I agree that the game has become vastly more random lately, which reduces the importance of player skill. However, I do not think the AI cheats in any way, and I would love to see actual evidence for that claim.
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I don’t think the ai cheats but all changes that surfaced seem to effect players and ai equally.
The mana generation is off the charts given the new cascades, 4 surge, and glob mechanics. I’ve seen troll casts generate over 60. Its rediculous really in comparison to what it was. I’ve had veteran players just throw up thier hands and give up the game and others stay for the guild only. Its taken a lot of the fun away from trying new setups and eliminated strategy. For sure there have been a lot of mixed feelings or out right unpopular decisions made over the past 6 months but thus has been the straw for most.
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This, coupled with Kraken’s unstunnable trait and I’ve regularly seen 50+ HP be removed from my troops in one cast… 
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Aye, I’ve hit 70+ on a good cast.
Works similarly with all four match mechanics like elem. Pretty well all of them are made subsequently worse.
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No more extra turn from match 4 would changes the gameplay drastically, perhaps to more strategic puzzlelike play.
I think this game is classified under the drama/horror section. Related games Dark Souls series🙂
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It’s still a puzzle game. I’m puzzled everytime an update is released.
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Good question. I kinda view it like colourful-pachinko; hit a button and watch the pretty colours cascade… I might win, I might not… If I get a turn… still cascading… still cascading… come on… and… I’ve lost!
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Exactly. I’ve been thinking about this as a slot machine.
Choosing which cards (troops) to pick is a strategy game, which is fine, it’s just not a puzzle.
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This is the boat I’m in. I’ve wanted to leave since day one of 3.1, but can’t because the guild needs me.
And now with this, we can’t retain anybody…so I can never leave.
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You are aware we are just playing a game? It will go on without you… The world won’t stop spinning ya know…
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It depends on what level you are. Things get hard over some hundreds of levels, specially. “Cheating” is a strong word and I wouldn’t use it too, though the AI luck is distressing, as thousands of posts have stated before. I manage two accounts, one is under level 100 and it’s all right. The other one is over 1000 and, well, no. Really not fun.
Im with you, I dropped out of a top ten guild the same week that GW landed. It was already on the cards, as I had (almost completely) stopped playing pvp months before, due to the vast preponderance of JVM teams… Guild Wars was the nail in the coffin. GW forced me to either play something I find painfully tedious, or leave the guild. I chose to leave. (Note the lack of fanfare, callouts or shit-posts on the subject… well done me).
I still play the game, religiously - hit my daily challenges etc… but my play has dwindled, badly. These days I (almost exclusively) play treasure maps, which seems like its the one version of the game that isn’t totally at the mercy of RNG fuckery.
I don’t think we’re there yet, I’ve only had to face a Dawnbringer Hero a couple of times in Arena so far, and I play it frequently.
I DO agree that that’s where Arena is headed, it’s just that Dawnbringer hasn’t been around long enough yet for most players to have crafted it.
FWIW I’ve always been in the minority that favors Summer’s Fury as a hero weapon over the more-popular Runic Blade. I think that Summer’s Fury is more obviously the best weapon for Arena now because it doesn’t depend on multiple castings to build up and do its thing.
Of course, we could also craft Dawnbringer and just romp thru Arena, but where’s the fun in that? 
For me Guild Wars is a counter-example.
I hated GW when it first appeared, but after awhile I really came to appreciate how it forced me to up my game and play different configurations whereas before GW I generally stuck with my one preferred PVP team.
Similarly, it took awhile for my Guild to reorient to GW. There were players who never grew to like it and other players who just couldn’t get it together to play their matches every day.
Over time, those players dropped out or were booted, or came around like me. Now our Guild is very competitive in GW. We’re currently in bracket 6 so we are far from dominant, but we typically play 140-145 of our 150 matches (don’t think we’ve ever had a perfect 150 day yet) and people are focused on improving their teams and defenses.
I suspect the 3.1 changes are different and more destructive, but I’m not ready to just give up yet. However I encourage all my fellow malcontents to quit the game, maybe that will wake the Devs up and we’ll see some improvements! 
As you say; Which is fine. But Im not (consciously) a gambler - knowing what I’m like [a fiendish addict] - I’ve gone to lengths not to bloody gamble… While Im willing to admit that I’m addicted to a broken match 3 game. Admitting that I’m addicted to shitty, phone, gambling is a bitter pill to swallow.
Willing and Able to acknowledge that I have played far too much of this game, since I first picked it up. I have enjoyed and still enjoy it… Kudos to the Devs for making it so compelling! But it seems to be rushing in a direction that doesn’t really work for me, and I fear that if it continues to head in that direction I may actively have to choose to put it down. My only consolation right now is that with its current (extremely significant) problems e.g. Impervioius, the break up will easy.
TL;DR
Ramble, ramble, ramble. Op hits the nail on the head; its not a puzzle game - It was, now it aint. Also, the game’s myriad problems will make leaving, whats been an considerable time investment, far easier.
In my opinion playing or not won’t make much of a difference (but as always I could be wrong). Stop spending money and/or leave a thumbs-down review if you’re not satisfied with the game. That will also serve to warn incoming players.
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Im not ready to throw in the towel yet either. But my fighter is on wobbly legs, and has just spat his gum shield… If he takes one more solid hit to the nuts, then I’m afraid its all over!
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You’re right of course. I was just kidding around! 
This is intriguing because I have found my experience to be the EXACT opposite of yours.
When GW released, I was ALL IN! So was my guild. We bounce back and forth between Brackets 1 and 2, just so you have a point of reference. When GW dropped we were crafting teams together, building synergies and dominating with 4 troop/single color teams. However, now that there are so many bugs and the AI “luck” is so frightening, I just play my same old boring Gard’s Avatar team… every day in GW because hell 5/0 with a single troop of the daily color is still more points then 2/3 trying to duke it out for max points. I’d rather be consistent for my guild but it is now ONE MORE game mode where my brain shuts off and I just push the buttons…
I really miss the STRATEGY of GoW…
Where, oh, where did it go? 
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