State of the Game: Is this power creep? (Flesh and Blood TCG)

Written by Liam Bosecke

  

  

  

What is power creep?

For those who aren't familiar with the term, power creep can be defined as a flaw in game design, where new game elements (such as cards) overpower previously made elements of the game. This is something many of us believed we had seen the worst of in Flesh and Blood, when we saw Chane introduced into the game. How wrong we were.

Every set (post Crucible of War) that has been released so far, has run into some sort of balancing issue one way or the other. We have analysed the release of Chane extensively and how that effected the way people played. 

  

"We made a mistake" - Legend Story Studios

   

Tales of Aria

I don't believe LSS (Legend Story Studios) is intentionally releasing cards that are more powerful to sell more product, since they stated that there was seemingly a lack of testing for Classic Constructed. Releasing a card purely for the flavor however, in a game that prides itself in having a balanced sealed format, was an oversight to say the least.

This set gave us our first insight into how LSS would handle an errata. The timing left it so those who were playing competitively didn't have to practice or change strategies. All in all, players have been left feeling positive after changes have been made to the rules, banning Plunder Run was the best thing they could have done at the time given how rampant Cheerios Briar decks were becoming. 

The game has steadily sped up to the point were we can see games be decided within one or even two turns (Blitz). One way to look at the games progression is that LSS is slowly developing the game to reach its intended power level. Meaning that weak heroes, such as Levia and Azalea currently, will eventually receive buffs or hero rewrites that will allow them to keep up and create a diverse meta. Having different versions of the same hero is a very interesting way to address this issue and is one that we are already seeing now with Dorinthea. In practice, we will see how effective that really is.

  

A hero which is no longer a dominating force.

  

Everfest

It's almost cannon for Flesh and Blood's story that Bravo, Star of the Show is in fact, the most powerful hero we have come across. Our band of heroes set out to find this guardian with mysterious powers to take on a coming evil. This hero has it's own ultra rare cold foil slot, which is just about as hard to pull out of a booster pack as a fabled. In terms of game play experience however, this hero is the most seemingly 'broken' to play against that we have come across thus far.

  

Meta breakdown for this seasons major tournament.

  

Currently, it's widely accepted that if you want to play competitively in Classic Constructed, you need to play Starvo (Bravo, Star of the Show). I don't believe this is how LSS envisioned their game to be played. It is widely believed that the issue of Starvo will be addressed with the next banned and restricted announcement (at-least that is hoped). 

The following are some suggestions that we've heard from local players:

  • Crown of Seeds costs one and you can only pitch with an earth card to pay it's cost.
  • Awakening is banned
  • Sonata Arcanix is banned
  • Oaken Old is an Oldhim Specialization

   

One way to look at the games progression is that LSS is slowly developing the game to reach its intended power level.

   

With a growing list of banned and restricted cards, we can only hope that LSS have learnt from their recent experiences. Allowing ample time for vigorous testing is something they've committed to improving upon. 

With that being said, it's not all doom and gloom, as we've seen the recent rise of Prism Auras (CC) and Oldhim (Blitz) as very competitive strategies going into the second quarter of 2022. Everfest has been a fabulous set that has breathed life into old heroes again, such as Benji and Dash.

  

Benji OTK has proven to be a formidable strategy this blitz season.

   

   

   

  

  

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