March Q&A Session - Question Submission (2/28/19)

Ampersand

Will there be new coalition events any time soon?

Will you please remove/undo the turn timer that is coming in 3.3 to "solve" the loop "problem"?

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Mburn7

Please explain the process by which you decided 18 seconds is the correct amount of time to limit a turn by

BigSwifty

Why is limiting the amount of time players can play the game per turn better than stopping loops through other means such as limiting the number of times a certain card can cast per turn, as has been suggested in the past?

Wafflesauce

From the 3.3 thread:

Wafflesauce said:

@Brigby @Oktagon_Daiane
From the most recent Q&A Thread:

Brigby said:

What are the biggest priorities for the game right now?
There's a lot still in development that should be ready and working as we expect soon. Although it takes a lot of work due to the system's own limitations, we want to keep building new modes and tools for players to enjoy. Our focus at the moment is to build a strong and engaging experience for players through their progression in the game with better first contact, newer and cheaper vault content, and some much-needed fixes for loop exploits.

How is your team planning on addressing problem card(s), such as those that freeze the match or create infinite loops?
We will be implementing a new system that prevents looping. It is fully operational, and it will be up and running in the next major update. Problematic cards are treated on a case-by-case basis, most of the time with specific fixes and many hours of testing.

Maybe you'll reserve this for a full article for Oktagon explaining this situation, but eventually I feel like we deserve an explanation to this question:

What does Oktagon consider an Exploit?

Is using normal game mechanics together, with cards working as intended and a high degree of synergy an exploit?
Or is it using cards that you know are developmentally broken, like Divine Visitation/Murder Investigation, and what Sphinx's Decree used to be, to purposefully lock out the match?

If I'm playing Vivien Reed with Verdant Sun's Avatar, a transformed Sanctum of the Sun, Beast Whisperer and other green staples, and am able to cast 30+ creatures in a turn, is that considered an exploit?

What about Kiora with Murmuring Mystic, Path of Discovery, and plenty of spells? Again, a scenario where cards are working as intended, but create large epic turns.

I can understand possibly considering Sunbird's Invocation and Blue Sun's Zenith an exploit, but it is still using cards as they were intended.

Or did you just use a word that was too strong that has a lot of weight within the gaming community?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Secondly,

What are these problematic cards that you are referencing, and their fixes?

The only cards that I can recall being changed recently are those who caused the game to crash.
Actually let me go look at the patch notes right now...

• 3.2 - No card changes
• 3.2 Hot fix - No functional changes
• 3.1 - 3 Mediocre green Zendikar cards tweaked
• 3.0 - No functional card changes, only bug fixes
• 2.9 - 5 uncommons had their mana costs changed, only 2 standard legal, none of significant quality
• 2.8.1 -  No functional changes
• 2.8 - The large Cycling Nerf, and Land support buff. 95 cards specifically spelled out as adjusted, as well as all cycling 1 turning to cycling 2.
• 2.7.1 - No functional changes
• 2.7 - The 6 cards Dominaria cards we got before release tweaked.

So, we had to go back all the way to July of last year for any significant changes to any cards.

I would very much like to hear why the reasoning why this new system was implemented instead of implementing any changes to the problematic cards in the past 9 months?

Like I said in my essay on page 4, combo decks function on very small margins. Specifically margins of free mana and cheap draw. Incremental tweaks, such as dropping a card's power level by 20% at a time would have kept things in check. If you felt it was still too powerful, then decrease it another 20%, until a suitable balance is found.

I'm willing to be patient in receiving answers to these questions, maybe 2-3 weeks even, but I need them answered to be able to put trust back into this company before I put any more money in.

ZW2007-

Have you considered adding cards to counter loops instead of just nerfing loops as a playstyle?

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Gilesclone

starfall said:

ZW2007- said:

Have you considered adding cards to counter loops instead of just nerfing loops as a playstyle?

Like Solemnity? I don't like this idea at all.

That’s not what he meant 

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Matthew

I mean we already have an amazing counter to loop decks with Kambal, Consul of Allocation. What more do you need?

#HEAVYSARCASM

ZW2007-

I have detailed solutions to this problem in the past, in the ever useless Suggestions and Feedback forum. There are plenty of other solutions as well. This thread isn't really the place to have this discussion though. If I can find myself carrying enough, perhaps I will start a new thread in general.

Brigby

Thank you for all your question submissions