Should allies block hero attacks?

[Verdeloth]

As i stated on my feedback, i approve the fact that, if my opponent control allies, i should not be able to target his/her hero with my own allies. A TCG is supposed to be an strategic game, and the idea for this is creating more mechanics to avoid an easy win. I read that one of the testers mentioned the fact, regarding MtG, of a given player assembling a full damage dealer deck. Well, in this case, there should be the possibility (in cards) of generating some defense against certain types of cards or damage (for example, you may have an Utility card that MAY SAY something like: "All Lightning damage is reduced to 1"). This can be done in lots of different ways. If a player decides to create a direct damage deck...GREAT!, this person may find his opponent having defense against this kind of deck and therefore, will be hard to win.

Allies should block allies if there are in play UNLESS a card rule exists to avoid the general rule (like in Mtg, creatures without flying cannot block creatures WITH flying).

AND MORE IMPORTANT: If an ally is going to defend another ally attack, it must be chosen by the opponent, and NOT the attacker. (That way, you will be careful also on attacking, since you don't know which card will defend it).

And regarding Iphone gaming...as i stated on my feedback, i would reeeeeeeally like to have this game on iphone, BUT in my opinion, i would tell you Kyle to focus the mechanics on the browser, and once it is complete, only then you should start checking on other devices.

[TiltMyTouch]

I was about to suggest it, but it would drag on the game forever and ever. Some people said to make some cards that block attacks, and I'm for that. We could also do this...

Allies can't attack heroes unless the opponent has no enemy allies to attack. If the opponent DOES have allies on the field, your allies COULD attack the hero but only inflict 1 damage. Spells would still be able to damage the hero.

[Sagatron]

I voted for "NO, allies should block, giving the game more depth". Due to the fact it seems to make the allies only useful for offense and not defense.

However,

You could go for something in between: Give some allies an ability that allows them to block.

I agree, but I would turn it around and to where allies would always block incoming attacks but add cards that have the ability to only target heroes.

[mastery51]

Right now I think we should wait a little bit until we use a few more heroes and cards before we make a decision.

You could go for something in between: Give some allies an ability that allows them to block.

However, I do think Ice made a good alternative for blocking. This will force a player to attack the defending ally before attacking the hero. But I do agree giving all allies the ability to block might slow the game down too much.

[Regenwolke]

I voted against Blocking allthough i find a little bit odd to directly attack the hero, but gameplay looks fine so far. But maybe the first mentioned idea of Ice "You could go for something in between: Give some allies an ability that allows them to block." is something to try as well.

[Drexra]

Maybe give the option to block but its not forced. Like ask 'x ally is attacking your hero, would you like to use one of your allies to block the incoming attack?" So you have the option, but its not required.

[grenadedodger]

How's about this - Just create 2 game modes/rooms whatever. Room 1 is for the faster games and no ally blocking is allowed, room 2 is for when you're at home or got more time and you want a bit more strategy and blocking is allowed.

Not only does this satisfy everyone as they can play whichever they want but it will also lead to a greater diversity of deck builds, tactics, tournaments etc

I'm not a developer but I would imagine that this would be a damn site easier to implement than whole new rule sets for cards and the like.

Finally if this was implemented and in the end one room is used far more than the other...well the people have spoken.

[airhead3]

I agree completely with Verdeloth. While I appreciate the fact that hero equipment and other mechanics may change the dynamic somewhat, I also feel that the MTG setup of creatures being the front line that you have to fight through makes perfect sense. (Your allies are really just going to stand there and watch as an enemy runs past and damages your hero?)

A key here would be that the defending player chooses what allies, if any, will block. Adds all kids of strategy to attacking and defending that isn't currently there. (If I attack with my allies, then I won't be able to block next turn)

As far as concerns for game length, there could be several other ways to mitigate - game/turn time limits, starting hero health, different game modes (with different victory goals), etc. without having to reduce allies to little more than direct damage effects that stay in play.

[Diamondius]

So is game speed so important? I personally don't think that MTG is that slow on its PC game version even with all those interrupts... But is it actually worth it to dumb down a game for speeds sake? I still believe that blocking should be implemented but its still a game in its birth so we will see it may be not required after all.
Do creatures block in WoW TCG ?

[revZloco]

so I voted "no" on this poll (that there should be blocking) even though I do think we need to hold until we have the full story (i.e. more heroes and fuller decks). But I'm wondering if we can find a middle ground by limited the number of allies that can be on the field at once. That way, a well conceived plan could still possibly get through any defense to hit the hero directly (and still allow games to be quickish). This might also allow for added depth to strategy since you'd have to balance quick cast allies vs saving up for the heavy hitters knowing you have limited slots. just a thought.