Godtear Community Playtest Packet: Rangosh, Skullbreaker, and Morrigan

Hello Champions!  As I’m sure you all know, the community is working on a balance pass for Godtear.  In this playtest packet, we’ll be presenting proposed changes for two three champions.  One Two will get nerfs, one will get buffs.  First, we’ll give you the changes themselves.  Then we’ll explain why we chose these champions, how we have interpreted the community's perspective on their issues, and how we arrived at the change proposal.

Rangosh Experimental Nerfs

Protection: 2 → 1

Number of Red Bandits: 5 → 4

Skullbreaker Experimental Nerfs

Dodge: 4 → 3

Protection: 1 → 2

Set up the Boss! new wording: Once per phase, when a Tooth Bearer damages an enemy, Skullbreaker may gain a boon of your choice or move 1 hex.

Go for the Belly! new wording: Skullbreaker’s Jawblade skill gains +2 [damage icon] and “Hit Effect: Move target up to 1 hex.” this activation

Morrigan Experimental Buffs

Forward Minions! becomes: Onward, Minions!: Range 4. Morrigan may use this skill as a bonus action.  Move each Cold Bones that is within range up to 1 hex.

So Cool Mistress! new wording:  If Morrigan is within range, she gains [speed],[accuracy], or [damage]

Chill Out: Base accuracy 1*/1*/1* → 2*/2*/2*

Snowblade Fight! Base accuracy 1*/1*/1* → 2*/2*/2*.  New wording: Before the hit roll, if Cold Bones are below their maximum unit size, add one to a hex within 1 hexes of the target.  This skill has +1 [accuracy] for each Cold Bones adjacent to the target.

Cold Bones clash phase speed: 1 → 2

Why these champions? What were their issues? Why’d we make the changes we did?

Phew, that’s a lot of changes. 

Let’s start with Rangosh. Rangosh is widely regarded as one of the best champions in the game, in both pick and win rate across the entire history of Godtear.  He’s tanky with 4/2/7 defense stats, mobile with 3/2 movement and an movement Ult, and has great damage output with Whiplash and Jawbreaker and Brutal Master.  His bandits are also a problem, since they have an autowound attack in both phases, and a range 3 plink in the clash.  We wanted to offset his tankiness a little, and bring down his damage output to reasonable levels.  

We settled on reducing his Protection from 2 to 1, and reducing the number of bandits he can field from 5 to 4.  This reduction in Protection makes him more vulnerable to multiple attacks.  Limiting his bandits addresses his damage output in two ways.  Firstly, it makes it harder for them to group up for their 3 stack attacks.  Secondly, it means that to use Brutal Master 4 times in a turn, Rangosh has to have all bandits on the field and within 3 of him.  Previously, if all 5 Red Bandits were on the field, Rangosh could eat 4, then they could recruit, induct, recruit the next turn and he could eat 4 bandits again.  Now if he eats all 4 bandits, he has to have a space to recruit them and they will lose their Stolen Treasure buff.

Credit to exponentialcrazy on the Discord for the paint job

Now, let us address why we chose to release Skullbreaker this week alongside Rangosh and Morrigan.  Rangosh and Skullbreaker are widely considered the most consistent Slayers, and by addressing them at the same time we hope to improve the veracity of playtesting.  Additionally, by reducing Rangosh’s Protection to 1, we realized we were making the Slayer statline rather flat.  Sneaky Peet, Lorsann, and Skullbreaker already had Protection 1.  Maxen and Morrigan had Protection 3, and Keera and Rangosh both had Protection 2.  

So, now Skullbreaker shares his statline with Blackjaw.  Fitting, since they’re both Orcs with fanatical followers.  We discussed how Skullbreaker moving 4 hexes in the clash (double set up the boss, 2 hex advance) and his ability to double dip for any boons reduced the counterplay available to his opponents.  Further, when using his ultimate Finisher his ability to push 2, then push 2 more from the KO just made some champions inconsequential an entire additional turn.  We expect Skullbreaker to be a little harder to KO, but easier to hit with potshots and movement effects.  In the end, we hope this new Skullbreaker feels just as fun to play as, and more fun to play against.

Credit again to exponentialcrazy on the Discord.

Morrigan next.  Our favorite Ice Queen has been much maligned for years now.  For the Slayer in the starter box, she’s very underwhelming in her ability to slay.  Her action economy is laughable, as are her pick and win rates over the history of the game.  But the real issue is her Cold Bones followers.  They are a horde of undead skeletons that cannot move, surround, or threaten enemies.  They are meant to gum up the board, but are so slow that they just sit on the side and do nothing.  They rely on one of her crucial Plot Phase actions to even get to where they want to be, and then they don’t do anything useful when they’re there.

So we addressed these issues.  We added a speed to the Cold Bones clash phase, stealing it from their plodding plot phase reliance on Forward, Minions! to create Onwards, Minions!, a new bonus action for Morrigan to help the Cold Bones along.  We upped their base accuracy to Gearhawk levels, and we created a way for them to thematically add to their numbers by rising from the ground before attacking their enemies.  Finally, we agreed to have them help Morrigan as best they can, by giving her a damage boon.  We know how powerful this can be, given Morrigan’s Frost Forged passive trait, but with base damage numbers in the paltry 3 and 5 damage on her attacks we don’t think this will be a concern.  Yes, Iceblade can now compete with Skullbreaker’s unboosted Jawblade if she gets a damage boon, but she’s not generally as fast or durable as Skullbreaker.  She’s also more vulnerable to pushes with her dodge of 2.  If this damage boon shows up as problematic in the community playtesting it, then we’ll look at dropping her base damage numbers by one.  Also, a special note: we didn’t mess with Snowball’s Chance because we didn’t consider it a component of her kit in need of updating.

Credit to Kev on the Discord for Morrigan and Cold Bones' chilling paint jobs.

How to playtest these changes?

If you want to playtest these changes, simply play a game with one or more of the champions being playtested. Make sure that your opponent agrees on which version (original or community balance pass) of the champions you are using. If you play on TTS, use the changed cards provided by MightyFinePants. The Godtear Community page will also have an online version of the cards that you can use as a reference or if you are playing a live game.

How to contribute to the project?

To provide feedback, which is essential to the success of this project, you can submit THIS FORM (note, if you are new to playing online, you can learn more from this article).  

If you want to discuss these changes with the community at large, please post in the #playtest-feedback channel of the unofficial community discord server.

If you want to help brainstorm directions for balance changes, please post your ideas in the #homebrew channel of the unofficial community discord server.

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That’s it for this playtest packet.  Check out Objective Hex in two weeks when we publish the playtest packet for Jaak and Halftusk!

Wooloolool,

The Council of Eldritch Judgement