As we get close to the expansion release (woo hoo!), we’re re-enabling a feature from Alpha: Q-Mode. This mode lets players marked with the “External Tester” badge play around with the expansion cards for bug testing and balance feedback.

Before anyone gets too worried - we’re much closer to art completion than what you’ll see when you first enable q-mode. The card art is over 80% done at this point, but still needs to be framed and put into the game. Most of the visuals and sound effects are also still being worked on as well!

Features & Bug Fixes

• Rewrote underlying container for card collection and deck editor (among others) to use much less memory - this should fix the out-of-memory crashes in those screens that some people were experiencing.

• Card limit by rarity is now 9 for all draft modes (including Gauntlet, Arena, and Tournament)

• Improved tournament match making with regards to both byes and previous opponents - it now searches for the best set of matches to minimize both such occurrences

• Added Cube option for draft tournaments

• Added export button to collection

• Added import button to tournament ban list

• Switch the button order in the card wheel for cards like Chort Stag so that the confirm button is on the right to be more consistent with other UI in the game

• Fixed a bug where overrun damage was not being applied when attacking into a minion with immortal or immunity.

• Fixed possible turns not ending when not making a decision during Imperative Bell.

• Fixed turns immediately ending twice when Jaded Courtier triggers Defy Death.

• Fixed a bug where imported puzzles start players at 2 depletion damage instead of 1

• Stop playing timer warning at end of game

• Fixed a bug in swiss w/top cuts tournament administration that could prevent the proper running of such tournaments

• Fixed a bug where the rounds display could show data from previously viewed tournaments

• Fixed a bug where essence calculation for tournament deck editor was erroneously taking into account prestige

• Fixed bug where deck reveal for open list constructed tournaments was occurring at the start of the tournament instead of at the deck submission deadline

• Fixed bug where players who “Failed to submit deck(s)” are displayed as “Waiting for deck submission” in the tournament players panel

• Removed “combat” from Xerxian Saboteur ability description

• Repositioned front player power tooltip

Known Issues

• Guilds are NYI

• Chat is NYI

• Deck Bans are NYI for Conquest / Last Standing

• Cube mode will eventually require that you own all the cards that you put into it

• Minmaxer’s Challenge is currently unsolvable

Cards/Tuning

All Father’s Horn, Scion of Pride, and Temptation should be unmakeable at full value if crafted between 6/1/2020 and patch release.

Allfather’s Horn

• 6[B]B → 7[B]B

Mess with Norden and we get the horns. Clearly these alcoholic allfathers cannot be stopped, but perhaps they can be slowed down.

Pride of Place (generated by Scion of Pride)

• 1[O] → 2[O]

(See Scion of Pride context notes)

Scion of Pride

• Overrun → Removed

Scion was granted Overrun on top of its core abilities and value at a time when we were searching for more ways to circumvent defenses and end games, likely before the power of lions was fully understood. Alongside a slight bump to the cost of Pride of Place, this should tone down one of the most dominant maned minions.

Temptation

• Take control of an enemy minion with mana cost (5) or less that is opposite an unoccupied lane. and give it [Rush] until end of turn... → At the end of your next turn, return it to owner's hand with its mana cost reduced by (4) permanently

The hope is that without relying on Rush and as much surprise, it’ll fit more naturally into the flow of turns, but pushing the time tempted out so that you can still get an attack in.