KeyForge by Richard Garfield - The first Unique Deck Game (can't modify decks)

[SoH]

Do you guys think FFG got a winner here? Business model wise?

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Early signs are looking good. I think the biggest mystery for long term success is how expansion works. I think entirely negating decks as things move forward would be a mistake, but also power creep seems inevitable and chains are only going to get you so far so it'll be interesting to see how it is addressed.

 

[Nappuccino]

That's what figured. Thanks! And there's no specific placement of cards that need a mat or anything?

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Not really, the layout is pretty simple. Basically it's just a couple of front lines, a deck pile, a discard pile, and an archive pile.

Keeping track of stun, power increases, and shield increases are the only tricky bits. The box comes with stun and power up cards, but . . . Not shield.

 

[Dook's Revenge]

Aight, got two decks:

Warlock Adalius Overbird (Mars, Sanctum, Shadow)

"Scorpio" Filipe, Harbor Moneylender (Logos, Mars, Untamed)

Whatever the fuck that all means

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The names are of the Archon who the decks represent. Adds a bit of character and often comedy, rather than just being some random alphanumeric string. Like your second deck is a moneylender named Filipe, who works at the harbor and goes by the nickname Scorpio. It's goofy, but fun.

 

[Francesco]

Early signs are looking good. I think the biggest mystery for long term success is how expansion works. I think entirely negating decks as things move forward would be a mistake, but also power creep seems inevitable and chains are only going to get you so far so it'll be interesting to see how it is addressed.

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Also, how are they planning to work around banning cards? Whole decks would have to be trashed.

 

[BassForever]

So I played the game twice with my brother, now he wants the starter box himself for christmas lol

 

[TheYanger]

They REALLY fucking want me to play Brobnar

Have a box of decks coming in soon. I hope I can get some mars finally.

 

[SoH]

They REALLY fucking want me to play Brobnar

Have a box of decks coming in soon. I hope I can get some mars finally.

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See it is funny cause my collection is so dis heavy that you start to convince yourself there might be bias, even if you know better, but here you go. Same story with Mars here.

 

[chairhome]

I have a few decks and was looking for a starter set, but I think I can 3d print the parts I would want (keys, damage tokens, etc) from files on thingiverse instead...

 

[Goldenroad]

I think I want this. My fiancee and I play a lot of board games and are into some heavier stuff, but I don't know if this might be a bridge too far for her. Almost every game we play ends up in the "I wonder if there is a competitive scene for this" conversation, and with this there clearly will be. I can't picture ourselves really going to the "back of the comic book store" board game gatherings, but man....this just seems like something we'll really enjoy playing together anyway. Hopefully one of the stores in my city has some cards in by the weekend!

 

[Spenny]

The names are of the Archon who the decks represent. Adds a bit of character and often comedy, rather than just being some random alphanumeric string. Like your second deck is a moneylender named Filipe, who works at the harbor and goes by the nickname Scorpio. It's goofy, but fun.

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I got that. I was referring to the Mars/Sanctum/Shadow designations. I just pulled up the rule book so I can figure out wtf is going on.

 

[Ashodin]

They REALLY fucking want me to play Brobnar

Have a box of decks coming in soon. I hope I can get some mars finally.

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all my decks are Mars/Logos lol

 

[laoni]

My boyfriend and I played in a sealed tournament tonight, and we both had a -ton- of fun. We both got our first decks, and I ended up coming 3rd overall, and he came 4th.

This is my deck, a Logos/Mars/Sanctum deck with some really powerful combos. Being able to reap away and put enemy creatures in your archive is fantastic, plus the Timetraveller combination is really fun to play with (Especially with a Library Access on deck too)

https://www.keyforgegame.com/deck-details/2de2ca5e-4dcb-4782-a485-a7355d64e92b

It seems to counter my boyfriend's deck pretty hard though, I've won 5/5 games we've played. We'll probably have to put some chains on my deck when we play, just to even it out some.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

My boyfriend and I played in a sealed tournament tonight, and we both had a -ton- of fun. We both got our first decks, and I ended up coming 3rd overall, and he came 4th.

This is my deck, a Logos/Mars/Sanctum deck with some really powerful combos. Being able to reap away and put enemy creatures in your archive is fantastic, plus the Timetraveller combination is really fun to play with (Especially with a Library Access on deck too)

https://www.keyforgegame.com/deck-details/2de2ca5e-4dcb-4782-a485-a7355d64e92b

It seems to counter my boyfriend's deck pretty hard though, I've won 5/5 games we've played. We'll probably have to put some chains on my deck when we play, just to even it out some.

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library access is such a powerful card

one of my two decks has logos cards, but none of the really useful ones

edit: that deck just looks really strong in general

 

[PolishQ]

The vendor was "Millennium Games," and has 100% positive reviews, so I felt comfortable ordering from them. They DID charge a markup (like $4 per pack), but eh...that's supply and demand for ya, and I've been striking out around here, and didn't want to wait for a reprint. It shipped today, and it appears to have shipped out of Rochester, NY, via USPS.

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Oh hey, that's my local game store! They have an actual physical location here in Rochester and they had plenty of decks (and starter packs) when I went in last weekend.

 

[butzopower]

My local group of me and two other friends haven't started using chains yet, but I think one of my decks needs them.

It's ridiculous Untamed/Mars/Shadows where I can have the first creature I play be ready, then the Mars ship that has an action where my opponent loses Aember equal to the number of Mars creatures. Can wipe their Aember and put out a must clear threat all on the same turn.

 

[Shadybiz]

Oh hey, that's my local game store! They have an actual physical location here in Rochester and they had plenty of decks (and starter packs) when I went in last weekend.

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Haha nice! Yeah I checked out their website as well. Seems like a pretty neat store. I would love to have one like it around here. We had one not too long ago, but they closed down. Now we just have 2 small comic shops, with a limited assortment of gaming stuff.

 

[SoH]

My local group of me and two other friends haven't started using chains yet, but I think one of my decks needs them.

It's ridiculous Untamed/Mars/Shadows where I can have the first creature I play be ready, then the Mars ship that has an action where my opponent loses Aember equal to the number of Mars creatures. Can wipe their Aember and put out a must clear threat all on the same turn.

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Seriously, consider giving adaptive format a shot. Details on the previous page if missed. It is a great way to introduce chains and makes it dynamic per match up. The game has felt complete since we introduced it.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

tried a game on the crucible website and, ugh, that interface is just rough

is it official? the text on the cards is just so tiny, it takes me forever to do anything

is there any way to customize the interface?

 

[xclk07]

tried a game on the crucible website and, ugh, that interface is just rough

is it official? the text on the cards is just so tiny, it takes me forever to do anything

is there any way to customize the interface?

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It isn't official, no. I am hoping FFG doesn't strike it down for as long as possible. Unsure how to customize.... there might be a way, but I've noticed different screen sizes produce different results.

 

[butzopower]

Seriously, consider giving adaptive format a shot. Details on the previous page if missed. It is a great way to introduce chains and makes it dynamic per match up. The game has felt complete since we introduced it.

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Only got an hour over lunch to play, so best of 3 isn't likely, but once we know the decks better, we could start doing some bidding just to kick it off.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

It isn't official, no. I am hoping FFG doesn't strike it down for as long as possible. Unsure how to customize.... there might be a way, but I've noticed different screen sizes produce different results.

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you can modify the size of the cards as they're displayed on the field at least

i made them very large, and then they blocked the opponent's cards and i couldn't see them lol

 

[hydrophilic attack]

many cards just seem to not be working right on the crucible website

gauntlet of command is supposed to let you fight with a creature in a non-declared house, but only lets you use a creature in brobnar. it's supposed to only let you fight with that creature, but you can actually do other things to

transposition sandals seems to also be completely broken (doesn't change place, the extra action ability given by the upgrade is not triggered if the target creature already has an action ability; instead only the first action ability plays)

those cards not working basically ruin one of my decks on there lol

 

[PanzerKraken]

Do you guys think FFG got a winner here? Business model wise?

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They got hype right now, long term is going to be interesting to see. Many games come out, huge hype, sell outs, and they eventually fizzle when dealing with competitive communities.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

They got hype right now, long term is going to be interesting to see. Many games come out, huge hype, sell outs, and they eventually fizzle when dealing with competitive communities.

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It really is going to be an odd market. I have 10 decks for me and my son, and I am not sure I will need any more until a new set drops. (Impulse buys aside.) It doesn't seem like it will be driven by rare-card (or even rare deck) chasing once the bidding system catches on. And if the bidding system doesn't catch on, I don't think the game sticks around either.

So the real question will be whether the expansions captivate people's interest.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

after playing with them a bit online (where i suck) both of my decks are alright

i hope we get official online support soon. surely that has to be in the cards

i lost a lot, but that's mostly because i'm not very comfortable with the interface and rules yet (and since website bugs completely screws over one of my two decks)

 

[JetBlackPanda]

I have 4 decks waiting for me at BN. I need to get some tokens!

I am hyped to try it with the wife.

 

[Deleted member 38227]

Decks came in! "Managerially Humane Galathea" and "The Laughing Misteress."

No meta and no deckbuilding is very weird, but I'm looking forward to playing.

 

[butzopower]

One of my two decks that I got with the core set is this one: Q. A. Zeropus of the Acidic Nexus. It hilariously has 4 copies of Zyzzix the Many, which is actually a pretty good card if it gets a chance to reap. I had one game where I had about 5 or 6 cards archived, a 12 power Zyzzix with skirmish and two more letting me archive all my creatures from my hand, all while reaping and killing my opponent's creatures. If they wipe the board, I just grab my whole archives the next turn and put out a whole load more creatures on a huge turn.

Witch of the Eye with Nature's Call is also pretty oppressive, and I was able to lock my opponent out for a few turns with it.

 

[laoni]

library access is such a powerful card

one of my two decks has logos cards, but none of the really useful ones

edit: that deck just looks really strong in general

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Yeah it really felt so. I struggled against the two Dis decks I played that night, but I dunno if that was just me being locked down a bit by their decks (reducing the cards I can play/draw is rough) or me just getting some poor hands. Either way, I really love the deck, and I'm really looking forward to getting my second

 

[Goldenroad]

Local store got a ton of packs in today. Stopped there on my way home and they had 5 packs left. I took 4 of them. Excited to try it out this weekend.

 

[Deleted member 8861]

not a fan of TCGs but this sounds quite interesting

 

[Bonethug]

Reverse tournament this weekend where we bring our worst deck and opponent plays it.
I am thinking The Teacher Who Decrypts the Odd.

 

[Shadybiz]

It isn't official, no. I am hoping FFG doesn't strike it down for as long as possible. Unsure how to customize.... there might be a way, but I've noticed different screen sizes produce different results.

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Ah, I didn't realize it was unofficial. That sucks...I'm hoping they don't sue to shut it down...OR that they at least say "Hey....this is neat," and buy the operation and make it better. I watched a video of a dude playing on the site. It's a bit clunky, and he noted that there are a few bugs, like the ones hydrophilic attack mentioned, but with a little work, it could be pretty excellent.

 

[Mandos]

Ah, I didn't realize it was unofficial. That sucks...I'm hoping they don't sue to shut it down...OR that they at least say "Hey....this is neat," and buy the operation and make it better. I watched a video of a dude playing on the site. It's a bit clunky, and he noted that there are a few bugs, like the ones hydrophilic attack mentioned, but with a little work, it could be pretty excellent.

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The excellent tts mod by Blizzard got c&d'd so likely the sites days are numbered too

 

[TheYanger]

Ah, I didn't realize it was unofficial. That sucks...I'm hoping they don't sue to shut it down...OR that they at least say "Hey....this is neat," and buy the operation and make it better. I watched a video of a dude playing on the site. It's a bit clunky, and he noted that there are a few bugs, like the ones hydrophilic attack mentioned, but with a little work, it could be pretty excellent.

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The goal with Keyforge is to let us play online with our decks, Garfield has said as much, not sure that FFG has interest in shutting this down until that is nearly ready.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

has anything been said about a way to order replacement cards? if one of your cards got damaged or lost the entire deck would be useless unless there's a way to receive a replacement card with the right deck name

 

[XShagrath]

has anything been said about a way to order replacement cards? if one of your cards got damaged or lost the entire deck would be useless unless there's a way to receive a replacement card with the right deck name

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I'm pretty sure you're going to just be SOL if you damage/lose a card. I don't think they'll have any way to give you a replacement card/deck, or at least not one that's really financially reasonable for them to do.

 

[xclk07]

I'm pretty sure you're going to just be SOL if you damage/lose a card. I don't think they'll have any way to give you a replacement card/deck, or at least not one that's really financially reasonable for them to do.

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They've confirmed exactly this at PAX.... maybe something in the future, but for now, SOL. ☹️

 

[hydrophilic attack]

I'm pretty sure you're going to just be SOL if you damage/lose a card. I don't think they'll have any way to give you a replacement card/deck, or at least not one that's really financially reasonable for them to do.

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that's what i feared

i'll just have to be careful then!

 

[TheYanger]

I mean, if you lose a card the decklist is literally present in the deck and on the website. A proxy would be perfectly fine, nobody is gonna flip out as long as your deck matches the list, it's just a hassle.

 

[JVID]

Lmao I went to a small league at a local game shop. Ass was thoroughly kicked. Atleast I got a playmat out of it!

 

[Dook's Revenge]

Went to a three round tournament tonight - my second this week. Drew a bye for the second round and lost the other two, but they were close matches. Got some shwag for playing: a couple of chain trackers, a stun card, and a power card.

 

[Shadybiz]

The excellent tts mod by Blizzard got c&d'd so likely the sites days are numbered too

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Oh right, forgot about that. Boooo.

The goal with Keyforge is to let us play online with our decks, Garfield has said as much, not sure that FFG has interest in shutting this down until that is nearly ready.

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Yeah that's kinda what I'm assuming. They wouldn't have gone to the trouble of putting the QR codes on the decks so they could be registered online unless they were planning SOMETHING like the current site. Here's to hoping they let it ride until the official site is ready.

 

[JetBlackPanda]

This game is good. I still love MTG but I can't keep up with it.

This game lets my few decks be interesting depending on who it's playing against.

The bigger thing for me is the allure of stopping at my flgs on a Friday night with a buddy, each grab a deck and we've got a game going that feels fresh and fun.

I hope ffg keeps up on expansions.

 

[Deleted member 19813]

I'm intrigued, but I have nobody to play with.

 

[JVID]

So what's the deal with upgrade cards? Ive learned that they can be attached to houses that aren't their own. Im assuming them being able to be played is still limited to the active house.. is that right?

 

[random_polymath]

I bought 6 decks at Barnes and Noble to gift to friends and family (and one for myself).

 

[SoH]

So what's the deal with upgrade cards? Ive learned that they can be attached to houses that aren't their own. Im assuming them being able to be played is still limited to the active house.. is that right?

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They are active even when not the active house as they are essentially constant abilities that modify the host card. Here is the relevant rule text. This also applies to artifacts and creatures that don't have a bolded action text such as the first line of Grabber Jammer.

CONSTANT ABILITIES
If a card has an ability that does not have a boldfaced precursor, the
ability is a constant ability that is active so long as the card remains in
play and meets all conditions specified by the ability.
Constant abilities on a card are active even while that card
is exhausted.
Applying the effects of a constant ability is not considered using a
card and therefore does not cause the card to exhaust.

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[hydrophilic attack]

many cards just seem to not be working right on the crucible website

gauntlet of command is supposed to let you fight with a creature in a non-declared house, but only lets you use a creature in brobnar. it's supposed to only let you fight with that creature, but you can actually do other things to

transposition sandals seems to also be completely broken (doesn't change place, the extra action ability given by the upgrade is not triggered if the target creature already has an action ability; instead only the first action ability plays)

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played some more, and i think this one is working as intended. i was just confused about how it works, lol

(if you use it on a brobnar turn on a non-brobnar creature, the only thinkg that creature can do is fight, nothing else. if you use it on a brobnar creature and there is no one left to fight, you can reap or use action instead of fighting, but you have to fight if an enemy creature is still in play)

still think transposition sandals is broken though

 

[Ashodin]

I zoom in when I play on the crucible. 130% seems fine