I have a few out-of-the-box balance suggestions, that didn't really fit in the feedback thread since they are not really feedback to the existing changes, so I opted for a new thread. The basic principles behind the changes are to change cards so that their value is dependent on how you use them, and so that there is diminishing returns on including too many copies of the same card in your deck. 1) +1 damage to all electric attacks; all electric attacks give a duration 1 buff to the target 'Grounded' which makes the target immune to electric damage for the rest of the round. This change makes it so that stacking a lot of shock cards is inefficient since you will only be able to hit each enemy character once each round, but having some shock cards in your deck can give you good value. This gives an incentive to run one wizard on a team without buffing three wizard teams. You can also do creative things like hit an ally with a low damage shock card to prevent the enemy for attacking them with lightning damage. 2) Touch Of Death is changed to do 6 damage for each card a character has over three cards. The damage is still penetrating and unholy. This change makes stacking harnesses very dangerous against a priest. As I said in the intro, in the right situation it can provide huge value, or it can also be completely useless. It also has diminishing returns in terms of having a lot of them in your deck. This probably needs to a multiplayer only change, since it seems overpowered in single player. 3) Impaler is changed to give +4 damage to penetrating melee attacks if you are behind the target. Penetrating melee builds currently do not provide enough damage to make them a viable strategy. Along the theme of the other changes, under the right conditions, this change can make penetrating builds useful with good positioning. There is also good counter play because the trait is visible to your opponent, so they will know what you are trying to do. 4) Burning damage is penetrating. Hot Flames is changed to add +3 damage to Fire attacks if the target is standing on lava. Fire attacks already have the property that putting too many of them in a deck is inefficient, since the burning damage does not stack. However the problem with fire damage is that there is too many drawbacks to using it as a damage source. Cycling attachments removes the damage, the damage can be prevented by impenetrable nimbus, the damage can be used to the benefit of the target (martyr's blessing, sparkling cloth armor), and finally armor is applied not only to the attack, but to each burning tick. Even by removing that final drawback from fire spells I think there is more than enough counter play that they will not be over powered. The change to hot flames gives you another way to get good value out of fire spells under the right conditions, but once again because it is a trait, your opponent will know what you are trying to do. It also buffs lava, which has gotten worse with the nerfs to control wizards. 5) All Bash cards stun the target if they are prevented from sliding by blocking terrain. This change makes thematic sense (bash them into a wall), and once again provides an opportunity for good players to get additional value out of cards with positioning. It also adds another thing for good players to consider when moving their characters (am I vulnerable to getting bashing into a wall if I move here?) 6) Short perplexing ray is changed to a duration 1 attachment which makes the target discard all of their cards at the end of the turn (still range 3). This version still of SPR only provides value if the target has two cards or more at the end of the round. This allows for counter play by using all your cards or purging the attachment. I also like that it makes the card offensive rather than defensive. You use it to get rid of blocks, armor, dodges to set yourself up for big damage on the target next turn.
Although that adds to complexity (and even steeper learning curve, what BM are trying to avoid), I really like this point. Bashes are rather lacklustre at the moment (even with upcoming changes).
Of all the ideas, my favorite is bash, followed by impaler, and then SPR. With bash, setting people up for a stun seems like it could add a lot to positioning considerations. For impaler I like the concept of a penetrating deck that focuses on backstabs. It would combo great with a nimble strike warrior that constantly changes the facing of an enemy so the penetrating warrior can get in backstabs. The SPR change seems strictly less powerful that the pre-nerfed version, and I think it is health for the game to have methods for getting enemies to discard cards like dodge and boosted heal.
