Eternal Balance Update 2/8/2023

Catalyze to 3F (was 2FF)

Catalyze has a lot of dynamic play and creates some cool interactions, but the opportunity cost for running it has proven very low. All but the most aggressive Fire decks have been running Catalyze to smooth out draws and occasionally spike huge bursts of damage. At three-cost it will still be effective for the decks that want to commit to it, but won’t be an easy addition to quite so many decks.

Ossuar Longbow to 3/2 (was 3/3)

We’re happy with how the Longbow has played as a marquee versatile weapon, but the overall rate and ubiquity has proven just a little too high. This is a light touch intended to reduce the ease of killing multiple units without removing it from competitive play.

Hive Queen Uther to 6TTT (was 5TT)

Uther has been a breakout hit from Behemoths, and we like the combination of offense and defense he offers. That said, he’s more appropriate as a late-game curve topper for particular decks than as a card everyone plays for the rate. A higher cost and influence requirement will let him continue being a powerful force in games without showing up quite as often.

Heavy Hail to “discard a Primal card” (was “discard a Sigil”)

When you need a sweeper you really need a sweeper, and the requirement of a Sigil has kept Heavy Hail from being a reliable answer to 3-4 health enemies. Hopefully this will help out slower Primal decks that have been struggling to keep up with the range of low-cost units available.

Alluring Predator to 3/5 (was 5/5)

We like Alluring Predator’s mix of immediate and ongoing impact, but right now it will often kill the opponent too quickly for any of that to matter. This change should make the Hunt outputs more relevant, instead of being icing on the cake of a huge attacker.

Champion of Fury to 1/1 (was 2/1)

Despite its recent return to Expedition, this change is more driven by Champion of Fury’s performance in Throne. Skycrag has been a popular aggro archetype for a long time, but since the release of Volatile Reaction its performance in Throne has gradually crept up past the point we’re comfortable with. At 3/1 it is still an efficient attacker when powered up, but not quite as overwhelming a threat.

Dran the Farmer’s Ultimate to 8-cost (was 6-cost)

Dran’s ultimate was intended to be a late-game way to punch through a stalled board, but combining it with other ramp units like Combrei Adept and Apprentice Mage quickly turns it into an early kill against any opponent who stumbles on their curve. This should help Dran be more about turning games around than ending them quickly.

Cautious Mantis to 3/4 (was 4/4)

Time has been overperforming in draft, but it’s more due to the aggregate quality of commons and uncommons than any particular card. We don’t have many back-heavy hunters, so this is an adjustment that can balance out the factions while adding some variety to stat lines.

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed an issue where some effects couldn’t force the opponent to sacrifice their cursed relics
• Fixed an issue where some curses could apply their effects before the curse resolved
• Fixed an issue where Spectators would get stuck when a player played a Delivery
• Fixed an issue where spells played on units that can’t die would not trigger Wurmstone
• Fixed an issue where Corrupt could target In This Together

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