Blood Magic was overnerfed. I've never seen an ability get +3 ap cost and -2 range in one patch, not only that but it's on the attack chain now. Those 3 combined nerfs make Blood Magic terrible. This is the biggest single nerf to an ability in the many years I've known this game. Blood Magic is terrible now. Suggested change: I think Blood Magic should be 1 or 2 ap, range 5, and not deal 8 loss of life if target(s) are not already bloodied. The attack chain nerf (+ 1 ap nerf) should be enough. This is a -1 range +attack chain version of the previous blood magic. The current blood magic is just too much ap and not enough range. You're better off spending 1 ap on movement/storing it and 3 on a basic attack 90% of the time. And I don't think the loss of life to non-bloodied targets is where we want the power on this ability considering the point of a blood deck is to have multiple ways to bloody their opponent. Any better ideas to save Blood Magic?
Also, this nerf especially destroys Sheoul Magus - one of the coolest designs in the game. What is the point in Recharge-Blood Magic design if it costs a whopping 10 ap to make good use of it.
Binding Chains is way better for the same nora cost. Same dmg (although not loss of life, which I admit is a significant advantage sometimes) ensnared 2, and reduces cd by 1, and 1 less ap to use. Binding Chains works at range 3 because of the safety ensnare provides. Instead of cc, Blood Magic heals and destealths. Neither of which justify walking in range 3 of multiple targets and spending 4 ap to activate blood magic like Binding Chains does.
Put Blood Magic back 5 nora and 3 AP. Maybe decrease CD. Thematic abilities should be cheaper to make a theme worth running.
Blood magic should not cost as much as an attack, especially if the range is only 3. See my above posts.
@TeaNinja can you explain in a bit more detail as to why exactly this change hurts Blood decks so much (beside the AP and range being obvious nerfs)? I ask because I've been thinking about building a Blood deck, but I don't know how they play.
Blood Magic was essentially the blood theme enabler, much like Goblin Thievery is for Goblins or Creep n Crawl for Spiders. There are other synergies with blood than just Blood Magic, but Blood Magic was the best way to spread the Bloodied condition to enemies without having to use a spell. This condition wasn't just for further Blood Magics, but for Bloodseeker, Hunter: Bloodied, Blood Dispersal, Blood Knowledge. Also Blood decks have some synergies but they will not be very competitive without a good Blood Magic. Doesn't have to cost 1 ap, but anymore than 2 is too much. And Range 3 is ridiculously low when you compare it to the CC Binding Chains provides as I touched on earlier in this thread. I really don't understand why Blood Magic was (over)nerfed. In my time playing since my return after a long time, I did not see anyone really running Blood at 1500 or higher rank. Yet this was the biggest single nerf to an ability I've ever seen. I love ya @Sokolov but you leave me baffled with this move, I'd really like to know what you were thinking. I really don't think Blood Magic was OP, if it was people would be using it all the time in the higher ranks but they don't.
That's how I feel about the Elsari Coven nerf. Not nearly as big of one, sure, but it certainly hurt the Witch theme's ability to slow down rush decks. That is a good explanation, thank you. Hopefully we'll get at least an explanation to the reasoning behind it. :|
It should be cheaper than binding chains, the ability it mirrors, which is 7 nora. So 5 would be okay.
Cooldown 3. That would be interesting but at the current ap cost + being on attack chain it doesn't matter if the cd is cd 1 or even cd 0, because the ap cost and range is so prohibitive. Here's 2 different versions I'd like you to consider. 1: 1 ap, 5 range, on attack chain. Only deals loss of life if already bloodied. (pre-nerf Blood Magic but on the attack chain) 2: 2 ap, 4 range, off attack chain. Only deals loss of life if already bloodied. (pre-nerf Blood Magic with +1 ap and -1 range)
