Elvish Insight is fairly popular for parties that can run it, and I always feel naked and exposed when it is played against me, but I never feel like my whole round is ruined by showing my cards. I can't bluff or sneak attack, and all subtlety is lost, but I can still play my cards as best I can. That often is good enough to avoid a bad result. This is especially true if it is played as a round opener.....then you play your traits which they would see anyway....then more cards are drawn for you. In the end it feels powerful when played, but I'm not blown away by its result. Has anyone been rocked hard by this card, either using or facing it? Maybe in tandem with Devastating Blow? Edit: I regret not using affect in the poll.
I don't play sissy elves, so I've never been on the giving end, but it's always pretty bad when they hit you with that. I end up spending the rest of the round holding back, if possible, and playing very defensively. It's never lost me a fight by itself, but it's a large factor in how a round plays out.
I'm using Elvish Insight for myself; it is extremely important if enemy has blocks (and it also probes for "block any" across entire map), maybe some mighty hacks or two (so that you can target them with Mind Worm to force discard, and decide "run" in "run or fight" decisions), and to plan around what gets kept rather then discarded. You can also check precise targeting area for each skill with mouseover on revealed cards - sight can be tricky sometimes. And obviously you can check exact items used while cards are in hand - and plan for what might come next. Also often revealed hand shows team roles on turn one - something like encumbrance wizards. Then my dwarf warrior can stay out of LoS from them until he can get jump that would make encumbers useless.
I don't use elves at present but when I did and used this card first round it was common for my opponent to just quit and move on. I do think it's slightly overpowered. When there are 3 opponents remaining I think it should reveal all cards of 2 random opponents rather than all 3.
I use this card, and I think of it as quite a powerful card. Sometimes it provides vitally important information and other times it doesn't. For example it can be very useful to know that their enemy warrior has no attacks - or that they have an Obliterating Bludgeon + All Out Attack combo. That information is very important. It's also often very useful to know whether the enemy has any move cards left. It makes bluffing against them easier, because you know when they can move and when they can't, and you know when they can block and when they can't, and so on... But even when there isn't much useful information gained, it's still not bad because you get to draw another card anyway.
I have a love / hate relationship towards that card (never played elfs actually, but I do consider it after I get some better loot in). It's super powerful but also situational, but the effect itself is not OP. What makes it slightly questionable in my opinion is that it also allows to draw a card afterwards which is like a cherry on the top. The effect of the card is fun I suppose for both sides because its one of the few cards which drastically change the dynamic of the fight without a very cheesy effects like sending your entire team flying (WWE) and/or burning you to death through walls from the other end of the map (firestorm).
I always caution my opponent not to laugh when they see my cards, because invariably they're dreadful when it gets used on me.
I think the card is fine as it stands. Think of it like a half-trait -- it allows you to replace it with another card like Spin Around, but it requires an action/tempo to activate, and it also triggers blocks. It gives people another reason to play elves (both to get the card and to avoid being hit by the card) and there are even drawbacks to using it after round 1 -- yesterday my opponent's elf wizard was down to 6HP and used it after successfully fleeing from my dwarf warrior the previous round. Unfortunately for him, my warrior had "Hard to Pin Down" in hand which processed. So I moved next to him from the block and then whacked him.
I like the card. But one time I played it and my opponent complained that I'd transformed him from a human player into an easy AI. He seemed offended by the card, and that made me sad.
That is a good observation. The card draw effect takes it from situational to always fine to have. Good breakdown on what it provides. Negatively triggering a block is a very interesting outcome. It is polarizing because of that naked feeling. Your opponent had a poor attitude about it however, no need to feel bad.
A great card, I definitely play much more cautiously when used on me, never ran it myself though. I think of it this way, the opponent now knows ALL of the cards that can be played (his+mine), and barring any traits he sees (if he went first) or card draw/cyclers these are all of the cards that will be available this round, so if he doesn't make a mistake the round will end favourably for him (vp capture, one of my guys dead because he capitalised on movement card knowledge or at the very least avoiding me if he sees a clear advantage on my side of the cards). this more than often carries into the next round or more, and alot of the times you see people wanting to get rid of those cards, even discarding really powerful ones just because they hate having cards visible. the "war of minds" that goes on in-match is great especially in the first rounds and elvish insight makes sure one side is the definite victor in that particular round where insight was used. having said that, I don't think it's op, since many of the other races' skill cards are very good as well in their own right.
