant would you prefer?

I like the second one. First is more powerful, but there is too many "if" to consider with.

i like the first one more. I dont get the reason why to discard a single common card with a played rare. then you could just use militia for a lower rarity and the same effect.

While the second one is easier and more flexible to use, you need to take care for your round when playing the first variant. This makes the keyword more tactical, since you need to plan your played cards to use the effect more properly, which makes this variant in my oppinion better for a keyword.

1st , You can only trigger your keyword N times per game and must be careful not to miss your time.

in the second version rare cards trigger the bonus in turns with even numbers and even in turns with odd numbers, and that's odd.
I still vote for a token keyword.

The whole odd-even thing is there only because one player plays always on even rounds and the other on odd rounds. That's why I provided the summary to each variant to clarify the things. Also, please don't confuse rounds with turns.

What about Aria's effect as: "Replaces common card in hand with non-common card from deck."

why do the effects have to become even more complex with every update? and why do we have to implement a new keyword with every update aswell? i feel like in a couple of years im going to need a calculator to play a game that used to be so simple, that no one ever needed a tutorial, nor a manual to easily understand and play it all day long without getting bored