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General Discussion / The Future Meta - Conquest of Kumanjaro Speculation
« on: May 28, 2013, 10:53:49 AM »
The Conquest of Kumanjaro spoilers are coming along nicely, and there's a trend:
11-13 mana cost defensive creatures, hard to kill, designed to endure turn after turn of attacks, but with generally low attacks themselves.
The game is also introducing three new condition counters that seem to be designed for longer games than shorter ones:
A new damage over time effect that encourages healing, an alternate form of damage that is only worth playing if your opponent is healing, and better Cripple, to freeze creatures in place.
Aside from making tournament rounds less likely to finish in 75 minutes, what might the effect of these new cards be?
I can potentially see a resurgence in spawnpoint conjurations like Lair. If they're easier to defend, and if the game is likely to go longer, they're more likely to benefit the caster.
Mana denial strategies probably also get stronger, maybe? If the game is going to be decided by slower creatures grinding it out instead of aggressive all-or-nothing attacks, differences in channeling are going to matter more. Essence Drain and Mana Siphon look really good in that kind of meta.
Maybe Swarms will get better? Right now, the consensus seems to be that swarming your opponent isn't a great plan because your weenies die easily. These new defensive creatures have weak attacks (and no sweep or AOEs), so a flood of creatures might last longer against them. Attack Spell AOEs would still be a problem, though.
Obviously, the next cards spoiled could change all of this, but to me it looks like a deliberate adjustment to the tempo of the game.
What do you think?
11-13 mana cost defensive creatures, hard to kill, designed to endure turn after turn of attacks, but with generally low attacks themselves.
The game is also introducing three new condition counters that seem to be designed for longer games than shorter ones:
A new damage over time effect that encourages healing, an alternate form of damage that is only worth playing if your opponent is healing, and better Cripple, to freeze creatures in place.
Aside from making tournament rounds less likely to finish in 75 minutes, what might the effect of these new cards be?
I can potentially see a resurgence in spawnpoint conjurations like Lair. If they're easier to defend, and if the game is likely to go longer, they're more likely to benefit the caster.
Mana denial strategies probably also get stronger, maybe? If the game is going to be decided by slower creatures grinding it out instead of aggressive all-or-nothing attacks, differences in channeling are going to matter more. Essence Drain and Mana Siphon look really good in that kind of meta.
Maybe Swarms will get better? Right now, the consensus seems to be that swarming your opponent isn't a great plan because your weenies die easily. These new defensive creatures have weak attacks (and no sweep or AOEs), so a flood of creatures might last longer against them. Attack Spell AOEs would still be a problem, though.
Obviously, the next cards spoiled could change all of this, but to me it looks like a deliberate adjustment to the tempo of the game.
What do you think?
