When the computer can't find a human match for me in MP, I get matched up with Melvin, and I face the same team of high hit point dwarves with high synergy decks over and over and over again. And it's getting very boring, and beginning to feel like the first pay-to-win scenario I've encountered in the game. Gary gives me my free Adventurers Party, which is a balanced party that mimics my campaign party. This is cool. I play Gary in a game or two and am able to win. That is more cool. Then I start playing Melvin over and over again and he keeps royally kicking my ass. The difficulty spike is like a kick to the head. So I find myself trying to get multiplayer matches and when I can't be matched up against a human, I just want to quit right out of the match with Melvin. The pay-to-win starts to sneak in when I figure I can't beat Melvin with the Adventurers Pack, so maybe I have to buy a new party. Maybe this is in development already, but I really think players need some variety in the computer opponents they face in multiplayer if no humans are available. We need a chance to win, even if it's only one of every three or four matches by the luck of drawing a computer team that we have a chance to take down if we play smart. In my case, because I have to keep playing Melvin, and I can't get matches against humans (I realize this is much less likely to be a problem when the game is out of Beta), I'm ready to say "To hell with it" as far as the multiplayer is concerned. If I can't win, the appeal of earning items for the single player campaign in multiplayer is rendered entirely moot.
You don't need a new party to beat Melvin .. you just need to switch some gear around. Melvin uses dwarves ... so punish him for it. Lava terrain is pretty easy to get even at low levels.
Another option is to uncheck the box that allows AI opponents. It is right under the button that you click to start a ranked match. Also, reworking your builds is one of the best parts of this game in my opinion and you definitely consider it.
I get that I can rework my builds to fight Melvin...but that's kind of the point. It's still all about Melvin. I'm still fighting Melvin over and over again. I don't want to switch gear around just to fight Melvin. I don't want to fight the same opponent every time. It's boring. That's a good point about unchecking the AI opponent box...but isn't the only reason I would get matched up with an AI that Card Hunter can't find any humans for me to play against? So, if I uncheck the AI opponent box, does that mean I don't get to play multiplayer at all if there are no humans available? That is also not a very good solution. I want to be able to play multiplayer whenever I want to play multiplayer. I don't want to have to fight the same person if there are no humans available, however.
If you uncheck the box then you will stay in queue until a suitable opponent is found. You will not have to play the same person over an over again because the matchmaking system will not pair you with the same person twice in a row. It might mean that you are fighting people that are rated significantly higher or lower than you and it might mean you wait for five minutes for a game, but it is a solution to your problem.
Beat Melvin a few times and your ranking will get higher so that you will then match up better with other players and/or start fighting different AI. Also, you'll be getting more items that you will be able to adapt your deck with. Suck it up and beat on Melvin for a while I'd say, but that's up to you.
I've only faced Melvin once in MP; and I've only faced Amy once. I now get matched with Mom every time. I don't mind playing against the AI, and I realise that players are matched against whichever AI is closest to the player's rating - but I would like to sometimes be matched against other AIs, just for a bit of variety.
Mom's rating should be much higher, but everyone at the top who spend too much time queuing is beating mom all up, lowering her rating to around 1000+, which is very brutal for new players coming into that bracket. In another way it pushed Melvin and Amy lower then even Mom.
I faced Amy once when her rating apparently popped above Mom's...didn't realize at first she was a bot. Hopefully this whole discussion is moot after release when the game's wild popularity means no one has to play a bot ever again.
