For the most part I am not looking to nerf things but instead looking to reduce rng and improve game health. Keep in mind adjustments to neutrals and other factions affected other adjustments so be sure to look at all of it before criticizing.
My core fundamentals that I am adamant about are reducing RNG and Highrolls at a competitive level as much as possible, removing polarizing effects, removing large amounts of uncounterable burn, and avoiding nerfs in favor of reworking things to have counterplay.
The game is designed for there to be powerful answer or die cards, as well as strong faction staples that give them and or their archetypes identity. There is nothing wrong with powerful cards as long as they do not have polarizing effects and or lack counterplay. I want there to be powerful decks, factions, and archetypes, I just want there to be counterplay and not have polarizing archetypes creating rock paper scissor effects.
This is still a work in progress, I would love constructive criticism, and there are likely still some things I have missed, but in general I disagree with most calls for nerfs, and instead want to hear ideas for buffs, reducing RNG, or creating stronger cards but now with counterplay.
I also went over it in a bit more detail on stream while I was still working on it, as people were curious.
At bare Minimum we desperatly need to see at least this ASAP:
Wanderer: Ideally a complete rework removing the highlander aspect and idealy revolving around neutral units. At bare minimum a nerf to seven mana and the buff only applies to units summoned from your action bar. Yes that is a massive nerf, but it is one of the most unhealthy cards ever released.
Khanumkha- to 4 mana, 2/3, remove flying. Or alternatively make it only replace wind dervishes but keep its flying/stats. Either way changing it to four mana helps take the crowding off of five mana. Perhaps something as simple as leaving it the same but adding āKhas may only attack a general once per turn.ā could also do the trick.
Those two changes alone will open up the meta letting there be checks and balances to the other top tier decks, although there are certainly more things that could use addressing we desperately need at least that. But Rag and Ziran likely could use some small adjustments as well.
I use the word āunitā to refer to both minions and generals to save text space and be consistent.
Neutral:
Summary
Wanderer: Ideally a complete rework removing the highlander aspect and ideally revolving around neutral units. My issue with the it is highlander results in extremely high variance and has no clear line of counter-play which IMO just has no place in the competitive scene, on top of it just being very clearly overpowered and boring. At bare minimum a nerf to seven mana and the buff only applies to units summoned from your action bar. Yes that is a massive nerf, but it is one of the most unhealthy cards ever released, this way you could likely still make an ok budget deck out of it and it could be a decent noob tube but it should vanish from the competitive scene.
Battle Pet Ai cleaning (Faction pets to): First prioity is closest opposing unit, second Priority is horizontal forward movement and targets. Ranged battle pets can not move. No more RNG.
Abjucator: 3/3, reduce the cost of one selected spell in hand. The most notorious highroll card now with actually good stats and little potential abuse. If selecting cards in hand is to problematic it could simply be the highest costing spell in your hand.
RockDopa: Opening Gambit: Deal two damage to a target. Now just actually a pretty strong unit, but no longer provides spell abuse/replace fodder.
Decimus: @excogitator suggested making it steal one life per card. I like this as it keeps the power but tones down the burst a ton.
Alternatively: The first time your opponent draws a card each turn they take five damage. Strong enough to possibly see play outside of starhorn, very scary with starhorns BBs but no longer leads to insane highroll bursts. Maybe four damage if five is to much but I would start to worry its to weak at that point basically being a rogue warden that cant attack minions.
Jaxi: Summoned in the closest corner. Only random if in the middle.
Mechazor: To 9/9 or at least 8/8. Without spell immunity and better mech support it has become very underwhelming even when not answered it is not much of a win condition, this will make it at least answer or die again and make combos revolving around it potent.
Z0r: Put a random neutral mech that progresses mechazor into your action bar. Very little RNG, now reliably lets you progress mechazor without highroll/lowroll cards in the pool.
Ghoulie: 4 mana 4/5. Just shy of Hailstone golem, seemed like a perfect opportunity to put in the ideal statline on a neutral minion and makes ghoulie now solid in any tribal deck.
Lodestar: At the end of each players turn pull the two closest non adcient units to it. No more RNG.
Astral Crusader: Whenever you replace this card it costs 1 less and gains +1/+1. If you replace more then once in a turn draw an astral crusader from your deck. Hopefully not to buggy to code an effect that works from the deck. (You still get your extra replaces, you just also get to draw him for free turning him into built in card advantage even if you donāt use him.)
White Widow: Deals damage to the nearest enemy. No more RNG.
Bloodsworn Gambler: Nine mana, 9/4. Similar to worldcore Golem, a terrifying wincondition that is to slow to ever be competitive, and eats it to removal. Honestly the card should probably just be deleted, but shunting it to the same category as worldcore should do the trick.
Blue Conjuerer: Add a 3/2 Illusion to your hand. May need to be a stronger illusion, but regardless RNG needs to be eliminated. Or a simple one: Random arcanyst from your deck. Manipulateable RNG tends to be very good.
Grimes: Opening/Dying Wish: Summon a copy of the last tribal unit you played. Now a neat card that actually requires some thought to use, and more importantly no more RNG.
Lyonar:
Summary
Goal here is to nudge Healnar back to a midrange/control archtype and not an oppressive burn deck with just a couple small adjustments without nerfing their overall kit, as well as address a few polarizing issues.
Sunriser: The first time a unit is healed deal three damage. Stronger base, no more over the top burst. Or alternatively @halcyon98 suggestion: āwhenever anything is healed, deal that much damage to all nearby enemies, up to 2 damage.ā Largely nerfs her to doing one damage, but with clever play she can keep her original power, most importantly making her much harder to abuse with tiles.
Gold Vitrol: Deal Damage to the closest enemy unit. No more RNG, and now it can be aimed/has counterplay.
Lucent Beam: One mana. Deal two damage to a minion, if anything was healed this turn deal four damage instead. There is no reason for this to go face and has created some very unhealthy decks, in trade it is now a stronger removal and is a heal version of lava lance.
Titan to Eight Mana. While not typically considered overpowered, it tends to be a very polarizing deck that completely shuts down certain decks and folds hard to others, encouraging build styles that rely to heavily on titan its self. Pushing it to eight will prevent it from turning into an issue now that other oppressive things have been addressed, and will encourage the more consistent antimeta midrange builds that tend to actually be the healthy variety of titan.
Strategos: Summon Eight Minons with one or less attack from your action bar. Remove promotes RNG aspect: WindBlades>Gryphon Fledgling>Soulpiercer>SecondSun>Elyx Stormblade>PeaceKeeper>Excelsious I am not super confident on eight being the right number, or if thats the right promote line, but I do think promotes should not have RNG and the trial should not just get auto completed by highrolls like truesight and the like but should be easier to do in trade.
Call to arms: Should either be cheaper or not dispelable.
Vow: Summon around your General all friendly minions with provoke that died this game from highest cost to lowest cost. Now can summon tokens as well as things that were given provoke, but also added an extra line to make sure small tokens wont overwrite big units.
Songhai:
Summary
My goal for songhai is to make them over all stronger but more healthy and interactive.
Shidai: On activation choose between Backstab, moving an opposing minion, or Extra Movement. (Not added to hand any more, its an instant effect) Removes unhealthy RNG aspect as well as prevents excessive spell abuse. Cements her as the artifact general. If it proves to be to much we can cut out the extra movement portion and or reduce Backstab to only +1.
Inner Focus: Target faction minion with three or less attack is Reactivated. A historically problematic design limiting card, but if it is at least contained to songhai it is much easier to balance around.
Assination Protocol: Again restricted to faction units.
Jux: Switch positions between any two minions within two spaces of each other, friendly minions gain +1 Attack. Makes positioning matter, and can be used as an aggressive buff spell. Situationaly stronger then before but now positioning matters.
Mist Dragon Seal: Cost change to 0. Range limited to two spaces. Zero cost is notoriously strong but now positioning matters.
Mass Flight Name changed to Mist Dash: All minions may move two extra spaces and movement ignores provokes this turn. Positioning now matters.
Backstab minions across the board should gain +1 backstab to make up for the increased difficulty in accomplishing it.
Cresent Spear: To two mana from one. Pretty much the only true nerf here, its just crazy at one and encourages the least healthy deck types available to the faction.
Bloodrage Mask: To one mana, the first time you cast a spell each turn deal two damage to the opposing general. Stronger base, but no more abusive bursts.
Bangle: To one mana: Your general may move twice. No more abusive burst, but now a very cheap and scary high mobility item.
Lantern Fox: Add Fire Ball. (Same as WaterBall, 1 mana, 4 damage to minion)
Geomancer: Your Bloodbound spell is Fire Ball. (Same as WaterBall, 1 mana, 4 damage to minions)
Phoenix Barrage: Deal 3 damage to anything, add a Fire Ball to hand. (Same as WaterBall, 1 mana, 4 damage to minion)
Thunderbomb: Target minion, deals three damage to it and two damage to units around it. Stronger aoe that can damage generals but general damage can be prevented with good positioning.
Cobra Strike: Deal three damage to an enemy minion and the closest opposing unit. Still can hit generals but now there is counterplay and it can also be used as a board clear.
Twilight Fox: Bloodsurge: Teleport a nearby enemy behind your general. Very little RNG and now can be aimed/has counterplay.
Knuckle Storm: To two mana and draw card at end of turn (draw is not part of intensify), or maybe three and draw right away. Dials back on its combo potential, but cantrips are super strong and useful.
First attempt, changed on @alplod recommendation
Three mana: Intensify: Deal two damage to an enemy. Much slower, harder to combo with, but the intensify is now very scary.
Xho: Only adds two mana spells. Reduced RNG but not removed.
Grandmaster Zendo: Seven mana: 5/7. Effect changed to a one time opening gambit. Cost in line with other grandmasters, and now is a very powerful card but no longer causes frustrating turn skips removing your ability to position.
Gates/Mantra: While I still really dislike them on a fundamental level, all the things that made them abuseable should have been addressed, particularly the neutral pool, so I donāt think either need to be changed at this point.
Vetruvian:
Summary
Kha- to 4 mana, 2/3, remove flying. Or alternatively make it only replace wind dervishes but keep its flying/stats. The way this card alone can just auto kill Vaath or anything that buffs a generals attack is extremely polarizing, not to mention it has massive ripple effects on the meta as Vaath and Friends usually serve as checks and balances to a lot of the other things that have gotten out of hand. My goal here is to make it still a strong card particularly for four mana, but remove how it completely edges out other decks from the meta. Perhaps something as simple as āKhas may only attack a general once per turn.ā could also do the trick.
Rae-1 mana, 3/1 dispel the closest enemy units space. Actually a very good unit now, works on generals and possibly tiles, but no more fault abuse.
Obelysks now summon Dervishes on top of them selves. While a slightly awkward effect, it should work. What the oblysks loose in range, they gain in not having any RNG allowing for more defensive positioning. While current oblysks are not a terribly offensive form of RNG, less is better.
My orginal Oblysk suggestion which was ill recived so changing it to Cold52s suggestion above but leaving it here for posterity
Obelysks: Now summon dervishes in the closest available square to an enemy. They also prioritize empty spaces. In trade for no more RNG and the ability to place them in in very defensive positions they will need health reductions across the board. This should make them generally stronger but remove their crapshoot nature.
Fireblaze: To four health from 6.
Etherial: to 3 health from 6.
Lavastorm: To 2 health from 4.
Windstorm unchanged at two mana and 4 health due to its ability often being a draw back.
Simulacra and Trygon to 5 health.
Soulburn to 3 health.
Stone to Spears: Buff becomes permanent.
Zirix targeted BBs. I would rather see no rng and if that proved to be to strong either adjusting the iron dervish stats or dervish synergy could be examined.
I would like to see some buffs to the minions that support Artifact Sajj but not necessarily NOSE, but as for what they would be I do not know.
Abyssian:
Summary
My goal for abyss is to give them back their strong staples to help make all archtypes viable, buff underplayed cards, and tone down their polarizing aspects like making swarm a bit slower but more sticky. Abyss has been the weakest faction for ages, and I am also biased as I love them, so if I am overdoing it on the buffs let me know.
Revenant to seven mana.
Desolator to 3/1.
Sphere of darkness: 2 mana: Put a creep on target space and draw a card.
Grandmaster Variax to seven mana. Variax barely competes with stuff like Fault, Wanderer, Finality, and Walls these days. During ROTB double dark fire (which I address) and a lack of other strong lategame decks was the issue not Variax itās self. From seven to eight moved it from good to bad. But I am open to reducing the stats on the wraithlings to perhaps +3/+3 or making the BBs cost 4 if Variax at seven is just to strong.
Darkfire Sacrifice: your next minion has its original cost reduced by two. Meaning you cant double darkfire.
Ooze: Now prioritizes tiles without creep.
Shadow Nova: To three mana.
Munch: Target any minion.
Lilith Controlled BBs, but both must be next to lilith. If controlled is to much perhaps predictable spaces.
Cresendo changes to: Revive all token minions destroyed since your last turn. Cuts back on polarized hyper swarm matchups, and gives them more of a necromancy feeling.
Soul Shatter Pact: 0 mana, Give all friendly Minions +1 Attack. Far less bursty but now has arcanyst/rite synergy.
Bloodtide Priestess: stats changed to 3/4. Actually scary and competition for mentor.
Black Solus: Gains +1/+1 instead of +2 attack.
Horror Burster: Dying Wish: Transform the closest minion into a 6/6 horror. No more RNG. The possibility of transforming enemy units is intended.
Phantasm: Whenever your opponent summons a minion from their Action Bar, give a minion in yours +2 attack. 0/2 stats. Puts it back to actually being useful, but is now strictly a backline unit, and no longer just completely shuts down certain archetypes.
Skull Prophet: Enemy general has -2 attack. Still likely wont see play, but is now strong enough to make your opponent hesitant to attack.
Nightshroud: Bond: Steal health for each arcanyst on the board, and steal one health for each arcanyst you summon after it this turn. This means sequencing no longer matters, it will always do full damage off of deathknell and regardless of whether you summon him before or after other arcanyst the damage will be the same.
Hexclaw: effect can not be dispelled. Still likely wont see play, but this makes it at least not a joke. Or reduced cost/increase damage.
Doom: Two turns. Still likely wont see play, but this makes it at least not a joke.
Nightmare Operant has a lot of RNG and becomes even worse with buffed mechazor, it needs a change but I am not sure what. My favorite Idea so far: Dying Wish: Add a mech from your deck to your hand.
Blood Echos: Change it to a 4x4 space so you donāt sweep up deathwatch units with it.
Breath of the Unborn: To three mana.
Deathmark - change to āAfter it is damaged this turn, destroy it.ā
Rites: Cheaper, but draw less cards.
Horn: Two mana: Summon two wraithlings when you attack or are damaged.
Releaser: Possibly changing it to always summoning the same powerful token, maybe a 6/6 horror or better, or perhaps something fancy like unbirth.
Magmar:
Summary
Egg mechanics now centered around survive-ability rather then burst, more in line with magmars big and hard to kill identity. Remember Decimus was adjusted in the neutral pool. Other then Rag and old decispikes, magmar is overall generally healthy due to being board focused and all their removal having counterplay, so their core kit needs little changing, instead targeting underplayed things.
Rippers to 2/1. Rag just seems generally overtuned, this is the smallest nerf possible, as always the smaller a nerf the better. Since I address the ability to hatch them I think this is best as it keeps their identity and high risk/high reward factor. Alternatively they could lose celerity but in trade be summoned as a minion rather then an egg, creating low risk medium reward, but stuff like pupa/embryotic may need be changed to be about rebirth rather then eggs in that case.
Eggmorph: Three mana. Add āAnd exhaust the minionā, makes the card quite strong and versatile, but removes the crazy out of hand burst combos.
Wild Inceptor: 2 mana 2/3: Add āAnd exhaust the minionā, makes the card quite strong and versatile, but removes the crazy out of hand burst combos.
MorinKhur: 4 mana, 2 attack, add āAnd exhaust the minions.ā makes the card quite strong and versatile, but removes the crazy out of hand burst combos.
Original hatch change suggestion, like new idea more.
Morph/Inceptor instead of hatching give +9 health to an egg, putting them on par with buildings for hard to kill.
MorinKhur to Seven Mana. With the massive boost in rebirth surviveability all around this could be an issue, plus we were trying to move eggs away from being a burst tool, so its a proactive nerf to make sure the other changes dont cause an issue.
Dreadnought: 6 mana 4/5. Opening Gambit: Egg minions you summon gain +2/+2. Disspelable buff on general.
Veteran Slithar: to 4/5
Slithar Eldar: To Six mana 6/6
Progentor: Five Mana 3/3. With increased egg survive-ability this card could go from its current win more state, to over the top.
Chrysalys Burst: 4 mana, summon three young slithar eggs. The change it should have gotten, no more RNG.
Unstable Leviathan: At the start of your turn Deal damage to the closest unit. No more RNG, can be aimed but also has counterplay. And yes it can still hit your own units.
Endure The beast Lands: Turn a 2x2 area into primal flourish, minions NOT on primal flourish grow. Adding one more source of instant grow could finally push grow into being properly viable.
Verdant Fulmination to two mana. Again small nudge for grow.
Oropsisaur: Now tiles/godhammer work with oros effect when combined with self damaging ramp.
Eternal Heart: Your General Cannot Die. This artifact repairs its self at the beginning of your turn. May actually see some play now. Hopefully not to good.
Drogon to five mana: While I think Vaath is generally ok, with other things nerfed he may rise to far, this prevents bursts to early, and prevents curving from a ramped finality into drogon.
Hate Furnace: Requires six buffs down from seven. Was to strong at five, and to weak at seven, so this just makes sense.
Vanar:
Summary
Vanar is generally in a healthy spot, with the other oppressive and unhealthy things adjusted they likely do not need much of a change, so I am mostly targeting underused archetypes/cards for buffs.
Frigid Corona can target face.
Oak: Summon X number of different tokens not at the same time, but a higher number likely around 8.
Ilena unlimited range BBs. She is still widely considered the weakest general in the game, but perhaps buffing the stun kit as much as I have and her is a bit much, but at least one or the other should happen.
Essence Sculpt: Put two copies. I may be over doing this one.
Cryoblade: 4 mana, 4/5
Vespyric Call: Random Vespyr from your deck.
Crystaline Refinforcement: 2 mana
Permafrost: Can target generals.
Denadoro: Your units are treated as being on your opponents side of the board. Still works for infiltrate, but now also works for things like spirit and wailing.
Wind Sister: Changed to opening gambit, dispelable buff on general.
Winterblade to three mana.
Matron Eleviti: 5/7 Your general can not be damaged. Now a fairly powerful card overall, it demands an answer although not right away like most lategame drops, its just answer or die slowly.
