It’s the big day - the day of the first big Balance Update of the year. Here’s a list of the cards we are changing and a breakdown why we’ve made the decisions we have!
Nerfs
We’ve got 12 cards here that aren’t going to be quite as powerful to play from now on, but we’ve done our very best to ensure the viability of their respective decks. Let’s take a look at them:
Barnstorming
WAS:
:draw: Your Awesome Aviation cards, wherever they are, gain +17:power: until played.
:play: The card opposite this loses -50:power: this turn.
:return: Your remaining Awesome Aviation cards in hand lose -5:power: permanently.
NOW:
:draw: Your Awesome Aviation cards, wherever they are, gain +15:power: until played.
:play: The card opposite this loses -50:power: this turn.
:return: Your remaining Awesome Aviation cards in hand lose -5:power: permanently.
Based on community feedback about the growing strength of an Awesome Aviation deck, we are bringing its Power down slightly with a small nerf to Barnstorming, as a way of future proofing this collection.
Bobbit Worm and Dark Web
Bobbit Worm:
WAS: :return: Your cards, wherever they are, with 50 or more Base Power lose -30:power: until played and your opponent's cards, wherever they are, with 50 or more Base Power lose -30:power: until played.
NOW: :return: Your cards, wherever they are, with 50 or more Base Power lose -25:power: until played and your opponent's cards, wherever they are, with 50 or more Base Power lose -25:power: until played.
Dark Web:
WAS: :draw: For each card in your opponent's deck with a Base Power of 50 or more, up to a maximum of 5, your cards, wherever they are, with 50 or more Base Power gain +5:power: permanently.
NOW: :play: For each card in your opponent's deck with a Base Power of 50 or more, up to a maximum of 4, your cards, wherever they are, with 50 or more Base Power gain +4:power: permanently.
Now that tiny decks have become more powerful, the already strong Bobbit Worm has grown in strength alongside them. We’ve had a lot of feedback about the prolific use of Bobbit decks, so we just dialled it back a little to +25 Power.
On the other side of the coin, Dark Web is being brought down in raw power due to its versatility in many different deck types often being demoralising to play against. We’ve tried to ensure that the card is still strong, but it doesn’t force an Opponent to play a tiny Bobbit deck to counteract it, in turn opening the door for more diverse deck building in future leagues.
Frilled Dragon and Hygge
Frilled Dragon:
WAS: :play: Your cards, wherever they are, with 1 or less Base Energy gain +22:power: until played.
NOW: :return: Your cards, wherever they are, with 1 or less Base Energy gain +22:power: until played.
Hygge:
WAS: :return: Your cards, wherever they are, with an Energy cost of 0 gain +25 Power until played, and your cards, wherever they are, with an Energy cost of 1 gain +15 Power until played.
NOW: :return: Your cards, wherever they are, with an Energy cost of 0 gain +23 Power until played, and your cards, wherever they are, with an Energy cost of 1 gain +13 Power until played.
As another result of community feedback, we will be running minor nerfs to both Frilled Dragon and Hygge. Our aim is to ensure the deck remains competitive in low Energy leagues, without it also dominating in higher Energy leagues.
Cassandra and Hera
Cassandra:
WAS: :draw: Your Greek Mythology cards, wherever they are, gain +20:power: until this is returned to your deck.
:play: This card loses -100:power:.
NOW: :draw: Your Greek Mythology cards, wherever they are, gain +16:power: until this is returned to your deck.
:play: This card loses -100:power:.
Hera:
WAS: :return: If your deck has 9 or more Greek Mythology cards, your Greek Mythology cards, wherever they are, gain +17:power: for 6 turns.
NOW: :return: If your deck has 9 or more Greek Mythology cards, your Greek Mythology cards, wherever they are, gain +17:power: for 5 turns.
With Greek Mythology sitting at the higher end of the meta for a while now, we felt it was best to bring the Power down just a touch on these two key cards.
Door to Hell
WAS: :draw: Your cards in hand :burn:Burn (30) until played and gain +50:power: this turn.
NOW: :draw: Your cards in hand :burn:Burn (50) until played and gain +50:power: this turn.
Door to Hell is a beloved staple in so, so many decks, and rest assured it wasn’t an easy decision to nerf this card - however, its massive strength and its versatility to be placed into any deck means the card is sat well above the balance curve, and its Burn ability does not counteract its strength well enough. As such, we’ve increased the Power of its self-burning effect.
Shinigami
WAS: :play: If it's the 13th turn of the game or before, the card opposite this loses -500:power: this turn and if it's the 14th or 15th turn of the game, this card loses -500:power:.
NOW: :play: If it's the 13th turn of the game or before, a random Opponent's card in play loses -500:power: this turn and if it's the 14th or 15th turn of the game, this card loses -500:power:.
We’ve made a fundamental change to the way Shinigami is played; likely the most requested change of this balance update, though we understand it might also be a controversial one for some.
The card retains its strength, but has been altered to hit a random Opponent’s card in play instead of the card opposite. This is to counteract something we’ve seen referred to as the “shini-shuffle”, a tactic to wait until the last moment to place Shinigami or your cards facing it to try to maximise/minimise the damage caused.
While this tactic is perfectly valid from a gameplay perspective, it has been one of the most unpopular moves in the game for a few months now, and was an unintentional side effect of making such a strong oppositional ability - we hope this will alleviate that and speed up some of your games!
The Hierophant
WAS: :play: If your deck has exactly 3 Tarot cards, give them, wherever they are, +32:power: permanently.
NOW: :play: If your deck has exactly 3 Tarot cards, give them, wherever they are, +27:power: permanently.
The Hierophant is a cool card with big Power, but as Tarot grows as a collection with stronger cards, so does the strength of the Hierophant’s 3-card combo. We are looking to future proof this card with this small tweak.
The World Turtle and Planet X
The World Turtle:
WAS: :play: If your deck has exactly 4 Arts & Culture cards, your Arts & Culture cards, wherever they are, gain +17:power: until played. Repeat for each album.
NOW: :play: If your deck has exactly 4 Arts & Culture cards, your Arts & Culture cards, wherever they are, gain +14:power: until played. Repeat for each album.
Planet X:
WAS: :play: If your deck has 9 or fewer Space cards, your Space cards, wherever they are, gain +15:power: permanently. Repeat if your deck contains exactly 4 Space cards.
NOW: :play: If your deck has 9 or fewer Space cards, your Space cards, wherever they are, gain +14:power: permanently. If your deck contains exactly 4 Space cards, give them an extra +14 Power until played.
The World Turtle decks have been dominating the meta for a while now, as the archetype makes it too easy to throw in all of the strongest cards in your collection. We’ve brought the Power down a little, to give other decks more of a fighting chance.
Now, Planet X… a formidable duo with The World Turtle and subject of both reverence or hatred depending on who you ask, this card can form the basis of a pretty unbeatable deck - only made extra-bothersome by the fact it is Mythic rarity, meaning it is very difficult to acquire and for a lot of players and remains the stuff of CUE legend for many. We’ve left the requirements as they are, as not to disrupt any current decks built with Planet X in mind, but have nerfed the amount of Power it gives, while also reducing the buff duration when played with its secondary 4-card requirement in mind.
Buffs
It’s not all nerfs! We’ve got 6 buffs here to bring some other cards and collections up in playability:
Atlantis
WAS: :return: This card costs -7:energy: until played.
NOW: :return: This card costs -6:energy: and gains +50:power: until played.
By popular demand... Atlantis is now, hopefully, not the least playable Mythic card.
Cheetah
WAS: 3:energy:/50:power:
NOW: 3:energy:/88:power:
The only Limited Legendary in the game without an ability at least needed a good statline!
Unicorn
WAS: 8:energy:/77:power: | :draw: This card gains +77:power: this turn.
NOW: 7:energy:/77:power: | :draw: This card gains +77:power: this turn.
Not a drastic change, though we’ve chosen to revert a nerf to this card that was made a long time ago.
Camelot
WAS: :play: For each Knight of the Round Table you've played once this game, a random card in your hand gains +13:power: this turn.
NOW: :play: For each Knight of the Round Table you've played this game, a random card in your hand gains +13:power: this turn.
We have to admit that this card has been pretty disappointing for a fair few players since the day of release. We’ve slowed down new Arthurian Legends card releases so wanted to inject some Power back into that deck, with each additional Knight played adding a burst of power for the turn - this means that playing the same Knight multiple times will keep adding to the total; hopefully enough incentive to dust off your Holy Grail!
Calamity Jane and Buffalo Bill
Calamity Jane:
WAS: :play: Your cards in hand lose -40:power: this turn.
NOW: :play: If you have not played Wild Bill Hickok this game, your cards in hand lose -40:power: this turn.
Buffalo Bill:
WAS: :draw: Your Legends of the Old West cards gain +12:power: (and if you are losing the round, an additional +25:power:) this turn.
NOW: :draw: Your Legends of the Old West cards, wherever they are, gain +12:power: (and if you are losing the round, an additional +25:power:) for 4 turns.
These are two icons of the Old West, so it’s great for their abilities to now reflect that, in a collection that could definitely afford to be stronger. Saddle up!
It’s the big day - the day of the first big Balance Update of the year. Here’s a list of the cards we are changing and a breakdown why we’ve made the decisions we have!
Nerfs
We’ve got 12 cards here that aren’t going to be quite as powerful to play from now on, but we’ve done our very best to ensure the viability of their respective decks. Let’s take a look at them:
Barnstorming
WAS:
:draw: Your Awesome Aviation cards, wherever they are, gain +17:power: until played.
:play: The card opposite this loses -50:power: this turn.
:return: Your remaining Awesome Aviation cards in hand lose -5:power: permanently.
NOW:
:draw: Your Awesome Aviation cards, wherever they are, gain +15:power: until played.
:play: The card opposite this loses -50:power: this turn.
:return: Your remaining Awesome Aviation cards in hand lose -5:power: permanently.
Based on community feedback about the growing strength of an Awesome Aviation deck, we are bringing its Power down slightly with a small nerf to Barnstorming, as a way of future proofing this collection.
Bobbit Worm and Dark Web
Bobbit Worm:
WAS: :return: Your cards, wherever they are, with 50 or more Base Power lose -30:power: until played and your opponent's cards, wherever they are, with 50 or more Base Power lose -30:power: until played.
NOW: :return: Your cards, wherever they are, with 50 or more Base Power lose -25:power: until played and your opponent's cards, wherever they are, with 50 or more Base Power lose -25:power: until played.
Dark Web:
WAS: :draw: For each card in your opponent's deck with a Base Power of 50 or more, up to a maximum of 5, your cards, wherever they are, with 50 or more Base Power gain +5:power: permanently.
NOW: :play: For each card in your opponent's deck with a Base Power of 50 or more, up to a maximum of 4, your cards, wherever they are, with 50 or more Base Power gain +4:power: permanently.
Now that tiny decks have become more powerful, the already strong Bobbit Worm has grown in strength alongside them. We’ve had a lot of feedback about the prolific use of Bobbit decks, so we just dialled it back a little to +25 Power.
On the other side of the coin, Dark Web is being brought down in raw power due to its versatility in many different deck types often being demoralising to play against. We’ve tried to ensure that the card is still strong, but it doesn’t force an Opponent to play a tiny Bobbit deck to counteract it, in turn opening the door for more diverse deck building in future leagues.
Frilled Dragon and Hygge
Frilled Dragon:
WAS: :play: Your cards, wherever they are, with 1 or less Base Energy gain +22:power: until played.
NOW: :return: Your cards, wherever they are, with 1 or less Base Energy gain +22:power: until played.
Hygge:
WAS: :return: Your cards, wherever they are, with an Energy cost of 0 gain +25 Power until played, and your cards, wherever they are, with an Energy cost of 1 gain +15 Power until played.
NOW: :return: Your cards, wherever they are, with an Energy cost of 0 gain +23 Power until played, and your cards, wherever they are, with an Energy cost of 1 gain +13 Power until played.
As another result of community feedback, we will be running minor nerfs to both Frilled Dragon and Hygge. Our aim is to ensure the deck remains competitive in low Energy leagues, without it also dominating in higher Energy leagues.
Cassandra and Hera
Cassandra:
WAS: :draw: Your Greek Mythology cards, wherever they are, gain +20:power: until this is returned to your deck.
:play: This card loses -100:power:.
NOW: :draw: Your Greek Mythology cards, wherever they are, gain +16:power: until this is returned to your deck.
:play: This card loses -100:power:.
Hera:
WAS: :return: If your deck has 9 or more Greek Mythology cards, your Greek Mythology cards, wherever they are, gain +17:power: for 6 turns.
NOW: :return: If your deck has 9 or more Greek Mythology cards, your Greek Mythology cards, wherever they are, gain +17:power: for 5 turns.
With Greek Mythology sitting at the higher end of the meta for a while now, we felt it was best to bring the Power down just a touch on these two key cards.
Door to Hell
WAS: :draw: Your cards in hand :burn:Burn (30) until played and gain +50:power: this turn.
NOW: :draw: Your cards in hand :burn:Burn (50) until played and gain +50:power: this turn.
Door to Hell is a beloved staple in so, so many decks, and rest assured it wasn’t an easy decision to nerf this card - however, its massive strength and its versatility to be placed into any deck means the card is sat well above the balance curve, and its Burn ability does not counteract its strength well enough. As such, we’ve increased the Power of its self-burning effect.
Shinigami
WAS: :play: If it's the 13th turn of the game or before, the card opposite this loses -500:power: this turn and if it's the 14th or 15th turn of the game, this card loses -500:power:.
NOW: :play: If it's the 13th turn of the game or before, a random Opponent's card in play loses -500:power: this turn and if it's the 14th or 15th turn of the game, this card loses -500:power:.
We’ve made a fundamental change to the way Shinigami is played; likely the most requested change of this balance update, though we understand it might also be a controversial one for some.
The card retains its strength, but has been altered to hit a random Opponent’s card in play instead of the card opposite. This is to counteract something we’ve seen referred to as the “shini-shuffle”, a tactic to wait until the last moment to place Shinigami or your cards facing it to try to maximise/minimise the damage caused.
While this tactic is perfectly valid from a gameplay perspective, it has been one of the most unpopular moves in the game for a few months now, and was an unintentional side effect of making such a strong oppositional ability - we hope this will alleviate that and speed up some of your games!
The Hierophant
WAS: :play: If your deck has exactly 3 Tarot cards, give them, wherever they are, +32:power: permanently.
NOW: :play: If your deck has exactly 3 Tarot cards, give them, wherever they are, +27:power: permanently.
The Hierophant is a cool card with big Power, but as Tarot grows as a collection with stronger cards, so does the strength of the Hierophant’s 3-card combo. We are looking to future proof this card with this small tweak.
The World Turtle and Planet X
The World Turtle:
WAS: :play: If your deck has exactly 4 Arts & Culture cards, your Arts & Culture cards, wherever they are, gain +17:power: until played. Repeat for each album.
NOW: :play: If your deck has exactly 4 Arts & Culture cards, your Arts & Culture cards, wherever they are, gain +14:power: until played. Repeat for each album.
Planet X:
WAS: :play: If your deck has 9 or fewer Space cards, your Space cards, wherever they are, gain +15:power: permanently. Repeat if your deck contains exactly 4 Space cards.
NOW: :play: If your deck has 9 or fewer Space cards, your Space cards, wherever they are, gain +14:power: permanently. If your deck contains exactly 4 Space cards, give them an extra +14 Power until played.
The World Turtle decks have been dominating the meta for a while now, as the archetype makes it too easy to throw in all of the strongest cards in your collection. We’ve brought the Power down a little, to give other decks more of a fighting chance.
Now, Planet X… a formidable duo with The World Turtle and subject of both reverence or hatred depending on who you ask, this card can form the basis of a pretty unbeatable deck - only made extra-bothersome by the fact it is Mythic rarity, meaning it is very difficult to acquire and for a lot of players and remains the stuff of CUE legend for many. We’ve left the requirements as they are, as not to disrupt any current decks built with Planet X in mind, but have nerfed the amount of Power it gives, while also reducing the buff duration when played with its secondary 4-card requirement in mind.
Buffs
It’s not all nerfs! We’ve got 6 buffs here to bring some other cards and collections up in playability:
Atlantis
WAS: :return: This card costs -7:energy: until played.
NOW: :return: This card costs -6:energy: and gains +50:power: until played.
By popular demand... Atlantis is now, hopefully, not the least playable Mythic card.
Cheetah
WAS: 3:energy:/50:power:
NOW: 3:energy:/88:power:
The only Limited Legendary in the game without an ability at least needed a good statline!
Unicorn
WAS: 8:energy:/77:power: | :draw: This card gains +77:power: this turn.
NOW: 7:energy:/77:power: | :draw: This card gains +77:power: this turn.
Not a drastic change, though we’ve chosen to revert a nerf to this card that was made a long time ago.
Camelot
WAS: :play: For each Knight of the Round Table you've played once this game, a random card in your hand gains +13:power: this turn.
NOW: :play: For each Knight of the Round Table you've played this game, a random card in your hand gains +13:power: this turn.
We have to admit that this card has been pretty disappointing for a fair few players since the day of release. We’ve slowed down new Arthurian Legends card releases so wanted to inject some Power back into that deck, with each additional Knight played adding a burst of power for the turn - this means that playing the same Knight multiple times will keep adding to the total; hopefully enough incentive to dust off your Holy Grail!
Calamity Jane and Buffalo Bill
Calamity Jane:
WAS: :play: Your cards in hand lose -40:power: this turn.
NOW: :play: If you have not played Wild Bill Hickok this game, your cards in hand lose -40:power: this turn.
Buffalo Bill:
WAS: :draw: Your Legends of the Old West cards gain +12:power: (and if you are losing the round, an additional +25:power:) this turn.
NOW: :draw: Your Legends of the Old West cards, wherever they are, gain +12:power: (and if you are losing the round, an additional +25:power:) for 4 turns.
These are two icons of the Old West, so it’s great for their abilities to now reflect that, in a collection that could definitely afford to be stronger. Saddle up!
