Legends - what a cool idea! Way to increase the permutations of a given home-deck concept. Regarding that, I’d like to put forth an idea that has bothered me since Classic:
I know that when it comes to deck-building, in general there are a few ‘starting points’ that a deck-builder may use in the realization of a deck strategy. How I started in Classic was to choose a Home first, then to choose either a Starting Posse and/or a Strategic Concept and work back and forth from there. My first decks were made like this. As the card base expanded, I later changed the order to having my ‘starting point’ be a particular Dude and/or Posse, with the rest of the deck being built around those characters to support them. Finally, I eventually came to experimenting with having a Strategic Concept as my ‘starting point’ and building the Starting Posse and/or Home around that idea. Furthermore, I’ve talked to Reloaded players who like to choose 2 or 3 values first (or a Structure like DMH or Straight-flush) and work from there. Point being, the game is rich enough to support multiple ‘starting points’ when it comes to deck-building.
Now enter Legends: Another factor to consider when deck-building, and certainly another ‘starting point’ to consider similarly. Awesome!
Before I get to my ‘what if’ I’d like to share the ‘bother’ that has plagued me since Classic. I had a couple of decks that, being built around a Starting Posse, could run viably under different (same-Faction) Homes which, depending on which Home I would choose to run for a matchup would favor or disfavor it depending upon which Home my opponent was playing. And yet, it was (and is in DTR) required to declare exactly which Home you are using (the “Initial Reveal”), and from this limited information, select a Starting Posse (even if most decks always intend to use the same Starting Dudes). This has always struck me as a lost opportunity.
So what if!
What if at the beginning of a match-up (for the “Initial Reveal”), each player instead selects a Faction to declare, and based on that information exchange, then decide upon a Home and Legend and Starting Posse to start the matchup with?
I think this would be a cool idea that could add even more strategic depth to this already rich game.
I never played Classic (I am but a wee lad), but I think Reloaded’s Home cards are different enough within the factions that decks have to optimize to really take advantage of them. Sure Arsenal decks work just fine under Abram’s Crusaders, but I a deck made specifically for the crusades will run much smoother, or at least take more advantage of the home.
Additionally, a Home like Oddities of Nature or Original Eagle Wardens communicates a very different deck structure/strategy to your opponent than The Sanatorium or Beyond the Veil do. Knowing that your opponent is playing The Fourth Ring faction doesn’t help if your opponent then busts out Full Moon Brotherhood (which would also completely ruin you if you planned to turtle with Jake).
I do agree with you that the Legends cards will probably create some interesting decks, but I think they will function a lot like the existing core deeds do in allowing new decks to become viable while also creating an interesting puzzle to figure out based on the Legends’ pros/cons and determining whether they outweigh each other.
I just really hope that the legend cards are more than just “If you want to play gadgets, you play Hellstromme. If you want to play blessed, you play Grimme. Etc.”
I understand the needs of the limited card pool, but if legends are limited to 1 per deck type (e.g. a gadget legend) then it doesn’t actually add anything, it just becomes a band-aid patch to try and fix homes that are bad at doing their job.
In essence, I’d rather see a replacement for gadgetorium and the arsenal than I would like to see yet another band aid card designed to fix mediocre to terrible homes.
*Gadgets being only exemplary here, not exhaustive.
Legends… Interesting. Reminds me quite a bit of the L5R sensei cards, as kempy alluded to.
That said, I really hope they are better balanced than L5R’s sensei. Back when I played that game, the sensei’s were either an auto-include, part of a gimmick or combo deck, or rubbish.
I’m all for variety and would like to hear more about the reasoning for the new card type.
Oh, I’m looking forward to them and dreding them at the same time. Just don’t know until I see them. I’m betting they will definitely make some less played decks charged with new life. My concern is if it overpowers a deck type unintentionally, especially one that people have dismissed but that someone has made an extremely good deck, and a legend only makes it stronger.
This is all assuming that the legends are built for specific deck types, which I’m guessing will most likely happen. Even if they were like grifters were at the start, a generally useful starting dude, grifters became very deck specific, and I’m betting legends will be as well.
I disagree. People have expressed elsewhere the frustration with cardboard coasters; a sentiment I share. I’d rather new cards get printed which breathe life into old cards than have upgraded versions essentially nullify them.
In response to the OP: huh. My personal style of deck-building is relatively Home dependent (as are most decks I play against and read about), but this is interesting food for thought. My fear would be that this change could lead to an emphasis on generically good builds as opposed to niche decks, which might water down the environment. Niche decks are already pigeon-holed as they have fewer options in a limited card pool, but your idea is not without merit. I am a fan of strategic depth.
I guess it depends on how well they are designed. A bandaid just sounds bad. I don’t want that either. But a new card-type which opens up potential for more nuanced design space is good, in theory. Ever the optimist, I am!
