After a year long beta the digital card game from Bethesda and Direwolf has finally launched. It is set in the Elder Scrolls universe, featuring all the various races and lore (important historical characters and events). It's aimed at a competitive audience, with much less RNG and more mature theme than Heartstone or Eternals.
Some of the unique features are PvE content - starting with 20 mission solo campaign serving as a tutorial for the game, during which you'll learn the ropes and build your first 6 or 7 starter decks (your choices during the campaign influence which cards you get, which is a nice touch). There are more campaigns coming in the future. There's also a solo arena, which you should hit after the campaign, where you can battle AI opponents to extend your collection (it has some nice rewards) and see how some combos and deck archetypes work. You can also play practice games vs AI and craft cards you need (disassemble those you don't need or have extra copies of and use arena/practice/pvp rewards for crafting).
For PvP there are arenas, casual and ranked play (I advise against going into ranked early on. It's not possible to farm noobs in this game like in Heartstone, it's damn hard). Ladder is reset every month, with people dropping in ranks to previous "breakpoints", ensuring a healthy meta and constant struggle.
In the future they plan on releasing structured in-game tournaments, spectator mode and so on.
The game is completely free to play, with the ability to buy extra booster packs (no need for that since arena rewards are decent enough to build your collection quickly - especially in pvp arena, but that's hard).
I've been playing this game since January and I've been having a blast so far. Managed to reach rank 2 in the ladder (you start at rank 12 and can go up to legend, which is rank 0) and gather about 94% of the core collection since then (could have 100% but I'm a sucker for foils and instead of getting cards I don't have I spend a lot of crafting resources on getting premium versions of the cards I like).
I really don't like their art direction. Though I guess it might grow on you as you play. Considering there are 4 games launching in a small window in this genre right now I think that is a big strike against it.
So less rng than heartstone? By how much? Not that i know the number on luck in Heartstone. So when attacking the hero, occasionally that leaves that player to draw a card. Is that what is less luck in this game?
Looks very similar to heartstone? Unless the lanes differ alot?
On March 11 2017 06:01 Foxxan wrote: So less rng than heartstone? By how much? Not that i know the number on luck in Heartstone. So when attacking the hero, occasionally that leaves that player to draw a card. Is that what is less luck in this game?
Looks very similar to heartstone? Unless the lanes differ alot?
Less RNG in a sense that it's more manageable and not game breaking (think Yogg-Saron, how do you play around that?). There's only a handful of cards that have random effects and those effects are rather limited in scope. It's generally more friendly for competitive players, since your deck composition and skill play much higher role than in many other games (you don't really have decks that basically play themselves or RNG to the point where it doesn't really matter what you do).
The lanes are different in that in the shadow lane (right one) creatures can't be attacked for a turn. Creatures also can't attack between the lanes (with 1 exception), which gives it more strategic depth. There are also Chaos Arenas each month, where you have plenty of different lane effects. This shows that's there's plenty of possibilities here and they might introduce some new stuff later on (the game just launched).
The card drawing as you get hit is a form of comeback mechanic and also increases the strategizing part, since when you draw a card this way you might be able to play it immediately for free (prophecy cards), which can drastically change the board (removing a creature or dealing damage to the player or putting a big creature on the table for example) so you have to play around it.
I've been playing card games competitively for over 20 years now (M:tG, Doom Trooper, Netrunner, CoC, V:tES, Doomtown among others) and this is the first digital CCG that has engaged me properly.
I think ESL has much less rng like ragnaros, implosion or knife juggler but the whole prophecy system seems extremly broken theoretically. Would be interesting to hear from somebody that plays more. Eternal, from the same company, is one of the closest games to magic, with a really generous f2p system.
Just started, playing through story mode. I am always intrigued by stall decks but in most games they tend to underperform. Still early on and havent seen much but so far there is a lot of +health cards and cards that act on that, and then there is the smuggler deck you get in chapter 8 that has some cool magicka gain (but the lethality seems gimicky because u give up stats for the lethality thing which is situational, so I swap them out).
Anyone who has seen some more cards seen any synergies that might fit the long game / removal style? (I got a purple rarity support card that gives all dwemer guard and 0/3, which seems storng, but i have no dwemer yet =[).
On March 11 2017 06:01 Foxxan wrote: So less rng than heartstone? By how much? Not that i know the number on luck in Heartstone. So when attacking the hero, occasionally that leaves that player to draw a card. Is that what is less luck in this game?
Looks very similar to heartstone? Unless the lanes differ alot?
Less RNG in a sense that it's more manageable and not game breaking (think Yogg-Saron, how do you play around that?). There's only a handful of cards that have random effects and those effects are rather limited in scope. It's generally more friendly for competitive players, since your deck composition and skill play much higher role than in many other games (you don't really have decks that basically play themselves or RNG to the point where it doesn't really matter what you do).
The lanes are different in that in the shadow lane (right one) creatures can't be attacked for a turn. Creatures also can't attack between the lanes (with 1 exception), which gives it more strategic depth. There are also Chaos Arenas each month, where you have plenty of different lane effects. This shows that's there's plenty of possibilities here and they might introduce some new stuff later on (the game just launched).
The card drawing as you get hit is a form of comeback mechanic and also increases the strategizing part, since when you draw a card this way you might be able to play it immediately for free (prophecy cards), which can drastically change the board (removing a creature or dealing damage to the player or putting a big creature on the table for example) so you have to play around it.
I've been playing card games competitively for over 20 years now (M:tG, Doom Trooper, Netrunner, CoC, V:tES, Doomtown among others) and this is the first digital CCG that has engaged me properly.
Ah ok. Thanks for the insight. Sounds promising actually and i will actually try it now after seeing this. I have always liked cardgames but not cardgames with to much luck involved.
On March 11 2017 07:26 Kickstart wrote: Just started, playing through story mode. I am always intrigued by stall decks but in most games they tend to underperform. Still early on and havent seen much but so far there is a lot of +health cards and cards that act on that, and then there is the smuggler deck you get in chapter 8 that has some cool magicka gain (but the lethality seems gimicky because u give up stats for the lethality thing which is situational, so I swap them out).
Anyone who has seen some more cards seen any synergies that might fit the long game / removal style? (I got a purple rarity support card that gives all dwemer guard and 0/3, which seems storng, but i have no dwemer yet =[).
Some tips for the beginning:
- do not do any crafting or other activities before you finish the campaign (I guess you can start solo arenas or do some practice games before finishing the last chapter since it's pretty hard and can take you several attempts to beat it) - do not spend gold on booster packs, 1 pack is 100 gold, 1 arena is 150 and the least you can get from it is 1 pack, some gold and some gems, from 5+ wins in the arena you get 2 packs and some extra cards gold and gems. Clearing up arena gives really nice rewards (pvp arena has better rewards than solo arena but is a lot harder). - health-gain cards seem really strong in the beginning, but are actually pretty weak and barely, if ever, see any play in constructed (notable exceptions would be a couple of creatures with drain and snake tooth necklace). That's because with those cards you're wasting your magicka on upping your health a bit, which usually doesn't change your situation at all, especially if you're behind on the board. Board control is king.
Now, for your concerns and some deck archetype knowledge:
Control decks
Those usually want to get to the late game. Most likely they won't be attacking you at all (until they take over the board with their clears and end-game 9+ magica cost creatures and kill you in a single turn) and will rely on stalling and removal to get to the later stages of the game. Typical control decks include: - control mage (willpower/intelligence - yellow/blue): blue is the color of some of the best cards out there, most notably great aoe removal, direct damage spells and a lot of reach (ability to hit your opponent ignoring his creatures) - control monk (willpower/agility - yellow/green): sacrifices some of the AoE and reach for more single-target removal and potential of getting high-end creatures earlier (thieves guild recruit). Much worse than control mage in my opinion - control spellsword (willpower/endurance - yellow/purple): the pinnacle of control decks with the best late game tools in the game. Has a harder time against aggressive decks than control mage due to lack of AoE removal, but come lategame it's a powerhouse. - ramp scout (agility/endurance - green/purple): this deck gets to late game sooner than others due to all the ramping effects. Struggles against multiple creatures, sporting but a single AoE removal but is really fun to play (and not fun to play against).
Midrange decks
These decks usually top out they magica curve around 7-8, being able to switch their playstyle by controlling aggro decks and out-pacing the control decks. Typical examples include:
- midrange sorcerer (intelligence/endurance - blue/purple): with some of the best value creatures you can play on the curve this deck is a solid contender against any opposition, being able to slug it out against anyone and come on top due to superior creatures and wards. - midrange archer (agility/strength - green/red): more aggressive than sorcerer, this deck has better removal and thrives on getting ahead early to seal the deal with 6 cost cards that trigger off of having more health than your opponent. - token spellsword (willpower/endurance - yellow/purple): this deck is based on creating plenty of creatures out of thin air, thus trading favorably most of the time until it overwhelms you with numbers (or a 30/30 flesh atronach). - orc warrior (strength/endurance - red/purple): orcs, orcs everywhere. A rather aggressive deck featuring lots and lots of orcs, which make other orcs stronger (consider MtG slivers). Orcs being rather strong and tough to begin with, this deck can get out of control really fast. - crusader (willpower/strength - yellow/red): a fairly aggressive deck featuring plenty of abilities that trigger off of breaking enemy runes.
Aggro decks
Now, those don't really think much ahead. Their only goal is to seal the deal as soon as possible, before their opponent can stabilize and kill them with superior creatures and AoE removal.
- battlemage (intelligence/strength - blue/red): those come in a thousand forms, ranging from ultra aggro prophecy, through Merric combo to Wisp Mother OTK combo. Prepare to meet plenty of those on the ladder, since it's one of the hottest combinations for some time now. - pilfer monk (willpower/agility - yellow/green): this deck has lost a lot of favor in recent months but remains one of my favorite decks to play (after I finally figured out how to build an effective one, which took some time). It's a very explosive deck featuring plenty of small creatures that get stronger as they attack your opponent. Getting them there is the trick, so those decks usually feature a lot of movement sheananigans and other nasty surprises (no one expects 3 2/2 creatures to deal 15+ damage in a single turn). I've had more wins than losses with this deck at rank 2 so it's definitely viable, just not consistent enough to be considered the top contender. - assassin (intelligence/agility - blue/green): another not very popular combo, comes in a lot of varieties, from tempo mastermind decks (with creatures that have triggered abilities when they die) to aggressive decks using a lot of spells to kill you.
Anyway, in the beginning you shouldn't really focus on building any of the top tier decks since they usually consist of plenty of epic and legendary cards.
In the beginning I'd advise you to focus on building an orc deck and/or an action mage deck. Both are great in casual play, which you can use to get some experience, level up and get gold going for the arenas and don't require that many legendaries (in orc deck you only really need 2, 5 to 8 when building a version at ranks 5- on ladder). Other good choices could be mono blue or mono red aggro decks. Mono blue simply outvalues the opponent by having a lot of reach and cycling, thus always having a hand advantage and red is simply too aggressive for many of the decks to handle.
Of course, you can simply build whatever you fancy since ultimately practically everything is playable in this game, even at higher ranks. There are some cards that are sub par of course, but that's not a detriment to the game.
I strongly suggest everyone to watch "From Loser to Legend" series by Justin Larson, where he explains some core mechanics and concepts in the game and gives advice on starting your collection (note however, that his list of top cards to craft is a bit outdated, if you need one, I can post it). https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRt6g0qtMDrY35g15a-aGAyvhYyoH96Gz
Went through story then all the starter dailies. Beat the solo arena first time, then did 4 MP arenas. Went 2-3, 5-3, 5-3, 3-3. Not too bad I guess.
What is the quickest way to get gold? The blue/purple deck I want to run uses Gardener of Swords but I cant get that card without spending $10 or getting 1500 gold. Kinda lame :@!
edit: This is the deck I was trying to build. Are there any adjustments to be made since that was posted? And, which cards do I begin crafting? I was thinking craft down the purple rarity because I have breton chosen as my avatar so I can get those legenderies when I level enough.
On March 11 2017 19:31 Kickstart wrote: Went through story then all the starter dailies. Beat the solo arena first time, then did 4 MP arenas. Went 2-3, 5-3, 5-3, 3-3. Not too bad I guess.
What is the quickest way to get gold? The blue/purple deck I want to run uses Gardener of Swords but I cant get that card without spending $10 or getting 1500 gold. Kinda lame :@!
edit: This is the deck I was trying to build. Are there any adjustments to be made since that was posted? And, which cards do I begin crafting? I was thinking craft down the purple rarity because I have breton chosen as my avatar so I can get those legenderies when I level enough.
With breton avatar you have a chance for High King Emeric or Supreme Atromancer at levels 24 and 32 (you'll also be able to upgrade your Expert Atromancer to Supreme Atromancer at level 42 or something). Crafting Gardener of Swords is easy. It's rare so it only costs 300 gems to get 3 copies of it. Here's the list of top priorities to get in blue and purple (cards you'll use in more than 1 deck):
Legend
nothing - common (50 gems/card)
* - rare (100 gems/card)
** - epic (400 gems/card)
*** - legendary (1200 gems/card)
Intelligence (in order of increasing magicka cost)
Firebolt
Shrieking Harpy *
Wardcrafter *
Camlorn Sentinel
Cunning Ally
Daggerfall Mage ***
Mace of Encumbrance *
Lightning Bolt
Supreme Atromancer ***
Intelligence (specific to certain decks)
Skilled Blacksmith *
Gardener of Swords *
Elusive Schemer *
Master of Arms **
Fate Weaver *
Ice Storm **
Endurance
Windkeep Spellsword
Haunting Spirit *
Young Mammoth *
Preserver of the Root **
Shadowfen Priest **
Night Shadow **
Nahagliiv ***
Endurance (specific to certain decks)
Iliac Sorcerer **
Hist Grove **
Tree Minder
Blood Magic Lord ***
With those lists you can't go wrong crafting anything in the non-specific lists since you'll be using those cards a lot (the best cards in the color, used practically every time your deck involves said color).
So I got a shiny legendary from a pack, green 6 cost cat thing (quiinran burglar or something, the pilfer +6/6 one), I'm temped to get soul gems from it and get Nahagliv or something that I would use in my current deck. Is the burglar good enough that I should keep it or get another legendary for my deck?
Edit: Just hit 24 and got high king emeric to put in, kind of nice. Not getting the supreme atromancer upgrade until level 40 is really annoying though because there have been several situations where the damage would have won me the game. Maybe I should keep that one in till 40 but get a supreme atromancer as well, having one of each. Doing an item sorcerer build so supreme atromancer is more of a priority than nahagliv I guess? (daggerfall mage's probably are as well).
On March 15 2017 08:43 Kickstart wrote: So I got a shiny legendary from a pack, green 6 cost cat thing (quiinran burglar or something, the pilfer +6/6 one), I'm temped to get soul gems from it and get Nahagliv or something that I would use in my current deck. Is the burglar good enough that I should keep it or get another legendary for my deck?
Edit: Just hit 24 and got high king emeric to put in, kind of nice. Not getting the supreme atromancer upgrade until level 40 is really annoying though because there have been several situations where the damage would have won me the game. Maybe I should keep that one in till 40 but get a supreme atromancer as well, having one of each. Doing an item sorcerer build so supreme atromancer is more of a priority than nahagliv I guess? (daggerfall mage's probably are as well).
You'll get another shot at supreme atromancer at level 32 (if you're a breton you get a chance to get one of emeric, daggerfall or supreme at levels 24 and 32). Don't go for item sorcerer out of the bat. You need like 8 legendaries for that deck and plenty of epics. In general it's hard to build a ladder-worthy sorcerer without 3x daggerfall (it and supreme atromancer are like must have blue cards in competitive scene). You could opt for a more budget mid-range sorcerer to get you going or something (although you could easily do that with budget action mage too).
Example deck: 3x Firebolt 3x Dragontail Savior 3x Shrieking Harpy 3x Wardcrafter 3x Wind Keep Spellsword 3x Camlorn Sentinel 3x Cunning Ally 3x Haunting Spirit 3x Mace of Encumbrance 3x Young Mammoth 3x Archein Elite 3x Dres Renegade 3x Lightning Bolt 3x Royal Sage 3x Shadowfen Priest 3x Black Worm Necromancer 1x High King Emeric 1x Nahagliiv
This is like the cheapest sorcerer that has some potential (7200 gems total to craft this deck from scratch). You can build on from that as your collection grows, especially that it features some of the most used cards in both colors. In the beginning there's really no point in looking at the top meta decks since most of them cost 16k+ gems to craft and usually include 5+ legendaries.
Speaking of Quin'Rawl Burglar: in my personal opinion you can soul trap it. It's an extremely powerful card (if you can answer it when it shows up - you're good, if you can't - you lost the game) but I've found myself not using it at all recently, even in pilfer decks.
Just started playing a couple days ago and I am enjoying it so far. I find it has similarities to magic which I like and have played casually for many years. I can see how they can really expand the card base for the better I think. (5 colors, similar creature powers)
I'm deciding to play it free for now. Building up coins to buy the madhouse collection.
The ladder is fun to test deck ideas. I am finding it frustrating to play people with better cards I do not have that simply win, however I get I have to build up to those cards myself. My decks tend to play fast right now and fizzle out before killing my opponent then slowly losing to a comeback which just sucks. I noticed there are few or no legendary cards that are cheap cost for fast decks. I need to collect the better cards and then judge this again I think my cards just suck right now for what I want to do.
What are people's opinions on the rune draw system? I think it is cool but almost too helpful sometimes if you smash your opponent early. Losing nearly every game right now to having played all my cards while my opponent sits and chooses from 5+ to beat me after I take away all their runes and they sit around 5-15 health.
edit: I think I'm realizing my cards stink or I don't have 3 of what I need. Collecting multiples and better cards could take some time if you don't buy packs. Decks that beat me just feel better constructed and more consistent with full play sets of almost each card I'm sure. I have tons of decks I want to make but will not be at their best until I have play sets of basically everything. grinding games win or lose to just level up atm.
In the beginning you should be grinding practice mode on expert for gems (15 gems/win) which can boost your crafting speed and casual games/dailies for enough money to get you into arena (which nets you at least one pack and some gold).
If you're not sure what deck to aim for in the beginning, you can never go wrong with orcs since it's the simplest build possible (just get every orc you can get your hands on and put them in the deck).
Chaos arena has been terrible for me. Before this weekend event I went 7 win runs in 2 out of 3 versus arenas (first one with no losses)! Some of them really dick you, like the random animal one. Though to be fair in one match my first 2 creatures both turned into swamp leviathans......
On March 19 2017 20:56 Kickstart wrote: Chaos arena has been terrible for me. Before this weekend event I went 7 win runs in 2 out of 3 versus arenas (first one with no losses)! Some of them really dick you, like the random animal one. Though to be fair in one match my first 2 creatures both turned into swamp leviathans......
Chaos arena is just for kicks. Pure RNG most of the time. Willpower is awesome in there since it has plenty of cards that spawn multiple creatures in a lane or a creature in each lane.
I hate chaos arena, it seems that my opponent always gets the better rolls
I've been playing this since January, but have mostly played arena and have not climbed ranked constructed like OP. I've been interested in aggro, since the idea is that with two lanes it's harder for the opponent to control the board with creatures. Also one of the lanes is a shadow lane. Due to wanting to play aggro, the color combinations I've played most are blue/red, green/red, blue/green, and red/yellow in order of frequency. At first I thought that the prophecy system was too strong / not the best design, but I changed my mind after realizing that they actually don't gain a card when they hit a prophecy. They only get to play it for free, which is a mana/tempo gain.
EPT![[image loading]](https://legends.bethesda.net/images/header-image.png)
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