Mercy Warps The Whole Game

[Shimrra]

The Problem

This is pretty simple stuff here: one of the first things we check when we evaluate new troops’ strength is “does it use Yellow mana”.

Obviously Mercy is not a guarantee, but she’s close to fool-proof.

And of course, other veterans and more insightful late-comers will remember or recognize, respectively, that Spirit Fox was created specifically to neutralize Mercy. Fat lot of good its doing.

Now I’ve been wishing, usually pretty quietly but not always, for quite a while now … that Mercy lost Empowered. She can have Fast, she can even have Swift … we all know that’s never going to happen. Backlash would be too strong, player retention would go down the tubes, etc etc.

Those are my stats (obviously). Mercy is just too strong not to use.
Also? Krystenax and Kraken were often used with 2-3 at once, which has skewed those numbers, so effectively my #2-4 positions are really all Yellow troops. Shocker.

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The Solution (?)

I’ve been talking to @Jainus about this for the fifteenth time or so …

Take away her Empower. Right, can’t do that. _{Publishers probably won’t let 'em…}

How about the other colors get to come out and play? That way we at least have a tad more diversity than “is it Yellow” … Make a Mercy equivalent for each of the other colors and see how we go. Or more than one each!

Working OK for the Trolls. *shrug* Just consider that it’s probably healthier to have 6 or 12 problem troops of this nature than just one that skews everything. Furthermore, this opens up team building a lot, particularly for players who might not be able to trait Mercy but can trait one of these other Empowered transformers.

Noteworthy ideas while we’re here:

• Make sure there’s a relatively even distribution of color denial as well. We see Mercy in Guild Wars on Purple Day for a pretty obvious reason.
• Make equivalents to Spirit Fox also. Because equality. Also follows from the above.
• Dial Mercy’s mana cost up to 13 or 14. Seriously, its time. Doesn’t stop her doing what she’s supposed to, just makes her less powerful a troop once she’s done that.

[AngryMidget]

Can we not make troops equivalent to Spirit Fox. Please. That thing is by far my most hated troop bar none.

Personally I’ve never really seen an issue with Mercy. If the board isn’t aligned, she can’t do her main job.

She’s my 16th most used troop with 741 battles. Compared to number 1 with 8908 battles.

[Fuligin]

First of all, don’t touch her Resurrect ability anymore. God knows it’s been nerfed enough.

Secondly, I think she’s in a good place now as we’ve been seeing a more diverse amount of support characters in the meta.

Last but not least, I feel like we should wait for the release of Brigitte to see how this will impact the meta before considering future nerfs. Mercy isn’t the problem right now, I believe the tanks are.

[Sidousai]

@Shimrra

Now I’ve been wishing, usually pretty quietly but not always, for quite a while now … that Mercy lost Empowered.

Stop trying to nerf thing.
How about giving us MORE empowered-transformer troops instead?

[Razzagor]

@Fuligin

Mercy isn’t the problem right now, I believe the tanks are.

How?
If you mean that Skulls builds lost some relevance then i agree to a certain degree.
I think we have few aggressive traits and effects that are reliable mostly because it still requires skulls on the board. Pair it with healing/extra life effects boosted by extra magic from different sources an then we have even less utility for skulls.

In a perfectly inbalanced enviroment it’s ok to have a tanker being supported by a healer in order to deal with skulls, you are using two elements to deal with a single one so it’s fair that there is an advantage, but we have too much effects in GoW giving extra life, which means the troops can reach abusrd amounts of “tankiness” regardless their original health…

And that’s the problem with the mechanics.

[Shimrra]

@Sidousai

Stop trying to nerf thing.

How about giving us MORE empowered-transformer troops instead?

You may want to read my entire post lol.

[Whiskeyjack]

@Shimrra

Mercy is just too strong not to use.

For you. For others, clearly not. Have a look at Lyya’s invasion leaderboard. Lots of troops there that aren’t compatible with mercy.

Invasion Leaderboard - Leaderboards - Extras - Gems of War Database

[Jainus]

I broadly agree of course. Mercy is just too good not to use, often. Nerfing her is out of the question, sadly, or it would have happened long ago. So yes please to more of the same. I even wrote a thread of ideas of them here a while back. Maybe a helpful @Ozball or @lyya could dig out a link for me (please) as I’m on mobile…

[Macawi]

@Jainus, maybe this is what you’re looking for.
New gem-transformer troop ideas

[Shimrra]

Ah yeah, I remember those. *nod*

[Zwiezda]

How I love this reply xD I only realised what’s going on when I read “Brigitte” part. Great job! haha

[Doordash_Support]

Am I misunderstanding something about Mercy? Sure, I used her, but mainly as the first troop in line to get killed. Without RNGesus, she’s essentially useless in the end game.

I suppose healing in the early game is good… and maybe that is where this is coming from.

[Jainus]

I hardly notice the life gain on her spell. The cleanse is occasionally useful. But… she’s an empowered board modifier. High chance on first turn and, failing that, often sooner, to power up something yellow. In a late game where first cast typically brings the player a rapid win.

[Jainus]

Thanks

(10 char)

[Santandrix]

Here is my most used troops, I broke the vjm use habit months ago and Infernus is my heavy hitter now.

I think we notice her now more paired with Isabella now, but she still isn’t much of a threat and in attack I use her more often now, but I think she is ok as is.

Hellcat and alchemist have been a blast with Infernus. Bottom troop can be mercy even.

[miedzielski]

I don’t know if I want more empowered transformers in the game. Probably not, at least as long as GW are a thing. It’s entirely possible to loose a battle on 2nd turn now. With more troops like Mercy… the new teams would be just crazy. God forbids I could use on defense blue or purple empowered transformer to fill Fizzbang.

Edit: I checked my own stats and Mercy’s not even top 10 either. But if I could grief enemies with empowered transformers in GW more - I would. Just to not stay behind the others, of course . People would hate such changes. I would hate them myself, most likely.

*I finally figured out how to hide that pic with said stats to make the post look shorter*

[Lyya]

@Lyya,

Can I please change my title to, “Empowered forever because Mercy is perfect and nobody can ever convince me otherwise”?

Thanks!
@Lyya

[Venar]

I don’t want to sound mean , but I barely ever see Mercy at all. So on defense she is nothing.

As for too good not to use, it’s up to you not to use her.

[Mariana]

I don’t see the problem.
I rarely see her in pvp or GW anymore and don’t use her much myself

[Calv1n]

Mercy isn’t even in my top 100 used troops and I’m around the top 30 on gowdb for invasions on PS4. I don’t see her much on teams in PvP either on this console.
The troop I do see that I find to be a far larger threat than Mercy is Lady Anariel…
My 2 cents anyway.

Cheers