Ruination is something every card game needs. There's nothing wrong with the concept, never. You can discuss about being it over/under-costed, but I think it's fine tuned at 9 mana, meaning that you can't generally cast it until turn 6 at least.
The concept is simple and impactful, zero issues about it. You can argue that makes a strong value advantage, but it's not that easy, for example:
- If you clear 4 enemies, how many of them were really threatening? - If you clear threatening enemies, how did you survive until then? You should at least have lost some blocker or other disadvantageous trades to survive - If you're dying and it's opponent's turn, you're probably super dead, being it a slow spell - If you clear advantageously in your turn, then opponent has 6+ mana to restart
Every other situation makes it a good/strong card, but as far as I remember good/strong cards always existed in every card game. And they usually are far stronger than a 9 mana spell.
Elusive is a fine mechanic, it's the same as Flying in Magic and it's never been problematic in that game for nearly 30 years.
I acknowledge the problem here, but it's not tied to the mechanic itself imho: - Runeterra has way less efficient removal spells than MtG. This is obviously getting fixed with time and expansions - Elusive appears almost only in Ionia. Both Demacia and Freljord have just one (bad) card to block elusive attackers. MtG has answers in each color More importantly - The most used elusive cards are definitely undercosted - Runeterra enables attacking in the same turn a follower is played. This specific ability in Magic costs +mana or -stats
Magic version of [Hearthstone Card (Shadow Assassin) Not Found] is a 2/1, and was printed after 25 years of power creeping and tuning Magic version of [Hearthstone Card (Navori Conspirator) Not Found] costs 3 mana. There are also many worse versions Magic version of [Hearthstone Card (Greenglade Duo) Not Found] costs four mana (and is a 2/3)
These are just examples of how the elusive mechanic went always well in a ~30 years old card game. Runeterra definitely needs to fix something about this mechanic
Ruination is something every card game needs. There's nothing wrong with the concept, never.
You can discuss about being it over/under-costed, but I think it's fine tuned at 9 mana, meaning that you can't generally cast it until turn 6 at least.
The concept is simple and impactful, zero issues about it. You can argue that makes a strong value advantage, but it's not that easy, for example:
- If you clear 4 enemies, how many of them were really threatening?
- If you clear threatening enemies, how did you survive until then? You should at least have lost some blocker or other disadvantageous trades to survive
- If you're dying and it's opponent's turn, you're probably super dead, being it a slow spell
- If you clear advantageously in your turn, then opponent has 6+ mana to restart
Every other situation makes it a good/strong card, but as far as I remember good/strong cards always existed in every card game. And they usually are far stronger than a 9 mana spell.
Elusive is a fine mechanic, it's the same as Flying in Magic and it's never been problematic in that game for nearly 30 years.
I acknowledge the problem here, but it's not tied to the mechanic itself imho:
- Runeterra has way less efficient removal spells than MtG. This is obviously getting fixed with time and expansions
- Elusive appears almost only in Ionia. Both Demacia and Freljord have just one (bad) card to block elusive attackers. MtG has answers in each color
More importantly
- The most used elusive cards are definitely undercosted
- Runeterra enables attacking in the same turn a follower is played. This specific ability in Magic costs +mana or -stats
Magic version of [Hearthstone Card (Shadow Assassin) Not Found] is a 2/1, and was printed after 25 years of power creeping and tuning
Magic version of [Hearthstone Card (Navori Conspirator) Not Found] costs 3 mana. There are also many worse versions
Magic version of [Hearthstone Card (Greenglade Duo) Not Found] costs four mana (and is a 2/3)
These are just examples of how the elusive mechanic went always well in a ~30 years old card game. Runeterra definitely needs to fix something about this mechanic