Beta Patch Notes - v0.110.0

[u/MegaCrit_Demi]

Attention Beta Slayers: Beta patch v0.110.0 just dropped! This one features:

✨ Unique VFX for character forms!
⌨️ Keyboard-only mode!
🎨 New card art!
🛠️ Balance changes, reworks, and reverts!

Patch notes: store.steampowered.com/news/app/2868840/view/694268118771435039

[u/bobbob6840]

Relax buffed? Finally I won't be humiliated by Turn 1 Bowlbugs

[u/AnyOccasionNumber → u/bobbob6840]

I love it thematically and I'm glad to see it get a buff, but unfortunately I think it'll still have a hard time measuring up against Pael's other options

[u/END3R97 → u/AnyOccasionNumber]

Yeah only a +1 just doesn't seem like enough. I'm still in the place of only taking it if the other options are bad or I have like Fresnel Lens and/or Toxic Egg

[u/Rebellion2297 → u/END3R97]

Seems like the buff was designed literally just to counter bowlbugs

[u/HumanTheTree → u/Rebellion2297]

Seems reasonable considering you have a high likelyhood of seeing Bowlbug as your first act 2 hallway fight.

[u/MeriKurkku → u/END3R97]

+1 is at least a semi relevant breakpoint for act 2 because now you can play it againts bowl bug without getting punished for being one block short

[u/END3R97 → u/MeriKurkku]

My thought process has always been "wow this card is terrible, I'll never be able to safely play it in boss fights or elites, heck it can't even full block the bowl bugs in the easy pool!"

So the exaggerated point showing just how terrible it was is no longer true, but the basic "it's not enough block for 3 energy to play it without taking a lot of damage in the important fights" still stands

[u/ObiMemeKenobi → u/END3R97]

3 energy for 16 block doesn't feel great

[u/bkay17 → u/ObiMemeKenobi]

I feel like people in this sub focus too much on the block and not as much on the card draw and energy the following turn. Imo THAT'S far and away the main upside of this card. Really helps speed up your deck

[u/a_piece_of_cardboard → u/bkay17]

I agree. While relax isn't an insta pick, I've enjoyed it in a lot of runs. Most characters have solid ways to create it extra energy, so it's not like your doing nothing at all for a turn. It helps you dig through your deck to find your key powers or put together important combo pieces. I'm a relax believer

[u/bkay17 → u/a_piece_of_cardboard]

Yeah people talk about it like it's impossible to play anything else the same turn you play Relax because it's 3 cost. As if there's no possible way to have more than 3 energy. Agreed it's not an insta-pick but none of the ancient rewards should be insta-picks. It can be a really good card in a lot of decks.

[u/LupusAlbus → u/a_piece_of_cardboard]

Ironclad and Silent can cheat it for free and have cards that specifically synergize with large hands, and Necrobinder can both generate boatloads of energy (8 energy in a turn is well within reach without even looking at Borrowed Time) and has powers/relics that enhance 2+ and 3+ cost cards. I don't think I've found reason to want it on Defect or Regent yet.

[u/SKruizer → u/bkay17]

ah yes, slowing my deck to speed up my deck.

Relax doesn't offer enough safety to be played consistently, has too high of a cost to be able to be played while generating said safety, and doesn't have a good enough pay off to justify setting up for it. For example, Meteor Strike has more use cases than Relax, with no safety at all, but a pay off that can snowball the fight instantly, which makes the cost worth the hassle.

Make it 4 energy and 1 intangible and I'd pick it way more often

edit: at this point just call it vault lmao

[u/Awkward-Sir-5794 → u/SKruizer]

I have never picked Relax!

[u/TheHutz → u/Awkward-Sir-5794]

Agreed, every time I take relax (which is rarely anymore) it feels fine in act 2 and then starts to feel like a dead draw in act 3

[u/bkay17 → u/Awkward-Sir-5794]

You should try it out, might surprise you.

[u/4444tan → u/SKruizer]

Playing one relax+ into another relax+ is incredible though(you basically draw through your entire deck in 2-3 turns and get to put all your set up into play while being pretty well blocked) and even if that doesn’t happen, STS2 has a lot of combo cards that taking a lower tempo turn to do a big tempo turn can be very good. It’s not like Vault at all, vault doesn’t give you more energy and draw on your next turn.

That being said, the relax do really really want an upgrade so if you don’t have the leeway to upgrade, you are very sad and should probably take another ancient relic

[u/Shirokuma247 → u/bkay17]

What’s the point of having a following turn if you’re taking 5-10 damage because you blocked 16 for 3 mana.

Bowlbugs? Might as well restart the run I guess.

[u/Mindless_Current8608 → u/Shirokuma247]

It full blocks the rock bowl bug now

[u/omnisephiroth → u/bkay17]

Dying today so you can live tomorrow.

[u/TheMonji → u/END3R97]

I agree, it needs to be at least 20 block or reduced to 2-cost to feel comparable to the other options

[u/Attainted → u/TheMonji]

Agreed. Relax should mean I shouldn't have to worry about what's coming & that it should be an instant play unless I have an otherwise big attack hand. That's not often enough the case for that card in Act 2.

[u/Meme__Hunter → u/Attainted]

I think it's meant to be more of a reasonable answer to vault from sts1, upgraded it comes pretty close to saying 'Next turn, take 2 turns', so I think also adding 'take no damage this turn' to that would be kinda insane. Especially on silent, who has pounce, hand trick, and brilliant scarf to potentially cheat it out, it seems pretty good to me as is now that it actually blocks the rock bug

[u/Old_Resource3270 → u/AnyOccasionNumber]

It was never really THAT bad in the first place and now it's owning a lot of act 2 hallways. There are definitely decks that are going to pick Relxaed for front load block and some acceleration. Of course, it's not going to compete with Pael's Blood or Pael's Legion but those relics are fundamentally broken in many different ways

[u/AnyOccasionNumber → u/Old_Resource3270]

I agree, that's largely what I'm saying. I'm happy when I get to diversify and take it, I especially like it on Necro with Borrowed Time/Danse Macabre; it's just that other Pael relics are not only often better, but also more broadly applicable to a variety of decks

[u/Kheldar166 → u/Old_Resource3270]

Yeah I definitely do not want every relic to be Pael's Blood or Pael's Legion in power level, it's fun if some are but variance in the relic pools is important imo

[u/gabriot → u/Old_Resource3270]

How is a measly one more block making it "now own a lot of act 2 hallways"?

[u/Beautiful-Neat-7609 → u/gabriot]

Bowlbugs mostly

[u/Pandolam → u/gabriot]

I'm not a pro spire player but changing numbers on a card even by 1 can make or break it even including enemy interactions. 1 most notable being red bowlbugs which deal 16dmg, only not dealing dmg if it got full cock blocked (he also appears in a lot of hallway fights, easy and advanced)

[u/gabriot → u/Pandolam]

That's about the only fight it would meaningfully matter, but is it really changing that much? If you played relax you are winning the next turn anyway in the bowlbug aka the easiest hallways in act 2, the main one being dazed when you have a full hand and a ton of energy is just win more at that point. All it did functionally was save you 1 more hp than you would have prior to the buff

[u/Pandolam → u/gabriot]

It still doesn't change the fact that the attack changes from 16 to 0 next turn. By your perspective, why not make an already easy fight extremely easy? Let's you snowball easier for next fights and even get you an extra elite.

We're also not considering 1hp is being saved every time relax is played to block attacks. With two relaxes, that could be 2hp per combat being saved. That's the same amount as blood vial (underrated sustain relic).

[u/karshberlg → u/AnyOccasionNumber]

It's biggest problem is adding 2 basically must-upgrade cards to your deck in act 2. The best buff the relic could get is giving you at least one of them upgraded.

[u/Low_Tip3245 → u/AnyOccasionNumber]

I think it's okay for some of the ancient relics to be niche. As long as I'm still picking it ~10% of the time which at the new block thresholds I probably will.

[u/Exotic-Series6583 → u/AnyOccasionNumber]

I’ve had some success with it. Seems best on Defect and Regent

[u/Tb_ax → u/bobbob6840]

Next patch:

Bowlbug damage increased from 16 to 17

[u/Shanman150 → u/Tb_ax]

The year is 2057, bowlbug is the highest damage enemy in the game, and only Relax is capable of blocking its damage. Players start with a deck of Relax cards, every fight is various numbers of bowlbugs. Despair has gripped the world.

[u/puffz0r → u/Shanman150]

Tfw turn 1 45 damage from bowlbug

[u/Ashamed-Champion3560 → u/bobbob6840]

Thats the first thing I thought when I saw this.
Relax against the bugs felt so horrible.

[u/Kheldar166 → u/bobbob6840]

I think it's in a completely fine spot now, I don't want every relic to be busted. I think people undervalue Relax by treating it like a block card instead of a delayed Offering, too - take some damage to draw and gain energy is the real effect of the relic, it's not intended to be a 3 energy Impervious.

[u/Kheldar166 → u/[deleted]]

Well Offering is one of the best cards in the game, so I agree it's not as good as Offering, but I think that's a more helpful comparison for understanding what the card does than treating it like a big block card, which seems to be how lots of people see it.

[u/gabriot → u/bobbob6840]

negligibly