My Thoughts on the Balance Patch

We've got a new balance patch to review. One over-arching theme with this patch is a boost to a midrange playstyle. 4 and 5 mana cards are seeing buffs/reworks and some of the hard control tools that punish midrange have been reduced. Some people are thrilled. Some are pretty mad. Let's take a closer look.

Buffs

Ash Reader

Ash Reader – Stats changed, mana cost decreased
Change stats from 7/6 to 5/4
Change mana cost from 7 to 5

This was a dead card that no one played. At 5 mana, it might be playable in a midrange deck that we just haven't seen yet. More Unbound Flames anyone? Don't worry, a creature-centric deck playing this card won't be looking for Unbound Flames (as it kills your own creatures!). More likely bringing back Alastrina or more ramp. Most likely, this card won't see play unless an upcoming set gives it a home.

Thaeric Inquisitor

Thaeric Inquisitor – Stats changed, mana cost decreased
Change stats from 5/4 to 5/5

Slight buff to a midrange card. Not enough on its own to make any difference, but if midrange is boosted enough overall, then maybe.

Big Bony Bastard

Big Bony Bastard – Stats changed
Change stats from 4/5 to 5/5

Seeing the theme? Some buffs to lots of cards at the 5 mana slot. Particularly now that Martyr hard counters GE, the balance team is clearly trying to make other options playable. This would be playable in a Quorum deck. It can high-roll ward or hidden. In short: no one will play this still.

Bone Roller

Bone Roller – Text changed
Change text from “Roar: Tempt fate and apply the result to each friendly creature.” to ”Blitz. Roar: Tempt fate and apply the result to each friendly creature.”

Since its release, the community pointed out that this card had to have blitz. I mean just look at it. No one will ever play it, but at least the card makes sense now. Recall that they basically killed Tempt Fate cards after the community uproar about more rng. (Although one change to that coming up in this patch!)

Nerfs

Radiant Embalmer

Radiant Embalmer – Mana cost changed
Change mana cost from 4 to 5

This nerf to control light is welcome. It may or may not be enough, but at least it sends a clear sign that the team is aware that Control Light is still oppressively strong. Of course, the real culprit is order, but at least now they can't bring back Censure and play it same turn at 5 mana. Gives aggro a slightly bigger window to win.

Faithbreaker

Faithbreaker – Stats changed
Change stats from 1/4 to 1/1

He's dead. Both Yawgmoth and ImBryn confirmed that he was killed because they didn't like the card from a design perspective. It was clearly too strong, but rather than the usual slight adjustment, it was a slaughter. There is still a deck where FB could be a 1x (death burn with desecrated shrine, chimeras, firespreaders etc) but he needs to come out of the current meta zombie decks.

They've also signaled clearly in discord that they aren't happy with Over the Line, but that nerfing it at this point would crater Death's win rate. Looks like tough times ahead for quite a few Death decks.

Flame of the Second Shattering

Flame of the Second Shattering – Text Changed
Change text from: ”Deal 4 damage. If you have 9 mana unlocked deal 8 instead.” to ”Deal 4 damage. If you have 9 mana unlocked deal 7 instead.”

Minor nerf. Can now do 14 from hand at 9 mana instead of 16. A nice, measured change from the balance team.

Recovering Sigil

Recovering Sigil – Text changed
Change text from: ”Heal 3 to each friendly character. Draw a card.” to ”Heal 2 to each friendly character. Draw a card.”

Another measured nerf. Also a another nerf to control light.

Moramag, Bane of Black Isle

Moramag, Bane of Black Isle – Text changed
Change text from ”Roar: If you have 8 cards or more in hand, deal 8 damage to each enemy character.” to ”Roar: If you have 8 cards or more in hand, deal 8 damage to each enemy creature.”

This is what has people up in arms. Mainly magic players used to cheesing the late game with this guy. Control magic shifted from creature-based finishers (like Helian Elite) to damage based spell finishers at least in part due to this guy's 8 face damage. With Flame of the Second Shattering and now the rise of Arcane Burst + Pyrrhic Knowledge, the 8 damage here needed to go. Sorry to my Magic friends, but hey, at least they didn't give him the Faithbreaker treatment!

Oni Spellsword

Oni Spellsword – Stats changed
Change stats from 1/3 to 0/3

The nerf that in some situations is a buff. The one extra damage is not too big a loss, but now it will be a little easier to re-ward oni by playing another card. Consider playing a 2/1 Academy Apprentice. A wardless 1/3 oni goes to 2/3 and then the apprentice gets ward. Now a 0/3 Oni will go to 1/3 and get ward. This is a marginal case, but does slightly offset the loss in strength.

Changes

Cunning Challenger

Cunning Challenger – Card changed
Change stats from 6/7 to 4/4
Change mana cost from 6 to 4
Change text from: ”Empower 1: Tempt fate.” to “Tempt fate.At the start of your turn, tempt fate.”

A playable Tempt Fate card?! Arguably slightly worse on the turn played than the guaranteed hidden from Feral Shapeshifter, but with two important upsides:

• Tempt Fate every turn! He can build up buffs, re-hide, gain ward, etc.
• He's a Viking. Much better for war than the wild shapeshifter.

I'm really happy to see this change. The empower War cards were all painfully lackluster. Also, this card design mitigates the RNG by giving you multiple rolls if it stays a live. Looks fun and can't wait to play it - even if it doesn't become meta.

White Fur Guard

White Fur Guard – Card changed
Change stats from 7/6 to 5/4
Change mana cost from 6 to 4
Change text from: ”Empower 3: Give +7/+7 to this creature.” to ”Frontline. Empower 1: This creature gains protected.”

More empower war love!

This card keeps empower, so it can synergize with Garron and Mobilized to have its cost reduced. With 1 point of reduction, you can play a 5 mana 5/4 frontline with protected. That can't be Martyred. Very nice.

Salvaging Archive

Salvaging Archive – Card Changed
Change text from: ”Regen 1. Roar: Deal 5 damage to this creature.” to ”Roar: Take 2 damage for each other creature on the board.”

An interesting change. Obviously, a strong card to play on an empty board. Actually gets worse if you are ahead or behind on board. A completely dead card if your opponent controls the card. Against a full board of 1/1 zombies, you're left with a 6/3 creature (after regen). I can't think of what I would play it in, but surely @cautionfun will spend countless hours trying to figure out something.

Dolvav

Just a text change. No change to the actual card.

Nythos, Mage-Weaver

Nythos, Mage-Weaver – Card Changed
Increase mana cost from 2 to 4
Increase stats from 1/2 to 3/3
Change text from “Ability: Unlock a mana lock for this turn, and refresh 1 mana. Empower 2: Deal 2 damage to the weakest enemy creature.” to ”Roar & Ability: Target an enemy creature. Transform it into a random creature that costs 1 less mana.”

I haven't made up my mind yet on this one. It's definitely better than it was, but is it good? For one mana more, Ratify turns a Helian Elite into a 1/1 rat. Nythos turns it into a 7 drop - many of which are really strong. So in that case, you'd be better off with Ratify.

The upside for Nythos is that you can (theoretically) transform multiple times. However, with 3/3 stats and no form of protection, he's going to get killed quickly without a lot of setup or being so far ahead on board that it doesn't matter. Control magic doesn't "do board" and CDM doesn't want this card.

It's an interesting anti-anubian card. Being 4 mana gets it out of Curse of Greed range. Blight bomb still gets it, but if you can transform a Priestess and then soak up a blight bomb, I think you're happy with the trade.

I constantly remind myself that the balance team can also see the next set - or at least the general direction of it. If Magic gains access to a board-centric playstyle, it might work. There are some currently unplayed cards that summon multiple frontliners, for example. Maybe his use becomes clearer later.

Conclusion

A solid balance patch. It hasn't resolved all the issues. Nature is still in the absolute dumpster. (Light's Verdict wasn't as kind to it as other gods, which didn't help.) I'd like to see some of Deception's tools toned down a bit. This patch did tone down control Magic and control Light, which are positives. It also breathed some life into some of the sad War cards that no one played. Trying to read between the lines suggests an attempt to boost a midrange play style, which makes me happy. Unbound Flames combo'd with either ramp or mana reduction has been brutal. Tempt fate adding ward and empower 1 adding protected will help.