I still don't think Matt actually intends on doing this, but I have a lot of dead time during certain render tasks... at some point I started compiling a list of things I'd do to my own version of EP3. My ragol card tab doesn't scroll down anymore so I guess I'm done with this project (well! I skipped the unused/quest NPCs, might look at those later)
I could just sneak into Matt's house when he is at his weird grocery store...
=======================
Gentleman Rules
Stop playing min roll 2
The game wasn't designed with it in mind. 1,1 sucks - we know, but sometimes that actually turns the game around in your favor.
Some modifications to cost have been made with that in mind.
Use a Time Limit (min 1 Hour, max 2)
Stalling is annoying. But it is legitimate. Until you don't have a time limit - at which point the game can go on far too long.
It also gives the people being stalled a legitimate win condition and can allow them to stall back if they meet it.
Other Rule Sets
Sonic Team tournaments sometimes used the following rules if you want to do something different:
Min/Max roll of 5
Min/Max roll of 4
Min/Max roll of 3
Defeat Player in Team Game (puts more emphasis on movement and focusing targets)
Shared HP (puts more focus on defense management and Guard creatures)
No Loop (puts a lot more emphasis on resource management and buffs the hell out of Return abilities)
No Shuffle (we can skip this one)
=======================
Prototype Boss Cards
Card: 02BE "Castor"
[-] HP: +5
[-] AP: 3
[-] TP: 3
[-] MV: 2
[+] remove Steady Damage Mod
[+] add Drain (1/3)
The user version of Castor is actually kind of weak when you know how to fight her, but her base stats and range allow her to destroy
the early game before that is an actual problem on most maps. Signifigantly reducing her tankiness and base AP/TP/MV while allowing her to
heal will force her to build a good number of defensive measures and become fair like other SCs. Stamina can be scary with certain
set ups but this comes with high risks (and these are less risky on Arkz Haste monsters or a Hunters with SS+.)
Card: 02BF "Pollux"
[-] HP: -3
[+] AP: 4
[-] TP: 1
[-] remove Ultimate AP Growth
[-] add Heavy Steps (2 AP/1 MV)
[+] add Immobile (5-9), 3 turns
Pollux on the other hand is pretty scary because she has Ultimate AP Growth on top of Unlimited Summoning. Unlimited Summoning can
be extremely powerful, so the best way to balance this with other Arkz would be to make her something of a glass cannon who can't
run easily. She would probably just die if you get in once without dice bonus, so Immobile can be used to potentially let her run for a
bit if she wants to risk it. Higher base AP to fight against SCs who have Anti-Abnormality.
=================
Story Characters
Card: 0001 "Orland"
[+] change Sword Bonus 1/2 to Ally Bonus 1/2
It is universally agreed that Orland kinda succo, so making him a foil to Teifu would make more sense in my opinion.
He gets 3MV unlike Teifu so he can stay with 1AP, especially when you consider that Ally bonus is under your control while Enemy bonus
is not.
Card: 0005 "Guykild"
[-] MV: 2
Guykild is the premier staller because of Elude, and him having 3MV seems kind of like a kick in the nuts to a lot of his opponents.
With Acceleration being buffed this nerf seems warranted. Though even without Acceleration, it would probably be better for the game
if chasing Guykild was easier.
Card: 011B "Reiz"
[+] HP: +3
[+] add Bonus AP Rise (x2)
The Arkz edition of Orland but most think of her as worse. This would create something of a foil to Viviana and allow Reiz to survive
a little longer. It'd also make Reiz much scarier as the game goes on regardless of Arkz/Hunters.
Card: 011C "Rio"
[+] change Revenge 1/3 to Revenge 1/2
Rio sees occasional usage but the reality is that 1/3 is usually not a good trade off for how much EXP the opponent gets.
This would allow Rio to be somewhat scary early on if you're losing monsters without giving the enemy team +2 bonus.
Card: 011E "K.C."
[+] AP: 3
KC can probably be defiend as being "there." He unfortunately just does not have much going for him, though he doesn't have
much going against him either. Giving him 1 more AP would help trigger that EXP bonus more often and perhaps his usability.
===================
MONSTERS
Card: 002A "Gibbles +"
[+] AP: 7
This card has Curse MV, which gives your SC 1MV for 6 turns after the card dies. Without Heavy Rampage, Gibbles+ just isn't particularly
scary compared to the normal 7 cost version. So it doesn't get built. Some extra AP could go a bit to seeing more inclusion as a 6 cost
as it'd be more likely to heal the SC too.
Card: 0032 "Sinow Beat +"
[+] AP: 1
One of the few cards that is functionally useless without another on the field. So people don't run it.
Giving it 1 AP means it can function alone at the very least.
Card: 003B "Chaos Bringer +"
[+] MV: 1
Suffers immensely if it can't get a kill on turn 1 and/or you don't run Stamina. Giving it 1MV will allow the card to be more than dead
cost if your opponent defends (or is out of range) while maintaining the MV growth idea.
Card: 005A "Barbarous Wolf"
[+] AP: 2
[+] Cost: 2
[-] HP: 6
Unfortunately the wolf combination is generally unused because you cap out at 3 monsters, some of which have to stay alive for
Leader while contributing minimal benefits. The combination is much more viable with general buffs to Barbarous: it now has AP
equal to the base Savage and enables more variations that Wolves can shine in.
Card: 005C "Al Rappy"
[+] HP: 7
[+] TP: 4
[-] Cost: 3
Dash is a bit too strong in general when it is available for two cost. People can stall near indefinitely due to the popular
"let us do min roll 2" and it has reliable TP for the cost on top of it. Having less of a chance to get the card out immediately
early on should make it fair. It'll also be a bit stronger for the trade off (and to create a foil with another card
that is 3 cost.)
Card: 0063 "Guil Shark"
[-] change Weak Spot to 5 from 2
This card is extremely strong and the setup required is minimal - run 3 sharks, have even more fun with a friend who runs 3 sharks.
In light of the massive offensive pressure it can put on (four sharks with 11 AP), it now has to use other sharks or ACs to deal SC
damage.
Card: 0064 "Poison Lily"
[+] add Gain AP from Leader (hidden)
Poison Lily is generally a useless card that only gets ran in themes or memes. It is hard to justify a 0 MV card in general -
but now the card will have some teeth instead of being a nuisance if you build around it.
Card: 0065 "Nar Lily"
[+] add Leader (Poison Lily)
[-] remove Earth Bind
Nar Lily generally only gets built for a low cost time bomb; Earth Bind is nifty but you pretty much give the opponent
XP if you want to use it (and only for a turn.) Monest does this 100% better since it has 8 HP, so Leader will allow Poison Lily to combo
with Nar Lily rather well.
Card: 0068 "Pan Arms"
[+] change Unfilial 2 to Unfilial 1
Decent enough Guard Creature but Unfilial 2 is unwarranted for what Pan Arms brings to the table. 1 is sufficient.
Card: 006B "Pofuilly Slime"
[+] MV: 4
Copy half is unfortunately rather weak which results in this card being neglected. While it will not drastically increase overall
usefulness, giving it a signifigant buff to MV will allow it to do things that many low cost cards could otherwise not do thanks to
Free Manuver.
Card: 006C "Pouilly Slime"
[+] HP: 8
This card was pretty infamous back in the day due to having 9HP, 4 AP and 4 TP which has been been heavily toned down. However,
it is rather frail for a 4 cost card. In light of these nerfs I think a slight reversion on the durability nerf is warranted.
Card: 006D "Dubchic"
[+] MV: 2
Extremely underwhelming card - the potential AP is good for a two cost card, but nobody really bothers because it has a measly 1 MV and
no HP. Full Heal makes survival feasible in spite of this, so a small buff to MV would go a long way in having it appear more often.
Card: 0070 "Canane"
[+] add Dash
[-] remove Aerial Assassin
[+] AP: 3
[-] HP: 5
[-] TP: 3
People rarely play Canadine because of Claw, and Canane is generally passed up (currently) in favor of Al Rappy
(1 less TP for Dash+2 cost) or Arlan (5 TP starting with swap and more MV.) It'd make both cards much better being the only
Leader in the game with the Dash ability. Stats reworked so it isn't just a better Al Rappy.
Card: 0071 "Sinow Beat"
[+] HP: 3
[+] MV: 3
Generally unused because double strike with 1 AP is easy to defend against and signifigant build up is needed to make it a threat.
Very low survivability as well. A slight buff to HP and MV should improve it's chances and let it keep up with Sinow Beat+.
Card: 0072 "Sinow Gold"
[+] change Unfilial 2 to 1
Not a horrible card by any means but usually gets skipped because of Unfilial 2. Haste has a lot of potential so I believe that
Unfilial 1 is probably still warranted when Gold is healing his allies - potentially with Creinu.
Card: 0075 "La Dimenian"
[-] MV: 2
I have no idea why an unblockable HP halver that can be summoned damn near anywhere shipped with 4 MV. Considering what it can
be paired with, halving (haha get it) the MV seems warranted.
Card: 0077 "Delsaber"
[+] HP: 8
[+] MV: 3
Super hard to justify our poor buddy here because Merlan does so much more at the moment with much less setup.
Delsaber definitely has potential and it can realize it with a small health buff and a MV increase. The health should do something
for his currently rather low HP - being able to actually heal up after surviving a hit. The MV will make him scary earlier on and
a real threat if you have a dark team.
Card: 007C "Dark Gunner"
[+] Steady Damage reduced to 1
Niche way of boosting your ATK Dice, but nobody runs it because 2HP is a huge penalty. People are pretty likely to just leave it and
watch you die. Other methods usually have 1 HP or no penalty - since this only costs 1, it should keep some penalty.
Card: 007D "Death Gunner"
[+] add Contact Half Guard (Physical)
[-] MV: 2
Even with Dark Gunner not killing you quickly, people aren't likely to run combos with Death Gunner because it really does jackshit well
for a 3 cost card. Lining up with the original Gunner design by giving it extra defense would make it much improved for dark decks
and stalling strategies. MV has been reduced to keep Hallo Rappy relevant and line up with it's Stall ability.
Card: 01C7 "Barble"
[+] change Unfilial 3 to Unfilial 1
Very large penalty for an otherwise 'alright' card. So it doesn't get built. Can gain some AP with good setup so Unfilial 1 remains
warranted, but 3/2 very much unwarranted.
Card: 01CE "Gulgus-gue"
[+] remove Weak Spot
I'm not sure why this card has Weak Spot, it isn't warranted and only contributes to people not building it.
Card: 01D0 "Hildetorr"
[-] HP: 13
[-] AP: 7
Slight reduction to health and AP to offset the combination of Hildetorr's abilities.
Card: 01D3 "Melqueek"
[+] MV: 3
[+] Acid condition changed from 6, 9 to 4, 9
Kind of an underwhelming card all around due to some odd design choices. Retooled to be more in line with Melqueek being quick but
less survivable/damage capable when looking at other sharks, Delsaber, and Gulgus-Gue. Along with a somewhat reliable acid to set
it apart from other acid users.
Card: 01D7 "Dubchich"
[+] HP: 7
[+] change Unfilian to 2HP from 3HP
Definitely not worth running due to unreasonably harsh unfilial penalty. Still pretty hard card to build with -2, but the survivability
of an additional 2 HP should also make the card perform signifigantly better and thus worth the risk.
Card: 01D8 "Dark Bringer"
Dark Bringer
[-] HP: 14
[-] AP: 6
[-] MV: 3
[-] remove Haste
[+] add Battle Recovery
Dark Bringer obsoletes Chaos Bringer+ due to overlapping design choices and bad numbers. Ultimately... it needs to be retooled.
So now we have Chaos+ (movement), Chaos (revenge), and Dark (growth.)
Card: 01DE "Baranz"
[+] HP: 15
Generally underwhelming for a 6 cost guard so it doesn't get ran too often, even without Unfilial - also vulnerable to HP swap.
Signifigant buff to HP makes it appealing for both damage and guard capabilities.
Card: 01E0 "Merlan"
[-] remove SC Slayer
This card was buffed by Sonic Team, and a bit too much for that matter. Generally I think it would be tolerable if it lost SC Slayer.
Card: 01E1 "Del-D"
[+] AP: 4
[+] TP: 1
[-] MV: 2
Generally just outclassed by Merlan without Dice Fever+, and still tends to fall behind because of SC Slayer and High-Cost Slayer.
Minor buffs to AP and TP would make the card stand out and be more than a less survivable Merlan. Rolling a 3 would match 'normal'
Merlan AP. The card would be pretty strong with Dice Fever/+ so reduced MV slightly as a trade off.
Card: 01E9 "Gibbles"
[+] remove Exhaust
ST placed too much of a premium on HP recovery for this card which results in it generally being skipped for cheaper cards or Delbiter.
Simply removing Exhaust would make it more likely to appear in Forest / rampage decks, although not signifigantly better.
Card: 01EA "Merillia"
[+] Cost: 1
[-] AP: 1
Kind of useless so it doesn't get ... used. Capable of having respectable HP with lower cost; AP lowered to compensate and still
capable of paralyzing. Doesn't erase Poison Lily due to having no Yellow link or Leader bonus(assuming Nar Lily change goes through.)
Card: 01EC "Mericarol"
[-] AP: 4
[-] MV: 2
Very strong card thanks to AP assist; having the attack options it did was overkill. Now essentially 6 damage normally instead of 8
and gets less traction off of Haste.
Card: 01EF "Sinow Berill"
[+] Unfilial 2 adjusted to Unfilial 1
Generally decent if it was actually as card said, but it loses 2 HP on death...needs to be 1.
Card: 01F4 "Sinow Zele"
[+] add Red (right)
[-] HP: 12
[-] AP: 1
[-] TP: 1
Sonic Team nerfed this card fairly hard, for good reason. I would go about a different way: make the card more reliant on ACs
and less survivable.
Card: 01FB "Merikle"
[+] AP: 5
[-] remove Paralyzed Death
[+] add Anti-Abnormality
Make Unfilial 4 worth it by giving the tank a bit of teeth - can't freeze/hold/para and ignore it either. Paralyzed death removed
as that would make it a bit overkill and exceed 3 ability limit.
Card: 01FD "Del Lily"
[+] AP: 5
[+] TP: 7
[-] Cost: 7
Bit aggrivating and overpowered with Hallo Rappy+, so this would remove the loop while making the card capable without instant death.
Leaned into TP over AP due to normally 0MV.
Card: 02BC "Toy Rappy"
[+] AP: 3
Rarely built because it has 0AP/TP - you can only build 1 (and it is rather expensive), meaning you can't really take advantage of
haste by building more in the deck with ACs. Simply increasing the base AP to be in line with other 4 Cost Haste cards
should help the card a lot.
Card: 02CB "Biboo"
[+] add Contact Halfguard (all attacks 1/2 damage)
This card is in a bad spot - a high cost with HP Change means it'll never have more than 4HP, and only in ideal scenarios.
You can only build 1 but it does have the positive of not having Unfilial as a Guard Critter. I think the best way to make the card viable
without a total retool is to give it Red Ring's Contact Halfguard.
==================
ITEMS
Card: 0017 "Shield"
[+] HP: 7
Shields in general are kind of underpowered, which is generally a result of them being too strong in NTE and likely with trial players
not knowing how easily they get floored by certain abilities. As such I would like to bring most of them, if not all, at values that
fall between final and NTE (those that didn't exist are evaluated by their current abilties to this idea.)
Card: 001E "Regenerate Gear"
[+] HP: 6
General shield buff.
Card: 0020 "Madam's Umbrella +"
[+] change Stall to 1 from 2
Fairly unpopular as the card only has stall 2 - the stats don't really stand out that much, so you might as well rely on Arkz or Game
Informer. It is just too expensive for 2; but it would be somewhat appealing with Stall 1.
Card: 0023 "Combat Gear"
[+] HP: 7
General shield buff.
Card: 0024 "Standstill Shield +"
[+] HP: 7
Does not exist in NTE. Haste is a cool ability but costing 4 is already pretty taxing - it pretty much cannot function
well as a protector. So people generally don't build it. Assigning an HP value for a normal Shield seems fair.
Card: 0124 "Psycho Wand"
[+] AP: +5
[+] remove Exhaust
[+] add Battle Recovery
[-] HP: 17
Psycho Wand is by no means a bad card, but it is almost completely eclipsed by Dark Bridge.
These changes will give it a distinct identity as a more hybrid item to expand deck buiilding choices.
Card: 014F "Diska of Liberator"
[+] AP: 2
[+] change Acid condition to 5-9
Nobody builds it because Braveman shits all over it. Giving it an easier acid and another AP ... might make it more appealing.
Card: 0158 "Crazy Tune"
[-] reduce AP Silence to 2 from 3
Can get a little cracked due to the AoE and being able to equip 2. 6 AP loss is somewhat extreme when being applied to 3 characters.
Card: 015B "Flight Fan"
[+] Cost: 3
Another slicer completely outclassed by Braveman, except this one costs more. You can't really do much without reworking the item
unfortunately. So it can be a relatively cheap AoE EXP stealer instead.
Card: 015F "Morning Glory"
[+] HP: 12
[+] AP: 4
Largely unused because TJS disproportionately destroys it for just one more cost. Tried to adjust to be more inline with TJS
after considering it only hits one target and costs 5.
Card: 0160 "Rainbow Baton"
[+] AP: +4
[+] TP: +3
[+] change Immobile Condition to 4-9
It can hang with Braveman, but you can't build two of them so nobody builds it (because you can build two Braveman!)
There aren't any S/SS rank Slicers so adjustments were made to put it more in line with that possibility instead of reducing the cost.
2 Bravemen + Shield are likely still better but Baton would be swinging.
Card: 0164 "Flowen's Sword"
[+] AP: +2
Pretty underwelming weapon with the link even after the neat 1/2 Snatch; the AP would at least allow it to be on par with a normal sword.
Card: 0166 "Gae Bolg"
[+] HP: 9
Not built because 1/3 AP is just generally bad. Unfortunately it is hard to buff this item due to the existance of Dragon Slayer...
so went with the apparent idea of it being the more survivable AoE that doesn't have Full Heal.
Card: 0167 "S-Beat's Blade"
[+] HP: 9
[+] AP: 2
Sonic Team kind of screwed up with Cross Scar because it makes most 4 cost daggers obsolete. So they all have to edge on survivability
and a niche of some sort. S-Beats is Machines.
Card: 016D "Double Cannon"
[+] add Inherit
Not necessarily a bad card but rarely gets used because of Ripple. It essentially dies no matter what you do with 3 uses (possibly less)
which is a problem since you may end up defenseless. Adding an unconditional benefit to it's death shoould make it much
more appealing, albeit still pretty damn risky.
Card: 016F "Lavis Blades"
[+] reduce Weak Spot to 1 AP from 2 AP
General Cross Scar buff attempt. Good as a high survivability, good damage dagger but suffers from Weak Spot.
Reducing Weak spot to make it more appealing without being a straight upgrade to Cross Scar.
Card: 0170 "Flight Cutter"
[+] Cost: 3
Another Braveman competitor, but unlike most slicers, this can actually outdamage Braveman under the right circumstances.
Since these still require circumstances (aerial status), lowering the cost to make it more appealing and run similar Braveman
builds.
Card: 0178 "Rika's Claw"
[+] add Yellow link
Extremely strange card. It doesn't get built because it is essentially gimped by not allowing techs while having TP growth.
Not needing additional cards to use the TP during swaps would make it much better and more likely to be played.
Card: 017A "Dark Flow"
[+] range is now 2x3 (same as Indi Belra)
[+] remove Big Swing
Dark Flow is laregly outclassed by it's cheaper sibling, TJS - no need to roll 7, no weird Big Swing penalty, and TJS can actually heal
on it's own. All while keeping Enemy Bonus 1/2 but having less HP and a little less AP. To give the card some identity and
reason to be built over TJS, it'll now act more like the Hunter Equivalent of an Indi Belra.
Card: 0182 "Guld Milla"
[+] add Drain 1/3
Generally not built because you can't use ACs - you're forced to run buffs or risk getting completely blocked.
Kylria and Guykild generally wouldn't want to use it either because Rocket Punch and Yasminkov 9000 are cheaper and less likely to be
blocked. While it has an identity thanks to triple strike, it needs a little something extra to make it worth using -
so giving it survivability on top of that should help a lot.
Card: 0183 "Belra Cannon"
[-] AP: 6
[-] remove Dark Slayer
This is a pretty cracked weapon; removing Dark Slayer seems warranted considering the massive AP it already comes with.
The base AP has been lowered by 1 as well due to the fact it can hit multiple enemies, unlike other rifles with less base AP.
Card: 0187 "Power Maser"
[+] AP: =7
A bit underwelming due to the non-standard range, blocked AC use, and ignoring the base AP of the equipper. Essentially trading
AP with Belra Cannon.
Card: 0189 "Red Scorpio"
[+] HP: 5
[+] change Gun AP Count to 1/3 from 1/4
If you had 32 guns on the field, you would get 8AP...which probably won't happen unless you set that up with the enemy team.
Now you can have at least 2AP if 6 guns are on the field. Bumped survivability to match Guilty Light as well.
Card: 018A "NUG2000-Bazooka"
[+] add High-cost Slayer (1.5x to opponents that cost 4 or more AP)
Unfortunately this is (almost) completely outclassed by Gi Gue Bazooka. Card back is a nice ability but is generally only useful
if your opponent is defending their low cost cards. So now it has an ability to compete with high cost cards and Gi Gue Bazooka.
Card: 0194 "Talis"
[-] remove Timed Paralyze Death
[+] add AP Growth
[+] AP: 2
This is arguably a useless card as Naga just does it better for less. As such, I figured it could be retooled as a
foil to Mahu for Relmitos or a melee option for other forces.
Card: 019A "Technical Crozier"
[+] Cost: 2
[-] remove Freeze
[-] AP: 1
[-] TP: +1
[+] add Random TP minus 2
This card has been retooled because it is currently (more or less) Ice Staff Dagon but worse. Now it is more like a less powerful
but potentially more survivable (and cheaper) Indra.
Card: 01A3 "Barrier"
[+] HP: 4
General shield buff.
Card: 01A4 "Soul Barrier"
[+] HP: 5
General shield buff.
Card: 01A5 "Divinity Barrier"
[+] HP: 9
This actually has 7 HP on NTE as well, which has always struck me as a bit underpowered considering who the shield should
be defending against. Slightly more HP so it now outclasses Shield as a trade off for the additional cost.
Card: 01A6 "Red Ring"
[+] remove Impact Halfguard damage requirement
This has more HP in NTE but untouched due to buff of ability.
Generally not built because you can only have 1 and your equipment options become extremely limited. Counter, while awesome,
is unfortunately unreliable due to the 50% chance. It also won't activate against any techniques. So...how can you make
someone want to build Red Ring? I don't really think you can without retooling it, but if we lean into it's established identity,
I would say that Halfguard should be guaranteed. The card is still very vulnerable to HP swap attacks and giving it
a better counter chance seems like an exercise in frustration.
Card: 01A7 "Tripolic Shield"
[+] HP: 14
Safety Heart kind of just exists and hurts this card, but a higher HP difference with the general shield buffs would nonetheless help
viability. 12 HP on NTE, but NTE had a typo which resulted in the half guard checking for <13 HP so we aren't gonna use that...
Card: 01A8 "God's Shield Genbu"
[+] HP: 12
General shield buff. This was actually nerfed by Sonic Team; it had 13HP in vanilla and 14HP in NTE so going with another 1HP increment.
Card: 01AB "Flowen's Shield"
[+] HP: 8
General shield buffs.
Card: 01AD "Garuda"
[+] Cost: 1
Premium flight tax seems pretty unwarranted as this card gives you 0AP/TP and only has 2HP.
Card: 01AE "Bhirava"
[+] HP: 6
There are a decent number of mags that cost more because they have Halfguards against certain Monster types, but they don't really give
any additional bonuses to AP or TP while retaining extremely minimal HP levels. I believe these shoould be addressed via HP so they
have a reason to exist and can actually take more than one hit. For cards that cost 2 (like Bhirava), we will use vanilla Shield as a
reference since mags also get tagged by Guards Demolisher. For those that cost 3, it'll be 8 HP.
Card: 01B0 "Soniti"
[+] HP: 8
Half guard Mag buffs.
Card: 01B2 "Churel"
[+] HP: 8
Half guard Mag buffs.
Card: 01B3 "Preta"
[+] HP: 7
Half guard mag buffs. Slightly less due to Tech Halfguard covering Hunters and Arkz.
Card: 01B8 "Chu Chu"
[+] AP: 1
[+] TP: 1
Slight buff as this mag otherwise does nothing for your character before it explodes. The reward of 3 damage isn't really worth the
'dead' cost otherwise, unlike permanent AP/TP boosts.
Card: 01BA "Deva"
[+] HP: 5
HP more in line with other self-sacrificing mags - 2HP was unusually low for a 4 cost mag which is probably why it never gets built.
Card: 01BB "Rati"
[+] Cost: 3
Reduced cost as it essentially falls in line with other 3 cost mags outside of the flight tax.
Card: 01BE "Rukmin"
[+] HP: 7
[+] AP: 2
This card got nerfed pretty hard by Sonic Team at some point; restored some of the stats to it is more attractive to non-FO builds.
It is not a bad card but it'll be open to more decks.
Card: 01BF "Diwari"
[+] AP: 2
[+] TP: 2
Reverted to NTE stats - generally not built because +1 on a 5 cost sucks regardless of it's ability to heal or kill frozen enemies.
Card: 01C1 "Sato"
[+] TP: 2
Restored TP from NTE to open the card to more tech oriented builds. Generally unused due to HP Change Gimmmick, but now it'll fit in
with ... more HP Change Gimmicks.
Card: 024F "S-Red's Blade"
[+] change Major Halfguard to High Cost Halfguard
General Dagger buffs from Cross Scar being too awesome. This one functions against higher damage dealers, but requires them to
have 8 or more HP which is generally kind of weak. Switching to cost means it will generally be much tankier against such cards.
Card: 0250 "S-Berill's Hands"
[+] HP: 5
Doesn't need too much to compete with Cross Scar thanks to Def Cost 1 Disable giving it identity, but some survivability will help.
Card: 0251 "Bloody Art"
[+] Sword AP Count changed to 1/2
[+] remove Artifice
Absolute trash as-is. Reworking to Sword Count 1/2 and getting rid of Artifice will make it much, much more appealing and will
compete with Cross Scar in particular builds.
Card: 025A "Brionac"
[+] Revenge condition now 1x
[-] AP: 0
Typically not built as it struggles to remain on the field long enough with 1HP. Making Revenge 1x will make it a threat and force your opponent
to prioritize it for the ability instead of it's 1HP. Reduced base AP to 0 as a small offset when played initially.
Card: 025C "Red Slicer"
[+] AP: 3
Generally not played over Braveman because it has less AP and Native Influence. Native Influence is rather rare despite seemingly being
arbitrary, so I would prefer to buff it up to 3 AP to match it's 3 TP. This would make it particularly effective against MC decks
while not being almost useless against NA.
Card: 0262 "Silence Claw"
[+] Steady Damage decreased to 1HP
2HP is too steep and generally prevents this from being built. Big Swing and -1HP a turn on a 3 cost is enough.
Card: 0263 "Gobooma's Claw"
[+] Paralysis condition now 5,9
Put more in line with HS25 Justice and maybe we will actually see Booma/Gobooma combos being built. Paralysis can work on SC
unlike Freeze, but the reduction in range + lack of multi-hit gives it a trade off to HS.
Card: 0269 "Asuka"
[+] AP: 3
[+] Acid condition now 5,9
Not really worth the cost increase to run over Musashi while S&Y dumps on it. Characters with 8HP typically need more damage to kill
regardless, so buffed AP. 4AP may be a bit excessive for the AOE range so increased odds of Acid as well (slightly) to help kill
bigger targets.
Card: 026A "Yamato"
[+] Freeze condition now 4,9
Not really worth the cost increase to run over Musashi while S&Y dumps on it. Made more likely to freeze since it generally
doesn't need the AP when killing things with <3HP (in line with Richie.)
Card: 026B "God Hand"
[-] HP: 7
[-] AP: 2
Slight decrease to survivability and AP in light of Def 1 Disable + AP Silence. Still a pretty solid card with nerfs.
Card: 026F "Ruby Bullet"
[+] change Immobile condition to 4,9
Difficult to reach a comparable 3000R stat on your own so it is generally avoided. It will have more of an identity with an "easy"
immobile (and will remain potentially solid in a 2 RA team.)
Card: 027D "MA60 Vise"
[+] remove TP Loss
Already has less AP than Mechgun in multiple situations; it shoudln't have TP Loss so Psychogun/techs can be run with it in a deck.
Card: 0280 "Burning Visit"
[+] HP: 12
[+] AP: 4
Disproportionately dwarfed by the preceding Iron Faust for 1 more cost. Now more attractive for a cheaper tank item.
Card: 0285 "Photon Launcher"
[+] remove Big Swing
Big Swing penalty not really warranted in light of Heavy requirement and 1/3 Gun AP. Still an uncommon build but might see
more use in low cost decks.
Card: 028C "Fatsia"
[+] HP: 6
[+] Immobile condition now 5,9
Doesn't really see much use, if any, due to only having +2 TP and low HP. Higher odds of immobile with more survivability may
help for Relmitos decks at least.
Card: 028D "Hildebear's Cane"
[+] remove TP Loss
[+] AP: 1
[-] TP: 0
TP loss is kind of extreme considering that Tech doesn't stack; reworked TP instead. Should increase usage drastically...if you like
tech anyway.
Card: 0290 "Alive Aqhu"
[+] HP: 6
[+] TP: 2
Generally not used because the stats don't really back up the healing abilities. As a force item, you generally want some TP, so slight
buff to TP should make it more usable thanks to also buffing TP Power.
Card: 0292 "Marina's Bag"
[+] add Yellow Link
Feeble is a pretty huge penalty considering you can't cast techs with this item. Allowing it to cast may see it run more often,
though it still is running 0TP. But HP Assist just isn't worth what the card asks for as-is.
Card: 0293 "Fire Scepter:Agni"
[+] HP: 4
Indra can potentially exceed 3TP; Agni can't so it doesn't get built as 3HP usually isn't enough to stop half guarded techs.
1 more HP would help it combat more techniques at least.
Card: 0296 "Standstill Shield"
[+] HP: 25
General shield buffs.
Card: 0297 "Safety Heart"
[+] HP: 8
General shield buffs.
Card: 02C1 "Game Gather"
[+] Time Bomb now 8 turns
10 turns is just too long; nobody builds it as a result.
Card: 02C4 "Nintendo Kids"
[+] Timed HP Sacrifice is now 8 turns
10 turns is just too long; nobody builds it as a result.
==================
ACTIONS
Card: 003C "Berserk +"
[+] Cost: 1
This card is effectively obsolete due to HP Attack and Kamikaze. Rarely is it worth it to give up a card when one more
would give you no penatly with twice the damage. If you are damaged, Kamikaze does the same thing except in a full circle.
While it still underperforms against these cards, it is much more viable trade off at 1 cost.
Card: 003F "Counter +"
[-] SC Block (No effect if used against SC)
Block from being used against direct SC attacks to line up with Companion and RNG mechanics being unpopular.
Card: 0043 "Gather +"
[+] Cost: 2
This card primarily benefits low cost decks, but it isn't very useful considering you actively need 5 monsters for it to outclass Guard
and it competes with the likes of Counter+, Companion, and Creature Guards. Reducing the cost will put it further in line with low cost
strategies and potentially more attractive than things like Guard and Avert.
Card: 009E "Thread"
[+] change Immobile Condition to 1-3
Hold is great but the odds of getting it are poor. Immobile, while useful, is difficult to roll because it doesn't trigger with
higher dice, Fevers, and can even fail on Half. Removing the ability to fail Immobile on 1 will (hopefully?) make it more usable.
Card: 00A2 "Guom Trap"
[-] Cost: 3
Good card but not without some risk early on. 2 is definitely too low but 4 seems a bit excessive for zero damage guarantee.
Card: 00B2 "Ghost Blast"
[+] change condition from n/3 to n/3+2
People play this sometimes but it usually does nothing. You can't use Ally characters to boost this, so you have to lose a whopping
15 monsters/items before it becomes cost effective. It is difficult to make this card work without breaking it, but giving it a base 2AP
should make it more viable without rocking the boat.
Card: 00B3 "Double-Edged Dice"
[-] Cost: 4
This is too strong on low cost Arkz decks as a Mothmant can essentially take down any other card in the game (bar SCs) for a dice roll.
In early game/large maps, you often don't really have any consequences for trying it. Actually you deny the opponent EXP for a low HP
kill that would be otherwise (possibly) difficult to prevent. Needing 5 minimum to set it up in one turn should weaken it signifigantly,
but still allow the card to be used on existing monsters (low cost/low hp) effectively for potentially high payouts. Plus you would still
be able to do the set up with good rolls.
Card: 00B6 "Overswing"
[+] change Hold to Immobile
This card is basically a death sentence, so you can only play it in very niche situations...replacing hold with Immobile would make it
a risky play but you would at least be able to defend. It doesn't really feel worth using otherwise.
Card: 008A "Attack"
[+] Cost: 0
This is essentially a beginner card that quickly falls out of use. While it functions as a free card when you have 1 remaining,
making it truly free may help make it relevant in AC heavy and low cost decks.
Card: 0094 "Snipe"
[+] AP: +2
Very rare reach but also rarely built due to costing 2 and having no AP. Slash can have+2; Snipe being single target having +2 seems fair.
Card: 00BC "Knock Out"
[-] add Fixed Damage 0
Too strong for a card that costs 3. Fixed damage penalty would reduce some of the bite while keeping rather strong.
Card: 00C0 "Curse"
[+] Remove Fixed Damage
[-] Cost: 2
While Curse sounds cool on paper, it is rarely built because you're killing your card...to do damage to the opponent when they kill more
of your cards. Allowing the users' base damage to apply on top of the curse would dramatically increase the usefulness.
Slight increase in cost since this could remove a number of kills that the curse would otherwise need.
Card: 00C3 "Technique"
[+] Cost: 0
This card has uses but it is fairly rare - you need to hold it until you have a tech in your hand, and it effectively increases the
cost of all techniques by 1 on top of it by virtue of costing 1. Considering that you give up a slot in your deck and a slot in your
hand more often than not, I think it would be much more dynamic and useful for the card to be "free."
Card: 00C4 "Double Technique"
[+] Cost: 3
While there are situations where Double Technique is better than Concentration, it is even rarer for those to be worth the cost difference.
Lowering the cost by 1 would make using this card more realistic and allow some previously gated strategies (IE Inolis/Peko would not
be the only ones who could use with Grants.)
Card: 00C1 "Combo"
I dunno what to do with this but it seems completely usless due to the existence of Unit Blow.
Card: 00CB "Wall"
[+] add Yellow top
Wall is generally a beginner card: once you get Protect you tend to build that or Guard for yourself. The ability to defend yourself
or your teammate is nice, but Reduction is often a lot better at this. Seeing as tech defense is generally
lacking this would drastically increase it's usefulness and give it some additional identity.
Card: 00D1 "HP Defense"
[+] Cost: 1
This card is alright but it isn't built because it only works in a very specific situation - when a heavy hitting monster is near death.
Reducing the cost would make it a decent "premium" (non-standard) defense choice.
Card: 00F2 "Explosion"
[+] Cost: 3
Generally a gimmick card due to high cost and being unable to take full advantage of it without Deflation. While you'd still need
to roll a 9, it would at least be possible to chain 3 without a specific assist. Also benefits a number of meme/gimmick strategies.
Card: 00F4 "Traitor"
[+] fix the card
[-] change Heal to 1/3 instead of 1/2
Potentially a very interesting card, but 1/2 is overkill - you could heal a whopping 15 HP if you have a team Monest deck.
Being 1/2 would put Friend Recovery out of a job too.
Card: 0202 "Lock on 1"
[+] Cost: 1
Generally neglected because nobody wants to spend 2 on blocking a 1 cost card. Avert may actually be disabled if Lock 1 cost is decreased.
Card: 0205 "Change Attack"
[+] Cost: 2
Not a bad card; but generally not used as it has AP=0. Reduced cost will likely encourage use with general shield buffs.
Card: 0209 "Acceleration"
[+] remove Fixed Damage
[-] AP: 0
[-] Cost: 3
Greatly expands usability for all decks without modifying the base stats. Essentially locked to Minor/Major death weapons otherwise,
this could make MV much more dynamic and important for both Arkz and Hunters.
Card: 021C "Patience"
[+] HP: +6
[+] Ally OK
As this card can be all or nothing due to the build of your opponent's deck, expanding the team functionality while giving
it a slight edge on Protection would make it more appealing to take the risk on.
Card: 021D "Defense 7"
[+] Cost: 3
Kind of like an upgraded survival, but the current cost generally prevents usage.
Card: 021E "NA Guard"
[-] Cost: 4
In contrast to Fields, Monster Guards are generally a lot better because they cost less while exceeding the capabilities of higher
cost defense cards. Bringing them up to the same level of Hunter guards is needed to curb their use.
Card: 021F "AB Guard"
[-] Cost: 4
Guard balance.
Card: 0220 "MC Guard"
[-] Cost: 4
Guard balance.
Card: 0221 "DK Guard"
[-] Cost: 4
Guard balance.
Card: 0226 "Reflection"
[+] chance now 70%
[-] Cost: 4
[-] SC Block
Parity with Counter; block from being used against direct SC attacks to line up with Companion and RNG mechanics being rather unpopular.
Card: 0227 "Counter"
[-] SC Block
Block from being used against direct SC attacks to line up with Companion and RNG mechanics being unpopular.
Card: 0228 "SP Counter"
[+] chance now 50%
Parity with Counter+ but also because the text says it is. No SC block due to no damage and only Paralysis can apply to SC.
Card: 0239 "Reversal"
[+] Cost: 3
This is a rather high gamble; considering that you do not return any damage regardless (and the card is SC blocked), I believe it should
be on parity with Counter+.
Card: 023A "Inversion"
[+] Cost: 2
Same logic as Reversal except maintaining lower cost ratio - due to card potentially being an all or nothing from opponent deck.
Big gamble so it does not outclass Patience.
Card: 0241 "Skip Turn"
[-] Cost: 4
Ignoring current 6 cost gimp. Too strong at 3 cost but can be countered too reliably (with decent decks) to be worth using at 5 and above.
If Matt can modify Assist definitions, changing the Turn to 7th (over 5th) would be preferable.
Card: 0242 "Battle Royale"
[+] Cost: 3
[+] Assist turns: 4
Generally not used because Deflation almost always does so much more for your deck at the same time. Costing the same and lasting twice
as long may make it more appealing for non-AC decks.
Card: 0299 "Parry"
[+] Cost: 3
Generally not worth running at 4 cost, especially when considering you can only run 1 and that it may still penalize you.
May see more use at 3 but probably an uncommon card regardless.
=================
ASSISTS
Card: 00F5 "Dice Half"
[+] Cost: 2
Generally useful but not ran often due to costing more than Dice+1 currently. Being cheaper will make it more viable for certain
rolling gimmicks. More significant reduction in light of Dice+1 buff.
Card: 00F6 "Dice+1"
[+] Cost: 2
This originally cost 1, but Sonic Team nerfed it for some reason. Stepping away from Min Roll 2 - which I believe is necessary for
overall balance - will increase the popularity of the card again. Reducing the cost to a middle ground seems reasonable.
Card: 00F9 "Land Price"
[+] Cost: 3
Largely rendered obsolete by Old Type (yes i know not fully); lowering cost so it can compete as an option in more situations.
Card: 0100 "ATK Dice Double"
[+] Cost: 2
Eyce nerfed this. Guaranteed +2 for the cost of 1 is a bit strong, but 3 makes it rather uncommon since the payout is often
two gambles (hoping that you roll a 4 to do something and play the card, then hoping you roll a 5 to take advantage of it.)
The idea of trading 2 for 2 seems like a good compromise.
Card: 0101 "Deflation"
[-] Cost: 3
Well, we all agree this is a bit strong for what it allows and we generally agree that Inflation costs too much to bother building.
The solution is to use the inbetween price for both.
Card: 0102 "Inflation"
[+] Cost: 3
Well, we all agree Deflation is a bit strong for what it allows and we generally agree that Inflation costs too much to bother building.
The solution is to use the inbetween price for both.
Card: 0103 "Exchange"
[+] Cost: 0
This card has some interesting uses but it basically doesn't get built for three reasons: you lose 1 point for playing it, you could end
up without any defense, and you'll always exchange for the same or less due to default rule set (swap high ATK.) Considering such risk,
I think having it be free would make for an interesting change in many situations.
Card: 0104 "Influence"
[+] Cost: 4
Too expensive for what it does. A duo team would need to (somehow) build 16 low cost monsters and keep them alive to receive 8AP.
On the other hand, you'll only get 4AP if you build up 8 monsters alone. This is rare and more often than not you will be better
off building March of the Meek which only costs 2 and doesn't lose any AP when something dies. Generally Meek will still be
a better choice with 4 cost Influence, but you can play more monsters with Influence in the same turn or move more often at least.
Card: 0107 "Fly"
[+] Cost: 2
Fly is often given a premium 'tax' by Sonic Team, which is odd considering the status comes with a trade off. I do not believe
this is warranted on most cards but instead of buffing every single card with the effect, allowing decks to make better use of
the assist seems like a better approach.
Card: 0109 "Permission"
[+] Assist Turns: 6
Rarely built but a cost buff is a bit meaningless considering Technique. Increasing the turn count allows it to function as an alternative
or addition to Technique as you can risk playing the assist immediately instead of holding onto it and losing the ability to draw a card.
Card: 012C "Inheritance"
[-] Cost: 5
Way too strong at 3 cost and can easily snowball in team or 1v1 games. Killed a Nano Dragon? Just gave the opponent a permanent
+1. Del Rappy got on the field? How about two bonuses...? Ah, you're looking for budget options - have no fear, Sinow Beat and Sega
Saturn are here. Unfortunately the effect is hardcoded as an assist so we can't reduce the amount to 1/2.
If Matt CAN change this, tuning the effect to 1/2 instead of full with 4 cost would be sufficient instead.
Card: 0139 "Old Type"
[-] Cost: 4
[-] Turns: 4
Has the ability to be incredibly strong with proper timing; reduced turns and cost lessen this threat considerably.
Card: 014B "Reverse Card"
[-] Cost: 3
I know everyone hates this card, but it's really good at changing the flow of a game. At 3 cost it can hopefully be used without stigma!
Card: 010E "AP Absorption"
[+] Cost: 3
Not a bad card by any means but somewhat rare due to essentially requiring a very high roll to take advantage of.
Lowering the cost slightly would help offset this to a degree though I suspect it will still be uncommon outside of Tech (ability) decks.
Card: 0127 "FC Trash"
[-] Cost: 3
This is potentially a debilitating card and as such is a bit too good at 2 cost considering you can select who it gets applied to.
Card: 0134 "Ransom"
Update description to say that technique damage is not blocked
Card: 013B "Immortality"
[-] Cost: 3
Team-based Immortal decks can be a problem; a cost increase will reduce the ability for them to snowball early on.
Card: 0142 "Saber Dance"
[+] Cost: 2
The increased cost of these fields are an unwarranted advantage to Arkz considering how decks are typically structured.
Card: 0143 "Bullet Storm"
[+] Cost: 2
The increased cost of these fields are an unwarranted advantage to Arkz considering how decks are typically structured.
Card: 0144 "Cane Palace"
[+] Cost: 2
The increased cost of these fields are an unwarranted advantage to Arkz considering how decks are typically structured.
Card: 014C "Vengeance"
[+] Turns: 8
Most of the time this card has no effect because of the sheer number of kills needed to get a cost effective increase.
Doubling the time frame should at least make this card a somewhat effective deterrent.
Card: 014D "Squeeze"
[+] Cost: 2
Gimped by Sonic Team. You pretty much would always build this when it was one cost, but at 3 it generally isn't too useful considering
that you give up slots in your deck and can need to hold it for an extended time. Going the middle road with 2 cost would expand
the usefulness of the card and make it appear more often.
