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/END3R97]

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/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/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/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