Patch 0.18.2 focuses on balance changes, gameplay and bug fixes, and continual iteration on the Alpha Tournament system. It also marks the fourth, and hopefully last, Beta Ranked Ladder season.
Beta Ranked Ladder Season IV
Overhaul of how privacy works. If you have the “profile privacy” set:
Only people you’re following can see your match history, play time, coin cap, collection completion, etc. Known Issue: this requires that you’ve logged in at least once while the server is up, otherwise, they will see your profile as private.
Only people you’re following can spectate or watch games in which you’re a player with some exceptions:
If you started the game without profile privacy, the game is treated as public even if you later set yourself to private
Tourney games are always viewable
Ranked games are always replayable
Turn timer is now visible while spectating
Turn timer now turns green after hitting ‘end turn’ (helpful for 2v2)
Skip going back to the main menu when requeuing from the combat scene
Tournament rounds (swiss) now calculated as next integer log 2
Players will now be dropped (no refund) from a tournament if they have two consecutive no shows
Players will now get refunded their entry fee if dropped from a 2v2 tournament for not getting partnered
In-game clock now shows remaining round time for tourney games
Added export button to tournament deck viewer
Finished tournaments now display the players list sorted by tiebreakers when players have the same match score. Note that in elimination tournaments, tiebreakers are not used to distinguish final rank
Add two new deck styles for tournaments (constructed only)
Conquest
Each player must submit three decks built with the same card/path/power restrictions as if it were a single deck (ie. you may only have a total of 4 Freki Scouts among the 3 decks, split any way you choose)
At the beginning of each game, players select the deck they want to use for that game
The winner’s deck is disabled for the duration of the match
If all of a player’s decks become disabled and a match is still ongoing (in a best of seven series), all of their decks are re-enabled.
Last Standing
Same deck building rules as Conquest
At the beginning of the first game in the match, players select the deck they want to use for that game
The loser’s deck is disabled for the duration of the match
In the event of a tie, both players’ decks are disabled
Winners start the next game using the same deck as they used in the previous game
Losers (and players that tied) select another deck from their eligible choices
If all of a player’s decks become disabled and a match is ongoing, all of their decks are re-enabled
Social panel should properly tell you if a friend is in a tournament game
Auto prestige update for decks no longer changes the deck’s last modified time
Fixed a bug where just changing a deck’s name/card back/board/art may not save the deck with those changes
Fixed a bug where actions after death blow were being disallowed
Fixed a bug where exiting out of watching a game would show an “invalid state” dialog
Fixed a bug where damage clamp doesn’t apply properly to minions with damage immunity to type (ex. Scion of Pride on Waystone Garden)
Fixed damage calculation error for Extract Life that has been affected by casting cost modifiers
Note: because casting cost cannot be reduced below zero, Extract Life under the effect of a casting cost reducing effect such as War Fan does no extra damage. However an Extract Life affected by Mind Freak will do 3 less damage than normal
Fixed a bug where Defy Death would end your turn in 2v2.
Fixed a bug where Defy Death wouldn’t save you from certain chained effects.
Fixed a visual bug where stacks from Whitemoon Arena could display on separate lines
Fixed stats of Tong Foot Soldiers and Lavish Proxy in puzzles
Fixed a visual bug where some ability icons would continue to appear on a minion after being suppressed
Fixed a visual bug where a card’s playable highlight might not be updated properly after canceling a play action
Fixed a bug where a pod’s draft progress would hang if another pod finished before it
Fixed a bug where path / power selection for a tournament deck would allow selection of banned cards
Fixed a bug with the tournament deck viewer on mobile
Fixed a bug where sign in warnings would occur long before sign in
Fixed a bug where tournament prize tables was not allocating prizes for ties correctly
Fixed a bug in tiebreaker tooltip values
Fixed bug preventing modification of tournament announcement after start
Fixed bug preventing edits to draft decks after start
Fixed various places with string errors
Improved tournament messaging with regards withdrawals, forfeits, etc
Disabled non-functional context menus to spectate/replay puzzles
Guilds are NYI
With Norden dominating a lot of constructed and draft play, one of our primary objectives is getting it under control, ideally without swinging SO hard that Blue suddenly becomes weak; it HAS been nice to see other playstyles in Blue and Purple giving the aggression of Red and Orange or the control of Yellow and Green a hard time for once. This suite of changes is intentionally smaller and more surgical when compared to some past balance patches, but we still tried to find room for a few outliers and problem cards...
Alkonost
6[G]GG → 6[G]G
(2) → ▽: Give another minion 'Sacrifice at the end of its turn unless it attacked or was just created'
This has always been the Harpy that struggles to be relevant, (it’s hard being the eldest in a family with at least two overpowered genius siblings) and with these changes that’s still not likely to end, but hopefully she’ll at least see some action in the Arena.
Barbed Bolts
2[R]R → 2[R]
Boneyard Abomination
Has strength and health equal to the number of minions in all boneyards → double the number of minions in your boneyard
Bridgeway Troll
Regen 1 → Removed
Dashing Ringmaster
Other friendly minions that are created with 4 or less strength get Rush → with 4 or less strength have Rush
Dire Benediction
3[O] → 2[O]O
Cast on a minion to deal damage to its opposing player equal to its strength → with at least 1 strength to deal 4 damage to the player opposing it, then lock its strength to zero.
Godsblud Transfusion
Give a minion +3/+3 → +2/+2 and Regen 2
Many attempts to put a little oomph into this particular combination of “out-trade and heal up” have proven to be over a surprisingly narrow efficacy line, at least within this rarity and cost bracket. Necessarily returning to the smaller buff state, given this is one of the tools Norden is currently bludgeoning everyone with.
Gemhold Dwarf
▼ → ▽: Refresh your gems
Harvester
Demise: Add a 0/3 Maze of Iyatiku to your hand → Create a 0/3 Maze of Iyatiku here
Herald of Conquest
7/6 → 7/7
Honed Edge
Give a minion +2/+2 → +1/+2
Similar to Godsblud Transfusion, attempting to reduce power without completely reverting to weaker past positions.
House Elf
2/1 → 1/3
Ingrid Stormdottir
5[B]BB → 6[B]BB
Awaken: Return all → up to three Valkyrie cards in your boneyard to your hand and make them Ephemeral
Isle of Buyan
3[G]G → 3[G]
Loki’s Veil
3[B] → 2[B]
Mavka
2[G]G → 2[G]
Nine-Tailed Vixen
4[P]P → 4[P]
Ourania Muse
3[R] → 2[R]R
Parsa Divinity Cannon
2/5 → 2/6
Serenity Seawitch
GGG → GG: Give another minion -3/-0 → -2/-0 until your next turn
Terragon
5[P] → 5[P]P
Vodnik Informant
1/3 → 2/2
Wonder Drug
Gain 4 life and draw a card → 5 life
If you have 8 → 9 or less life, double this effect to 8 life and 2 cards → 10 life and draw a card