Hey guys loli here, gonna make an actual serious post that is not a meme creme dream. In my mythron wanderings through many a tcg and ccg, I have always felt and always known the presence of the “turn one balance” problem. This is where player one always has a significant advantage by being able to develop first, and having access to the next mana crystal first.
All ccgs adress this problem uniquely, and it is always fun for me to see what solution a new card game has came up with. Because each tcg or ccg has unique mechanics, the one that balances the first turn problem has to be unique as well.
Shadowverse, for example, has a unique “evolve” system that provide both players with limited amounts of points to use on their minions for free (starting after a few turns, once a turn) to upgrade their stats, and even give thm new abilities!
Mtg gives a draw to the second player on their first turn while not giving one to player one. HS uses a one use spell to give one free mana to the second player.
Duelyst, however has one of the most unique systems of balance Ive seen in awhile. First, their mana systems start at two, or three for the second player. Observing just this, that just took the main advantage of player one and handed it to player two! Although p1 does have more flexibility in t1 developments because the mana base starts at two, they still just lost their biggest advantage of being able to start with one more mana than the opponent had last turn!
Also, mana tiles muddy the water. With the positioning of mana tiles giving p2 instant access to a one mana discount on his next minion, and also taunting possibility of accessing another of the three mana tiles for further value, it is quite obvious compared to the turn 2 ramp that p1 may achieve, p2’s explosive turn ones seems to put him even more ahead!
Especially with swarm decks, who can develop an extremely powerful board on t1 as p2
In even deeper examination of the game, we can observe additional advantages p1 has such as being able to use their bbs first and being able to access the powerful far reaching position of center on the board. I personally do not believe this allows p1 to overcome the advantage of p2 (who, in a mythron brome mirror or wanderer mirror has yet another advantage to curve into truesight jax or wanderer first)
but I would like to know what everyone else thinks, and there is even more to test such as how being first or second as and against certain factions, generals, or deck archetypes can change the playstyle and chances of success. (Such as faie second and p1 going center only to walk into glacial chasm, or swarm slamming a bunch of wraithlings t1) update: certain decks want to go first. Such as oby vet to get an obylesk down uncontested, or magmar to get the golem mettalurgist into lavalasher combo
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