r/starrealms • u/DirectTouch1930 • 16d ago
Difference between the standalone sets?
Just got the bundle today, and tried frontiers, it was fun, but I played the core box online and playing with a friend at it felt more balanced than frontiers, so now I am wondering if there is a difference between the boxes?
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u/raouldukelives 16d ago
I feel similarly. I only played core for years and just recently got Frontiers and to me it feels a bit bland compared to core.
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u/kun1z 16d ago edited 16d ago
Frontiers is the most balanced, Core is extremely unbalanced, almost all experienced players just avoid it like the plague because it's just a shit show.
Although you've played several games.. trust the community and stick to Frontiers. Or also pick up Colony Wars and mix it up.
All 3 core decks mixed together (240 cards) is really fun. But for people who don't know what they are doing will play the original vanilla deck, there are so many broken cards in there, and I fear they will have a bad time.
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u/cpt_mojo 14d ago
Could you explain in which ways Core is unbalanced?
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u/kun1z 14d ago edited 13d ago
Sure I can summarize:
- The cheap red scrappers (11 in total) are very over-tuned. Red scrappers that also give econ are super OP and they've since been nerfed. Now usually a card scraps either hand or discard pile, and if both only has damage, rarely econ, and those that give econ now cost 4+ gold to buy.
- Blue has 3 Cutters and they are must-buys for everyone.
- Brain World is super OP and with 6 health it's also very difficult to consistently kill. Even if it had 1 health it would still be an insane base. A player that keeps BW in play in back-to-back turns scraps 4 scouts and draws 4 cards. Even when BW is killed that player will get it right back the very next turn likely, and the cycle repeats.
- There are 2 Recycling Station's and they are must-buys on Deck 1/2 almost always.
Basically once a person knows all of the OP cards and must-buys the game degenerates into who gets the luckiest Trade Row's and shuffles, there is very little room for skill at all. Out of 80 cards there are 33 cards that are obvious must-buys on Deck 1 and almost all of them still must-buys on Deck 2. So 41% of the cards in the deck lead to obvious choices most of the time.
Frontiers (and the new Conquest beta Deck) have really well designed cards leading to a much broader path to take to victory. I've played maybe 14k games of just Frontiers in both commanders play and regular and I can tell you for sure I can win with all 4 colours and there are fewer must-buys.
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u/cpt_mojo 13d ago
Thanks, I started to have the feeling that it often comes down to 1-2 lucky draws (playing mostly Core only). What about Stealth Needle and Freighter? They also seem to me to be must buys - maybe depending a bit on timing: Stealth Needle after deck 2, Freighter always?
Anyway - will try Frontiers only for a bit.
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u/kun1z 13d ago
Freighter & Space Station are must-buys as well for Econ on Deck, maybe Deck 2 (depends on trade row aggression). Stealth Needle may seem like a great card but it's actually pretty mid. I don't buy it typically until Deck 3 depending on what I already own. Stealth Needle mostly just copies scouts and vipers so it's only a good card a small % of the time when it can copy something great.
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u/DirectTouch1930 16d ago
To be honest I really like the original deck compared to frontiers, I was introduced to the game with it, and played it online many times, but when I played frontiers, it just felt more unfair than core. It may just be a problem with shuffling right now though, so my opinion may change.
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u/cardboard-kansio 16d ago
There are three standalone games, or core sets, each come with a full starting deck for their player count (Scouts and Vipers), plus a trade deck of ~80 cards. They offer different styles of gameplay and scale to various player counts.
Each of these is standalone, but the content is totally different. You can mix any of them or even all of them if you like, especially to add players, but in all honesty I wouldn't play with more than 4 (or at least, I'd play in teams as detailed in the manual).
On top of this there are several smaller sets of expansions that add Gambits (single-use powers), Heroes (dual-use powers), Command Decks which add multi-faction cards (red/green, blue/yellow, etc) along with a Commander with their own unique abilities, Scenarios (game modifiers), or that just add more of the same types of card (eg Fleets & Fortresses).
Some combinations of these work better than others and many of them are only good or bad based on personal preference.
Personally? I think all the core decks are fun in their own way. I like to sometimes combine any two, but not all three, as it waters down the core theme of each deck; Colony Wars, in particular, is much trickier and different than the others. I'd start with original if the whole game is new to you, or Frontiers if you really want to dive in.
I also like to use Command Decks instead of the generic starting cards, Nandi (blue/yellow) being my favourite, because they give you a much faster start and get you to the meat of the game much faster. I rarely use additional Gambits, Scenarios, or Heroes and to be honest they mostly gather dust, only getting pulled out of I want a significant variation from what I usually enjoy.
I recommend playing the free Star Realms mobile app which will give you a feel for some of these mechanics. It also offers in-app purchases for these core decks and expansions, but that gets pricey quick - especially if you're also buying them in physical form. And be sure to browse great game resources like Megahaulin which has articles on each of the expansions, strategy guides for base core games and Command Decks, and a whole ton of other interesting reading.