Inquisitor Nerfs
In addition to all the new cards that have just come out with the new sets, there were also important changes to several key cards in the Legends of Norrath metagame. Let's take a look at what they were, and what effect they will probably have.
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Assault
First up is the generic ability, Assault. Before Inquisitor, Assault was a 1-cost ability. When you play Assault begin combat against an opposing avatar. In Inquisitor, the cost on this card was changed to 2.
This card is a staple in all AvA decks, most notably Scout AvA. It also saw some play in unit rush/AvA hybrids because of its cheap cost.
While it's pure speculation, I think the change in cost to Assault was probably a combination reaction to Scout AvA decks and a preemptive solution to possible new Fighter AvA decks. Fighter got a big boost in Inquisitor, and it's possible they made this change knowing how good Assault would be in these new age Fighter decks.
On the surface, this change looks insignificant, but it's actually a pretty significant change. Scouts still have a 1-cost ability that can get them into combat with an opposing avatar with Assail, and things were starting to get a little cramped in the deck with regards to which AvA cards to play. Simply cutting Assault out of these decks will be the most likely result of this change, but this change alone isn't that big of a problem for Scout AvA.
The change in cost to Assault will also keep Fighter AvA decks from getting too fast. I don't think that was really a problem to begin with because Fighter AvA decks are generally slower but more reliable than Scouts, relying on Boots of the Storm to attack repeatedly.
The decks that this change will impact the most are AvA/unit rush hybrids. The 1 extra Power is significant to these decks because they generally try to use all their power every turn, and having a cheap way to attack the opposing avatar was a nice luxury to have. These decks weren't that popular though.
Blade Storm
The second card that got changed was Blade Storm. Before Inquisitor, Blade Storm was a 2-cost stance with 1 Defense. Whenever combat begins involving your avatar, you get +1 total damage. Destroy this ability--> Draw a card.
The new text is "Whenever combat begins involving your avatar, you may exert this ability. If you do, you get +1 total damage. Destroy this ability --> Draw a card".
This card was undoubtedly changed because of Scout AvA decks. This is a much bigger change than the one to Assault. One of Scout's biggest strengths was the ability to attack multiple times for twice the damage every attack. With the new Blade Storm, they won't be able to get the bonus every time they attack. If anyone continues to play Scout AvA, they will need to plan out their attacks better to make sure to make the most use of Blade Storm.
There were three cards changed that were commonly seen in Scout AvA decks. Of the three that got changed, this one will undoubtedly have the biggest impact on the deck.
Divine Aura
The third card that got changed was Divine Aura. Before Inquisitor, Divine Aura was a 2-cost ability. The game text was: "Your avatar takes no damage. At the end of any combat involving your avatar, destroy this ability."
The new text is: "Your avatar takes no damage during combat. At the end of any combat involving your avatar, destroy this ability."
This change is going to make a significant impact on the metagame as well. Priests have been using Divine Aura to use Cannibalize and Symbol of Cazic Thule with no penalty. There were some Priest questing decks that would also use cards like Gambit and Foolhardy and use Divine Aura to get around the drawback on those cards as well.
While skirting the drawback of these types of cards was nice, the bigger impact of the Divine Aura nerf is going to be felt by the two major weaknesses that it opened up, Barbarian Hunter and Mage Direct Damage.
Barbarian Hunter based decks, also known as White Wall, were already gaining in popularity and did very well in the last monthly qualifier. Against these decks, Priests had the ability to hide behind recycled Divine Auras keeping the Hunters at bay long enough to figure out a way to win. Now, the Hunters will have free reign to deal damage without having to break the Divine Auras.
Perhaps even more alarming to the Priest decks though is the new vulnerability to cards like Abate Life and Sunstrike. The Shadow Mage Direct Damage deck has also been gaining in popularity recently. Divine Aura was really just a nuisance for the White Wall decks because they play almost nothing but Units so attacking an avatar to break a Divine Aura wasn't difficult. Mage DD decks on the other hand, don't play very many units and those they do play are generally defensive making it difficult to break the Divine Aura by attacking. This means those decks very often have to use their Disables to get rid of Divine Aura and even then the Priests can almost always recycle them.
With the Divine Aura problem resolved, Mages will find Priest decks an easier matchup in the future.
Steel Dagger
The final card that got changed in Inquisitor is Steel Dagger. Before the nerf, Steel Dagger was a 1-cost weapon with two Attack and Hidden. After the nerf, everything is the same except the Atk has been reduced to 1.
Steel Dagger was a common card in a lot of decks from AvA to questers. The two Attack for one Power was nice, but the real power of this card is in the fact that it is hidden. There are two major benefits to this card being hidden. Primarily, you can often play it on your opponent's first turn when they go first, essentially making it free since you will refill your power during your turn. Secondly, you can play a second copy during a combat after exerting the first one for its attack, virtually turning it into a tactic that stays around past the one attack.
They didn't remove the hidden keyword which means Steel Dagger will retain much of its power. The reduction in the attack value is a significant change but not the real source of the card's power. The one cost and the hidden are the biggest strengths, but the reduced attack is certainly a weakness. Fighters probably have better options available to them now with cheap weapons, but Scouts don't really have much else to fall back on. Of course, the viability of Scout is now in question given the change to Blade Storm, but if it stays around, I expect to see it still playing Steel Daggers.
Well, that covers the changes to pre-existing cards after the release of Inquisitor. Just something to keep in mind as you explore the new set.
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