Cactuar Crate - Coalitions Edition

NO!!!!!!

 

Unless I was expecting to kill the Backlash unit in a couple rounds, probably wouldn't deploy UT into it. That's an Absorb Magic or almost an Afflicted Corpse, man. If Backlash is already out and I was certain it wouldn't die before Tomb -- hell no. FW has plenty of more resilient and more relevant ways to generate an incremental advantage over a similar or shorter time, of a similar or larger magnitude, than dropping Tomb into Backlash.

 

They can always just Doom your backlash dude, just to flip you the bird.

 

Sok do us all a favor and ignore anything dmr says about FW from now on. He just made it quite clear of his bias against the faction. FW is not low skill floor, it isn't mostly aoe, I don't know what this dude is on about but he sure as hell has no idea how to balance FW.

Because that would be a freaking outstanding use of doom.

 

Random question. Why is Zombie Herder only 5 nora? Its an AoE Invigorate 1.5 that also removes a -20 nora ability pretty much permanately since its off CD when it expires.

 

@KingJad Except of course for the fact that I currently play IS barbs and have cashed in most of my FW runes

 

Its about sending a message. Namely, fuuu.

 

You have been told, repeteadly, that DMr plays FW very often. It's his secondary faction, if not primary. At this point, you probably just don't want to hear/believe this, because I doubt your memory or reading skills are the problem. But if you go down the "I don't wanna believe" route, well, DMr has a lot more stree-- I mean, pox cred than you do.


Also, it's a well known fact that you just like to speak badly of people that you end up not liking for various reasons, and you don't much care whether you speak the truth or not, as long as you get to attack them.

Anyways, read and weep:

Spoiler

 

At some point in time we will come full circle and realise that dmr is generally right about balance concerns. Calling stuff out that is broken always proves to be right. Spotting the silly stuff ahead of time. Just when we'll all accept it, who knows.



On topic of the UT vs Backlash, the fact that I can always deploy UT and still cash in more nora than I lose (although I take the tempo hit, but im going to write a thread about this tempo stuff in the near future, stay tuned) and still do global loss of life damage makes it a brainless deploy. If the counter is weaker than the 'to be countered', why would I never not smash down UT when I draw it. As mentioned, backlash is mostly on subpar combat champs. The only real good options are the draksar and ancient implications.

The big part is that I spend 35 nora on a relic to force you to spend either a spell (ST) or a champ to play against me. In game, your deploy order and what you deploy is incredibly important. If I force you to deploy a champ that you might not want in that situation just by deploying a relic that is doing global damage and pay itself off anyway, it will still be worth it because your board control will be weakened. You have to invest more nora to counter me because it comes in the package of a champ.

I don't know why backlash was nerfed, I felt like it was in a great spot at 1:1. Nora gen is one, if not the most powerful mechanics in the game, because it fundamentally changes how the game is played. With more nora than the other player, you fundamentally have an advantage over the other player in a chesslike boardgame. Imagine getting an extra pawn every 5 turns in chess. I keep bringing this up, but it's no coincidence Ryvirath called Nora Gen to be the dumbest mechanic in Pox and asked for it's removal from the game.

I've been thinking about making a thread about nora gen vs tempo that I think will hopefully put some things into perspective. I'll get on it after I get lunch today.

tldr UT is still a brainless "I draw it so I use it" rune and backlash is incredibly poor at countering one of the strongest mechanics in the game.

 

I still believe a big part of the answer was to make it so UT can't be deployed somewhere in the back and adjust the numbers from there. Make it placeable adjacent to the font or friendly champions. That way, both countering it and keeping it safe are more of a part of the overall board movements. The opponent would still have to swim through waves of meat to get to it, but it's very different than at the back of the Shrine.


UT vs Backlash is a weird situation. We want Backlash to work as a counter because we don't normally have much else for counters. But at the same time, making Backlash the only viable counter can effectively mean -1 deck space (assuming it doesn't outright shoebox UT). That is a BIG impact on the game.

You dedicate spaces for detection, anti-summons, anti-ghost, anti-nora gen and warbanners and a few more. If you keep doing that and adding to that, you will eventually all feel what I'm talking about. You'll strangle your deckbuilding options. And if that doesn't happen in that scenario, it'll be due to a return of ability powercreep, where champions are expected to do a lot more things and cover a lot more roles to be worthwile includes.

Yes, I'm talking long term stuff here, but nevertheless, I think the way to go is to allow as many things as possible to fit into the board movement/play aspect of Poxnora and less into deploying and counter-deploying. And for UT that means giving players some options to fight it "normally". Let them try to get to it or to protect it. Don't make it impossible to reach.


Heck, while you're at it, revamp the relic deployment rules if you're feeling bold. Don't allow any relics to be deployed in the back, effectively out of reach of the opponent, UNLESS a champion goes there to place the relic.



Done with the rant, you can go back to discussing your hopes for your light and savior, Backlash.

 

Throne of the Circle may be a little over the top.

 

Yeah, I think we all (veteran players) agreed to this at some point.
Problem is, though, that post SoE era Pox is being utterly populated (here and in the forums) by noobs and people who used to be Exotic/Rare league tier at all times and are now top 10 (I wont say names so people wont feel bad, but they know who they are).
So what is being done? Game is being designed to those players, or as I like to think it the game is being "dumbed down" to please said players.
I get DMR's rage, I really do, and I agree with him. Backlash change is the prime example of that. But I'm done suggesting or spending my time trying to help, it's much better to watch the ship sail to the end of the world than to be a part of it.

 

There is such a small group of players who I would consider a credible and reliable source of feedback -- and i mean really small, maybe 2 or 3 people.

there are a few others who are good but only on their factions, or that are good but only play and comment occasionally, but very few who can be relied on to say something useful -- which i think is a big part of why patches often miss the target.

So it would be a real shame to see you withdraw DMr, and I mean that in a real impact the game sense.

 

Look dude, I may not agree with all your opinions but I just feel sometimes you let your disdain for playing vs FW cloud your judgement. You make some really good points about Tomb, but you mix it up in a conversation about backlash. Backlash was not ONLY made for tomb, and so if backlash is too weak, which I believe is arguable, then maybe suggest how it should be changed instead of tomb.

On the topic of tomb, the current state is nearly as bad as the previous state. Make tomb damage all units and still only gen off enemy units. Then make it cost -5 nora, -5 hp. Also give it something along the lines of shrine aversion. These changes will still make it an impactful rune, but require a little though into using. It also restors some flavor that was lost when you removed the keying off undead.

Please do not leave the game, I know it may seem like I hate you, but dammit I still respect the hell out of you. You were very correct about most of the deployed relic changes, and I think the game will benefit from it. Don't let a scuffle with a scrub like me get in the way of helping this game.

 

I, for one, would like to see how things go with him NOT being around. DMR alone has kept Pox balance in check for a few years now, I think it's time the guy gets a break.
He will still play the game, he just won't be making those huge posts with photos and whatnot that take a huge chunck of time out of anyone who is willing to help. There is a council for that, or you guys think it's just so you get previewed with runes before others?
Roll up your sleeves, gents.

 

Standup post, mate.

 

Sure, there's a council but the council are really no different to any other players -- we don't get paid, we don't get free runes, we don't really get anything. There is no obligation that comes with being on the council, and if people there are too busy, don't feel qualified on a subject, or just don't feel like contributing there is nothing that says they should do.

So I think those like you who have opted out, or have been asked but turned it down, really have no right to criticise. Maybe you could have done better, but you chose not to. So I think if you have balance issues you want to rant about, then put up or shut up - i.e contribute, make an analysis thread. 'I quit the council' doesn't mean anything,