Just a idea since most has 90%+ winning rate, and starting off the battle for humans has too much adventage over CPU in 90%+ of the games. So with flip a coin CPU would had the same equally chance to start matches as well.
AI goes first 3 games in a row = board complaints of AI cheating.
AI plays full trait Mercy, Great Maw = whining ensues on boards.
Honestly, I don’t see it needing changed. The appeal of this game is, relaxing and headache free. Player goes first. It’s part of the power / fun / escapism feel. Why mess with it against AI?
If players want to throw down against each other - real time, I say let them (for no rewards) and have a coin flip then ONLY. Then, for those that want to test their skills either way - have a blast, but don’t mess with the mechanic in the main game.
I don’t see an additional random element as being an improvement on the game, regardless of its impact on the outcome. In some cases, it would hardly matter at all, just meaning an extra 3-6 mana for one side or the other. In other cases, the whole game may hinge on the first-turn advantage, whether it be a chain of quad-matches, an empowered troop, or getting a looping engine rolling before the other team.
There should be enough randomness to keep the game interesting, to give the player a reason to pay attention, something to react to, but its direct impact on the outcome should be as minimal as possible.
What if by opting to going second you increased the possible rewards for the battle
e.g. increase soul/gold cap, better chance for arcane traitstones etc
This would allow for players to choose and if selected the slight increase in difficulty could be rewarded
If you want to reduce winning rate, I would rather suggest that they implement a timer. You need to win the match under 5 minutes.
Losing because the AI is very lucky is plain boring. Losing because you could not complete the match before the end of the timer is actually more interesting