Locations: The impact on the game

[Dvsklown]

I understand balancing and other locations have yet to be released, but I'd just like to share my displeasure with the locations. They alter the existing basics of the game. Going to try to be as short and to the point as possible.

In one of the spoiler articles it says "To keep it fair to players who are not running locations, we have two features built into the non-controller part of this one. Firstly, the opponent gets a strong alternate hero ability to use themselves" was in reference to a specific card but I'd like to point out "keep if fair" and "strong alternate hero ability" nothing about most of the locations is fair, and the description of strong is exaggerated.

All favor the one who played it. If not giving the player an op ability, the "strong" counter ability costs you valuable se. Se is not easy to come by, few cards add se.

So now I am forced to do one of a few things, play locations, play location removal, or play cards that influences se. If I don't I am forced to overspend my se on getting rid of a card that cost my opponent absolutely nothing. And some times spending it doesn't solve my problem or give me much of anything. In fact valley of doom, kristans ridge, trading port, and lightning quarry are built for the player to potentially use both abilities.

Why is all of this significant? Never has a new card ability been released that forces all decks to account for it. The high se cost for counter abilitys takes away from the existing hero ability system that the entire game is based on. Having so few yet powerful locations will reduce the meta to a handful of play styles and remove some styles completely. Adding free cards to a game that had previously been based on careful spending of resources seems to contradict the very basics. To ever make locations balanced there would need to be locations for every potential play style with a counter ability that favors the one who doesn't play it. The counter ability should not cost se. A free card should have major draw backs.

I'm not angry or quitting, I'm concerned and willing to help. I think locations could work but balancing starts with strengthening the counter abilities.

[Delay of Game]

There's only about 2 Locations that anyone even bothers to use, lol

[streetsahead]

There's only about 2 Locations that anyone even bothers to use, lol

Not trying to dog you but seriously? There's about 4 that DONT get used

[Delay of Game]

Not trying to dog you but seriously? There's about 4 that DONT get used

No, of course I'm not serious...

As for the original thread, your home-remedy for this viral epidemic now is probably Groundshift.

[Dvsklown]

That's kinda of my point, I now have to remove tried and true cards from my deck to defend myself from locations, or build around using a limited number locations that are very specific about their interactions.

After further thought I believe that perhaps a broadening of their interaction with other cards could lessen their impact. Make more locations that don't discriminate based on ally type. And perhaps what might level things more is expanding rapacious vermin and sorcerer of endia to include locations. And with all those cards yet to be released, I can imagine other ways of dealing with them as well.

[Umbra7]

Groundhift fixes everything. Run it. And not every counter ability is worse than the controller ability...indeed, asyn gives advantage more to the opponent. And of course locations are going to change everything....they were meant to. So yes, this new game mechanic is going to make all decks account for them. Also we're still in the begginings of the testing and such. Maybe hold off on the displeasure with locations until balancing is complete. The design team are aware that some locations are too strong, and others are not good. Theyre just trying to find the best balances right now, give em some time

[Dvsklown]

How will balancing be completed without input from players? I haven't attacked anyone, I said I think locations could work. And I thought I brought up valid points. If I'm just blathering on with nonsense, please let me know.

[Caitlyn0]

actually, quite a few are pretty much useless as the opposing ability is too strong.

i would actually like to see some of the opposing abilities nerfed a bit. take Racksul: warped desert. 2se to draw 2 cards, 1 from your opponents deck... is WAY stronger than the ability you get from being about to put an exiled card into your hand, since you need 1 or 2 other cards to help you do that.

garina road for example... at best, you get to get acceleration 4cc. but you cannot do that every turn. a deck with just 7cc allies in it, is gonna lose, no matter what. you need those other fatties too, 5 and 6cc. so thats only 2 or 3 acceleration. you also cannot do without other cards, so you wont have a fatty EVERY turn to cast. your opponent can get as much acceleration they want for all allies, if they have enough draw. slamming down 5 allies in a turn, is possible with enough draw.

but i get what you are saying, it does change the game. its a new mechanic, so yeah. we all just need to get used to them. as for changing your deck, you have to do that anyway, its a new set. adding 1 card, like groundshift, to you deck is actually quite amazing. just one card to fix problems with locations, wow.

[tman507]

Because there needs to be another thread on all of this?

Not mad at you specifically, but there are various other threads already that cover all of this. I see you're new on the forums so you might not have seen those threads, but is always best to look through the forums to see if a similar topic has already been posted and just reply there, just to avoid forum clutter.

As for Locations, a couple of points.

On the point of balancing out abilities, yes, this is what will be worked out by the DT over time. But what I don't get is this idea some people seem to have that these cards are supposed to somehow be perfectly "even" for both players. Balanced to be generally fair yes, but to quote your post "All favor the one who played it". As I've stated in another one of these threads, of course they're going to benefit the player who plays it. Any card worthy of putting in a deck does. Fireball for instance benefits me if I play it and does not benefit my opponent. No card that was perfectly even or benefits my opponent when I play it would be worth putting in my deck. A card can "balanced" without being "even", and that's where the DT needs to find the balance, but I don't get this idea that Locations shouldn't favor the player who uses them, because any good card does just the same.

Second, on the point of having to play your own Locations, Location removal, or SE cards; and there never having been a card type that forces all decks to account for it, it's true in the sense that for SE there has never been a whole new card type before, but in general, this is called "the meta". It happens with any strategy or deck type that becomes popular; it becomes popular, people build to counter it, then it becomes less popular as it becomes not as viable as a result of the counters, then those counters need no longer be played, and the cycle repeats. With Locations it is a whole new card type, so people will be trying them out. People will eventually learn what strategies to sue to counter them, and so on. It's how the strategy of card games work.

Third, kind of building off of the last point, this happens in other games as well. Just be glad that this is the first time any new type of card has been introduced in SE. In Yugioh it has happened many times: Synchro monsters, Xyz monsters and Pendulum monsters all introduced as completely new card types, and they all changed the way the game works (Pendulums particularly). And Yugioh isn't nearly as balanced of a game as SE, where at least the DT will make sure to get the balance right through testing. But the point is, all games have to evolve, otherwise it would always be the same old same old all the time and the game would go nowhere. It's the meta, it's evolution, otherwise there'd be no point in ever releasing any new cards at all, anything new is meant to evolve the game, it's just Locations have clearly caused a bit more reaction in this community than anything ever just because they're as different as they are.

[The MiddleAgedNerd]

No, of course I'm not serious...

As for the original thread, your home-remedy for this viral epidemic now is probably Groundshift.

He said hes not trying to dog you. Cuz you like wolfs. Which are kinda like dogs. Get it.