MtG does it, Hearth Stone does it- Duelyst has not.
I think it would be good for the game to start doing this- even if only to help *slightly soften the blow to a new player trying to come in, but I think the game would be healthier for it overall.
Am I alone in this? Have the devs ever mentioned it?
Does Duelyst need some cards/set(s) to be retired?
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I don’t think Duelyst has existed long enough to do that. If you were to take out any of the expansions, a lot of factions would be badly impacted, not only because they are losing cards they need, but because their are some factions like Vanar who will remain even more OP since a lot of their power lies in their core set cards.
Also I agree that something should be done about the game to make it more friendly to new players, but there also needs to be compromise for the veterans too. For example a lot of people have suggested that newer players should be given a bunch of orbs if they are just starting out, but how do you think that feels for veteran players who have worked a long time to get the cards they have and suddenly their collection is now just standard. That would suck.
Maybe something that can be done for newer players is a mode where they can play without worrying about rank and just get good at the game. In addition also being able to earn cards in the process and play against other players who have the same card collection they do in the mode. Hmmmmmmmm…I wonder what kind of mode that would be…
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Here’s the thing about casual mode, it’s a lot less casual when it becomes a S rank hunting/testing ground without fear of dropping ranks.
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Not saying it should never happen, but it’s definitely to early for that.
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I agree which is why I particularly like rift mode because, as I said in my previous post, it levels the playing field for both bronze and S rank players because they start with similar card collections which make any games in the mode a game of skill regarding drafting and playing the actual game.
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Yeah this game need casual mode.
For testing deck, for doing quests, or just for fun without afraid of losing rank.
But, i’m afraid that will separated the players.
Many players will go casual, and competitive queue will take longer. 
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Except that’s not what happened at all.
Rift mode was riddled with S rankers to the point that the top 50 rift players and top 50 S rank players had a lot of familiar faces in it.
The top 10 was a veritable who’s whp of competitive players, and Rift was a supposed “fun” mode.
It did not “level” the playing field in any way whatsoever other than having similar starting points. One of the major complaints against the mode was that it was basically good players preying on newer ones, and this was entirely to be expected.
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No never ever.
Not once in its predicted 23-year existence.
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That did happen which is why it is understandable that CPG decided to take away Rift mode. The basic concept of what the mode was meant to be was great it just needed to be better executed which is why they should bring it back, but improve various features on it to make it more friendly to beginners and veterans alike. However, and this may be why CPG won’t bring it back despite petitions otherwise, there is one huge flaw in the mode and that is the lack of diversity in player base.
Since the game is not growing there are not many new players and most players are pretty adjusted to this game having been in it for some months if they decided to stay. As a result Rift mode is not very friendly to new people playing the game because all their opponents are much older. The only way this could be circumvented is if a sudden surge of new players came to duelyst all at once so that they could battle amongst themselves instead of constantly getting paired with veterans, discouraged, and then quitting the game.
And that plays a large part in why Duelyst is failing right now because it needs to get newcomers and keep them, but it can only do so by getting newcomers and keeping them.
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Never heard that specifically.
Not saying you’re wrong.
But the only major complains I heard were that catching up is hard (new player with basic Magmar deck and 3-5 swaps against someone who has been crafting the deck over 50+ matches.
And the fact that there was no incentive to play it.
Also, they said it will be back and I’m still looking forward to it personally 
I think when the new-ness wears off it will have its own niche playerbase, like Gauntlet has now.
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That’s a common argument against casual mode but other games prove that it doesn’t have to be the case. Shardbound for example uses the same queue and matchmaking for both casual mode and rank mode. However, the guy in casual mode won’t get/lose points after the match. His rank is simply frozen and won’t change. That way a guy in casual mode can even be paired against a guy playing rank but only the rank guys rank will change after the match.
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23 or 2-3? Just clarifying.
I’m personally against expansion phase out. And one of the reasons is that even if it could help new players, it will harm old players.
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It’s been said, but I also agree that duelyst is still too young and does not have enough cards yet to support rotating sets for a “standard” mode.
Soon, however, I do believe this will be necessary. If and when it does happen, I believe it would be best for them to try a model that supports one primary set (the core set) being always in effect with 2+ secondary rotating sets (depending on the size of these sets, which will need to be standardized). Keeping one primary set always active will make the standard mode more accessible to new or lower budget players, this making the mode more appealing and sustainable. Think if it like the core sets that MTG issued to boast but the set is constant.
There is about problem however: Duelyst needs to be sure they have enough of a constant player base to support the additional play mode. I’m not going to comment on how popular the game is, I don’t have that data and won’t pretend I do. However, there will be a necessary minimum number of active players to support having your queues divided. Not every player will be willing to play the new standard mode (I’m one of them), so there will need to be some incentive to play it (aside from the implied improved balance due to having restricted card pools).
One thing should be noted: the more cards duelyst ads to the game, the closer we get to needing a new means of balancing the game. I simply hope the game will be popular enough to support it when we get there, otherwise things will start going down hill.
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Practice mode needs updating.
add a button to include cards in all expansions.
AI general’s deck can then be revamped.
Or better yet, let us create AI’s deck!!
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I will support an unpopular opinion: formats would be great for this game. There are already too many cards which are too strong or just annoying to play against. Formats could be an elegant way to implement a “grand balance” patch and push faction identities in a healthier direction. I love the current meta, but I think we may enjoy the game even more without Spectral Revenant, Holy Immolation, Makantor and their friends.
Also, formats have the great advantage of making the life of newbies with incomplete collections much easier and simplifies the process of jumping back into the game after a break. I used to hate the idea of formats, but now I think they are a very sensible practice. Rotating out hard-to-achieve cards like those from RotB and AB would also be a plus.
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No! God no, please no. Rotating formats are the worst, and a huge money grubbing scam.
Power creep is also not a good method, and it does not necessarily have to happen, especially with a digital game where they can adjust both old and new things at their leisure. Releasing new cards, balancing over turned things, buffing older cards, and supporting various archetypes prevents things from getting stale.
Not to mention it divides the player base between formats. Gauntlet is enough of an alternate game mode, although it really ought to be free, but harder to get rewards out of.
A rotated format is not any friendlier to a new player, the costs are usually the same to make a deck, they have to do just as much learning, and the meta Is super stale for a couple months due to the tiny card pool. And then guess what, time to throw away all your old stuff and buy everything new! To prepare for yet another boring stale couple months, and then it repeats again.
Has anyone ever actually been scared away by a large card pool? I see big pool and think lots of customization, I can do what I want and not be all cookie cutter, and am thrilled with the constant discovery. Most of the learning is mechanics and basic tactics which have little to do with the card pool. I see people say “oh it is friendly to new players” but never have I actualy seen a new player complain.
There is a reason why Modern and EDH in MTG are quickly becoming more popular than standard, despite that Wizards goes out of their way promote Standard. And unlike Legacy/vintage because edh/modern gets the balancing attention they need, they have been very successful, and that balancing is much easier for a digital game to.
7 Likes
BTW another suggestion to support new players, which I had for awhile: turn base/progression cards into regular disenchantable cards (with relatively low rarity, obviously - we are still greedy). Every X expansions (like, every 2 majors) switch the cards awarded to new users to account for new balance state.
New users get something more competitive to start with, older players stay where they are.
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I’m sorry if I’m being rude by asking, but can you clarify what you are talking about? It seems interesting!
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There isn’t a need for a rotation at the moment
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I’m not really sure if the question is directed at me, as I don’t see corresponding marker but still got the notification.
However, imagine all current free cards becoming regular disenchantable cards (commons most likely, but it’s not relevant currently). They are removed from progression rewards (at full or in part) and instead replaced by cards more competitive in current state of the game.
Older player keep what they already have (get free dust, basically), without getting the new cards (they are assumed to have already built their decks), and new players start getting more competitive starter decks.
For example:
Shadow Watcher, Shadow Nova and Soulshatter Pact become commons.
New players no longer receive them, but instead get Abyssal Juggernaut, Sphere of Darkness and Nightfiend, which provides them with a more synergistic SC-oriented deck.
Old players lose nothing or even gain a bit of free dust (90, if they are lame enough to disenchant all of them).
1 Like