by Paul G
Okay, so I've wanted to write about this for a long time, now that I hear that there's an expansion coming out, I'd like to voice a few things. This post is partly review, partly a general comment, and partly a set of suggested houserules/errata.This game is a very fun game in a lot of ways. There is FAR too much luck involved though, present in several different locations in the game. The best player doesn't win a large percentage of games, and that is not okay. In, say, Dominion, the best player in a 4 player game will win about 50% of games. In DC, it's something like 30%.
Note: I am a deck-builder designer myself, with two working (but not yet perfectly balanced) games, and I spent years in video game Quality Assurance. I've also paid close attention to what the best game designers in the world believe through blog reading and studying patterns. This is not a topic I know nothing about.
The reason for this lies in timing. I find many DBG designers see your deck as something you can control. In many games, including CCGs and LCGs, there is some control over the order of the draw. Many Magic decks played 4 Birds of Paradise, to increase the likelihood of drawing one early, when you need it. They only played 2 Akroma, Angel of Wrath, though, as they want to draw it far later into the game.
Deck-builders do not work like this. You draw all your cards every time you go through your deck, and there is no way to influence the order outside of the cards themselves.
Also note: I am assuming that everyone knows all the cards in the game well enough that I can just mention them by name.
The first card to come to mind is Mera. This is a card that literally rewards nothing other than drawing it at the right time, and +2 Power is a massive amount that will often decide the winner of the game. Taking a fast Lobo or Man of Steel will drastically increase your chance of winning.
On the other hand, Power Ring may seem the same - but the variance is far smaller. The top card of your deck isn't impossible to manipulate, but more importantly, Power Ring effectively says "+2 Power. +3 Power late in the game." This is a controlled investment. You get more power later in the game. Mera just says "sometimes, you win."
Let's discuss a few of the variance related cards, and how I would (and have) "houserule" fixes.
Mera: "+2 Power. +3 Power if you have no cards that cost 1 or more in your discard pile." There. Far less variance, a bit more control, and less game-winning. Worst case scenario, it's a Kick, and early game, it will often be +3 Power - but less often than Power Ring will be late game.
Bulletproof: This one is a frustrating card. Defenses are very strong in this game, but using it is rare enough that having to have cards in your discard pile is just frustrating. New text: "+2 Power. Defense: Discard to block, draw a card, and destroy a card in hand or discard." Less frustrating, not too much more powerful.
Bat Signal, Robin, and Man of Steel: These are a bit weirder. They're all incredibly powerful when they work out, but incredibly frustrating when they don't. Man of Steel being the last card in your deck usually means you draw it 1 less time (because you then shuffle without shuffling it in). It also means you usually don't get the awesome benefit. For all three of these cards, adding "or +1 Power" at the end of the text would make them a bit less annoying. Bat Signal and Man of Steel are still bad cards for their cost. Robin, on the other hand, may be too powerful with this change, and is probably fair as is.
Poison Ivy: This is easily the most frustrating card in the deck for me. It feels so arbitrary, and can easily cause a game loss, as you discard your best card (early game) and gain a Weakness, if it hits. This is icky. New text: "Attack: Opponents reveal the top card of their deck. If it costs 1 or more, they gain a Weakness. Otherwise, they discard it." This may be a bit frustrating for the player of Ivy, but is far less annoying as is.
King of Atlantis: Yet another card that drawing at the wrong time is incredibly frustrating, but also game losing. -2 Power and dont' destroy a vulnerability - holy crap, getting this at the wrong time is a TERRIBLE feeling! New text: "+1 Power, place this card on top of your deck or destroy a card in your discard pile for +3." There. All better! It's an extra Punch in your deck if you draw it too early... But that's not a very good thing.
Alright, I believe that that's all the cards in the main deck that are too luck heavy. I'm away from my game currently, so I can't check if I'm forgetting anything.
Now, there is one other thing that is frustrating and purely luck based, and that is "Supervillain attacks". Some are terrible, some are meh. The wrong one hitting can easily lose you the game - the Anti-Monitor returning your Man of Steel or Darkseid, for example. Many Supervillains have the ability to ruin your game if they come out at the wrong time.
The solution here is something along the lines of "or place your hand on top of your deck" to the end of every Supervillain's attack. It's still an absolutely brutal attack that can ruin your day, but... Less so. Less of a feeling of helplessness, at least you have a choice.
Attacks could be altered individually, but only the ones that really ruin your deck (as opposed to your turn) are problematic.
One last thing: the Flash. The Flash is a tad too weak. I'm not sure what the appropriate balance fix is here, he's just a bad version of Cyborg that goes first. If the right cards come out on your turn you win, if they don't, you lose. This becomes even more frustrating as unlike Batman or Superman, every card you want is a card that every player wants. Card draw is good. I'm not sure what the appropriate fix is, here. Maybe something like "The first time each turn you draw a card or shuffle your deck, draw an extra card".
Also, nerf Wonder Woman.
Hope you enjoyed the read,
Paul