Devblog: Balancing

But wait, there's more! We are also going to introduce balancing on a more frequent and significant basis. Patch 1.5 will be the first in a long series of patches designed to boost class cards. Toutoune, Shyendalar, and Kewl will fill you in on the details!

 

A Pervasive Core Set of Cards

By now we're all aware that the frequent use of certain neutral cards is hindering the variety of decks in Krosmaga. These cards basically amount to the same thing in all competitive decks, regardless of the class or archetype chosen, and they're a real problem for the game right now.

One aspect stands out in these overrepresented cards: they are neutral cards, thus replacing class cards by a wide margin. An analysis of these neutral cards reveals the qualities that make them so ubiquitous: 

1. They have abilities for which there aren't any counters or an equivalent in other cards.
2. An excellent quality/cost ratio – this very often translates into a speed increase that's impossible to match except by creating new "monsters."
3. Their autonomy: these cards are frequently enough by themselves, and they don't really require any elaborate combos to reach the Dofus.

Among these cards, there are of course a few Infinites and Krosmics (Adamai and Major Arachnee, for example), but also more basic cards, of which we can cite 3 examples. First there is the Tsu Tsu Mikaze, which (when playing aggro) allows you to quickly set down several threats, and also multiplies in your hand; then the Arachnee Embroiderer, which renders anything without at least 3 AT defenseless; and finally the Midgin Knight, which is practically unrivaled in terms of attack at turn 4.

These neutral cards, powerful and too often unmatched by class cards, have slowly become a fixture of every competitive deck. They are currently so reliable that it seems difficult to avoid putting them in a deck. These cards thus have the pernicious effect of drastically limiting the variety of decks played. And so, in this sort of environment, the popularity of a god is determined by the number and ease of win conditions for each class. The second undesirable side effect is that to revamp a meta in these conditions, we're forced to break the win conditions of a popular god, only to see another god immediately take its place with the same core set of overpowered neutral cards.

What we'd like to do now is replace these core neutral cards with class cards, with the goal of adding more variety to the game.
 

Our Process for Selecting Cards to Buff/Nerf

Whenever we want to make changes to cards, we have to observe and analyze the whole surrounding environment. Should we nerf the card everyone's criticizing? Or should we instead offer more accessible counters? Maybe offer alternative cards that can compete?

To choose which cards to nerf, we look at several statistical parameters:

• the number of times a card has been played
• the win rate of decks using the card
• how often the card is found in players' collections
• the rank at which the card is most often played

Then we compare this data to the makeup of decks that are most played and have the highest win rate in the top ranking, as well as how the card is used in these decks. We also base our analysis on your own perceptions of the card, as conveyed to us on the forums and on Discord.

This allows us to get a good sense of what cards are overly strong and might be good candidates for modification.

We use the same process to identify cards that are underpowered or unplayed.

As our current goal is to make neutral cards less pervasive and to foster more variety, we're going to use a very precise focus when selecting cards to modify.

You can expect ubiquitous and overpowered neutral cards to be replaced by class cards.
 

Restricting the Number of Krosmics per Deck

We also realized the amount of Krosmic cards being incorporated into decks was increasing over time. As time goes on, more and more players have access to these powerful cards; and as we continue to make expansions, there will be an even greater number of Krosmic cards.

Krosmics are powerful cards, sometimes as powerful as Infinites, and when you can take all the overpowered cards in a match that you want, there's really no choice anymore. No matter what god you play or deck archetype you go with, all competitive players at the moment have a base set of Krosmics that is the same from one deck to the next!

Ultimately, if we don't do something quickly, we're going to end up with decks primarily composed of identical Krosmic cards when there is much more content for Krosmaga.

That is why we've decided to limit the number of Krosmic cards to 7 per deck.

Once Krosmics are limited in number as Infinites are, you'll have to answer some questions when building your deck. Will you select the Decepticod to grind your opponent or attack more quickly and forcefully? Will you play a Golden Piwi for your draw pile? Will you keep the Protoflex for win conditions, or perhaps Fleeflee? Will you use the Avengers or instead go with the Brotherhood of the Tofu?

This limitation requires you to make certain choices, which will enable a better rotation of Krosmic cards and greater variety of decks encountered.
 

Regular Balancing Patches

To achieve our goals and quite simply allow for changes to the meta, we've decided to increase the frequency and impact of upcoming balancing patches.

We want the meta to be more lively and dynamic – to that end, we've launched a sizable balancing project. Over the next few months, we'll be releasing a substantial patch each month to redesign cards for several gods in order to boost their appeal, strengthen their archetypes, and provide for more viable win conditions.

There will be several essential nerfs in the coming update, but what we ultimately want to do is focus on the viability of class mechanics, while also making improvements to existing class cards.

We can't wait to see how these balancing patches influence the decks you'll create. We'll be keeping an eye out!

– Toutoune, Shyendalar, and Kewl