This patch is mostly around overhauling the wording of cards to make it more clear what they do, while moving a lot of common terms into the explainer cards / mechanics section of the rules.
Note: This is a collection of changes from both 1.5.5 and 1.5.6
Core Mechanics
Corruption Tokens
Similar to Boost tokens last patch, these are now removed during the Regroup (Cleanup) phase of each turn. This allows cards to add more tokens, and removes the need for tracking which tokens were added this turn, or needing to save crystals to pay to remove them. To still allow for the self-corruption cards, unlike Boost tokens, removing Corruption tokens from your own lane is optional.
Decks
The decks below with * are playable on ScreenTop and are targetted at new players. The more advanced decks are still being balanced, but can be shared if you’d like to try them out.
Caldor’s Brigadeers (Red)
- Aerial Destruction*
- Infantry Discard
Cybernetic Collective (Blue)
- Drone Swarming*
- Satellite Network
MMC (Green)
- Mercenary Bounce*
- Basic Shift
Endracor (Purple)
- Infiltration Weaken*
- Corrupt Transfer
Faction Changes
Caldor’s Brigadeers (Red)
More cost alignment with all permanents moving to 3c/1p cost, along with the removal of the last 0 production cost cards. The hope is that it will help players quickly understand the cost of a permanent card, and when an opponent might be playing one. The removal of the 0 production cards also helps with game flow, as players who reach 0 production will no longer have cards from hand to play.
New Cards
While the discard/infantry deck has a good amount of permanents, the destroy and direct damage portions of the faction felt under-represented. These new cards hope to fill the gap and allow for a more agressive playstyle that includes permanents that focus around attack and damage.
- Fortifications, 3c/1p, Permanent. Cooldown: During your Deploy phase, you may spend 2 crystals to Shield 3. Upgrade: Shield 5 instead.
- Troop Mobility, 3c/1p, Permanent. Cooldown: During your Deploy phase, you may Shift a Basic or Infantry card to another lane. Upgrade: Shift any card instead.
- Rocket Barrage, 3c/1p, Permanent. Cooldown: During your Deploy phase, you may spend 1 unsued Production to deal 1 damage to your opponents. Upgrade: Deal 2 damage instead.
- Targetted Strike, 3c/1p, Permanent. Cooldown: During your Deploy phase, you may spend 2 unused production to add 3 Boost tokens to you Attack lane. Upgrade: Spend 1 unused production instead.
- Air Strike, 4c/1p, 1/2/2. Aftermath: You may destroy this card, if you do, destroy a card for each opponent with 3 or less power in it’s lane.
- Drop Troopers, 4c/2p, 1/1/1, Aerial. Aftermath: You may Destroy this card to add 3 Basic Troopers to this lane.
Changes
- Mining Expedition, 3c/0p -> 3c/1p.
- Temporary Barricade, 1c/0p -> 1c/1p.
- Base of Operations, 6c/2p -> 5c/2p. ADDED: Aftermath: Draw a card.
- Targetting Sensors, 12c/2p -> 9c/2p.
- Control Tower, 2c/4p -> 2c/3p. NEW ABILITY: Deploy: Search 3. Aftermath: Draw 1, or return an Aerial card from your discard to your hand.
Cybernetic Collective (Blue)
Cybernetic Collective has a lot of abilities that play around Boost tokens, but it was lacking permanent support there as well. Adding two new permanents to build and spend Boost tokens will hopefully allow for some more interesting interations and choices with when and where to Boost your lanes.
New Cards
- Conflux, 3c/1p, Permanent. Cooldown: During your Deploy phase, you may add a Boost token to any lane. Upgrade: You may add a Boost token to all lanes instead.
- Discharge, 3c/1p, Permanent. Cooldown: You may remove 1 Boost token from any of your lanes to deal 2 damage to your opponents. Upgrade: You may remove up to 3 Boost tokens to deal up to 6 damage (2 per token) to your opponents instead.
- Overcharge Weapons, 6c/1p, 1/2/2. Deploy: Add 3 Boost tokens to your Attack lane.
Changes
- Shield Generator, 3c/0p -> 3c/1p.
- Material Replicator. NEW ABILITY: Deploy Add 2 Boost tokens to your Mining lane, or draw a card.
- Laser Miner. Deploy: Add 2 -> 3 Boost tokens to your Mining lane.
- Orbital Mining Rig, 5c/0p -> 3c/1p.
MMC (Green)
From our playtesting the MMC are doing really well in terms of being a solid and cohesive deck. Seismic Manipulation was in a bad place because paying crystals to reduce damage just left both players with no crystals and low HP for the next turn. The new ability is no longer reducable, and only effect opponents, but is per 2 cards in the mining lane to compensate. The hope is that this will make the card more playable, and if it doesn’t end that game, allow following turns to have impact as well. Third Party Research didn’t fit the theme of the deck as it was often returning a Basic Trooper to the deck instead of a card to your hand. The new version offers more strategic play in allowing you to return it for extra card draw, as well as playing into Instant Payoff as well.
New Cards
- Research Assistant, 2c/1p, 1/1/1. Deploy: Draw a card. Aftermath: Pay 2 crystals or return this card to your hand.
Card Changes
- Basic Training, 3c/0p -> 3c/1p.
- Shift Work, 4c/1p -> 3c/1p.
- Third Party Research, 4c/1p -> 2c/2p, 2/2/2 -> 3/2/3. NEW ABILITY: Aftermath: Draw a card. Aftermath: Pay 5 crystals or return this card to your hand.
- Seismic Manipulation, 12/12/12 -> 10/10/10. NEW ABILITY: Aftermath: Deal 1 damage to your opponents for every two cards in your mining lane, rounded down. (Max: 5 damage)
Endracor (Purple)
Following the Corruption token changes above, the deck is being re-balanced around the tokens being removed each turn. I’ve also updated the self-corrupting cards to specify “the lane that you played this card in” to make it more clear how they work. With the new Corruption change, these tokens are removed at the end of turn allowing you to add these cards to a deck without the spread mechanic.
New Cards
- Shock Troopers, 11c/4p, 6/8/4. Deploy: For each opponent, delad 2 damamge (max: 6) for each Corruption token on their lanes.
- Deep Rooted Malfeasance, 12c/1p, 4/4/5. Deploy Download the number of Corruption tokens on ALL players lanes.
Changed Cards
- Trade Embargo, 1/1/2 -> 2/1/2. Deploy add 2 -> 1 Corruption token to the lane that you played this card in.
- Master Plan. Aftermath:
If you have the highest attack power If you dealt damage to an opponent this turn, gain 5 crystals. Otherwise, add a Basic Trooper to any lane.
- Spread Dissent. Deploy: Spread up to 5 Corruption tokens to your opponents lanes, or discard any number of cards from you hand to draw that many cards
then shuffle your discard pile back into your deck.
- Network Hack, 1c/2p -> 3c/1p, 1/1/1 -> Permanent. NEW ABILITY: Cooldown: For each opponent, Search the top 2 cards of their deck. Upgrade: You may also discard one of the cards.
- Temporary Pardon, 6c/2p -> 3c/1p, 3/2/3 -> 1/1/1. Deploy: Corruption tokens do not effect
this lane your lanes this turn.
ScreenTop Fixes
- Cleaned up some permissions on 3-4 player board with discard containers
- Simplified the welcome screen with 1 deck per faction
- Added Priority token